ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project

ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project
Tama Art University x The University of Tokyo
http://artsat.jp | https://www.facebook.com/artsat
© ARTSAT PROJECT All Rights Reserved.
About artworks
ARTSAT:On-Orbit
Exhibition
Group exhibition
June 7 (Sat), 2014 – Aug 31 (Sun), 2014
‘mission [SPACE×ART]−beyond Cosmologies’ @ Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT)
Satellites As Personal Media
Following the surge of personalization in the field of
where we are able to draw a parallel with artistic practice
computers, networks and the recently much-hyped digital
and working with the supposed inconvenience of the
fabrication, the field of satellites and spacecrafts are also
nano satellites. In such limitation lies the potential of art, an
undergoing the same transformation, as nano satellites
area which science and technology based on objectivism
such as CubeSat become more widespread. Just as
is lacking in.
computer art and internet art were born out of an era of
Many people mistake art for the creation of beauty,
media personalization, we are now about to witness the
wonder or fun. Art is by no means a form of entertainment,
unfolding of an art engendered by the personalization of
magic, or an attempt to do something “artsy” based on
satellites.
some sort of theme (such as space and satellites). On the
Nano satellites only allow for very limited data transmission.
contrary, the role of art is to discover “what art is” by
For low Earth orbit satellites such as the INVADER, a
utilizing our individual perception and imagination. There
bandwidth bottleneck occurs after approximately 20
are still new forms of art to be discovered, latent in new
minutes of data transmission within a time span of a day.
material, media, formats and methods that come our way.
For satellites on an Earth escape trajectory like DESPATCH,
The universe far exceeds the capabilities of our human
a bottleneck occurs when the transmission distance
body and our perceptions. There are possibilities that
exceeds 1 million kilometers within three days. This limitation
extraterrestrial life and intelligence, though we have not
in data transmission capability may generally be
succeeded in confirming their existence, may even exist.
understood as a drawback. However, when we look back
The ARTSAT Project’ s mission, which started out from
at various artistic expressions and practices such as haiku
equating satellites with personal media, is to transcend
and other forms of poetry, or expressions condensed in a
preconceived notions and definitions of beauty to
single canvas, we see that these activities entailed the
discover and create a new form of art.
unlimited expansion of small data through the imagination.
Data that was unique, precious and ever so scarce. This is
About artworks
INVADER Engineering Model
A method known as Phased Project Planning (PPP) is commonly
implemented for the development of artificial satellites, required to
realize an autonomous system that can operate under the extreme
conditions of the space environment. Starting from a rough prototype,
the PPP method entails an iterative step-by-step refinement process that
enables high levels of reliability and safety. The development of the
INVADER consisted of three phases: the bread board model (BBM), for
the impedance matching of the system; the engineering model (EM),
subjected to various durability tests and the final flight model (FM) for the actual launch. The engineering model, produced
with the same design and fabrication method as the flight model, is used to evaluate its performance in launch and orbit
environments through vibration, impact, heat, vacuum tests etc. Based on these tests, the final flight model is planned and
developed for launch.
Unnamed Mass
An elaborately machined aluminum structure was used as the framework for INVADER. In addition, copper-tungsten weights
were loaded on the small empty spaces left on the satellite to prolong its orbital life. The materials are the remainders and
spare parts of the satellite, remnants that were unable to make a departure to space despite the fact that they were
intended to become part of the INVADER.
Unspoken Words
The number of telemetry data collected from the INVADER reached 1886 with the cooperation of many radio amateurs on
June 7, 2014. The full extent of the data was printed out on paper, a telling physical representation of the sheer volume of
data. The binder will soon be completed when the satellite reenters the atmosphere and ends its life as a shooting star.
About artworks
Unstable Horizon
Without an attitude control system, INVADER is in constant steady rotation. The three displays show imaginary horizons that
indicate the attitude of the INVADER from some point in the past. In a zero-gravity environment where the framework of
relative direction such as up, down, left, right, forwards and backwards do not apply, can there still be a fixed point that
can be called an origin? Or even axes?
Invisible One
Various data collected by the INVADER is
transmitted to the ground as AX. 25 protocol
packets with a data division of 204 bytes
and a total data length of 255 bytes. The
received data and the real-time position of
the INVADER are visualized on the square
display of 2048 x 2048 dots.
