Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Space Objects Classification And Characterization Via Deep Learning And Light Curves: Applications To Space Traffic Management, Roberto Furfaro, Richard Linares, Vishnu Reddy

Space Traffic Management Conference

Recent advancements in deep learning (e.g. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Recurrent Neural networks (RNN)) have demonstrated impressive results in many practical and theoretical fields (e.g. speech recognition, computer vision, robotics). Whereas deep learning methods are becoming ubiquitous, they have been barely explored in SSA applications, in particular with regard to object characterization for Space Traffic Management (STM).

In this paper, we report the results obtained in designing and training a set of CNNs and RNNs for Space Object (SO) classification and characterization using light-curve measurements. More specifically, we provide a comparison between deep networks trained on both physically-based models (i.e. …

Nanosat Tracking And Identification Techniques And Technologies, Mark A. Skinner

Space Traffic Management Conference

Nanosats (and CubeSats, ‘Smallsats’, etc.) are of order 10 cm in size, and are at or near the limits of what can be tracked and characterized, using existing space surveillance assets. Additionally, given the CubeSat form-factor, they are often launched in large numbers (scores), and can be virtually identical. Thus are they difficult to track and to identify.

We have identified a number of technologies that future nanosat missions could employ that would enhance the trackability and/or identification of their satellites when on-orbit. Some of these technologies require active illumination of the satellite with electromagnetic energy, either in the radio …

A Statistical Approach For Commercial Space Vehicle Integration Into The National Airspace System, Christopher Hays, Daniel Chu, Pedro Llanos

Space Traffic Management Conference

This paper explores commercial space vehicle (CSV) suborbital flight trajectories in the temporal and spatial domains for CSV integration into the National Airspace System. The research data was collected via the Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) housed in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach campus, and analyzed using an original MATLAB data analytics tool. This study primarily focuses on statistical trends observed in previously simulated flights supported by three Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) campaigns comprised of 34 flights and 19 control flights, and to identify relevant milestones in the CSV …

Enhancing Suborbital Science Through Better Understanding Of Wind Effects, Pedro Llanos, Diane Howard

Space Traffic Management Conference

This paper highlights the importance of understanding some key factors, such as winds effects, trajectory and vehicle parameters variations in order to streamline the space vehicle operations and enhance science in the upper mesosphere at about 85 km. Understanding these effects is crucial to refine current space operations and establish more robust procedures. These procedures will involve training new space operators to conduct and coordinate space operations in class E above FL600 airspace within the Air Traffic Organization (ATO).

Space vehicles such as Space Ship Two can spend up to 6 minutes in class E airspace above FL600 after launch. …

Human-In-The-Loop Landing Flare Flight Test Simulation Of The Spaceliner Orbiter, Frank Morlang

Space Traffic Management Conference

Against the background that all future air traffic participants are requested to act as System Wide Information Management (SWIM) communicating sub-systems by the future Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) SWIM 'Intranet for ATM' concept, facing the challenge of integration of space traffic in the current Air Traffic Management (ATM) needs SWIM compliance of future commercial space transportation (CST) vehicles having “landing like an aircraft at an airport” characteristics. In order to evaluate future spacecraft cockpit procedures in a transition context from Aircraft Access to SWIM (AAtS) to Spacecraft Access to SWIM in a network wide airspace management …

Framework For Evaluating Traffic Management Services In Higher Airspace, Jennifer Gentry, Debra Moch-Mooney, Anuja Mahashabde

Space Traffic Management Conference

Flying faster, farther, longer and higher has always captured the public’s imagination. Yet there is a vast realm of airspace that remains unexplored, save for a handful of scientific and national security missions. It is a realm rife with extremes, where flights can reach multi-Mach speeds or stay aloft for months as they slowly circumnavigate the globe. It is a realm that lies high above the clouds, at the edge of space.

