Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Generating Exploration Mission-3 Trajectories To A 9:2 Nrho Using Machine Learning, Esteban Guzman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to design a machine learning algorithm platform that provides expanded knowledge of mission availability through a launch season by improving trajectory resolution and introducing launch mission forecasting. The specific scenario addressed in this paper is one in which data is provided for four deterministic translational maneuvers through a mission to a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) with a 9:2 synodic frequency. Current launch availability knowledge under NASA’s Orion Orbit Performance Team is established by altering optimization variables associated to given reference launch epochs. This current method can be an abstract task and relies on …

Optimal Attitude Control Of A Two-Cubesat Virtual Telescope In A Highly Elliptical Orbit, Reza Pirayeshshirazinezhad

Shared Knowledge Conference

This paper investigates a novel approach for attitude control of 2 satellites acting as a virtual telescope. The Virtual Telescope for X-ray Observations (VTXO) is a mission exploiting 2 6U-CubeSats operating in a precision formation. The goal of the VTXO project is to develop a space-based, X-ray imaging telescope with high angular resolution precision. In this scheme, one CubeSat carries a diffractive lens and the other one carries an imaging device to support a focal length of 100 m. In this mission, the attitude control algorithms are required to keep the two spacecraft in alignment with the Crab Nebula observations. …

Pulsed Fiber Optics Lasers As Highly Sensitive Sensors, Hanieh Afkhamiardakani

Shared Knowledge Conference

An interferometer or resonator is a device in which optical beams of specific frequencies circulate with minimal losses. These losses are completely compensated by the gain inside a laser resonator. A small perturbation introduced inside the laser can affect its frequency, which in turns becomes a metric of that perturbation. The perturbation is usually caused by an electric or magnetic field, rotation, acceleration, nonlinear index of refraction etc. Tiny changes of optical frequency are monitored by superimposing the laser field and a reference field (from the same laser) on a detector. This technique requires creating a laser in which two …

Active Fault-Tolerant Control Design For Nonlinear Systems, Ali Reza Abbaspour

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Faults and failures in system components are the two main reasons for the instability and the degradation in control performance. In recent decades, fault-tolerant control (FTC) approaches were introduced to improve the resiliency of the control system against faults and failures. In general, FTC techniques are classified into two major groups: passive and active. Passive FTC systems do not rely on the fault information to control the system and are closely related to the robust control techniques while an active FTC system performs based on the information received from the fault detection and isolation (FDI) system, and the fault problem …

Hybrid Magneto-Active Propellant Management Device For Active Slosh Damping Within A Vehicle Fuel Tank, Balaji Sivasubramanian, Leander Paul, Sathya Gangadharan

Publications

This disclosure includes a hybrid magneto-active mem­brane, which can be used as part of a Magneto-active Propellant Management Device (MAPMD), to actively con­trol free surface effects of liquid materials, such as fuels, and to reduce fuel slosh. The disclosed MAPMD merges aspects of a diaphragm membrane with a magneto-active inlay to control the membrane during in-flight conditions.

Navigation With Artificial Neural Networks, Joseph A. Curro Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the applications for Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in the field of Navigation. The state of the art for ANNs has improved significantly so now they can rival and even surpass humans in problems once thought impossible. We present different methods to augment, combine, or replace existing Navigation filters with ANN. The main focus of these methods is to use as much existing knowledge as possible then use ANNs to extend the current knowledge base. Next, improvements are made for a class of Artificial Neural Network (ANN)s which provide covariance called Mixture Density …

Simplex Control Methods For Robust Convergence Of Small Unmanned Aircraft Flight Trajectories In The Constrained Urban Environment, Michael D. Zollars

Theses and Dissertations

Constrained optimal control problems for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) have long suffered from excessive computation times caused by a combination of constraint modeling techniques, the quality of the initial path solution provided to the optimal control solver, and improperly defining the bounds on system state variables, ultimately preventing implementation into real-time, on-board systems. In this research, a new hybrid approach is examined for real-time path planning of SUAS. During autonomous flight, a SUAS is tasked to traverse from one target region to a second target region while avoiding hard constraints consisting of building structures of an urban environment. Feasible …

