A3Sat: Using CubeSat Emulators to Broaden Advanced Participation in STEM Education

As CubeSats have expanded in usage and development within research and industry, capable of being applied for various mission purposes, their potential for educational impact has grown correspondingly. A culmination of several fields and dimensions of STEM, CubeSats possess the ability for in-depth and comprehensive technical education. The A$^{3}$Sat Emulator V 2.0 is a 1U CubeSat-class satellite that is designed to be used for education in a classroom setting. It was devised to authentically replicate building a Tier 1 CubeSat for pre-college students. The current V 2.0 A3Sat fosters a more technically accurate and parallel experience compared to V 1.0, incorporating aspects such as radio communication and GPS, maintaining an emphasis on the operational mechanics of CubeSats. The A$^{3}$Sat Emulator Enterprise will introduce teachers and students to this emerging disruptive space technology, i.e. CubeSats, and seeks to train and develop a new pre-college SmallSat community. As part of the design, there are sensors that will collect/transmit data and provide operational feedback to a GroundStation. A3Sat was developed, constructed, and designed to both strengthen existing curriculum taught in class, as well as incorporate topics commonly missed. Within construction alone, the A$^{3}$Sat retains lessons in computer science, aerospace/mechanical engineering, material science, and electrical engineering, fostering an intellectual environment for students to explore their STEM interests. The data and/or imagery provide a wide range of innovative and transformative opportunities to develop proficiencies, gain experience, and explore career pathways that are not readily available to the pre-college community, thus broadening participation in STEM careers.