Digital Commons Network^™

Of Dunes And Ice: A Surface-Atmosphere Investigation Of Mars Co2 Sublimation Features And Titan Aeolian Fields, Racine D. Cleveland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates a central question: How do planetary boundary layer processes manifest in observable surface geomorphology, and how can planetary imagery be used to quantify those effects? The planetary boundary layer (PBL) governs near-surface exchanges of momentum, heat, and volatiles, yet direct atmospheric measurements remain spatially and temporally limited on most planetary bodies. By analyzing geomorphic features preserved in high-resolution imagery, this work quantifies how boundary-layer processes leave measurable signatures on planetary surfaces. For Mars, high-resolution images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) HiRISE instrument were used to map CO2 sublimation features, or Swiss Cheese Features (SCFs), on the …

Llm-Driven Mission Control And Autonomous Planning For Search-And-Rescue Uavs: A Simulation-Based Evaluation, Naser Bader Alsaedi

Theses

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in search‑and‑rescue (SAR) missions, yet many systems still rely on fragmented software where mission design, perception, and flight control are configured separately. This thesis examines whether a unified AI‑driven framework can reduce configuration effort and operator workload in UAV‑based SAR operations. The proposed system integrates natural‑language mission specification using a large language model (LLM) (LLaMA 3.1), autonomous coverage planning, YOLOv8‑based victim detection, and PX4/MAVSDK control within a single architecture. Operators describe missions through free‑form text or a graphical interface; the model converts these descriptions into structured mission parameters that are automatically planned and …

Information Theory Analysis Of The Solar Wind Magnetic Structures For Space Weather Prediction, Katherine Holland

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Forecasting space weather at Earth is highly complicated, because of the limited measurements of the dynamic processes in the Sun that span multiple temporal, spatial, and energy-scales. The solar wind is a highly structured, multi-scale, evolving plasma and consists of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs), expanding flux tubes (Borovsky, 2008), and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) discontinuities and fluctuations. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of the evolution and dissipation of different scale-size solar wind magnetic structures as they move from the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1) to Earth's bow shock and, ultimately, to …

In Situ Observations Of Thermal Ions In Perturbed Ionospheres: Techniques And Results, Magdalina Louise Moses

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Prediction and mitigation of space weather events are active research topics that require knowledge of the physics governing the ionosphere. Sounding rockets can be used to make in situ observations. The Lynch Rocket Lab created the Petite-Ion-Probe (PIP), a small retarding potential analyzer, to measure thermal ion parameters (i.e., ion density and temperature). A PIP's raw data consists of a series of measured anode currents as a function of screen bias voltages, called IV curves. PIPs can be integrated onto a sounding rocket’s main payload and/or be deployed from the rocket on small platforms called ``PIP-Bobs''. Note that as the …

Magnetic Reconnection In Space: From Two-Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic (Mhd) Simulations To Three-Dimensional Particle-In-Cell (Pic) Simulations, Shan-Chang Lin

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Magnetic reconnection is a physical process in plasmas that converts magnetic energy into plasma kinetic energy and thermal energy. It plays an important role in the generation of solar flares, interactions between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere, and magnetic confinement fusion devices. This thesis focuses on studying magnetic reconnection using computational methods, including two-dimensional (2D) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations to study Petschek-type reconnection, estimating the timescale from a thin current sheet to fully developed reconnection using 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, and magnetic reconnection X-line spreading in the current direction using three-dimensional (3D) PIC simulations.

This thesis contributes to the understanding …

Estimating Mars Surface Wind Stress And Dust Lifting Using Reanalyses Based On Emm And Other Spacecraft Observations, Haneen Abouhaligah

Theses

Studying Mars offers insights into terrestrial planet evolution and informs future human expeditions. This thesis examines dust dynamics in Mars’ lower atmosphere, focusing on understanding its weather and climate. We investigate the role of Near-Surface Wind Stress (NSWS) in dust lifting, using six reanalysis datasets, respectively: MACDA, EMARS, OpenMARS, ACS–TIRVIM (ExoMars observations of the MY34 Global Dust storm), EMM1 and EMM2. Following the parameterization approach by Newman et al. (2002a), areas of agreement and discrepancy among datasets were identified. Time series analysis revealed consistent results where datasets overlap temporally. Some differences were expected and shown due to the different Global …

Airborne Snowsar Data At X And Ku Bands Over Boreal Forest, Alpine And Tundra Snow Cover, Hans-Peter Marshall

