San Luis Obispo students integrate mini research satellites or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer or PPOD container.

San Luis Obispo, CA - Roland Coelho and Ryan Nugent, students at California Polytechnic State University, integrate mini research satellites or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD, container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about four inches cubed; about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion.

U.S. Air Force Photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens, Jr.