Optimal Finite Thrust Guidance Methods For Constrained Satellite Proximity Operations Inspection Maneuvers, Eric R. Prince

Theses and Dissertations

Algorithms are developed to find optimal guidance for an inspector satellite operating nearby a resident space object (RSO). For a non-maneuvering RSO, methods are first developed for a satellite subject to maximum slew rates to conduct an initial inspection of an RSO, where the control variables include the throttle level and direction of the thrust. Second, methods are developed to optimally maneuver a satellite with on/off thrusters into a natural motion circumnavigation or teardrop trajectory, subject to lighting and collision constraints. It is shown that for on/off thrusters, a control sequence can be parameterized to a relatively small amount of …

Quadrotor Swarm Arena (Quasar) Development Of A Swarm Control Testbed, Shane T. Stebler, William Mackunis

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Swarm control systems are increasingly popular in the robotics industry and academia due to their many potential applications. The goal of the Quadrotor Swarm Arena (QuaSAr) project is to construct a quadrotor swarm control testbed to provide researchers with the tools needed to experimentally investigate this emerging science. This testbed is equipped with a motion capture system, test control station, and numerous quadrotor UAVs. MATLAB-Simulink is utilized for control law development, data processing, and test control. This configuration allows researchers to test developing control law in a 'plug and play' manner as control development and test control are all completed …

Considerations For Atmospheric Measurements With Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Jamey D. Jacob, Phillip B. Chilson, Adam L. Houston, Suzanne Weaver Smith

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses results of the CLOUD-MAP (Collaboration Leading Operational UAS Development for Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics) project dedicated to developing, fielding, and evaluating integrated small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for enhanced atmospheric physics measurements. The project team includes atmospheric scientists, meteorologists, engineers, computer scientists, geographers, and chemists necessary to evaluate the needs and develop the advanced sensing and imaging, robust autonomous navigation, enhanced data communication, and data management capabilities required to use sUAS in atmospheric physics. Annual integrated evaluation of the systems in coordinated field tests are being used to validate sensor performance while integrated into various sUAS platforms. …

Design And Performance Estimation Of A Low-Reynolds Number Unmanned Aircraft System, Sean Lauderdale King

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to conceptually design a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with a higher flight-time and top stable speed than comparable systems. The vehicle adheres to specifications derived from the client, the market, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). To broadly meet these requirements, the vehicle must fly for a minimum of three hours, return to the original flight path quickly if perturbed, and must be hand-launched. The vehicle designed must also have a large potential center of gravity movement to allow for customization of the planform and client customization.

An iterative design process was used …

Surgical And Medical Applications Of Drones: A Comprehensive Review, Brent Terwilliger, James C. Rosser Jr., Vudatha Vignesh, Brett C. Parker

Publications

Drones have the ability to gather real time data cost effectively, to deliver payloads and have initiated the rapid evolution of many industrial, commercial, and recreational applications. Unfortunately, there has been a slower expansion in the field of medicine. This article provides a comprehensive review of current and future drone applications in medicine, in hopes of empowering and inspiring more aggressive investigation.

Static Performance Results Of Propellers Used On Nano, Micro, And Mini Quadrotors, Robert W. Deters, D. Dantsker, S.C. Kleinke, Narcrisha Norman, Michael S. Selig

Publications

An increase in the number of small quadrotors has created the interest in having performance data on the propellers used by these aircraft. With an aircraft size less than 5 in and propellers diameters less than 3 in, these quadrotors are typically referred to mini, micro, or nano by hobbyists and manufacturers. The size of the propellers used on these aircraft operate at low Reynolds numbers that are typically less than 50,000 for diameters up to 3 in and less than 20,000 for diameters up to 2 in. Static performance testing of the propellers used on 11 small quadrotors was …

Validation And Verification Flight Tests Of Fixed-Wing Collaborative Uass With High Speeds And High Inertias, A Ram (Bella) Kim

A Ram (Bella) Kim

Book Review: Fundamentals Of International Aviation, Alan Bender

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Not applicable.

