Digital Commons Network^™

Garai Mission: Two Microsatellites Embarking Four Imagers For Multispectral Submetric Earth Observation Serving Critical Applications, Jon Paul Babio, Bastiaan Lagaune, Staffan Persson, Enne Hekma, Xavier Lopez

Small Satellite Conference

SATLANTIS MICROSATS SA and OHB Sweden are finalizing 2 micro satellites together under the project name GARAI, first launch scheduled in October 2024. This paper will present the current status of the High-Resolution Multispectral satellite and the services it will enable.

Each satellite will embark two binocular imagers from the iSIM family, iSIM-90 and iSIM-170, combining high resolution images and videos with swath values up to 13 km and multispectrality, with a total of 14 different filters split between the four optical channels covering SWIR spectra, VIS Polarimetry, and PAN + VNIR spectra.

The GARAI mission incorporates OHB Sweden's flight …

Starling Cubesat Swarm Technology Demonstration Flight Results, Scott Miller, Caleb Adams, Nahum Alem, Howard Cannon, Randy Grashuis, Ted Hendriks, Soon Hwang, Michael Iatauro, Craig Pires, Justin Kruger, Simone D'Amico

Small Satellite Conference

The Starling swarm of four 6U CubeSats launched in July 2023 to test four key technologies to enable future swarm missions:

1) Mobile Ad-Hoc Networking (MANET) over a crosslink radio network

2) Autonomous onboard decision-making for operations

3) Optical-based absolute and relative navigation

4) Autonomous maneuver planning and execution

The Starling team implemented the Better Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.) protocol to automatically manage the crosslink network of four satellites. The B.A.T.M.A.N. protocol uses a decentralized approach to managing a molti-hop mesh network of devices, in this case, a satellite swarm. The four satellites were able to successfully establish …

Assessment Of Economic Viability Of Direct Current Fast Charging Infrastructure Investments For Electric Vehicles In The United States, Daniel Bernal, Adeeba A. Raheem, Sundeep Inti, Hongjie Wang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

As the global transportation sector increasingly adopts electric vehicles, the demand for advanced and accessible charging infrastructure is rising. In addition to at-home electric vehicle (EV) charging, there is a growing need for the swift development of commercial direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations to meet on-the-go EV charging demands. While government funds are available to support the expansion of the EV charging network in the United States, the establishment of a robust nationwide EV charging infrastructure requires significant private sector investment. This study was conducted to assess the economic feasibility of various business models for fast charging stations in …

The Py4 Mission: A Low-Cost Demonstration Of Cubesat Formation-Flying Technologies, Max Holliday, Rachel Ticknor, Jan Stupl, Roger Hunter, Paulo Fisch, Ibrahima Sory Sow, Jacob Willis, Zachary Manchester

Small Satellite Conference

The PY4 mission aims to enable autonomous swarms of small spacecraft by both reducing the manufacturing cost and integration effort required for individual spacecraft, and by advancing guidance, navigation, and control algorithms that increase autonomy and reduce or eliminate the need for expensive sensor, actuator, and propulsion hardware. PY4 consists of four 1.5U CubeSats, and builds on the PyCubed open-source avionics platform and the previous V-R3x mission. To date, PY4 has successfully demonstrated high-data-rate mesh networking, precise inter-satellite ranging, range-based relative orbit determination, and magnetorquer-only sun pointing. A drag-based formation-flying experiment is also planned for an extended mission.