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The European Space Agency SnowSAR instrument is a side-looking, dual-polarised (VV/VH), X/Ku band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), operable from various sizes of aircraft. Between 2010 and 2013, the instrument was deployed at several sites in Northern Finland, Austrian Alps and northern Canada. The purpose of the airborne campaigns was to measure the backscattering properties of snow-covered terrain to support the development of snow water equivalent retrieval techniques using SAR. SnowSAR was deployed in Sodankylä, Northern Finland, for a single flight mission in March 2011 and 12 missions at two sites (tundra and boreal forest) in the winter of 2011–2012. Over …

Artificial Intelligence, Controls, And Sensor Fusion For Optimization And Modeling Of Space Missions And Particle Accelerators, Reza Pirayeshshirazinezhad

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This PhD dissertation is devoted to developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications for space missions and particle accelerators considering constraints on the computational resources. The space mission studied in this research, the Virtual Telescope for X-ray Observations (VTXO), is the 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. VTXO space mission is designed and the mission is optimized to increase the performance of the mission. Trajectory optimization with AI, hybrid control, control algorithms, and high performance computing are all used to …

A Comprehensive Bison Management And Research Plan For The Crane Trust, Joshua D. Wiese

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

The Great Plains were once a vast grassland ecosystem, but, due to agricultural and human development, are one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. What remains is generally fragmented, threatened by invasive species, and lacks the natural ecosystem processes that shaped these grasslands such as periodic wildfire and bison grazing. Since 1978, the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc. (dba “Crane Trust”) has worked to maintain the function of grassland and riparian habitats to benefit endangered Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, and other migratory bird species. They protect ~8,100 acres, including the largest contiguous portion of lowland tallgrass …

Mission Possible, Shashank Shah, Vijaya Sunder M

Asian Management Insights

Overcoming challenges to bring clean water to rural India.

Systematic Integration Of Applications Into The Surface Biology And Geology (Sbg) Earth Mission Architecture Study, Christine M. Lee, Nancy F. Glenn, E. Natasha Stavros, Jeff Luvall, Karen Yuen, Stephanie Schollaert Uz

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) concept is the first National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth mission to develop and implement systematic integration of science application needs at the architecture study stage. Prior NASA mission concept and planning activities presumed that science measurement needs would encompasss application measurement needs and so did not explicitly evaluate and include applications at this stage. However, the effort presented here identified, documented and integrated application needs that would not have been included by considering research science needs only. First, a low latency of no greater than 24 hr was identified as the optimal …

Influenza A Viruses In Peridomestic Mammals, J. Jeffrey Root, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

During recent years, serological evidence has shown that a number of peridomestic mammals (e.g., those commonly found in or around human structures) are naturally exposed to influenza A viruses (IAVs). In addition, experimental studies have demonstrated that many of these species can successfully replicate several different IAVs, including IAVs of high consequence to public or agricultural health. The replication of some IAVs within this group of mammals could have implications for biosecurity associated with poultry production and live bird markets in some regions of the world. Given this evidence, the need for further study and understanding of the role that …

Correlated Sem, Fib, And Tem Studies Of Material Collected By The Nasa Stardust Spacecraft, Brendan Albert Haas

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to describe the study of cometary materials returned by NASA’s Stardust mission. The majority of the research presented in this thesis focuses on improving our characterization and understanding of the fine (< 1 µm) component of comet Wild 2. Investigations of the Stardust foils are conducted with correlated Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB) sample preparation, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Investigations of the Stardust aerogels are conducted with plasma ashing sample preparation followed by detailed characterization of the material with TEM. Additional studies of the Stardust interstellar foils, as well as the use of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to search images of the Stardust foils for impact features, are also presented.As a part of this thesis I have developed a new technique for analyzing the Stardust aerogels through the use of plasma ashing sample preparation. This technique is an improvement upon previous attempts to separate cometary materials from the aerogel through the use of HF vapor etching. Plasma ashing allows for cometary materials trapped within the Stardust aerogels to be deposited directly onto TEM grids allowing for detailed characterization of the cometary material with minimal interference from the aerogel itself.The correlated SEM/FIB/TEM studies of the Stardust foils demonstrated here nearly double the number of Stardust craters that have been elementally and structurally characterized in scientific literature. The crater impactor residues were largely composed of combinations of silicates and iron-nickel sulfides that, following impact, rapidly quenched into amorphous melt layers. Two craters were found to contain signatures of the refractory minerals spinel and taenite, indicating a component of the Wild 2 fines originated in the inner Solar System. However, the lack of crystalline material throughout the crater residues suggests that the fine component may largely be composed of amorphous silicates that likely formed in the outer Solar System. Additionally, the submicron Stardust craters appeared enriched in volatile elements relative to CI chondrites, further suggesting that the fine component of Wild 2 originated from a reservoir that was separate from the more refractory coarse (> 1 µm) component.The Stardust aerogel samples returned carbon-rich and potential oldhamite grains. Carbon-rich materials have not been previously observed in the Stardust foils, likely due to the violent collection methods, and the result suggests the ashing technique may be used to better characterize components of the Wild 2 fines that have been difficult to investigate. The presence of oldhamite in the Stardust …

2019 - Monterey County Historical Society - Hornbeck Collection - Documents And Research Inventory

Related Research and Documents

Research and documents accumulated by Dr. David Hornbeck throughout his career pertaining to the history of California, the inhabitants, colonization and missions that he donated to the Monterey County Historical Society.