Mitigating Interference With Knowledge-Aided Subarray Pattern Synthesis And Space Time Adaptive Processing, Yongjun Yoon

Theses and Dissertations

Phased arrays are essential to airborne ground moving target indication (GMTI), as they measure the spatial angle-of-arrival of the target, clutter, and interference signals. The spatial and Doppler (temporal) frequency is utilized by space-time adaptive processing (STAP) to separate and filter out the interference from the moving target returns. Achieving acceptable airborne GMTI performance often requires fairly large arrays, but the size, weight and power (SWAP) requirements, cost and complexity considerations often result in the use of subarrays. This yields an acceptable balance between cost and performance while lowering the system’s robustness to interference. This thesis proposes the use of …

Control Of Multi-Agent Collaborative Fixed-Wing Uass In Unstructured Environment, A Ram (Bella) Kim

A Ram (Bella) Kim

Validation And Verification Of Gnc For Large Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial System In Unstructured And Noisy Environment, A Ram (Bella) Kim

A Ram (Bella) Kim

Determining Feasibility Of A Propulsionless Microsatellite Formation Flight Mission, Aaron Levis

Master's Theses

Benefits of developing missions with multiple formation flying spacecraft as an alternative to a traditional monolithic vehicle are becoming apparent. In some cases, these missions can lower cost and increase flexibility among other situational advantages. However, there are various limitations that are imposed by these missions that are centered on the concept of maintaining the necessary formation. One such limitation is that of the propulsion system required for each spacecraft. To mitigate the complexity and mass of the onboard propulsion, the pairing of electromagnetic actuators and differential drag to replace the functionality of a propulsive system is investigated. By using …

Role Of Diagnostic Monitoring Software Versus Fault-Tolerant Components In The Development Of Spacecraft Avionics Systems, Andrew Attorri

Honors Theses

In any spacecraft, there are several systems that must work simultaneously to ensure a safe mission. One critical system is the ‘avionics’ system, which is comprised of all of the electronic controls on-board the spacecraft, as well as radio links to other craft and ground stations. These systems are present for both manned or unmanned spacecraft.

Throughout the history of spaceflight, there have been several disasters related to avionics failures. To make these systems safer and more reliable, two main strategies have been adopted. The first, more established approach is through use of fault-tolerant components, which can operate under a …

Orbital Constellation Design And Analysis Using Spherical Trigonometry And Genetic Algorithms: A Mission Level Design Tool For Single Point Coverage On Any Planet, Joseph R. Gagliano

Master's Theses

Recent interest surrounding large scale satellite constellations has increased analysis efforts to create the most efficient designs. Multiple studies have successfully optimized constellation patterns using equations of motion propagation methods and genetic algorithms to arrive at optimal solutions. However, these approaches are computationally expensive for large scale constellations, making them impractical for quick iterative design analysis. Therefore, a minimalist algorithm and efficient computational method could be used to improve solution times. This thesis will provide a tool for single target constellation optimization using spherical trigonometry propagation, and an evolutionary genetic algorithm based on a multi-objective optimization function. Each constellation will …

Space Operations In The Suborbital Space Flight Simulator And Mission Control Center: Lessons Learned With Xcor Lynx, Pedro Llanos, Christopher Nguyen, David Williams, Kim O. Chambers Ph.D., Erik Seedhouse, Robert Davidson

Pedro J. Llanos (www.AstronauticsLlanos.com)

This study was conducted to better understand the performance of the XCOR Lynx vehicle. Because the Lynx development was halted, the best knowledge of vehicle dynamics can only be found through simulator flights. X-Plane 10 was chosen for its robust applications and accurate portrayal of dynamics on a vehicle in flight. The Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) and Mission Control Center (MCC) were brought to the Applied Aviation Sciences department in fall 2015 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach campus. This academic and research tool is a department asset capable of providing multiple fields of data about suborbital simulated flights. …

Synthetic Jet Actuator-Based Aircraft Tracking Using A Continuous Robust Nonlinear Control Strategy, N. Ramos-Pedroza, W. Mackunis, M. Reyhanoglu

