Space Habitation and Life Support Commons^™

Nasa Micro-G Next Challenge: Sample Container Dispensing Device, Kristin G. Kraybill-Voth, Kelsey L. Mickelson, Oscar D. Popravka

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) report outlines a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior design project developing a sample container dispensing device for NASA Johnson Space Center’s Micro-g NExT design challenge, a competition for university students. NASA aims to bring the first woman and next man to the moon through the Artemis missions beginning in 2024. The Micro-g NExT 2021 challenges focus on developing equipment which will support the Artemis mission, where Astronauts will conduct extensive geological sampling to further the scientific understanding of the moon. Our team designed, built, and tested a device that holds sample bags as ...

Space Suit Attachment Quick Release System, Elyse C. Gillis-Smith, Andres I. Elzaurdia, Cole H. Stanton, Michael T. Roth

Mechanical Engineering

NASA plans to make it back to the Moon by 2024 with their Artemis Program, and stay there for a longer period of time to conduct research which will support the future of space exploration. While on the lunar surface, astronauts need to maximize their efficiency by carrying tools on their Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and to accommodate this need, the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tools Team is pursuing a utility belt concept. The objective of this project is to develop a system capable of interfacing between the utility belt and any given tool, while also accommodating numerous restrictions and ...

Investigating The Feasibility Of 5g In A Lunar Environment, Adam Usher, William Wilcox, Taylor Modlin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to examine the feasibility of implementing a 5G wireless network in a lunar environment. In order to do so, the ideas and technologies behind 5G should be explored, as well as how it relates to previous wireless technologies in terms of speed, coverage, latency, and other important factors for a successful lunar network. A simplified representation of the lunar network was created to observe how the system would function. Two Arduino Uno boards were used alongside a wifi shield to simulate a lunar rover taking in data through sensors, compiling the data, sending it ...

Celebrating 90-Orbits Around The Sun, Stafford Air & Space Museum

Programs

In celebration of the 90th birthday of Oklahoma astronaut and aerospace legend, Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma is offering free admission on September 17th, 2020.

Embedding Online Runtime Verification For Fault Disambiguation On Robonaut2, Brian Kempa, Pei Zhang, Phillip H. Jones, Joseph Zambreno, Kristin Yvonne Rozier

Aerospace Engineering Conference Papers, Presentations and Posters

Robonaut2 (R2) is a humanoid robot onboard the International Space Station (ISS), performing specialized tasks in collaboration with astronauts. After deployment, R2 developed an unexpected emergent behavior. R2’s inability to distinguish between knee-joint faults (e.g., due to sensor drift versus violated environmental assumptions) began triggering safety-preserving freezes-in-place in the confined space of the ISS, preventing further motion until a ground-control operator determines the root-cause and initiates proper corrective action. Runtime verification (RV) algorithms can efficiently disambiguate the temporal signatures of different faults in real-time. However, no previous RV engine can operate within the limited available resources and specialized ...

On The Advantages Of The Disabled In Space., Samantha R. Timmers

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Since the start of the astronaut program in the 1960s, candidates have had to prove to be in prime physical shape before being granted clearance to fly, whereas those with physical disabilities such as blindness or deafness are automatically disqualified. The stigma that disabled persons are less qualified to succeed in a physically alien environment has persisted, though little research exists in revisiting the difficulties posed by allowing this group into the space program. This paper aims to reconsider the advantages and disadvantages of a disability-friendly space program, to include cost considerations, potential challenges, and the unique benefits posed by ...

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Based Heat Exchanger On The Martian, Sarah Guinn

Discovery Day - Prescott

The use of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) in power cycles has been fairly new in the last decade. Due to this, there is a lack in research for both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications. The purpose of this project is to utilize sCO2 as a working fluid and design and optimize a Brayton Cycle based heat exchanger on the Martian surface. Due to the lack of water on Mars, this research will provide a stronger analysis of planetary based drycooling processes in low atmospheric pressure and colder temperatures. We have been conducting an in-depth analysis of the heat exchanger by modeling ...

