Justin O’Brien is currently studying to be a Mechanical Engineer at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was born and raised on Maui and plans to someday return after graduation. His hobbies include flying, climbing, mountain biking, and hiking.
Institution when accepted: University of Colorado at Boulder.
Akamai Project: Satellite Tracking Using a Mobile 8” Consumer Telescope
Project Site: Trex Enterprises
Mentors: Daron Nishimoto and Riki Maeda
Project Abstract:
A mobile telescope capable of precisely tracking and imaging satellites would be a valuable asset for intelligence gathering in support of military operations. A high-end consumer telescope equipped with GPS and north finding capabilities was used to examine the feasibility of mobile tracking and imaging of satellites. With the capability of controlling the telescope remotely, tracking software loaded with satellite orbital data was used to track while a Charged Coupling Device (CCD) camera mounted to the telescope was used to image the satellite. The residual error in tracking and imaging the satellites using a consumer telescope was calculated in order to evaluate tracking performance. Results will be presented.