Engineering Commons^™

Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Treatment Is Effective At Sterilizing Metal Surfaces For Planetary Protection, Kaleb Mcquillan

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To prevent forward contamination from microbes aboard spacecraft intended for exploration of solar system bodies there is a need for effective sterilization methods. However, current techniques are both time-consuming and expensive. For example, dry heat sterilization requires removal from the assembly site and several days of treatment. Furthermore, some components such as optics and electronics are not compatible with current sterilization techniques. In this thesis, a novel femtosecond laser surface processing technique for the rapid sterilization of spacecraft hardware is reported. Femtosecond lasers produce extremely high photon fluxes (10²⁹ photons/s*cm², ~0.03 J/cm²) in extremely short …

Notes For Contributors, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Waging Peace On The Final Frontier 64th Academy Assembly Proceedings, Space And Defense, Madison Walker

Space and Defense

In October 2022, the 64th annual Academy Assembly at the U.S. Air Force Academy took up the theme of “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier.” The following are proceedings of roundtables held by select undergraduates from around the country on questions of space policy & strategy.

Revitalizing America's Low-Yield Deterrent, Alex Kleitz

Space and Defense

An array of low-yield weapons will play a vital role in integrated deterrence. *The following essay, submitted in June 2022, earned the Junior Division USSTRATCOM General Larry D. Welch Deterrence Writing Award.

Annual Truman Lecture Usafa 64th Academy Assembly, John Shaw

Space and Defense

In October 2022, on the occasion of the 64th annual Academy Assembly, focused on “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier,” the deputy commander of USSPACEOM Lieutenant General John Shaw spoke at the Air Force Academy’s endowed Truman Lecture, which itself was created to inspire cadets toward careers in National Security leadership.

Usafa 64th Academy Assembly Banquet Keynote On Nasa Transformation, Madison Walker, Lori Garver

Space and Defense

In October 2022, at the 64th annual Academy Assembly, focused on “Waging Peace on the Final Frontier,” the former deputy administrator of NASA the Honorable Lori Garver spoke at the Air Force Academy’s 64th Academy Assembly banquet keynote on the implications of NASA transformation for international security. She was introduced in a pre-recorded video by Susan Eisenhower, honorary founder of USAFA’s Eisenhower Center, and interviewed by USAFA Institute for Future Conflict Fellow Madison Walker.

The Unified Command Plan For A New Cold War, David Stilwell

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Protecting The Cosmos: Defining Celestial Bodies In The Outer Space Treaty, David Epstein

Space and Defense

Lack of a clear definition of the term “celestial bodies” as used in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty risks exporting legal and political conflict into the cosmos. *This essay is updated from a previously published version and appears here by permission of the Journal of Space Law at Ole Miss.

Editor's Note, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Space And Defense Volume 15 No. 1 Spring 2024 (Whole Issue), Space And Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Sliding Mode Control With Chattering Reduction, Suryamshu Ramesh

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Sliding Mode Control is a powerful nonlinear control methodology that can handle parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. However, the discontinuous and high-frequency switching nature of the control law introduces the chattering phenomenon, which leads to potential actuator degradation, alterations to the desired response characteristics and, sometimes, instability during control implementation. The main objective of this thesis is to study Sliding Mode Control with chattering reduction. The Sliding Mode Control law involves an equivalent control component and a discontinuous control component. A disturbance estimation is performed based on Lyapunov analysis and adaptive control techniques and then included in the control law …

The Effect Of Atomic Oxygen On Additively Manufactured Materials, Ryan Grogan

Master's Theses

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly developing manufacturing method utilized in fields such as the aerospace industry. In-space AM is a technology of interest for the future of spaceflight, including on-orbit manufacturing. However, AM materials are subject to defects that may impact their performance in space-based applications. How these defects change the material’s reaction to the space environment, specifically atomic oxygen (AO), has only recently been explored. AO is a highly corrosive, dominant constituent in low Earth orbit that causes continuous erosion of spacecraft surfaces. The effect of AO on various AM materials is investigated in this thesis. Stainless steel, …

Preliminary Analysis Of A 12u Astronomy Cubesat, Charles Van Steenwyk

Master's Theses

The explosion of exoplanet astronomy has led to thousands of new discoveries and opportunities to be explored. The ability to capture images and perform meaningful science has resulted in an abundance of follow-on missions, surveys, and fostered a community of amateur astronomers in the last ten years. This success mirrors the development of CubeSats, which have proved an immensely popular way for students of all levels to access space and collect data. Multiple CubeSats have been developed to observe and characterize single exoplanet tran- sits, showing that this class of mission is possible. However, there is currently no mission designed …

Rasc-Al Large Scale Lunar Crater Prospector, Austin Arnold, Coleman Alvarez, Mark Suberu

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The purpose of this project is to design a conceptual layout of a lunar rover capable of exploring craters at the lunar south pole. The rover should be autonomous and capable of self-sustainment for at least one year in extreme cold and darkness. While determining the location and accessibility of water ice and other volatiles within the crater. This document will contain all information related to the team's conceptual design. Including research, component selection, electrical design, and mechanical design.

