Structures Team Objective

The Structures Team manages the physical needs of the club. This includes the CubeSat frame itself but also joints, fastenings, deployables, and mountings for the satellite itself as well as testing apparatuses and ground support equipment.

Our primary concern is physical durability during launch (vibration and shock). But we must also worry about mass budgeting, volume allocation, and material concerns (such as outgassing, toxicity and the like).

[CougSat-I Documentation]

For New Members

Create a Slack account and join the Cougs in Space #structures channel here: [Cougs in Space Slack]

Create a GitHub account, and send your team lead your GitHub username to be added to the Cougs in Space GitHub: [Cougs in Space GitHub]

Create a GrabCad account, and then send your team lead an email to get added to the team GrabCad. The current team lead is Colin Warn.

Install a copy of Solidworks onto your computer. Cougs in Space has been donated Solidworks licenses, so ask your team-lead to see if you can get the latest copy. Additionally, you can get a free copy of Solidworks through WSU here: [Free Solidworks Download]

Take a look at our welcome guide which can be found here: [Welcome Guide]

For newer engineers, this page provides suggestions on how to design parts: Building Blocks for Engineers

Read through our CougSat-I design document to get a sense of our mission, as well as a brief overview of all the other subsystems [CougSat-I Design Document]

Tutorials and Resources

The following links are tutorials/resources we suggest for learning the skillset we as the structure team need in order to execute our tasks.



CubeSat Designing 101

[NASA CubeSat 101 Document]

[CubeSat Design and Specification Documents Overview]

[Reading Through CubeSat Design Specifications (YouTube Video)]



How to Design (CAD) a Model

[Resources for Learning Solidworks]

[Great Starting Solidworks Tutorial]



How to Manufacture a Model

[An Overview of the CubeSat Design and Manufacturing Process]

[Free Download of HSMWorks for Students]

[HSMWorks CAM Playlist Series]

[How to 3D Print CubeSat Component Prototypes]

[How to Use HSMWorks to CAM Out a Satellite Part]

[How to Manufacture CubeSat Parts out of Metal Using CAD, CAM and a CNC Mill]



How to Create Engineering Drawings

[GD&T Engineering Drawing Basics Website]

[How to Make Engineering Drawings (YouTube Video)]

[Making Your Engineering Drawings GD&T-Appropriate]



How to Test a CubeSat's Hardware

[CubeSat Design and Specification Documents Overview]

[An Introduction to Vibration Testing]

[Random Vibration Formulas/Overview]

[How to Do a Random Vibration Simulation in Solidworks for a CubeSat]

[Contact Bonding for Solidworks Random Vibration Simulation]

[How To Do a Sine Sweep Test Using a Fluke Function Generator ]



Bolt Calculations, Selection

[Bolted Joint Analysis Crash Course]

[Bolt Torquing Recommendations]

[Bolt/Fastener Selection Guide]

[Bolted Joint Analysis Resource 1]

[Bolted Joint Analysis Resource 2]

[Greg's Bolted Joint Analysis]



Miscellaneous Skills

[Miscellaneous Skills Needed as a Structure's Team Member]

[Standard Operating Procedure Guide: Units]

[Material Properties 101]

[Safety Datasheets]

[Using a Torque Wrench]

[How to Airtight Seal a Space Payload]

Preparing Epoxy for Flight Hardware

[Gasket Design Guide]

[Greg's Tubing Fitting Guide]

For intermediate/advanced engineers, we highly suggest reading a book titled "Space Mission Engineering: The New SMAD." It covers every single thing one might be concerned with when designing a satellite structure, in addition to covering other aspects of satellite design. It also gives a great cohesive overview of the whole satellite-creation process. Ask your team lead if there's a copy available if you'd like to refer to it.

Baking Skills

White Bread Recipe

1½ cups of warm water (105-115 degrees, or heated approximately 40s in the microwave)

2 Tbsp honey or sugar

2¼ tsp active-dry yeast (1 package)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cups white bread flour

1 tsp salt

Mix the hot water, honey, and yeast. Wait about 5 minutes for bubbling. Then add in the salt and oil and mix. Mix into the flour in a large bowl (quickly, should take less than 3 minutes by hand). Once mixed, let sit for 30 minutes to rise (or 10 if fast rising yeast is used). Then put in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Recommended: when preheating the oven, have the pan/container in there to warm up as well. This helps it not stick to the batter.