Ninjasat: Initial Operation Results Of The First Japanese 6u Cubesat For Bright X-Ray Sources, Tomoshi Takeda, Naoyuki Ota, Sota Watanabe, Amira Aoyama, Satoko Iwata, Takuya Takahashi, Kaede Yamasaki, Yuanhui Zhou, Keisuke Uchiyama, Yuto Yoshida, Syoki Hayashi, Arata Jujo, Toru Tamagawa, Takao Kitaguchi, Yo Kato, Tatehiro Mihara, Kentaro Taniguchi, Teruaki Enoto, Wataru Iwakiri, Masaki Numazawa, Hiroki Sato, Chin-Ping Hu, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Hirokazu Odaka, Tsubasa Tamba

Small Satellite Conference

We report the initial operation results of the first Japanese 6U CubeSat X-ray observatory NinjaSat, which was launched into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 530 km on November 11, 2023, by the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission. NinjaSat is designed to observe bright X-ray sources in the sky, such as black holes and neutron stars, which are often difficult to observe with modern large X-ray satellites due to instrument limitations. After the payload verification, NinjaSat observed the Crab Nebula on February 9 and correctly detected the 33.8 ms pulsation from the neutron star. With this observation, NinjaSat met the minimum …

Spirit Mission: In-Orbit Results And Technology Demonstrations, Michele Trenti, Miguel Ortiz Del Castillo, Robert Mearns, Jack Mcrobbie, Clint Therakam, Airlie Chapman, Andrew Woods, Jonathan Morgan, Simon Barraclough, Ivan Rodriguez Mallo, Giulia Baroni, Fabrizio Fiore, Yuri Evangelista, Riccardo Campana, Alejandro Guzman, Paul Hedderman

Small Satellite Conference

The Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) 6U CubeSat is a mission led by The University of Melbourne in cooperation with the Italian Space Agency. SpIRIT received support from the Australian Space Agency and includes contributions from Australian space industry and international research organizations. Developed over the last four years and launched in a 510 km Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit in December 2023, SpIRIT carries multiple subsystems for scientific and technology demonstration. The main scientific payload is the HERMES instrument, a gamma and X-ray detector for detection of high-energy astrophysics transients (primarily Gamma Ray Bursts), and for studies of their …

From Development Through Re-Entry: Ctim Operational Lessons Learned And Successes, Sierra Flynn, Gabe Bershenyi, Brian Boyle, Dave Harber, Beth Cervelli, Scott Gennari, Adalyn Fyhrie, Adrienne Pickerill, Jacob Sprunk, Karen Bryant, Cody Folgmann

Small Satellite Conference

The University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics’ (CU-LASP) Compact Total Irradiance Monitor (CTIM) SmallSat mission was a 6U CubeSat designed full-cycle and in-house between 2018-2022 and flew for 1.5 years after launch until re-entry, overshooting the 1-year mission lifetime goal. CTIM's primary mission was to measure the total irradiance of the Sun, with ancillary measurements of the night-side Earth IR radiance, while demonstrating new technological capabilities of silicon-substrate room temperature vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) bolometers. The instrument was based on the Total Irradiance Monitor design that flew on SORCE (2003), TCTE (2013), and TSIS (2017). CTIM …

From Ground To Orbit: Enhancing Satellite Autonomy With Ai-Powered Anomaly Detection, James Murphy, Fangyijie Wang, Muhammad Deedahwar Mazhar Qureshi, Brian Mac Namee

Small Satellite Conference

Recent advances in space technology have prompted a surge in the deployment of small satellite constellations by companies such as Starlink and OneWeb. Now numbering in the thousands, these constellations have significantly increased the burden on satellite operators who must monitor and manage them to ensure their safe and reliable functioning. In response to this heightened operational demand, autonomous small satellite operations have become a focal point for investment, innovation and exploration. The latest hardware breakthroughs in Edge AI have paved the way for applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques directly on board these small satellite systems, heralding a new era …

Dorre: Autonomous Event Response Using An 8-Spacecraft Constellation, Michael Swartwout, Keith J. Bennett

Small Satellite Conference

Autonomy - the ability of system to retask itself in response to unexpected/unmodeled events - is an enabling technology for space missions. However, autonomy carries risk: what if the system makes unexpected or dangerous decisions? How can human operators trust that the system will not exceed certain bounds of behavior? Are we sure that an autonomous vehicle will outperform a human-directed system?