Recent breakthroughs in technology, fueled by a globalized economy and society’s appetite for information, have set the stage for routine commercial operations in this new realm. Companies, old …

Evaluation Of Unmanned Aircraft Flying Qualities Using A Stitched Learjet Model, Patrick M. Callaghan

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, military UAVs have taken over missions that were too dull, dirty, or dangerous for manned aircraft. The increased demand has led to a build-fly-fix-fly development mentality, plaguing the early lifecycle with staggering mishap rates. Currently, MIL-STD-1797 lists flying qualities for UAVs as TBD, and the standards for manned fixed wing are inadequate when applied to UAVs. In an effort to expand the database of UAV flying qualities, an analysis was completed on a Simulink model of an LJ-25D developed from Calspans Variable Stability System aircraft at the United States Test Pilot School. Three maneuvers were simulated: (1) …

Magnetic Field Aided Indoor Navigation, William F. Storms

Theses and Dissertations

This research effort examines inertial navigation system aiding using magnetic field intensity data and a Kalman filter in an indoor environment. Many current aiding methods do not work well in an indoor environment, like aiding using the Global Positioning System. The method presented in this research uses magnetic field intensity data from a three-axis magnetometer in order to estimate position using a maximum – likelihood approach. The position measurements are then combined with a motion model using a Kalman filter. The magnetic field navigation algorithm is tested using a combination of simulated and real measurements. These tests are conducted using …

Road To Hayabusa2 From Cansat And Cubesat, Yuichi Tsuda

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Yuichi Tsuda titled "Road to Hayabusa2 from CanSat and CubeSat" from February 22, 2019.

Revealing The Effects Of Matrix Behavior On Low-Velocity Impact Response Of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Laminates, A. Yudhanto, H. Wafai, G. Lubineau, S. Goutham, M. Mulle, R. Yaldiz, N. Verghese

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Matrix behavior is expected to widely influence the impact response of composites, but detailed conclusions in the case of thermoplastic laminates are still needed. In this paper, we investigated the effect of using either ductile homopolymer PP or less-ductile impact copolymer PP matrices on the low-velocity impact responses of continuous glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) laminate. These PP types represent two variants in the same family of thermoplastic matrix. A thorough experimental campaign was first performed to provide the tensile properties (for PP and glass/PP) and fracture toughness (Mode-I and Mode-II, glass/PP only) of the employed materials. Then, low-velocity impact tests …

In Situ Micro-Scale High-Speed Imaging For Evaluation Of Fracture Propagation And Fracture Toughness Of Thermoplastic Laminates Subjected To Impact, H. Wafai, A. Yudhanto, G. Lubineau, M. Mulle, T. Alghamdi, S. T. Thoroddsen, R. Yaldiz, N. Verghese

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Measuring parameters related to each damage mode of composites subjected to impact is very challenging because of the complex damage phenomenology. Here, we developed an experimental methodology for evaluating the micro-scale fracture characteristics of two principal damage modes, i.e., transverse crack and delamination, and providing the corresponding fracture toughness. We demonstrated the capability of the method by comparing and providing additional insights about two materials, namely homopolymer-based (ductile) and copolymer-based (less-ductile) glass/polypropylene thermoplastic composites. We found that (i) transverse crack behavior of both composites is similar as indicated by a small difference in their fracture toughness, (ii) delamination growth in …

Aircraft-Runway Total Energy Measurement, Monitoring, Managing, Safety, And Control System And Method, Nihad E. Daidzic,

Aviation Department Publications

United States Patent, Patent Number US 10,202,204 B1, Date of Patent February 12, 2019.

A total runway safety system (TRSS) and method measures, monitors, manages, and informs flight crew on the progress of takeoffs and landings and of any hazardous runway conditions. In some embodiments, the TRSS measures, monitors, and informs flight crew of longitudinal and lateral runway tracks thus preventing overruns and veer-offs during takeoffs and landings. In some embodiments, backscatter of infrared laser beams emitted by the aircraft is used to evaluate groundspeed and the reflectivity of the runway surface to make estimates of the surface conditions, rough­ness …

W&B Problems For Far/Cs 25 Airplanes Tutorial, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

Weight and Balance (W&B) computations are essential step in ensuring that the aircraft (in this case FAR/CS 25 Transport-category airplanes) is properly loaded with its Center of Mass (CM) of Center of Weight/Gravity (CG) in the proper range.

A Higher-Order Method Implemented In An Unstructured Panel Code To Model Linearized Supersonic Flows, Jake Daniel Davis

Master's Theses

Since their conception in the 1960s, panel codes have remained a critical tool in the design and development of air vehicles. With continued advancement in computational technologies, today's codes are able to solve flow fields around arbitrary bodies more quickly and with higher fidelity than those that preceded them. Panel codes prove most useful during the conceptual design phase of an air vehicle, allowing engineers to iterate designs, and generate full solutions of the flow field around a vehicle in a matter of seconds to minutes instead of hours to days using traditional CFD methods. There have been relatively few …