Preparing For A Northwest Passage: A Workshop On The Role Of New England In Navigating The New Arctic, Katharine A. Duderstadt, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Jennifer F. Brewer, Elizabeth Burakowski, Jaed M. Coffin, Jack E. Dibb, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Nancy E. Kinner, Larry A. Mayer, Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Joseph Salisbury, Kerri D. Seger, Ruth K. Varner, Cameron P. Wake

All Materials

Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic (March 25 - 27, 2018 -- The University of New Hampshire) paired two of NSF's 10 Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic and Growing Convergence Research at NSF. During this event, participants assessed economic, environmental, and social impacts of Arctic change on New England and established convergence research initiatives to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to these effects. Shipping routes through an ice-free Northwest Passage in combination with modifications to ocean circulation and regional climate patterns linked to Arctic ice melt …

2017 - Land Use Trends Salinas River Watershed And Groundwater Basin 1771-2015 [Draft] By Dr. Peter Reinelt

Related Research and Documents

Data collated from multiple sources from 1771 through 2015 is used to estimate agricultural land use in the Salinas River Watershed and Groundwater Basin. Institutional responsibility for collecting and maintaining data changed with evolving sovereignty over the region and later with state and county organizational changes. As institutional focus evolved, the type and form of data collected also changed. Therefore, the compiled data often used different units of measurements and have various levels of completeness. Thus, procedures are developed here to collate the data into a consistent form by transforming all cropping data sets to a per acre basis and …

How The Space Environment Affects Seed Germination And Growth, Alexander Souvall, Gareema Dhiman, Andre Nguyen, Michelle Jung, Astrid Ji, Takayuki Sakai, Takahiro Shimizu, Midori Morikawa, Shusuke Okita, Akihiro Nagata, Shaunda Wenger, Toshihiro Kameda, Jr Dennison

Posters

Understanding observed space environment effects on biological organisms such seeds are important in design of long duration space missions, such as to those planned for Mars, where appropriate storage and growth of food resources is essential. Evaluation of the effects of the real and simulated space environment on seed germination and growth in space is the purpose of this research. Preliminary tests of germination rate and growth of radish seeds in a controlled environment have identified statistically significant differences between control samples and seeds flown for 30 days in low earth orbit on the Bion M-1 launch capsule Russian research …

Effects Of Space Travel On Seed Germination And Viability, Greema Dhiman, Michelle Jung, Andre Nguyen, Shaunda Wenger, Alexander Souvall, Jr Dennison, Takuyuki Sakai, Takahiro Shimizu, Yuta Takahashi, Midori Morikawa, Shusuke Okita, Akihiro Nagata, Toshihiro Kameda

Posters

No abstract provided.

Properties Of Spacecraft Materials Exposed To Ionizing Radiation, Alex Souvall, Gregory Wilson, Katie Gamaunt, Ben Russon, Heather Tippets, Jr Dennison

Posters

The effects of ionizing radiation damage on the various properties of spacecraft materials resulting from exposure in the Space Survivability Testing chamber (SST) are being studied with both ex situ and in situ tests. The SST is a ground based test facility designed to mimic low earth orbit (LEO), and geosynchronous orbit to test potential environmental-induced modifications to small satellites , and materials. Tests described here expose spacecraft materials to a Sr⁹⁰ ionizing beta radiation source at room temperature and in high vacuum. Ex situ optical transmission/reflectivity measurements glass samples will monitor optical darkening. Properties of polymeric samples will …

Study Solar Activity In The Backside Of The Sun With The Stereo Mission, Catherine A. Gibbs

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

The Diseños Project: A Geospatial Visualization Of The Environmental History Of California, 1769-1892, Rubén Mendoza

SSGS Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Freezing Out Early Dark Energy, Jannis Bielefeld, W. L. Kimmy Wu, Robert R. Caldwell, Olivier Doré

Dartmouth Scholarship

A phenomenological model of dark energy that tracks the baryonic and cold dark matter at early times but resembles a cosmological constant at late times is explored. In the transition between these two regimes, the dark energy density drops rapidly as if it were a relic species that freezes out, during which time the equation of state peaks at +1. Such an adjustment in the dark energy density, as it shifts from scaling to potential domination, could be the signature of a trigger mechanism that helps explain the late-time cosmic acceleration. We show that the non-negligible dark energy density at …