To address these questions, the Space Systems Research Laboratory (SSRL) of Saint Louis University is developing the Distributed Observation Reasoning and Reaction Experiment (DORRE). DORRE consists of 8 spacecraft operating together in low-Earth orbit to conduct a series …

Wolfsat-1: A 1u Cubesat To Monitor Enzyme Activity Of Ideonella Sakaiensis In The Microgravity Environment, Kevin Simmons, Jasmin Consales, Alexander Castronovo, Colin Quinn, Daniel Portal Levy, Dylan Kiesling, Paul Kiesling

Small Satellite Conference

The Problem: Plastic Pollution • 420 million tons of plastic waste/year. • Microplastics pervade in the air, water, and soil of Earth and have even been found in human blood. • We need to recycle single use plastics in an energy efficient manner.

Arcticsat: A Cubesat For Canada’S North, With Canada’S North, Andrew Bowman, David Kattegatsiak, Spencer Ryznar, Layne Ransom, Shakiba Mir Ahmadi, Aref Asgari, Riley Sweeney, Ricky Gill, Vishnu Nadan, Bashar Esmail, Fatiah Balogun, Dustin Isleifson, Kiledar Singh Tomar, John Yackel, Philip Ferguson

Small Satellite Conference

Canada’s northern Inuit and Indigenous communities are experiencing climate change four times faster than the rest of the planet, impacting their traditional means of travel, hunting, and fishing. As temperatures rise, the sea ice forms later and melts earlier, allowing less time to perform these activities safely. While current satellite radiometry data can provide insight into the safety of the ice, Inuit communities require more timely and open access to this data. ArcticSat is a 3U CubeSat being co-developed with the Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, made to accomplish these goals. Community co-development ensures that community members lead the …

Pulse Pocketqube: Cosmic Radiation Analysis Of The Leo Environment During A Solar Event, Faith Tng, Vasantha Kanesh Muruganantham, Palaniappan Subramanian, Cem Avsar

Small Satellite Conference

Space weather events can cause harmful effects to spacecraft and communications in Low Earth Orbit, where the cosmic radiation environment during such an event is understudied. Real-time data that characterizes this environment in detail with respect to spatial and temporal characteristics could help us better understand particle composition and interactions in LEO during a solar event, as well as enhance existing predictive models for space mission planning. Current approaches have limited information on particle composition with respect to dose and energy rates, and are hindered by high costs in deploying large space weather monitoring constellations. This proposed satellite mission, PULSE, …

Minicor: Miniature Coronagraph For Heliophysics Research, Angelos Vourlidas, Aaron Magner, James Mason, Luc Gilles, Joe Centurelli, Arnaud Thernisien, Clarence Korendyke, Gabriel Gutierrez, Giogia Casadei, Miguel Pereira

Small Satellite Conference

Coronagraphs are the only instruments that can capture the development of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) throughout the near-Sun space. Thus, they provide critical information for the physics of CME evolution and propagation and consequently for space weather forecasting. It makes strategic sense to lower the technological and logistical barriers for maintaining space-based coronagraphic observations. MiniCOR is an ambitious coronagraph design to address these challenges. The technical goal of MiniCOR is to demonstrate that a low-cost miniaturized 3U coronagraph, can return data with higher cadence and equal or better sensitivity than currently operating full-size coronagraphs. MiniCOR is a funded project under …

Untangling Safe-Mode Anomalies On The Cute Cubesat, Sebastian Escobar, Arika Egan, Kevin France, Dolon Bhattacharyya

Small Satellite Conference

The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is NASA's first 6U NASA Astrophysics CubeSat built by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). Its primary purpose is to observe the evolving atmospheres of short-period exoplanets in the near-ultraviolet. It was launched in September 2021 into a ~560 km, polar orbit with a 98.5° inclination. The spacecraft bus, featuring avionics and an attitude determination and control system (ADCS) with a single star tracker, was supplied by Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT). Since its launch, CUTE has experienced an unusually high frequency of ADCS-driven safe mode events, occurring up to three times per …

