Theory and Algorithms Commons^™

Implementing And Testing A Novel Chaotic Cryptosystem, Samuel Jackson, Scott Kerlin, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Cryptography in the domain of small satellites is a relatively new area of research. Compared to typical desktop computers, small satellites have limited bandwidth, processing power, and battery power. Many of the current encryption schemes were developed for desktop computers and servers, and as such may be unsuitable for small satellites. In addition, most cryptographic research in the domain of small satellites focuses on hardware solutions, which can be problematic given the limited space requirements of small satellites.

This paper investigates potential software solutions that could be used to encrypt and decrypt data on small satellites and other devices with …

Testing A Novel Cryptosystem For Use In Securing Small Satellite Communications, Samuel Jackson, Scott Kerlin, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Cryptography in the domain of Small Satellites is a topic of growing importance. While large satellites are likely to have the hardware requirements to run common cryptographic algorithms, small satellites are extremely limited in both hardware capabilities, which limits the speed and security of cryptosystems implemented in software, and available physical space, which limits the ability to include cryptosystems implemented in hardware. However, small satellites are growing in popularity, and as such securing communications becomes a necessity for some. The Department of Defense is exploring the possibility of using CubeSats, a type of small satellite, in their operations, as are …

A Behavior-Reactive Autonomous System To Identify Pokémon Characters, Xu Cao, Bohan Zhang, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

Pokémon is an entertainment franchise with a large fan base. This project uses well-known Pokémon characters to demonstrate the operations of a question selection system. Presented in the form of a game where the computer attempts to guess the user-selected character, the system attempts to minimize the number of questions required for this purpose by identifying questions that most constrain the decision space. The decision making process is refined based on actual user behavior.

Assessment Of The Impact Of Clothing And Environmental Conditions On Visible Light 3d Scanning, Pann Ajjimaporn, Jeremy Straub, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

The quality of models produced by visible light 3D scanners is influenced by multiple factors. To max-imize model accuracy and detail levels, the correct combination of lighting texture, subject posture and software usage must be selected. The work described herein has been performed to measure the effect of different lighting and envi-ronmental conditions on human 3D scanning results.

Work Done On The Operating Software For Openorbiter, Dayln Limesand, Timothy Whitney, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter Program aims to develop a tem-plate for a CubeSat spacecraft that can be used world-wide to reduce spacecraft development costs1. Unlike other approaches, which may require $50,000 in upfront hardware costs2 or $250,000 in design expenses2, an OPEN-class spacecraft can be built with a parts budget of under $5,0003. This aims to enable low-cost educa-tional missions and missions in developing regions4.

Scheduling Algorithm Development For An Open Source Software Spacecraft, Calvin Bina, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter project at the University of North Dakota is working to develop a set of designs for a CubeSat class spacecraft as well as a working, modular collection of open source code that can be used by other CubeSat projects as a starting point for development. The availability of these designs and this codebase should foster accelerated development for other CubeSat projects, allowing those projects to focus their effort on their own application area, instead of reinventing the proverbial wheel. One aspect of this is to implement a task scheduler which will run on a Raspberry Pi flight computer …

Nanosatellite Scheduling Using A Dictionary Module And A ‘Useful Trick’ With Coded Unsigned Integers, Monilito Castro, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Schedulers for small spacecraft must satisfy the dual requirement of generating very efficient schedules while concurrently minimizing the resources required to create the schedule. This paper proposes a technique for searching for tasks that can be utilized to fill particular schedule locations. This approach is based on a modular system for storing important variables. This modular system has three important variables: t0, x0 and y0. The variable y is latitude and x is longitude. Time variable t is an integer and each unit represents a time quantum. They are related to each other by three functions Ft, Fx, and Fy. …

Constraint Satisfaction Problem: A Generic Scheduler, Ben Carpenter, Brent Weichel, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

The task was to create a scheduler that would create a schedule that gets as many of the tasks done as possible while maximizing the total value of the tasks performed. Each task was assigned a value, a priority, and a duration. Each task also had certain times that they could be run, so they couldn’t just be run at any point where they fit. We decided that in order to get a more accurate ordering for the process, we would take the value divided by the duration that way we were less likely to skip over processes that ran …

Dynamic Task Scheduling Problem: Greedy Knapsack Solution, Christian Sandtveit, Darrin Winger, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

The problem that we worked with was a dynamic scheduling problem. For this problem, we are given a set of tasks to be scheduled in an allotted time slot, so that the total value of the tasks done is maximized. Each task has a duration, value. Each task also has one or more periods in which they can be scheduled. Some tasks can have conflicting time slots that can prevent other tasks from being scheduled. As tasks are assigned time slots it is possible to prevent other tasks from being as-signed a time slot. Looking for ways to minimize the …

Medical Rate Setting: Multi-Curve Approximation And Projection, Darrin Winger, Christian Sandtveit, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

