Model

I have been experimenting with the idea of making a simple space model of FUNcube, and have put a couple of pics below (click on image for larger version). The model is simply a cube made of plastic sheeting, four vertical rods (two black, two white) to represent the parts of the structure which slides out of the POD at separation time during launch, and stick on printed sides, top and bottom.

Click here to download A4 sized page with graphics for each of the six sides of the cube. Print at 100% scaling on a single page of A4, portrait. Good results can be obtained with glossy paper in a colour inkjet printer.

The model is 10cms cube, (+ or minus a couple of mm) and quite a few of the features of FUNcube are represented (eg the plug on the left hand bottom side, represents the ‘remove before flight’ plug). But there are some anomalies compared to the real thing, eg the antennas are shorter than they should be (I just couldn’t find a source of anything longer that would, more or less, support its own weight in gravity!).

The model is really intended to be used as a demo/teaching aid to explain to newcomers to satellites what a cube sat looks like, and to illustrate some of FUNcube’s atributes.

I plan to write a small article on how to make up this model in the next edition of Oscar News, due out in March.

I want to thank and give credit to Assoc Prof PhD Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen, Section of Automation and Control, Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, Denmark for allowing me to use their paper model artwork as a basic for my versions of the paper ‘stick ons’ for this FUNcube version.

Jim, G3WGM

FUNcube model, the antennas are made from plastic strip

FUNcube model close up. You can see the RBF plug at the bottom left, and one of the antennas deployer openings at the top left.

FUNcube model, showing antennas