Big Red Sat-1: Mission Overview And Future Opportunities For Perovskites In Low Earth Orbit, Walker S. Arce, Vince Orsi, Nick Wayman, Joel Murch-Shafer, Karen Stelling, Robert Schmidt, Kelly Schutt, Joseph M. Luther, Hadi Afshari, Ian Sellers

Small Satellite Conference

Perovskite solar cells are an emerging technology that holds the promise of reducing the size and weight of solar panels on satellites. While many research laboratories have produced perovskite solar cells and characterized their performance in laboratory conditions, few have endeavored to launch them into space. The Big Red Sat-1 (BRS-1) is one such satellite, designed to incorporate three different perovskite solar cell architectures along with custom curve tracing instrumentation for launch into low earth orbit through NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. The curve tracer is realized using a precision resistor ladder with high quality current and voltage measurements. Perovskite solar …

Statistical Anomaly Analysis Of Small Satellite Missions Focusing On Payloads, Alexander Schmidt, Nico Gerster, Johannes Bachmann, Alexander Groß, Roger Förstner

Small Satellite Conference

With the rapid development of space technology, the number of new satellites has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the applications of satellites have gradually expanded into other industries and deeper into academia. While the small satellite category is experiencing significant growth, the behavior of small satellites still requires more in-depth study. A growing number of academic and industrial customers are looking to use satellites to achieve their scientific or business goals without having to develop a full satellite mission, including a satellite platform. Hosting payloads on other satellites or procuring pre-qualified platforms enables new mission flexibility while minimizing the …

Mission Architecture For The Green Propulsion Dual Mode Mission, Kevin Tong, Samuel Wood, Mohit Singh, Conner Awald, Rithvik Nagarajan, Briana Paul, Dev Gujarathi, E. Glenn Lightsey, Nehemiah J. Williams, Christopher G. Burnside, Beau C. Simpson

Small Satellite Conference

Current spacecraft propulsion technologies are broadly divided into chemical and electric propulsion modes, each of which has unique advantages. It is common for both systems to have a place in interplanetary spacecraft, but the size, weight, and power required to carry two separate propulsion systems is extremely limiting for small spacecraft such as CubeSats. The upcoming NASA STMD-funded Green Propulsion Dual Mode (GPDM) mission will demonstrate on-orbit a novel dual-mode propulsion system known as the GPDM Propulsion System that uses the AF-M315E/ASCENT green monopropellant to feed both a chemical 100 mN monopropellant thruster and four electrospray thrusters. GPDM will fly …

Contentcube: A 1u Cubesat To Test Display Screens In Space, Joseph Esser, Jason Jagoda, Steffen Winther, Timothy Mcevoy, Tejas Vinod, Larsen Vanofferen, Dylan Cooper, Kevin Schroeder

Small Satellite Conference

ContentCube is a novel 1U CubeSat developed by inspireFly at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, in collaboration with Bronco Space at Cal Poly Pomona. The mission of ContentCube is to test the performance of the Adafruit breakout board OLED screen in orbit. This mission could pave the way for using display screens in the space environment. Such applications could include astronauts having displays on their suits that they can use to monitor critical information, or robotic systems having complex digital displays. The external display screen will be tested through a novel payload designed and tested at Virginia Tech. This payload …

Harnessing Cubesat Technology For Precision Pesticide Management In Egyptian Agriculture, Motaz El Sayed, Salem Abdou, Abdelhamid Sherif

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the development of an autonomous spraying robot designed to optimize agricultural practices through precise pesticide application, facilitated by the integration of real-time satellite data. The robot utilizes multispectral imaging from satellites, including NDVI and thermal data, to assess crop health and identify specific needs for intervention. The system aims to significantly reduce the volume of chemicals used in farming by targeting only the areas that require treatment, thus minimizing environmental impact while maintaining or enhancing crop yield. By employing advanced algorithms for data processing and machine operation, the robot autonomously navigates through fields, delivering pesticides in an …

A Systematic Review Of The Prevalence Of Late Identified Hearing Loss In Childhood, Karen Muñoz, Dylan Chan, Donald Goldberg, Diana Ortiz, Valerie James Abbott, Karl White

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

Objectives

The objective of this systematic review was to assess the evidence about the prevalence of permanent hearing loss for children not identified from newborn hearing screening (NHS).

