Expresso and Perseus: Student-led Innovation in Space Systems’ Projects
- Paper number
IAC-08.E1.1.7
- Author
Mrs. Christelle Bernard-Lepine, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
- Coauthor
Mr. Raymond Bec, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
- Year
2008
- Abstract
Students have a unique profile: they have the majority of the skills necessary to understand complex engineering problems and yet little knowledge of the solutions actually implemented for any given scenario. With regards to the creation of original ideas, this can be a great asset because they are truly free to imagine new solutions without letting the existing influence their problem-solving skills. A great deal of projects aimed at students is intended to encourage this generation to take up a career in a particular industry. This is indeed an honourable challenge to undertake, but CNES has tried to take advantage of this partnership. Students are given a project to work on and assisted in their trade-offs without insisting on the use of a certain technology only explaining the requirements and constraints. More than just a trial-and-error at hitting an innovation, students are incited to generate as many ideas as possible, employing a variety of creativity techniques. Another advantage of this collaboration is the reduced cost of manufacturing certain objects, though a good amount of support is necessary from professionals. Nonetheless, putting their newfound concepts to test in real demonstrators is certainly the best way to determine their potential. The nanosat range has been chosen so that thes demonstrators may be tackled by the students. What’s more,hands-on work is surely more exciting and attractive! In order to ensure that no possible area is missed, CNES allow the students to study every aspect of an entire space system. The EXPRESSO project concentrates on orbital systems and stratospheric balloons. Their workable size and availability of components allows the realisation of a multitude of these projects, three so far and a fourth, more ambitious project, in the near future. PERSEUS is the equivalent project concerned this time with launch systems. The nature of these systems is less approachable from a student’s point of view but even so the preparation of a detailed concept is foreseen, with several reduced sized demonstrators hoping to take flight in the coming years. These two projects are based in the heart the Future Projects departments at CNES and contribute to the reflections of the agency. The projects are seen somewhat as think-tanks with the hope to create, develop and test technologies applicable to larger systems.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.E1.1.7.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.