CubeSat development has seen a rise since the first launch in 2003 due to faster design process and low launch costs. It has played a vital role in providing access to space to small start-ups and academic organizations with low budgets. It has also enabled the testing of different upcoming technologies in space and has helped in providing hands-on experience to students taking part in design of such platforms. University of Pisa, in collaboration with SITAEL, has also taken an initiative to design and develop a CubeSat to test the FEEP thruster, design of which is presented in the thesis. A FEEP system was designed to fit within 1U dimensions and with a dry mass of approximately 820 grams. The system is based on slit emitter which provides an advantage over already available technologies in the market which uses needle emitters. Slit emitter scan achieve multiple Taylor cones without the need of clustering as used in needle emitters and also have a higher Thrust to Power Ratio. A propellant comparison was done considering all the properties required for an ideal propellant for a FEEP system. This comparison led to the selection of indium as working propellant which has an atomic mass of 114.8 u and a melting point of 156.6 °C. The FEEP system was designed keeping in mind easy assembling and modularity of thruster for ease in changing parts. The design consists of three different modules that are assembled separately and then joined together to complete the assembling of the system. The propellant tank, which also houses the emitter, has an internal volume of 32.75 cm3 and can hold approximately 240 grams of indium, which has a density of 7.31 g/cm3. During mission analysis, a 600km altitude orbit was proposed by analyzing the amount of propellant required for drag compensation and de-orbit maneuver at different altitudes with worst case values for ballistic coefficient and Thrust to Weight Ratio. At this altitude, the propellant requirement is 254.4 grams, 14.4 grams more than that of what can fit in the propellant tank of the designed thruster. However, both design of the system and mission analysis are ongoing processes and changes would be made in the future to either one or both to meet the requirements.

L’excellence et l’innovation du système d’éducation en Finlande soulèvent la curiosité et la fascination à l’international. Ce système scolaire se démarque notamment en éducation physique et à la santé (ÉPS), où les pratiques et programmes novateurs ont contribué dans les dernières années à diminuer la prévalence de sédentarité et augmenter la proportion de jeunes actifs au sein de leur population. Un rapport de la Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (2018) place ce pays nordique au premier rang mondial pour l’influence du milieu scolaire à favoriser l’activité physique (AP) chez les jeunes de 5 à 17 ans. Une cause soulevée pour expliquer leurs succès est la qualité de la formation des enseignants. Notre recherche qualitative descriptive a permis de mieux comprendre comment les enseignants d’ÉPS sont préparés à promouvoir l’AP chez les élèves dans deux universités-cas, soit l’Université Jyväskylä et l’Université Oulu. Nous nous sommes intéressés au modèle des approches de formation tel que conceptualisé par Paquay (1994), que nous avons adapté à la formation des enseignants d’éducation physique (FEEP). Le modèle écologique explicatif de la promotion de l’AP a également servi de grille d’analyse secondaire à notre recherche. Notre analyse documentaire s’est penchée sur des documents légaux, politiques, sur les programmes de formation des enseignants, sur des mémoires de recherche d’étudiants, sur des documents de promotion de l’AP ainsi que sur les curriculums en ÉPS. Notre recherche a également permis de comprendre le contexte sociologique dans lequel la FEEP prend forme grâce à un séjour d’études en Finlande et une collecte dans un journal de bord de nos réflexions personnelles sur le contexte social et l’expérience de FEEP finlandaise. Nous concluons qu’il existe une forte culture du développement de la personne, de la criticité, de la recherche et de la psychologie positive dans la FEEP en Finlande. Nous avons constaté qu’il existe une culture de l’AP à l’école en Finlande, développée notamment par une vision globale de la promotion de l’AP dans les programmes de formation des enseignants de classe et en FEEP. Notre recherche a également cherché à dégager des avenues de promotion de l’AP pour les programmes de FEEP du Québec. Bien qu’en apparence les deux contextes présentent des similitudes qui permettent d’espérer faire le transfert d’éléments de FEEP, les distinctions propres aux contextes socio-historico-culturel et à la valeur de l’éducation dans les deux contextes posent d’importantes limites aux possibilités de transfert. / The excellence of the Finnish education system brought great attention from all over the world in the past decade. Physical education (PE) classes have shown great efficiency to address inactivity and increase physical activity (PA) in the youth Finnish population. Finland ranks first among the world for the impact that school has on the PA level of youth in the 2018 report of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance. One of the reasons raised to explain this success is the high quality of the teacher training, and the great preparation to contemporary issues in PE and PA promotion. Our qualitative descriptive research improved our understanding of how PE teachers are trained to promote PA at school. Our research was framed by Paquay’s (1994) typology of teacher training approaches. We adapted Paquay’s typology to the specificities of PE teacher training. Our document analysis explored two PE teacher education (PETE) programs, one at University of Oulu and the PETE program at University Jyväskylä. We also explored legal and political documents related to PETE and the Finnish school PE programs, and collected data in a diary during a four months' stay in Finland to explore the sociological context that produces these PETE programs. We observed a strong culture of personal and professional growth, a culture of reflexivity and a culture of positive psychology based on the foundational approach to teacher training. There is also a culture of physical activity in Finnish schools. The Finnish School on the Move! program, the social context positive to PA, the classroom teacher training in PE and the multi-approach way to train PE teachers contributes to such a culture of PA in schools. Our research also looked after avenues of transfer of the Finnish PETE programs to the PETE programs in Quebec. Even though the two contexts might look similar at first, we observed significant distinctions that may inhibit the possibilities of transfer. There are great differences that, according to our understanding of both contexts, cannot be ignored in the socio-historic-cultural context and the social value given to teachers and education.

