Morehead State University
Purdue University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Ohio University
University of Texas at Arlington
What Types Of Uncertainty Emerge In Instructional Aviation Incidents?,
2027
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
What Types Of Uncertainty Emerge In Instructional Aviation Incidents?, Abigail Henson
Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
This study utilized narrative reports from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database to examine the types of uncertainty present in near-miss instructional aviation incidents occurring within the United States between 2015 and 2025. The final dataset consisted of 86 reports, with each report containing a set of narrative accounts from both the student pilot and the flight instructor operating under Part 91 regulations. Each instructional event was classified using a combined framework incorporating uncertainty categorizations and the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). Results indicate that epistemological uncertainty was the most common …
Flight System Development For A Bio-Inspired Rotating Empennage Experimental Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,
2026
Utah State University
Flight System Development For A Bio-Inspired Rotating Empennage Experimental Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Ashton Gilbert
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present
Unmanned aerial systems, commonly known as drones, are increasingly used for research, environmental monitoring, and testing new aircraft concepts. Many commercially available drone flight controllers work well for standard aircraft designs, but they can be difficult to adapt for experimental vehicles that use unconventional control methods or require detailed monitoring during testing. This creates challenges for researchers who need flexible and reliable tools to safely evaluate new flight technologies. This work presents the development of a custom drone flight control system designed specifically for experimental research. The system integrates custom electronics and software that allow researchers to easily modify control …
A Data-Driven Koopman Framework For Station-Keeping On Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit,
2026
Florida Institute of Technology
A Data-Driven Koopman Framework For Station-Keeping On Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit, Anusha Sharma Malladi
Theses and Dissertations
Cislunar missions have gained significant attention in recent decades, motivating the need for efficient modeling and reliable control. In this work a Koopman operator based framework is developed for approximating the error dynamics around a reference Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) in the Earth-Moon Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP). A decoder free neural network is used to learn a lifted linear representation of the nonlinear CR3BP dynamics and a residual based approach is used to identify the corresponding control input matrix. The model is then implemented in a receding-horizon target point controller and compared with uncontrolled propagation and a State …
Crushing Behavior Of Crash Boxes With Hybrid Honeycomb–Auxetic Fillers: Effects Of Architecture, Geometry, And Material Behaviors,
2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Crushing Behavior Of Crash Boxes With Hybrid Honeycomb–Auxetic Fillers: Effects Of Architecture, Geometry, And Material Behaviors, A. Yudhanto, A. Jusuf, L. D. Lumanauw, M. Falyanzhuri, A. Afdhal
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works
Additively manufactured (AM) fillers provide new opportunities to tailor the crushing response and energy absorption of thin-walled metallic crash boxes. This study presents a combined experimental–numerical investigation of hexagonal AA6063-T4 crash boxes filled with architected structures, i.e., honeycomb, auxetic-reentrant, and hybrid honeycomb–auxetic topology. The hybrid configuration, which integrates cells with positive and negative Poisson's ratios, triggers coordinated mechanisms (that enhance folding behavior and collapse control) unattainable via single topology. Quasi-static axial compression tests were conducted to characterize force–displacement curves, deformation mechanisms, energy absorption (EA), and specific energy absorption (SEA). Finite element models developed in the explicit solver LS-DYNA were employed …
Notes For The Contributors,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition, The 66th Annual Academy Assembly
Space and Defense
The 66th annual Academy Assembly brought together twenty-seven student delegates from civilian institutions and sister military service academies to discuss urgent issues in national affairs. This national student congress was held during March 3-5, 2026 and produced the following committee reports.
Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today,
2026
Missouri State University
Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today, Keith B. Payne
Space and Defense
r. Payne visited the U.S. Air Force Academy to offer keynote remarks at a national student congress, the 66th Academy Assembly, held during March 3-5,2026 and dedicated to the topic of the Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence in a New Era of Great Power Competition. Dr. Payne is co-founder of the National Institute for Public Policy, former Department Head at the Graduate School of Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and former Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has authored or co-authored over 230 published articles and 50 …
Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek,
2026
Columbia University
Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek, Lily Cheatham
Space and Defense
For the past twenty years, the stealth regime defined military thinking, prioritizing technologies and tactics designed to evade enemy defense systems. Ensuring radar invisibility and maintaining information dominance have been the keys to survival and strategic advantage. On June 21-22, 2025, the United States conducted "Operation Midnight Hammer" against Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The principal strike package included seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, whose crews flew approximately 18 hours to reach the target area and roughly 36 hours and 13,000 miles round trip. The B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and Natanz, marking …
The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame,
2026
U.S. Air Force Academy
The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame, Connor Crookham
Space and Defense
Modern military education increasingly relies on experiential tools that allow students to explore the complexity of contemporary conflict in ways that lectures and readings alone cannot achieve. Nowhere is this more evident than in the emerging emphasis on multi-domain operations, integrated deterrence, and the blurred boundaries between competition and armed conflict. The Baltic Bear Trap wargame was developed as a student design project to meet this instructional need, offering a structured environment in which players must think, plan, and act as operational-level decision makers confronting a deteriorating security situation in the Nordic–Baltic region. Built for use at the Swedish Defense …
A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership,
2026
University of Colorado, Boulder
A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership, Naisha Chirag Naik
Space and Defense
Cislunar space, spanning Earth’s orbit to the Moon, has emerged as a new frontier due to its strategic, scientific, and economic potential, with growing involvement from global powers, governments, and private entities diversifying the market. Unlike the first lunar space race, which saw a spike in activity amongst two countries followed by “silence,” the current cislunar era is hallmarked by a growing mix of public agencies, private companies, and international actors seeking to gain a foothold in what could be the foundation for a long-term space economy. While cislunar space was historically only an interest for superpowers, recent years have …
Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites,
2026
University of Texas, Austin
Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites, Heith Johnson
Space and Defense
Cislunar space—the region between Earth’s geosynchronous orbit (about 36,000 kilometers from Earth) and the Moon (roughly 384,000 kilometers away)—is becoming a critical frontier for future space exploration and commercialization.1 This zone includes the Moon’s orbit, transfer orbits, and the Earth-Moon Lagrange points. Additionally, as more nations and corporations launch lunar missions and establish long-term infrastructure, cislunar space is increasingly becoming a strategic focus for exploration, logistics, and transportation.
Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security,
2026
Swinburne University of Technology - Australia
Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security, Evie Kendal
Space and Defense
Following the news in late 2024 that there was a city-killer asteroid on a possible collision course with Earth, many members of the public were shocked to learn there was no reliable global plan for managing such asteroidal and cometary impact hazards. While calculations of Asteroid 2024 YR4’s trajectory were further refined to exclude the previously reported 2-3% chance of collision in 2032, this event highlighted a major security threat: the lack of a globally coordinated, appropriately resourced, and politically supported planetary defense strategy (Gibney, 2025). In so doing, it also provided an opportunity for security experts to consider the …
Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies,
2026
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies, William Priedhorsky, James Wells
Space and Defense
There is renewed interest in space-based boost-phase intercept (SBPI) for missile defense against ICBMs of near-peer adversaries. We discuss SBPI in the context of other missile defense approaches, and address one of its challenges, which is the expense of fielding a large enough constellation of interceptors in space to counter even a small number of ICBMs. We develop an early-launch approach that could substantively reduce the required density of interceptors. Because every second matters in boost-phase defense, early launch of interceptors can significantly increase the reach of each interceptor. Early launch would require interceptors that have highly throttleable motors. Our …
Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security,
2026
Johns Hopkins University
Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security, Namrata Goswami
Space and Defense
The “Golden Dome” initiative [formerly Iron Dome] was announced by President Donald Trump on January 27, 2025, signifying a transformative shift in global space security policy. It fundamentally questions long-standing assumptions about deterrence, national vulnerability to missile attacks, and the role of space in strategic defense. More importantly, it emerges at a moment of acute strategic transition: the erosion of Cold War arms control frameworks, the rapid advancement of hypersonic and orbital delivery systems, and the growing integration of space into warfighting doctrines. Launched via a presidential memorandum in January 2025, Golden Dome calls for a layered missile defense system …
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note, Damon Coletta
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents, Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter,
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter, Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue),
2026
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue), Space & Defense
Space and Defense
No abstract provided.
In-Orbit Demonstration Of The Vyom-2u: A Green Monopropellant-Based Propulsion System Onboard Isro's Pslv C60 Poem-4,
2026
Manastu Space Technologies
In-Orbit Demonstration Of The Vyom-2u: A Green Monopropellant-Based Propulsion System Onboard Isro's Pslv C60 Poem-4, Ashtesh Kumar, Tushar Jadav, Prashant Singh, Rajat Kumar, Sajo George, Sivakami S., Rohit Shanbhag, Neel Gharat, Shubham Singh, Henry Sam, Suman Vadla
Small Satellite Conference
Vyom 2U is a compact 2U green monopropellant propulsion system designed to deliver a total impulse of 1700 Ns. At Beginning-of-Life (BOL) conditions, corresponding to a tank pressure of 24 bar, the thruster can deliver up to 1.1 N with a specific impulse of approximately 250 s, while requiring a peak electrical power of 15 W. At an operating pressure of 14 bar, the propulsion system delivers a thrust of approximately 0.67 N with a specific impulse of about 238 s. This operating point was deliberately selected for in-orbit operations to maintain sub-newton thrust levels compatible with the attitude control …
Payload Selection To Correlate Shielding Performance With Molecular Structure And Elemental Composition For Rosisat: The Radiation Orbital Shielding Investigation Satellite,
2026
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Payload Selection To Correlate Shielding Performance With Molecular Structure And Elemental Composition For Rosisat: The Radiation Orbital Shielding Investigation Satellite, Chase Patterson, Jacob L. Blanton, Kylie Nager
Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal
Exposure to space weather in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment poses significant challenges to both the integrity and longevity of orbital hardware, as well as the health of astronauts, driving the necessity for improved means of radiation shielding for future missions. With a 1U CubeSat formfactor, ROSISat is a planned LEO mission that aims to characterize the radiation shielding capabilities of seven candidate materials: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, boron nitride, carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes with polyethylene fibers, carbon fiber reinforced composite, and aerographene, as well as two control materials: aluminum 6061 and ep33. By comparing the shielding performance …