Undisplayable Speed
The work uses speed as its main motif in order to convey the actual speed of the INVADER at approximately 8 km/s. The 3 x
93 dots display made from three LED tapes, scrolls through images taken from the satellite at a scale of 1/1, 1/10, 1/100.
About artworks
Untouchable Face
Under the adverse conditions of space, thermal control is
essential for the various devices and instruments on board to
properly operate. The aluminum plate is a tangible thermal
map of the INVADER on orbit, corresponding to the
temperatures of the different sections of the satellite. This
“thermal sculpture” felt through touch, uses thermal energy
interconvertable with mass, hinting at the physical presence
of the satellite.
Inaudible Voice
What would it sound like if the INVADER, traveling at the speed of over Mach 23 were to emit audible sound waves to the
Earth? The speakers’ orientation is aligned with the position of the INVADER on orbit seen from the Museum of
Contemporary Art Tokyo. Imagine the fluctuation of the sound frequency from the Doppler effect and the magnitude of
the shock waves that would reach the Earth.
The First Image
The INVADER is equipped with a compact low-resolution
camera. This photograph is the first image taken by the
INVADER on April 8 2014, 16:28 (JST) when the satellite was
on its orbit just south of Japan. Since no attitude control
measures were taken to re-orient the satellite, downlinking
the captured image data was necessary to determine
whether the camera was facing the Earth. Despite these
difficulties, the INVADER succeeded in taking an image, only
160 x 120 dots, beautifully capturing a clear outline of the
Earth’ s face (including the contours of its atmosphere) in
daytime - its first and best shot. The monopole antenna in the
center of the image is for receiving signals (in 145 MHz band) from the ground station. Transmission of the image
data from the satellite took approximately three weeks with the help of many amateurs radio operators.
About artworks
A Visible INVADER
Amateur astrophotographer Shozo Sasaoka made an
attempt to photograph the 1U CubeSat, taking advantage
of the “full sunlight period” when the sunlight constantly
reaches the satellite regardless of the time of day.
Photographing the CubeSat is considered an almost
impossible feat since this entails capturing a tiny 10 cm cube,
which does not give off any light on its own, from 360 km
away. It also requires specific conditions to fall into place,
such as the position of the satellite, the conditions on the
ground, the weather, the condition of clouds and the
brightness of the moon (lunar phase). Although uncertain, the two pictures shown here have captured a trajectory of light
presumably that of the INVADER. However, regardless of whether the light ray is really the INVADER, the fact that the
CubeSat entered the frame of the camera at some point during the shoot, passing through at approximately 8 km/s,
imparts another meaning to the image, depicting another reality.
ARTSAT2:DESPATCH
DESPATCH is “an environmental art in space” , with an
envelope area of a cube 50 cm on each side (approx.) and
a total mass of 32 kg (approx.), which after launch will follow
the Earth escape trajectory and be released into deep
space. The 3-D printed “helix” or “spiral” shape of the
spacecraft has from antiquity, been used to symbolize the
dynamism of the universe and life. Although a work of art,
DESPATCH aspires to portray a vision of the future,
symbolizing a society that is yet to challenge the great
depths of the universe, rather than expressing personal
emotions or opinions. The work falls in line with the Russian
avant-garde artist Vladimir Tatlin’ s Monument to the Third
International, created in 1919. DESPATCH is also an homage
to Robert Smithson’ s Spiral Jetty, considered to be one of
the first works of site-specific environmental art. After launch, DESPATCH will become an artificial satellite orbiting the sun for
the indefinite future. In hopes that our descendants or other intelligent life will one day encounter the DESPATCH, the space
craft will be mounted with a MEMS memory with a life span of over a thousand years, carrying our message to future
generations and other life forms.