In order to maximize profit, our approach was to maximize the difference between total revenue and total cost, where total revenue would be larger than total cost. In the problem we are given a series of points, which relates price, cost, profit and quantity. We can calculate the total revenue by multi-plying the price with quantity, and the total cost by multiplying the cost with the quantity. Total profit is calculated by multiplying profit and quantity. We are given 4 initial points, and based on those 4 points we will calculate the point where the profit is currently maximized. Based …

Task Scheduling Problem: Using The Most Constrained Variable Algorithm To Maximize, Jaeden Lovin, Calvin Bina, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

For this constraint satisfaction problem we needed to schedule a series of tasks to run in a certain order. Each task has a set duration that it must run for and a domain of times during which it can run during. Each task had a value and the goal of the problem was to pick times for the tasks to run in or-der to maximize the total value. We thought of multiple ways to potentially approach this problem, and decided to use some form of the least constraining variable. We would choose the task with the least constraints on other …

Medical Rate Setting Problem: Using The Hill-Climbing Search To Maximize Health Care Provider Profit, Calvin Bina, Jaeden Lovin, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

Our program for calculating the optimal price for a service is relatively simple, but it gets great results. We make use of quadratic regres-sion. Quadratic regression has a very similar concept to linear regression. Given a set of data points, we find the equation that is the best fit to represent those data points. With linear re-gression, our resulting equation is linear. How-ever, with quadratic regression, our end result is a quadratic equation. We have two quadratic equations to come up with. One is our cost function and the other is our units sold func-tion. Both of these equations are …

Payload Software Design And Development For A Remote Sensing Small Spacecraft, Kyle Goehner, Christoffer Korvald, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

Scheduling for a Small Satellite for Remote Sensed Data Collection

Characterization Of Extended And Simplified Intelligent Water Drop (Siwd) Approaches And Their Comparison To The Intelligent Water Drop (Iwd) Approach, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

This paper presents a simplified approach to performing the Intelligent Water Drops (IWD) process. This approach is designed to be comparatively lightweight while approximating the results of the full IWD process. The Simplified Intelligent Water Drops (SIWD) approach is specifically designed for applications where IWD must be run in a computationally limited environment (such as on a robot, UAV or small spacecraft) or where performance speed must be maximized for time sensitive applications. The SWID approach is described and compared and contracted to the base IWD approach.

Payload Processing Aboard An Open Source Software Cubesat, Jon Sand, Kyle Goehner, Christoffer Korvald, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

The Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) is a system that focuses on reducing spacecraft mission costs. It provides a set of designs that is freely available to anyone online. The OpenOrbiter CubeSat provides designs to create a small satellite using economical materials available allowing a parts budget of under $5,000. One aspect of this design is CubeSat payload processing software. This is the process of taking a single image, or multiple images taken at the same time, and manipulate them. This manipulation an include compression, mosaicing, super resolution, or any combination thereof. The first step in this process is …

The Development Of Payload Software For A Small Spacecraft, Kyle Goehner, Christoffer Korvald, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter project is a multi-department effort to design and build a small spacecraft which will demonstrate the feasibility of the Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) framework. This framework will reduce cost of small spacecraft creation by providing design plans for free. The focus of the payload software group is to design and implement an onboard task processing and image processing service. Currently the project is in the development phase and most large design decisions have been made. This poster presents the major design decisions that have been made for the payload software and how they will affect the …

Sensor And Computing Resource Management For A Small Satellite, Abhilasha Bhatia, Kyle Goehner, John Sand, Jeremy Straub, Atif Mohammad, Christoffer Korvald

Jeremy Straub

A small satellite in a low-Earth orbit (e.g., approximately a 300 to 400 km altitude) has an orbital velocity in the range of 8.5 km/s and completes an orbit approximately every 90 minutes. For a satellite with minimal attitude control, this presents a significant challenge in obtaining multiple images of a target region. Presuming an inclination in the range of 50 to 65 degrees, a limited number of opportunities to image a given target or communicate with a given ground station are available, over the course of a 24-hour period. For imaging needs (where solar illumination is required), the number …

Model-Based Software Engineering For An Imaging Cubesat And Its Extrapolation To Other Missions, Atif Mohammad, Jeremy Straub, Christoffer Korvald, Emanuel Grant

Jeremy Straub

Small satellites with their limited computational capabilities require that software engineering techniques promote efficient use of spacecraft resources. A model-driven approach to software engineering is an excellent solution to this resource maximization challenge as it facilitates visualization of the key solution processes and data elements.

The software engineering process utilized for the OpenOrbiter spacecraft, which is a remote sensing technology demonstrator, is presented. Key challenges presented by the Open Orbiter project included concurrent operation and tasking of five computer-on-module (COM) units and a flight computer and the associated data marshaling between local and general storage. The payload processing system (consisting …

Multi-Tier Exploration Concept Demonstration Mission, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

A multi-tier, multi-craft mission architecture has been proposed but, despite its apparent promise, limited use and testing of the architecture has been conducted. This paper proposes and details a mission concept and its implementation for testing this architecture in the terrestrial environment. It is expected that this testing will allow significant refinement of the proposed architecture as well as providing data on its suitability for use in both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial applications. Logistical and technical challenges with this testing are discussed.