Performance Enhancement And Characterization Of An Electromagnetic Railgun, Paul M. Gilles

Master's Theses

Collision with orbital debris poses a serious threat to spacecraft and astronauts. Hypervelocity impacts resulting from collisions mean that objects with a mass less than 1g can cause mission-ending damage to spacecraft. A means of shielding spacecraft against collisions is necessary. A means of testing candidate shielding methods for their efficacy in mitigating hypervelocity impacts is therefore also necessary. Cal Poly’s Electromagnetic Railgun was designed with the goal of creating a laboratory system capable of simulating hypervelocity (≥ 3 km/s) impacts. Due to several factors, the system was not previously capable of high-velocity (≥ 1 km/s) tests. A deficient ...

Origins Of Space Food From Mercury To Apollo, Celine Chang

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Access Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions: Final Report, Abdul Mohsen Al Husseini, Luis Alvarez Sanchez, Konstantinos Antonakopoulos, Jeffrey (Johannes) Apeldoorn, Kenneth Lowell Ashford Jr., Kutay Deniz Atabay, Sara Langston, Et Al.

Sara Langston

The human race has evolved, grown and expanded through the exploration of Earth. After initial steps on the Moon, our next challenge is to explore the solar system. Mars shows potential for both scientific discovery and future human settlement, and so is a prime candidate for the next leap of human exploration. Such a bold endeavor will be a driver for an unprecedented worldwide cooperative effort and the catalyst for a new era of international, intercultural and interdisciplinary human relations. Scientific and technological progress will also accelerate as mankind is ushered into a new era of space exploration.

Currently proposed ...

Reimagining Icarus: Ethics, Law And Policy Considerations For Commercial Human Spaceflight, Sara M. Langston

Sara Langston

Commercial human spaceflight presents an area for engaging novel human activity and objectives, to include space exploration, entertainment, transportation and extraterrestrial resource acquisition. The inherent dangers and lack of scientific and medical certainty involved however raise interrelated questions of ethics, bioethics, law and public policy. This is particularly the case with spaceflight participant (SFP) screening, selection, and commercial human spaceflight activities where regulations are currently silent or lacking. In the absence of established law, ethics can play an important role by informing industry standards, policies and best practices. Understanding the fundamental ethical values at stake in the application of new ...

Task 1: Silver-Based Microbial Check Valve For Spacecraft Potable Water Systems, Eric Beitle

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As human space exploration increases, the development of a more efficient potable water treatment system suited for spacecraft becomes crucial. This Waste-management Education Research Consortium (WERC) challenge was designed to explore the viability of microbial control through the utilization of silver ions as a biocide for possible integration into the Tranquility Node 3 water purification system aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Current systems using iodine risk causing hyperthyroidism from overexposure; however, silver can be safely ingested without this side effect. After researching silver delivery methods including electrochemical ion production, controlled release, or a combination of the two, our team ...

Silver-Based Microbial Check Valve For Spacecraft Potable Water Systems, Rogelio E. Garcia

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As human space exploration increases, the development of a more efficient potable water treatment system suited for spacecraft becomes crucial. This Waste-management Education Research Consortium (WERC) challenge was designed to explore the viability of microbial control through the utilization of silver ions as a biocide for possible integration into the Tranquility Node 3 water purification system aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Current systems using iodine risk causing hyperthyroidism from overexposure; however, silver can be safely ingested without this side effect. After researching silver delivery methods including electrochemical ion production, controlled release, or a combination of the two, our team ...