Production Member
Norimichi Hirakawa / Takanobu Inafuku / Koichiro Mori / Yoshito Onishi / Kenji Yasaka
Production Support Junshi Horiguchi / Mitsuru Tokisato
Production management Kumiko Noguchi
Design (exhibit panels) Wataru Kobara
Website Junya Kojima / Nanase Toyoshima
Shooting and Video editing Kazuomi Furuya / Yuma Mori
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ARTSAT: Introduction
Exhibition
Group exhibition
May 26, 2012–March 3, 2013
Open Space 2012 @ NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC], JP
1st Phase
“Manmade Moon”
May 26 [Sat] - Sep 2 [Sun] ,2012
2nd Phase “Physical Satellite”
Sep 04 (Tue) - Dec 2 [Sun] ,2012
3rd Phase “ARTSAT1: INVADER”
Dec 04 (Tue) ,2012 - Mar 3 (Sun) ,2013
The "ARTSAT: Introduction" corner documenting research and development related to the satellite art project was set up as
part of the "Open Space 2012" exhibition with the aim to introduce the activities of the "ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project",
from its start in 2010 up to the planned launch of the world's first art satellite in February 2014, to the broad general public,
and to stimulate a discussion of the project's significance and potential.
In order to communicate this project's various genre-crossing collaborative efforts as immediately as possible, the "Open
Space 2012" exhibition is divided into the following three parts/periods. "Manmade Moon" offers all kinds of basic information
related to satellites. "Physical Satellite" comprises various experimental and creative activities themed around satellite art.
And finally, "ARTSAT1: INVADER" showcases the satellite and the process of its development.
Production Member
Total Direction Norimichi Hirakawa
Production
Sota Ichikawa (doubleNegatives Architecture) / Takanobu Inafuku / Koichiro Mori / Junya Kojima / Takahiro Yamaguchi / Yoshito Onishi /
So Kanno / Keisuke Inoue / Tatsuya Narita / Junshi Horiguchi / Ron Hashimoto / INVADER Development Team
Creative Producer Yuki Tazaki
Production Manager Kumiko Noguchi
Design Naoki Ise / Wataru Kobara
Website, Flyer Design Shinpei Yamamori / Nanase Toyoshima
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1st Phase : Manmade Moon
Elevation
On its nearly circular orbit at an
altitude of 407km, the art satellite "INVADER" is going to travel
at the breathtaking speed of
7.6627km per second, or
27,593km/h, and will thus need
only 92 minutes and 42 seconds to make one orbit around
the earth. This altitude, at
which also the International
Space Station (ISS) orbits, lies
within a layer of the atmosphere known as the "thermosphere", where gravity is only
about 1/100,000th that of the earth's surface, and temperature rises with increasing altitude, up to approximately 1,000 ° C.
However at this altitude the atmosphere's density is so low that atmospheric pressure is only one billionth that of the earth's
surface. Therefore the human body does not sense the high temperature as heat, which makes it possible for astronauts to
walk in space.
At Terminal 1 "Elevation", variously sized objects ranging from daily life articles up to those at the INVADER's altitude of
407km, are displayed on a seamlessly scrollable table. By way of the tiny 10cm CubeSat, visitors can observe how the sense
of scale/distance changes according to direction, demonstrated here on the examples of humans, whales, Space Shuttle,
ISS, Concorde, Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Burj Dubai, Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and in addition, Mt. Fuji, Mt. Everest, aircraft,
and the altitude of the ISS/CubeSat. The linear distance between Tokyo and Osaka is about 400km. While this distance
surely isn't a big deal down here on earth, traveling 400km in vertical direction takes us to a totally different world.
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Environment
With states of "high vacuum" that causes the outgassing (release of a gas that was dissolved, trapped, frozen or absorbed)
or cold welding (process in which joining takes place without fusion/heating) of materials; microgravity in which floatage
triggers short circuits or impedes mobility; high radiation inflicting damage or failure of electronic devices; and in addition,
"cosmic dust" and "space debris" flying around, space is an environment with extreme conditions that are hard to imagine
on the ground. Looking at the issue of heat alone, between the 6,000 ° C hot sun itself and outer space with a temperature
close to absolute zero, there are huge temperatures differences, ranging from over 100 ° C at places irradiated by the sun,
and several dozen degrees below zero at points the rays of the sun don't reach. As we are talking about a vacuum plus
microgravity situation, there is no air-cooling, and no convection currents that could mitigate the thermal differences. In
order to ensure the normal function of a computer in such kind of environment, and protect the vulnerable rechargeable
batteries from high and low temperatures, accurate analysis and simulation, and appropriate design are imperative.