Tools And Methods To Optimize The Analysis Of Telescopic Performance Metrics On Sofia, Steven R. Wilson, Holger Jakob, Stefan Teufel, Zaheer Ali, Jeffrey Van Cleve, Brian Eney, Greg Perryman

STAR Program Research Presentations

SOFIA is an infrared observatory mounted on a modified 747 engineered to do infrared astronomy at 45000 feet. The telescope equipment contains a number of sensors and stabilizers that allow the telescope to capture images while mounted in a moving plane. We have developed methods to analyze the performance of the telescope assembly that will help improve the stabilization and image capturing performance of the observatory. Here we present reusable methods to analyze telescope performance data that will enable improvements in the quality of the scientific data that is produced by the SOFIA. This poster focuses on the multi-flight performance …

Evolution Of Dike Opening During The March 2011 Kamoamoa Fissure Eruption, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i, Paul Lundgren, Michael Poland, Asta Miklius, Tim Orr, Sang-Ho Yun, Eric Fielding, Zhen Liu, Scott Hensley, Susan Owen, Akiko Tanaka, Walter Szeliga

Faculty Scholarship for the Cascadia Hazards Institute

The 5–9 March 2011 Kamoamoa fissure eruption along the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai`i, followed months of pronounced inflation at Kīlauea summit. We examine dike opening during and after the eruption using a comprehensive interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data set in combination with continuous GPS data. We solve for distributed dike displacements using a whole Kīlauea model with dilating rift zones and possibly a deep décollement. Modeled surface dike opening increased from nearly 1.5 m to over 2.8 m from the first day to the end of the eruption, in agreement with field observations of surface fracturing. …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 53 Number 3, Winter 2012, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

18 - MY FIGHT, MY FAITH By Steven Boyd Saum. As head of the CIA, Leon Panetta '60, J.D. '63 restored confidence in the agency and oversaw the mission to find Osama bin Laden. Now, as secretary of defense in an age of budget austerity, he has to make sure the Pentagon doesn't break the bank-and that the nation doesn't break faith with the men and women who serve.

24 - GENERAL JOE By Sam Scott '96. When Joseph Peterson '72 signed up for ROTC as an undergrad, he planned to complete his military service and then move on. Nearly …

Investigating Turbulence Transport In The Heliosphere, Lauren Kahre

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Studying Gravitational Lensing Effect Using Grb From Fermi Mission, Roderick Davidson

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

A Regional Scale Modeling Analysis Of Aerosol And Trace Gas Distributions Over The Eastern Pacific During The Intex-B Field Campaign, B Adhikary, Gregory R. Carmichael, S Kulkarni, C Wei, Y Tang, A D'Allura, M Mena-Carrasco, David G. Streets, Q Zhang, R B. Pierce, J Al-Saadi, L K. Emmons, G G. Pfister, M A. Avery, J D. Barrick, D R. Blake, William H. Brune, Robert C. Cohen, Jack E. Dibb, A Fried, B J. Heikes, L Gregory Huey, D W. O'Sullivan, G W. Sachse, R E. Shetter, H B. Singh, T L. Campos, C A. Cantrell, F Flocke, E J. Dunlea, Jose L. Jimenez, Andrew Weinheimer, John D. Crounse, Paul Wennberg, James J. Schauer, E A. Stone, D A. Jaffe, D R. Reidmiller

Earth Sciences

The Sulfur Transport and dEposition Model (STEM) is applied to the analysis of observations obtained during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-Phase B (INTEX-B), conducted over the eastern Pacific Ocean during spring 2006. Predicted trace gas and aerosol distributions over the Pacific are presented and discussed in terms of transport and source region contributions. Trace species distributions show a strong west (high) to east (low) gradient, with the bulk of the pollutant transport over the central Pacific occurring between ∼20° N and 50° N in the 2-6 km altitude range. These distributions are evaluated in the eastern Pacific by comparison with …

Negative-Ion Resonances In Zinc: A Study In Elastic Electron Scattering And Electron Transmission, S. A. Napier, D. Cvejanović, Paul D. Burrow, J. F. Williams, J. A. Michejda, L. Pravica

Paul Burrow Publications

The energies, widths, and angular behavior of negative-ion resonances in zinc atoms are determined using the complementary experimental techniques of electron transmission and angular differential elastic scattering.

Investigating The Photoyield Of Spacecraft Materials, Jennifer Albretsen, Ryan Hoffmann, Jr Dennison

Presentations

No abstract provided.