Dr Bill Crofts

Director of the Warwick Satellite Programme 

W dot E dot Crofts at warwick dot ac dot uk

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Biography

Dr Bill Crofts has directed the WUSAT Satellite Engineering Programme since he established it in 2006. The Programme is centred on the ES410 WUSAT Satellite Engineering Project but includes a wide range of external activities in which he promotes and represents Space Engineering at the University of Warwick and in the Midlands Region generally.

WUSAT has its own alumni of over 100 former WUSAT student engineers who have worked on WUSAT missions and taken their unique experience into industry and research (see ‘WUSAT Missions’ below).

Office

I use a desk in the WUSAT lab (D003) as my office desk.

Advice and feedback hours

Initially by email (w.e.crofts@warwick.ac.uk). Appointments can be made for Wednesdays in the WUSAT Lab (D003) outside of team meetings.

Write to

Dr W E Crofts, WUSAT, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL

Research Interests

Whilst not an active researcher, papers in support of – and as a promotion of – the work of WUSAT and/or research carried by WUSAT satellites are regularly published.

Positions Currently Held

• European Research Council – Remote Referee – ERC funding applications in small satellite technology
• UK Space Engineering & Technology Working Group
• Board Member of the Space Academic Network (SPAN)
• Member of the Midlands Innovation Space Group
• Head of the Midlands Innovation CubeSat Group
• Member of the West Midlands Space Cluster Leadership Group
• Faculty Advisor for the UK CanSat Project, Manchester University – Warwick Aerospace Society teams
• Faculty Advisor for the Mach21 CanSat Project, UK Launch Services – Warwick Aerospace Society teams
• Advisor for the UK CanSat Project, European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO-UK) – team from King Edward VI School, Stratford.

Selected Publications

• Crofts WE (11%), Hunter-Anderson J (11%), et al; Developing a 3U CubeSat Engineering Model - FlatSat & Chassis Design; 4th Symposium on Space Educational Activities, April 27 -29, 2022, Barcelona, Spain.
• Crofts WE (50%), Hunter-Anderson J (50%); Supporting a University Satellite Engineering Team via Inclusivity and Initiative; 3rd Symposium on Space Educational Activities, 16 – 18 September, 2019, Leicester, UK
• Crofts WE (50%), Hunter-Anderson J (50%); Achieving Successful Satellite Engineering with an Undergraduate Project-Based Team; 2nd Symposium on Space Educational Activities, April 11-13, 2018, Budapest, Hungary
• Crofts WE (20%), et al; WUSAT-SOLSPEC REXUS 17 Experiment Measuring Atmospheric Quantities of Oxygen & Sodium; Proc 22nd ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research; Tromso, Norway, 7 -12 June 2015 (ESA SP-730, September 2015)
• Book: ”The Generation of Depth Maps via Depth-from-Defocus: An empirical approach to DfD”; ISBN-13: 978-3639212594; VDM Verlag, 2010.
• Parfitt C E, Crofts W E, Buckle R; “An Adaptable Lithium-ion Battery Model”; Electro- Chemistry Society Conference, Vancouver, April 2010.
• Crofts W E; The Management of Inter-Disciplinary Engineering Group Projects; Aspects of Engineering Project Work Conference “Managing Group Projects”; Bradford University, January 2003. [conference]
• Crofts, W.E.; Project Partnerships – IPR Complexities: A Case Study; Aspects of Engineering Project Work Conference “Organising Successful Student Projects with Industry”; University of Warwick, March 2002 [conference]

WUSAT Missions

European Moon Orbiter (ESMO) - 2006 - 2012

A European Space Agency satellite to carry a variety of scientific payloads to Moon orbit.

WUSAT was the primary Electrical Power Supply (EPS) subsystem team involved in the development of,

• Solar Panels
• Electronic control of solar panel output
• Power distribution and protection mechanisms
• Mechanical & electrical design of the custom built battery and battery management system.

Book Publications

The Generation of Depth Maps via Depth-from-Defocus, VDM-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-639-21259-4, 2010. (Obtainable via: http://www.amazon.co.uk/, http://www.librijournal.org/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/).

Computer Systems - Hardware; Crofts W E; Compilation for course text in Second Year undergraduate degree module; Pearson Education Ltd; 2006; ISBN 1-84479-475-X

Technological Science 1 - Circuits & Systems; Crofts WE, Godfrey K; Compilation for course text in First Year undergraduate degree module; Pearson Education Ltd; 2006; ISBN 1-84479-476-8

Electrical Charge & Potential; Crofts W E; Open Learning book - published by Coventry University and sold nationally as part of an "Access to Engineering in Higher Education" course; 1991

Kirchhoff's Laws;  Crofts W E; Open Learning book - published by Coventry University and sold nationally as part of an "Access to Engineering in Higher Education" course; 1991

Capacitors in Circuits; Crofts W E; Open Learning book - published by Coventry University and sold nationally as part of an "Access to Engineering in Higher Education" course; 1991

Electromagnetic Induction; Crofts W E; Open Learning book - published by Coventry University and sold nationally as part of an "Access to Engineering in Higher Education" course; 1991