MIT researchers have demonstrated a 3D-printed plasma sensor for orbiting spacecraft that works just as well as much more expensive, semiconductor sensors. These durable, precise sensors could be used effectively on inexpensive, lightweight satellites known as CubeSats, which are commonly utilized for environmental monitoring or weather prediction. Credit: Figure courtesy of the researchers and edited by MIT Newssensors could help scientists predict the weather or study climate change.
The team of researchers developed RPAs using a glass-ceramic material that is more resilient than traditional sensor materials like silicon and thin-film coatings. By using the glass-ceramic in a fabrication process that was developed for 3D printing with plastics, they were able to construct sensors with complex shapes that can withstand the wide temperature swings a spacecraft would encounter in lower Earth orbit.
Key to the success of an RPA is the housing structure that aligns the meshes. It must be electrically insulating while also able to withstand sudden, drastic swings in temperature. The researchers used a printable, glass-ceramic material known as Vitrolite that exhibits these properties. This figure shows an experiment in which the researchers set up their RPA to characterize it as an ion energy distribution sensor. Credit: Courtesy of the researchersThe 3D printing process for ceramics usually involves ceramic powder that is hit with a laser to fuse it into shapes. However, this process often leaves the material coarse and creates weak points due to the high heat from the lasers.
Because the sensors were cheap to produce and could be fabricated so quickly, the team prototyped four unique designs.