Fluorine-Containing Oxidizers For Metal Fuels In Energetic Formulations, Siva Kumar Valluri, Mirko Schoenitz, Edward Dreizin

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fluorine containing oxidizers, primarily polymers, are extensively used in pyrotechnic compositions. Fluorinated oxidizers are less explored for metalized propellants and explosives despite a potential advantage of substantial heat release combined with gaseous combustion products. This review summarizes different types of fluorinated oxidizers used in energetic formulations or of potential interest for such systems, including gases, polymers, and inorganic compounds. Types of energetic formulations employing metals and fluoropolymers are discussed in more detail, including methods used to prepare composites and resulting salient features of the obtained materials. Laboratory experiments characterizing such materials, in particular, electron microscopy and thermal analysis, are discussed, …

Influence Of Process-Induced Shrinkage And Annealing On The Thermomechanical Behavior Of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene, M. Mulle, H. Wafai, A. Yudhanto, G. Lubineau, R. Yaldiz, W. Schijve, N. Verghese

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigate the influence of process-induced shrinkage and subsequent annealing on the thermomechanical behavior of unidirectional laminates made of continuous glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (GFPP). We use two different industrial lamination processes: static hot-presses (SHP), and double-belt press (DBP) that are characterized by different cooling rates and pressure levels and most importantly, by the use of a closed mold in the case of SHP manufacturing. We measure the longitudinal and transverse shrinkage during the manufacturing and annealing processes using embedded fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The SHP molding reveals much lower induced shrinkage in GFPP as compared to the DBP process, although …

Electrical/Chemical Thruster Using The Same Monopropellant And Method, Steven P. Berg, Joshua L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A thruster operable in a chemical mode or in an electrospray mode using the same liquid monopropellant for operation in both modes is described having a multiplicity of a microthrusters made of a catalytic material having a bore therethrough, where, when operated in the chemical mode, the microthrusters are heated to decompose the monopropellant the monopropellant flows therethrough to generate relatively high thrust. An extractor is positioned downstream of the outlet ends of the microthrusters, such that when the system is operated in its electrospray mode the flowrate of the monopropellant through the microthrusters is substantially lower than in the …

Project Atlas: A Mobile Universal Rocket Engine Test Stand, Collin Mickels, Conrad H. Wright, Noah Soderquist, Alona Prokofieva, Sattar Panahandehgar, Naveen Sri Uddanti, Alcuin Rajan

Student Works

Project Atlas is a mobile, trailer-mounted, rocket engine test stand developed by Experimental Rocket Propulsion Lab (ERPL) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach, Florida campus. The integrated test stand and automated data-acquisition and control system supports ERPL’s multitude of engine research projects, including bipropellant liquid and hybrid rocket engines. The need for an integrated universal mobile test stand stems from the inability to conduct frequent test fires on campus due to Class-3 airspace and liability issues. The test stand is designed as a horizontal thrust structure utilizing a dual flame duct to redirect and cancel reaction forces acting upon the …

A Procedure For The Calculation Of The Perceived Loudness Of Sonic Booms, Christian R. Bolander, Douglas F. Hunsaker, Hao Shen, Forrest L. Carpenter

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Implementing a method to calculate the human ear’s perceived loudness of a sonic boom requires consulting scattered literature with varying amounts of detail. This work describes a comprehensive implementation of Stevens’ Mark VII in Python, called PyLdB. References to literary works are included in enough detail so that the reader could use this work as a guide to implement the Mark VII algorithm. The details behind the mathematics of the Mark VII algorithm are included and PyLdB is used to calculate the perceived loudness of an example pressure signature. PyLdB is benchmarked against a widely used and validated code by …

Bending Nanoindentation And Plasticity Noise In Fcc Single And Polycrystals, Ryder Bolin, Hakan Yavas, Hengxu Song, Kevin J. Hemker, Stefanos Papanikolaou

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: We present a high-throughput nanoindentation study of in situ bending effects on incipient plastic deformation behavior of polycrystalline and single-crystalline pure aluminum and pure copper at ultranano depths (< 200 nm). We find that hardness displays a statistically inverse dependence on in-plane stress for indentation depths smaller than 10 nm, and the dependence disappears for larger indentation depths. In contrast, plastic noise in the nanoindentation force and displacement displays statistically robust noise features, independently of applied stresses. Our experimental results suggest the existence of a regime in Face Centered Cubic (FCC) crystals where ultranano hardness is sensitive to residual applied stresses, but plasticity pop-in noise is insensitive to it.