ME-EM Graduate Seminar: Space Tethers, Small Satellites, and System Engineering

oct9The ME-EM Graduate Seminar speaker on Thursday, October 9 at 4:00 in 103 EERC will be Dr. Nestor Voronka, Principal, M42 Technologies.

The title of his presentation will be ‘Space Tethers, Small Satellites, and System Engineering’.

This seminar will present an overview of space tether technology, its applications, and the
results of space tether missions to date. Space tethers present interesting system engineering challenges and in particular when integrated into small satellites. System engineering challenges
of both large and small spacecraft systems will be discussed along with some lessons learned and recommendations.

Dr. Nestor Voronka is the Principal of M42 Technologies, which develops, advanced technologies, provides alternative and relevant solutions to space and aerospace challenges and is currently focused on developing project solutions and flight systems for the DoD, NASA and commercial space customers. From 2003 to 2013 Mr. Voronka served as the Chief Technologist and VP of Tethers Unlimited, Inc where he led various product and technology development efforts designing space tether systems, nanosatellite components, propulsion systems, RF systems, spacecraft antennas, 3D printable radiation shielding, and UAV towed sensor systems. Mr. Voronka was the lead engineer responsible for the design, development, testing, and delivery, and operations of the MAST 3U CubeSat experiment that launched in April 2007. From 1996 to 2003, Mr. Voronka was Chief Engineer at Cybernet Systems Corp. where he was led the development of products and technologies in a number of areas including computer networking, force feedback devices, motor control, motion capture, machine vision, electro-optics, inertial navigation, aviation systems, and medical devices. While at the UM-Space Physics Research Lab 1991-1996 first as a student and then a staff engineer, Mr. Voronka worked the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1R) that flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-75 flight in February of 1996. Mr. Voronka has two Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in Electrical Engineering in the areas of electromagnetics, and Signal/Image Processing.