William MacKunis

A robust nonlinear control law that achieves trajectory tracking control for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with synthetic jet actuators (SJAs) is presented in this paper. A key challenge in the control design is that the dynamic characteristics of SJAs are nonlinear and contain parametric uncertainty. The challenge resulting from the uncertain SJA actuator parameters is mitigated via innovative algebraic manipulation in the tracking error system derivation along with a robust nonlinear control law employing constant SJA parameter estimates. A key contribution of the paper is a rigorous analysis of the range of SJA actuator parameter uncertainty within which asymptotic …

Depot For Martian And Extraterrestrial Transport Resupply (Demetr), Emily Beckman, Ethan Vogel, Caleb Peck, Nicholas Patterson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Active Permanent Magnet Attitude Control For Cubesats Using Mu-Metal Shielding, Maxwell Martin

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cube-Satellites (CubeSats) are nanosatellites composed of cube shaped units, each nominally 10cm to a side and around 1kg in mass. Due to their inherent size and weight limitations, it is often impractical to use conventional attitude, or rotational, control methods such as thrusters on these small satellites. Several methods, including magnetorquer rods and small reaction wheels, are often used instead of traditional methods to work around the size and weight limitations. As a new alternative to these methods, a permanent magnet mounted on a rotatable shaft could be used to achieve attitude control. In much the same way that a …

Safety Analysis Of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (Ads-B) System, Rajee Olaganathan

Publications

ADS-B is one of the significant implementation systems of NextGen, to help pilots and air traffic controllers to create a safer, and more efficient National Airspace System (NAS). First, this research paper will briefly describe the ADS-B system, its design structure, ADS-B In and ADS-B Out systems, its efficiency both in pilot applications and in air traffic control applications, and then discuss about the system safety analysis. The preliminary hazard analysis and fault tree analysis will be done for the identified and selected hazards, and will be briefly discussed. The paper will conclude by providing recommendations to prevent/mitigate the hazards …

Single Axis Stability Autonomous Glider Control, Brian Study

Student Works

To investigate and increase knowledge on autonomous control systems, an autonomous glider was fitted with a control system with the purpose of creating a craft that would be capable of maintaining a wings level condition despite perturbations to the trim condition. The glider measures bank angle and roll rate information from an accelerometer and gyro, before it relays the data to an equipped microcontroller. Programmed on the microcontroller is a control law to take the input from the sensors and issue a command to a single servo that controls both ailerons, allowing for the vehicle to autonomously correct its bank …

Stabilized Rpa Flight In Building Proximity Operations, Michael M. Kaniut

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis seeks a solution to the requirement for a highly reliable and capable Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) to support a wide array of missions and applications that require close proximity flight to structures. The scope of the project includes the drafting of a concept of operations (CONOPs) describing how the mission requirements might be met using the sensor, operators, and air vehicle described here in. The demonstration of the wall-following section of that CONOPs is performed by cart testing a custom algorithm and evaluating its ability to react to its environment. Finally, a flight test was performed to characterize …

Modeling A Space-Based Quantum Link, Alexander W. Duchane

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum sources and single photon detectors have improved, allowing quantum algorithms for communication, encryption, computing, and sensing to transition from theory and small-scale laboratory experiments to field experiments. One such quantum algorithm, Quantum Key Distribution, uses optical pulses to generate shared random bit strings between two locations. These shared bit strings can be turned into encryption keys to be used as a one-time-pad or integrated with symmetric encryption techniques such as the Advanced Encryption Standard. This method of key generation and encryption is resistant to future advances in quantum computing which significantly degrade the effectiveness of current asymmetric key sharing …

Military Application Of Aerial Photogrammetry Mapping Assisted By Small Unmanned Air Vehicles, Kijun Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the practical military applications of the photogrammetric methods using remote sensing assisted by small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs). The research explored the feasibility of UAV aerial mapping in terms of the specific military purposes, focusing on the geolocational and measurement accuracy of the digital models, and image processing time. The research method involved experimental flight tests using low-cost Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, sensors and image processing tools to study key features of the method required in military like location accuracy, time estimation, and measurement capability. Based on the results of the data analysis, two military applications are …