At Terminal 2 "Environment", the temperature and position of the satellite in orbit, as well as geomagnetic forces and other
environmental aspects surrounding the satellite, are being visualized intuitively in chronological order. As it is impossible to
follow a satellite in its orbit, even the developers themselves will never be able touch the satellite again once it has been
launched. To make the satellite "feel" its environment in as real a manner as possible is one of this project's central themes.
The displays at this terminal are based on actual sensor data transmitted from The University of Tokyo's nano-satellite PRISM
that is currently in operation.
Data contributed by PRISM Project Team, Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory, The University of Tokyo
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Location
INVADER travels the sky in an inclined orbit with an angle of 65degrees, at a latitude between –65 and +65 degrees. As it is
in a polar sun-synchronous orbit and therefore passes a certain position at a different time each day, it will go through
periods of permanent solar irradiation, as well as periods during which it will be half irradiated and half hidden from the
sunlight, which makes heat and power design extremely tricky tasks.
At Terminal 3 "Location", the position of the PRISM satellite in relation to the earth's surface and ground station, as well as the
satellite's transmissible, visible range are depicted in a Mercator projection based on the satellite's direction of movement
and position in relation to the earth on a given day. Here it is possible to observe gradual shifts in the relationship between
the satellite's orbit and the earth surface due to the rotation of the earth. Communication between the ground station on
The University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus and the satellite will be possible four times each day. While looking at the map
based on the satellite, visitors can further experience both visually and acoustically via radio waves how the satellite that
cannot be seen with the naked eye moves closer within visible range, and slowly disappears again after the
correspondence.
Tama Art University is presently setting up a new ground station for the "ARTSAT: Art and Satellite Project". Nonetheless, a
singular ground station can communicate with a satellite for a total of not much more than 25 minutes per day, which
means that the total volume of data exchanged at a speed of 1,200bps between INVADER and the ground station can
amount to only 11 kilobytes per day.
Technical Support : doubleNegatives Architecture
Data contributed by PRISM Project Team, Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory, The University of Tokyo
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2nd Phase : Physical Satellite
ARTSAT API
The ARTSAT API (Application Programming Interface) is a software package for delivering sensor and status data obtained
from satellites to the application used by the end user, and for transferring commands for controlling the satellite to the
earth station. Not limited to the "INVADER" art satellite alone, ARTSAT API was designed to be adaptable also to data of
various ultra-small satellites, with the aim to promote the expansion of possible usage of satellite data among artists and
designers, and also among the general public.
Temperature Layer
The altitude of 407km at which the "INVADER" art satellite is
orbiting is part of the so-called thermosphere, a layer of the
atmosphere (80-800km) in which the temperature rises with
altitude. Temperatures at this altitude can reach up to
approximately 1,000℃. Due to the effects of vacuum and
microgravity, heat transfer through air-cooling or convection
does not occur, which results in a huge temperature difference
between areas under solar irradiation and those in the shadow.
A variety of visual images are created by layering patterns
visualizing values measured by temperature sensors on the
satellite's six faces under such harsh environmental conditions.
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Solar Band
Photovoltaic cells attached to the satellite's six faces are the only
energy source and thus vital components of the satellite. In order
to generate as much energy as possible for the "INVADER" art
satellite, each of its six faces is equipped with photovoltaic cells.
GaAs solar cells, which are often chosen as photovoltaic cells for
use in outer space, are characterized by a high conversion
efficiency of 30%, which allows them to produce more energy
from the same amount of sunlight. The amount of electricity
generated by the respective photovoltaic cells on each of
INVADER's six faces is visualized on a display in the form of bars of
different color and weight.
Radiation Typo
Space radiation is one major problem for astronauts and
satellites. Here the outlines of letters are destroyed according to
the flow of radiation, enabling the viewer to sense invisible
radioactive rays intuitively. As the amount of space radiation
varies greatly by altitude, in this case the change of radiation
according to altitude is simulated based on a radiation sensor's
measured values on the display. The average amount of
radiation at the altitude at which INVADER orbits is about
1mSv/day – several hundred times higher than on the earth
surface.
Geomagnetic Texture
The "INVADER" art satellite has a built-in magnetic sensor for
measuring geomagnetic fields. By measuring geomagnetism it is
possible to determine the satellite's attitude like using a compass.