Lunar Rascals Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdcjzVMtzaI

Cosmic Object Space Management Operations System (C.O.S.M.O.S.), Riah Ivy, Tyler Bumpus, Gabriel Soter

Senior Design Project For Engineers

In the expansive realm of outer space, humanity has ventured into new territories, yet this progress is accompanied by challenges. Among the most significant challenges confronting space exploration today is the growing amount of space debris within low earth orbit. Satellites, spent rocket stages, and assorted fragments orbiting Earth present a considerable hazard to spacecraft and astronauts, and this issue is steadily worsening. For years, the task of remedying this orbital congestion has remained formidable and unresolved. This design provides a novel and innovative solution to this growing problem.

Rapid Response Satellite Launcher, Nathan Jones, Joey Cosentino, Jayson Layton, Afek Adar

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Air launch to orbit is a new style or spacecraft where rockets are attached to a large aircraft and released at cruising altitude to then ignite and launch into space. Companies such as Virgin Orbit are using it as a cheap and efficient way to move satellite payloads into lower or upper Earth orbit. These styles of launchers can be designed to be much smaller than ground-launched spacecraft, reducing cost and weight of the launcher in comparison. With many private companies coming into the space and satellite industry, the design and manufacturing of these launchers have become a focus within …

Experimental And Numerical Analysis Of Laminar And Transitional Flow Through Annular Corrugated Pipes, Joseph Russell Sargent

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents studies on pressure loss through annular corrugated pipes to determine a friction factor coefficient using nitrogen. Ten different corrugated pipes’ geometries were evaluated via testing and experimentation. The ratio of corrugation height to inner diameter varied from 0.233 to 0.333 and the ratio of corrugation pitch to inner diameter varied from 0.181 to 0.446. Nitrogen flow rates between 0.25 to 94.4 standard liters per minute were used, resulting in Reynolds numbers, based on the corrugated pipe inner diameter, from 100 to 23,000. The experimental set-up was validated using smooth-pipe pressure loss measurements and the derived friction factor …

Martian Atmospheric Rover Simulation (M.A.R.S.), Matt Berard, Shelby Beddard, Alexander Brunette, Emma Conti, Collin Duke, Delaney Novak, Keelin Weaver

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications

While rovers have been used by various agencies to explore Mars, their travel is limited by terrain obstacles, which may prevent mission completion. Creating a vehicle equipped with both driving and flight capabilities would allow greater range of motion on extraterrestrial planets. Integrating the technology for both transportation modes into one rover allows for efficiency and advancements in technological and planetary research.

State Omniscience For Cooperative Local Catalog Maintenance Of Close Proximity Satellite Systems, Chris Hays

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Resiliency in multi-agent system navigation is reliant on the inherent ability of the system to withstand, overcome, or recover from adverse conditions and disturbances. In large part, resiliency is achieved through reducing the impact of critical failure points to the success and/or performance of the system. In this view, decentralized multi-agent architectures have become an attractive solution for multi-agent navigation, but decentralized architectures place the burden of information acquisition directly on the agents themselves. In fact, the design of distributed estimators has been a growing interest to enable complex multi-sensor/multi-agent tasks. In such scenarios, it is important that each local …

Immersive Framework For Designing Trajectories Using Augmented Reality, Joseph Anderson, Leo Materne, Karis Cooks, Michelle Aros, Jaia Huggins, Jesika Geliga-Torres, Kamden Kuykendall, David Canales, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

The intuitive interaction capabilities of augmented reality make it ideal for solving complex 3D problems that require complex spatial representations, which is key for astrodynamics and space mission planning. By implementing common and complex orbital mechanics algorithms in augmented reality, a hands-on method for designing orbit solutions and spacecraft missions is created. This effort explores the aforementioned implementation with the Microsoft Hololens 2 as well as its applications in industry and academia. Furthermore, a human-centered design process and study are utilized to ensure the tool is user-friendly while maintaining accuracy and applicability to higher-fidelity problems.