System Architecture Design And Development For A Reusable Lunar Lander, Chad Batten, Camille E. Bergin, Aaron Crigger, Darryl Harris, Gillian Suzanne Mcglothin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Incidence Of An Astronaut Not Sealing The Pressure Garment Visor On Reentry, Cameron M. Smith, Trent Tresch

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Audiovisual records of a Project Mercury pilot’s activities during an orbital flight indicate that his visor was left open during reentry and descent to the sea surface, phases of flight during which cabin pressure loss was to be mitigated by suit pressurization; however, the suit could not have been pressurized with the visor open. Thus, for a presently unknown reason, a critical safety step—sealing the visor and making a pressure suit integrity test before reentry—was overlooked in this flight. Later, Space Shuttle flights were carried out with visors unsealed for much of the launch and landing phases ...

Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Challenge: Autonomous Water Sampling Uav, Thomas Wheeler, Zachary Williams, Joseph Stack

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following report has been completed over the course of the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters at The University of Akron by Joseph P. Stack (Aerospace Systems Engineering), Thomas J. Wheeler (Mechanical Engineering) and Zachary M. Williams (Mechanical Engineering). The purpose of this project was to create a payload system for the Akronauts Rocket Design Team to use at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) Spaceport America Cup. The Competition as a challenge that is sponsored by Space Dynamics Laboratory specifically regarding payload systems. The challenge in very open-ended and allows student to identify their own scientific experiment and ...

Design Process For The Containment And Manipulation Of Liquids In Microgravity, Chris Meek

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

In order to enhance accessibility to microgravity research, the design process for experiments on the ISS must be streamlined and accessible to all scientific disciplines, not just aerospace engineers. Thus, a general design and analysis toolbox with accompanying best practices manual for microgravity liquid containment is proposed. The work presented in this thesis improves the design process by introducing a modular liquid tank design which can be filled, drained, or act as a passive liquid-gas separation device. It can also be pressurized, and used for aerosol spray. This tank can be modified to meet the design requirements of various experimental ...

Comparative Analysis Of Electrodynamic Toroidal Radiation Shielding Configurations, Max Rosenberg

Master's Theses

Beyond the protective confines of Earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere, spacecraft are subject to constant bombardment by high-energy charged particles originating from our Sun in the form of Solar Particle Events (SPEs), and from outside the solar system in the form of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs). The harm these particles do can be reduced or mitigated outright through radiation shielding. Because protons and other charged particles comprise most of these radiation particles, strong magnetic fields could be generated around spacecraft to deflect incoming charged radiation particles. This thesis investigates the performance of specific configurations of toroidal superconducting solenoids to generate ...

Increasing Spaceflight Analogue Mission Fidelity By Standardization Of Extravehicular Activity Metrics Tracking And Analysis, Ryan L. Kobrick, Nicholas Lopac, Jenifer Schuman, John French, Tatsunari Tomiyama

Publications

Spaceflight analogues include human simulations that attempt to match as many variables of a real mission as possible, but here on Earth and at a fraction of the cost each having limitations. The goal of this Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab) research is to improve simulation fidelity through Extravehicular Activity (EVA) data collection, analysis, and feedback, which will help humanity prepare for destinations such as the Moon or Mars. Investigated EVA metrics, physical and biomedical, are based on the identified NASA Human Research Roadmap research gaps related to the risk ...

Spacesuit Range Of Motion Investigations Using Video And Motion Capture Systems At Spaceflight Analogue Expeditions And Within The Erau S.U.I.T. Lab, Ryan L. Kobrick, Nicholas Lopac, Jenifer Schuman, Chase Covello, John French, Angelica Gould, Maximilian Meyer, Theodore Southern, Jazmyne Lones, Joshua W. Ehrlich

Publications

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab) is dedicated to the pursuit of advancing human spaceflight by contributing to spacesuit and operations research with experiential programs for students. A significant portion of the S.U.I.T. Lab’s portfolio is dedicated to the design and execution of spacesuit range of motion (ROM) investigations using video and motion capture systems. ROM biomechanical angles were measured using these techniques in conjunction with developing protocols for both simulated extravehicular activity suits at spaceflight analogue expeditions, and on ERAU campus with Final Frontier Design ...