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26 MEMS and Microstructures in Aerospace Applications

2.3.1 INVENTORY OF MEMS-BASED SPACECRAFT COMPONENTS
It is expected that MEMS technology will offer NASA mission designers very
attractive alternatives for challenging applications where power, mass, and volume
constraints preclude the use of the traditional components. MEMS technologies will
enable miniaturized, low-mass, low-power, modular versions of many of the current
inventory of traditional spacecraft components.

2.3.2 AFFORDABLE MICROSATELLITES
A strong driver for MEMS technology infusion comes from the desire of some
space mission architects to implement affordable constellations of multiple micro-
satellites. These constellations, of perhaps as many as 30–100 satellites, could be
deployed either in loosely controlled formations to perform spatial or temporal
space environment measurements, or in tightly controlled formations to synthesize
distributed sparse aperture arrays for planet finding.
A critical aspect to implementing these multisatellite constellations in today’s
cost-capped fiscal environment will be the application of new technologies that
reduce the per unit spacecraft cost while maintaining the necessary functional
performance. The influence of technology in reducing spacecraft costs evaluated
by NASA 17 through analysis of historical trend data leads us to the conclusion that,
on average, the use of technologies that reduce spacecraft power will reduce
spacecraft mass and cost. Clearly a large part of solving the affordable microsatel-
lite problem will involve economies of scale. Identifying exactly those technologies
that have the highest likelihood of lowering spacecraft cost is still in progress.
However, a case can be made that employing MEMS technology, perhaps in
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tandem with the ultra-low power electronics technology being developed by
NASA and its partners, will be a significant step toward producing multiple micro-
satellite units in a more affordable way.
It should also be pointed out that another equally important aspect to lowering
spacecraft costs will be developing architectures that call for the use of standard-
off-the-shelf and modular MEMS-based microsystems. Also, there will be a need
to fundamentally shift away from the current ‘‘hands on’’ labor-intensive limited-
production spacecraft manufacturing paradigm toward a high-volume, more ‘‘hands
off’’ production model. This would most likely require implementing new cost-
effective manufacturing methodologies where such things as parts screening, sub-
system testing, spacecraft-level integration and testing, and documentation costs are
reduced.
One can anticipate the ‘‘Factory of the Future,’’ which produces microsatellites
that are highly integrated with MEMS-based microsubsystems, composed of mini-
aturized electronics, devices and mechanisms, for communications, power, and
attitude control, extendable booms and antennas, microthrusters, and a broad
range of microsensor instrumentation. The multimission utility of having a broadly
capable nano- or microspacecraft has not been overlooked by NASA’s mission

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC