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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Techedsat 7 And 8-Nasa Missions For Earth Observation, Andrew Pham Sep 2018

Techedsat 7 And 8-Nasa Missions For Earth Observation, Andrew Pham

STAR Program Research Presentations

Big results can come from small satellites, and Technology Educational Satellite 8 or TES-8 is the latest small satellite in the TechEdSat series from NASA Ames Research Center. TechEdSat is a collaborative program, in which advanced university students have a chance to work directly with researchers on NASA Space Projects. Thanks to the assistance of students from several universities around the country every year, TechEdSat has helped NASA develop Nano-satellite technologies and evaluate new ideas for future spacecraft. TES-8 is the eighth satellite of the continuing TechEdSat series. On December 01, 2018 TES-8 followed a Commercial Resupply Service mission to …


Pnnl Dark Matter Bubble Chamber, Ryan Robinson Aug 2018

Pnnl Dark Matter Bubble Chamber, Ryan Robinson

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) prototype bubble chamber is intended to address issues encountered with the current PICO dark matter search detectors and improve the functionality of future experimental designs. The PNNL bubble chamber accomplishes this with a simplified interface between the hydraulic pressure controls and the target vessel and altering the standard chamber design such that it can be easily exchanged and replaced with vessels of various sizes and materials for testing purposes. The chamber itself is a glass vessel which houses perfluorobutane and holds the target fluid above room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The target fluid becomes …


Preparation For The Study Of Gene Expression Aboard The International Space Station, Amber Paturzo Jan 2018

Preparation For The Study Of Gene Expression Aboard The International Space Station, Amber Paturzo

STAR Program Research Presentations

WetLab-2 performs quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) aboard the micro-gravity environment of the International Space Station in order to research how the stress of micro-gravity affects an organism’s RNA production and gene expression. This on-station qPCR allows researchers to gather information earlier and thereby allow them to modify experiments in a matter of hours rather than wait until the next flight opportunity. After a successful validation flight on SpaceX-8 and follow-up investigation on SpaceX-9, system components must now be adjusted for a new type of biological sample. Specifically, the WetLab-2 facility includes a commercial qPCR instrument (RNA SmartCycler), a sample …


Astrobee: Air Sampling Device And Zero Robotics Game, Bryce Van Ross Jan 2018

Astrobee: Air Sampling Device And Zero Robotics Game, Bryce Van Ross

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astrobee is a free-flying, 1'x1'x1' cuboid robot that is planned to be onboard the International Space Station (ISS) by February 2019. Astrobee will be the successor of the current ISS free-flyer, SPHERES. Free-flying robots possess a range of potential. They can facilitate work for astronauts aboard the ISS by performing rudimentary tasks and housekeeping (e.g., record-keeping, sensor analysis, etc.) efficiently. Free-flyers also act as innovative testbeds for guest scientists to perform zero-gravity control theory research. In recent years, SPHERES has hosted annual Zero Robotics (ZR) programming competitions in collaboration with MIT, challenging middle and high school students to write code …


Resistance Temperature Detectors In A Cryostat Refrigeration System, Kirsten Marie Manahan, Alice Callen Jan 2018

Resistance Temperature Detectors In A Cryostat Refrigeration System, Kirsten Marie Manahan, Alice Callen

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a ground-based telescope that will survey the Southern sky every few nights. Located in the telescope will be a 3.2 gigapixel digital camera. To ensure proper instrumentation of the camera, there must be a monitored stable temperature. As part of my research, I assembled resistance temperature detectors and tested them to verify their reliability in measuring temperature in the camera’s cryostat refrigeration cooling system. Resistance temperature detectors function by the principle of thermal resistivity, in which their electrical resistances vary as temperature varies. Through testing, I was able to determine whether these particular …