Electric Propulsion (EP) is widely acknowledged as a crucial technology for future space missions, offering significant propellant savings and enabling exploration of planetary missions with smaller spacecraft (s/c). For precise attitude control of these smaller spacecraft, Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) has emerged as a favorable option due to its exceptional thrust controllability. However, the successful operation of FEEP, as well as most other EP systems, relies on an electron source, typically a Hollow Cathode (HC), to neutralize the ion beam. This cathode’s behavior must be characterized through ground testing before being integrated with the thruster. Once integrated, the whole thruster undergoes further testing. While the testing phase plays an essential role in achieving mission objectives, there is a scarcity of comprehensive papers describing the design of test setups for cathodes, such as Heaterless Hollow Cathode (HHC), or EP thrusters like FEEP. The lack of detailed information makes it challenging for those not well-versed in this particular testing methodology to effectively replicate the tests. In an effort to address this issue, this thesis utilizes literature studies and thermal analyses to propose a HHC test setup by focusing on the anode configuration and the electrical interface; Subsequently, parts of this HHC test setup are reused in a conceptual vacuum chamber adaptation, facilitating testing of FEEP. Specifically, for the HHC setup, two stainless steel plate-shaped anodes are manufactured, and an accompanying electrical schematic diagram is presented to demonstrate the proper connection of power supplies and other necessary equipment. For the FEEP setup, a chevron beam target, an aluminum shield to protect the pump, and a heat-dissipating stand are introduced. These two test setups, along with the underlying motivation, can ideally simplify future cathode and thruster testing processes, especially for those having limited familiarity with this subject matter. / Elektrisk framdrivning är allmänt erkänt som en avgörande teknologi för framtida rymduppdrag eftersom elektrisk framdrivning erbjuder betydande bränslebesparingar och möjliggör utforskning av planetära uppdrag med mindre rymdfarkoster. För exakt styrning av dessa mindre rymdfarkoster har fältjonisationsframdrivning framträtt som ett fördelaktigt alternativ på grund av sin exceptionellt styrbara drivkraft. Dock är den framgångsrika driften av fältjonisationsframdrivning, liksom de flesta andra elektriska framdrivningssystem, beroende av en elektronkälla, vanligtvis en hålkatod, för att neutralisera jonstrålen. Denna katods beteende måste karakteriseras genom marktester innan den integreras med drivsystemet. Efter integrationen genomgår hela drivsystemet ytterligare tester. Trots att testfasen spelar en avgörande roll för att uppnå uppdragsmålen finns det en brist på omfattande rapporter som beskriver utformningen av testupplägg för katoder, såsom värmelösa hålkatoder, eller elektriska framdrivningssystem så som fältjonisationsframdrivning. Den bristfälliga informationen gör det svårt för dem som inte är insatta i denna specifika testmetodik att effektivt replikera testerna. I ett försök att lösa detta problem använder denna avhandling litteraturstudier och termiska analyser för att föreslå en testuppsättning för en värmelös hålkatod genom att fokusera på anodkonfigurationen och det elektriska gränssnittet; Därefter återanvänds delar av denna värmelösa hålkatods-testuppsättning i en konceptuell vakuumkammar-anpassning för att underlätta testning av fältjonisationsframdrivning. Specifikt för den värmelösa hålkatods-uppsättningen tillverkas två platta anoder av rostfritt stål, och ett tillhörande schematiskt diagram över det elektriska gränssnittet presenteras för att demonstrera korrekt anslutning av strömförsörjning och annan nödvändig utrustning. För fältjonisationsframdrivnings-uppsättningen introduceras ett chevron-mönstrat jonstråle-mål, ett aluminiumskydd för pumpen och ett värmeavledande stativ. Dessa två testuppsättningar, tillsammans med den underliggande motiveringen, kan i bästa fall förenkla framtida testprocesser för katoder och drivsystem, särskilt för dem som har begränsad kännedom om ämnet.