In addition, in consideration of influences on both the satellite's
temperature and electrical power, INVADER was fitted with a
permanent magnet on the inside, in order to stabilize the
satellite's attitude as it rotates around an axis defined by the axis
of geomagnetism. The magnetic sensor's time variations obtained
by way of simulation are visualized in the form of moiré patterns.
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Gyroscope Metaball
A gyroscope is a sensor that detects the approximate speed of a
satellite's rotation (angular velocity). As it is used in smartphones
and Wii remote controls among others, we have recently
familiarized with the gyroscope's functions also in daily life. As the
gyroscope is a "relative angle" sensor, the measurement values of
which have to be integrated in order to determine actual
attitudes, here the relationship between gravity and centrifugal
force on the satellite – rather than its attitude – is expressed in the
movements of an organic spherical object.
Simulation
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
regularly measures the orbits of satellites larger than 10cm, and
publishes all data that are not treated as military classified
information. Data published by NORAD are in the so-called TLE
(Two Line Element) text format that describes the Keplerian
Elements of satellites. Here INVADER's orbit, attitude and sensor
status are simulated based on assumed TLE of the planned orbit
at an altitude of 407km and an orbital inclination of 65 degrees.
Interface
Using the ARTSAT API, each display receives and shows simulation data of the "INVADER" art satellite that are being
distributed from the ARTSAT server. In addition to this, touching the interfaces set up on each display switches to displays
based on the sensor data in the respective interface. Touching and manipulating the interfaces with one's hands facilitates
a physical sensation of the relationship between the satellite's condition and the visual displays.
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3rd Phase : ARTSAT1: INVADER
The structure of INVADER
In order to realize a “aesthetic satellite” within its restrictions, its frame is mainly made of 3 aluminum parts. By constructing
each part centered by the frame, the satellite is designed beautifully and sophisticated. Detailed beauty has a force to
move people. The antenna for communication with the ground is winded around the narrow, curved part of the frame, and
it will be used on the orbit.
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The means of INVADER
The world’ s first “ARTSAT” (satellite made in purpose of art):
INVADER is a 1U CubeSat standard satellite. Its size is 10
centimeter-cube, and weighs 1.5 kilograms. In order to
realize being “an open satellite for everyone,” it loads Open
source hard ware Arudino-compatible Mission OBC, and
can execute various user programs. Furthermore, we offer a
platform which shares datum of art from the satellite, by
designing and providing “ARTSAT API.”
Construction of BBM
It is a record of an experiment of INVADER BBM (Bread Board Model), in 2012/3/19-20. The video is taken by 30 seconds’
intervals each. BBM is a model for examining basic functions of the satellite, and is assembled by general-purpose electronic parts. It is also called “Table-Sat” for it can be made on a table. Based on the result of BBM, we make EM (Engineer
Model), the model equivalent to the one which will be launched to space.
Study log
It is most important for university student research whose members replace every year, to hand over memos and
documents about the development of the satellite. Document is necessary for confirming your own data and
sharing it with other members.
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Printed wiring board of INVADER
There are 4 printed wiring boards in the cabinet; power source board, main board, communication board, and mission
board. Each board uses software called EAGLE. We create wiring diagrams, and make order data for producing. If the aluminum cabinet is a bone of the satellite, printed wiring boards are nerves. The logo “INVADER” is printed on each board.
Laboratory
The development of the satellite is mainly done at a student
lab of Department of Electrical and Electronic, Tokyo
University (building 13, floor2). We reported on live the
developing process from a clean bench. It may be a most
difficult point for a project containing students from various
departments to find a place to experiment. We would like
to make an acknowledgement to Associate Professor
Yoshio Mita for offering the room to our project.
End roll
We will work toward the launch of H-IIA rocket on February,
2014. In order to ship the satellite to JAXA by November,
2013, we will finish tests by April, 2013. The tests concern: EM
test of heat environment, vibration test, vacuum test, heat
vacuum test, and radiation test. After resolving problems
arose by the tests, we will create FM (Flight Model): a
model which will be actually launched. Although the time is
limited, we will do our best to create a satellite that can
survive at space.
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