Propulsion Heat Analysis Nuclear Trajectory Optimization (Phantom), Ana Clecia Alves Almeida, Jonathan Davis, Ryan Dippolito

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Interplanetary Travel requirements necessitate the use of increasingly complex propulsion systems. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is a cutting-edge concept that holds immense potential for the future of space exploration. By utilizing nuclear fission to heat a propellant and generate thrust, NTP offers the potential for unprecedented efficiency, enabling faster interplanetary travel and extended mission capabilities. A nuclear thermal rocket engine is a type of propulsion system that utilizes the heat generated by a nuclear reactor to heat and expel a propellant, typically hydrogen, at high velocities to produce thrust. The engine consists of three main subsystems: the nuclear reactor, the …

Inspection/Fault Detection Team, James Worrall

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project deals with a common problem that is encountered with satellites in earth orbit or beyond. It is very common in space for there to be small collisions between satellites and foreign space debris, and it takes a lot of time and money to send a person out to repair the damage caused by the collision. Our goal is to develop a way to perform these repairs autonomously. We plan to develop a way to scan a satellite or spacecraft hull for damage using a robot and then repair the damage while still maintaining the material specifications required for …

Space Force - Inspection, Romualdo Cipro

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project deals with a common problem that is encountered with satellites in earth orbit or beyond. It is very common in space for there to be small collisions between satellites and foreign space debris, and it takes a lot of time and money to send a person out to repair the damage caused by the collision. Our goal is to develop a way to perform these repairs autonomously. We plan to develop a way to scan a satellite or spacecraft hull for damage using a robot and then repair the damage while still maintaining the material specifications required for …

Mobile Robot Adhesion Methodology And Development Of An Automatous Robot Module, Lauren Baird, Zachariah Stone, Madison Lemons, Jonathon Moody

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to the increasing availability of space travel as not only a scientific exploration but a commercial exploration, there is a need for an onsite repair station that can be deployed in the event of aircraft maintenance, damage, or failure. We have been tasked with researching and creating a prototype of an automatous robot that can be attached to a spacecraft body, move along the surface while avoiding obstacles, scan for damage, 3D print a repair piece, and then make the repair, all without the need of direct human input. Our team, as will be discussed throughout, was tasked with …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Game-Based Virtual Reality In Satellite Ground Control Operations Education And Training, Lana Laskey, Joseph R. Keebler, Paul M. Cairns, Geovanny Lopez

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

There is increased global demand for satellite amenities such as navigation, communications, weather reporting, disaster management, agricultural operations, or humanitarian assistance. The growing demand for satellite technology amplifies the need for highly trained satellite operators. Traditional simulation training methods typically utilize two-dimensional computer displays. However, training approaches involving game-based instruction and immersive virtual reality have shown benefits when integrated with complex disciplines and may provide an advanced training alternative for satellite operators. Game-based instruction enhances user motivation and cognitive engagement, while immersive virtual reality promotes user presence and prolonged cognitive engagement. The combination of these two training methods, noted as …

Space Force Spacecraft Hull Inspection: Creation Of A Process To Inspect, Compare, And Fault Detect On The Surface Of A Spacecraft Hull, Ethan Rainsburg

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Space Force Inspection design project aims to create a system for scanning the hull of a spacecraft, identifying any damage by cross-checking the new scan with a previous scan, and fixing any identified damage picked up by the scan. This project contains key objectives such as defining testable parameters for any given scanner, creating a repeatable process for comparing scans, and automating the process using open-source code and software. The ideal outcome for this project is to have the fully automated system implemented to a robot that is being designed and manufactured by a sister team. Some of the …

Electronics Design For Krepe Atmospheric Entry Capsule Avionics, Matt Ruffner

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

This research documents the design, testing, and implementation of sensing, control, and communications subsystems for small atmospheric entry capsules. Atmospheric entry capsules pose a unique electronics design challenge given mission requirements, environmental constraints, and inherent risk involved in space based missions. Previous work on small satellites developed the CubeSat platform as a means of ensuring reliability after university-led small satellite missions experienced failures. The publication of the CubeSat platform allowed researchers to focus on the payload science utilizing a standardized form-factor and reusable electronics. Environmental and operational constraints of CubeSats and atmospheric entry capsules overlap and best-practices associated with building …

Efficient Connectivity Management And Path Planning For Iot And Uav Networks, Amirahmad Chapnevis

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how to better manage resources in mobile networks, especially for enhancing the performance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-supported IoT networks. We explored ways to set up a flexible communication architecture that can handle large IoT deployments by making good use of mobile core network resources like bearers and data paths. We developed strategies that meet the needs of IoT networks and enhance network performance. We also developed and tested a system that combines traffic from several mobile devices that use the same user identity and network resources within the core mobile network. We used everyday smartphones, SIM …