Design

Articles were grouped into three categories based on the methodological approach: (1) all participants received diagnostic testing, (2) otoacoustic emission (OAE) or pure tone screening was completed and those not passing were referred for a diagnostic test, and (3) data were retrieved from archival records. Study characteristics, prevalence, and contextual factors were synthesised and narratively described.

Study Sample

30 peer-reviewed articles.

Results

Prevalence of permanent hearing loss per 1,000 children ranged …

What Morgan County Leaders And Residents Can Do To Strengthen The Impact Of Girls And Women In Their Area, Amy Anderson, Deborah Lin, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

This idea sheet is based on a 2024 gathering of 20 leaders in Morgan County. Girls and women face challenges unique to the area in which they live, and the goal of this gathering was to identify those barriers and determine strategies and initiatives that local leaders and residents can implement to address them. This document includes recommendations in the following areas: home and family, education, health and wellbeing, business and economics, and culture and community engagement.

The Perceived Community And Environmental Impacts Of Development Around Bear Lake, Alexander Theophilus, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Publications

Bear Lake is a popular recreation and tourist destination split between the borders of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. Bear Lake’s beaches, watersports, and other outdoor recreation opportunities have attracted tourists for decades. Communities around Bear Lake include Garden City and Laketown, Utah, as well as Paris, Montpelier, Fish Haven, St. Charles, and Bennington, Idaho. Additionally, Bear Lake lies in close proximity to larger metropolitan areas along the Wasatch Front of Utah, such as Salt Lake City and Logan.

Bear Lake Project Overview, Charlotte Williams, Alexander Theophilus

Publications

Bear Lake is a popular recreation and tourist destination split between the borders of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. Bear Lake's beaches, watersports, and other outdoor recreation opportunities have attracted tourists for decades. Communities around Bear Lake include Garden City and Laketown, Utah, as well as Paris, Montpelier, Fish Haven, St. Charles, and Bennington, Idaho. Additionally, Bear Lake lies in close proximity to larger metropolitan areas along the Wasatch Front of Utah, such as Salt Lake City and Logan.

In Pursuit Of Eye Tracking For Visual Landscape Assessments, David Evans, Brent Chamberlain

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Visual quality and impact assessments have historically relied on experts to formally evaluate the visual properties of a landscape. In contrast, environmental psychologists have studied subjective landscape preferences using ratings and surveys. These two approaches represent, respectively, the “objectivist” and “subjectivist” paradigms within visual landscape research. A gap, however, exists between these approaches: actual observation behaviors. In this paper, we argue for the inclusion of eye-tracking research in visual landscape assessments as a critical bridge between objective landscape qualities and subjective visual experiences. We describe the basics of eye-tracking methods and data types to introduce the role of eye movements …

Tremblings, August 2024, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Function over form: the benefits of aspen for Greater Sage-grouse

Michel T. Kohl, Associate Professor of Wildlife Management and Wildlife Extension Specialist, University of Georgia

David Dahlgren, Associate Professor and Rangeland Wildlife Extension Specialist, Utah State University

Sage-grouse, and their elaborate springtime breeding displays, are an icon of Western landscapes. Yet, sage-grouse (a sagebrush obligate species) have been facing decades-long declines due to the loss of habitat. Historically, the species ranged across 13 western states and two Canadian provinces. Today, they occur across < 50% of that range, and abundance has declined 80% since 1965 and almost 40% since 2002. Despite this, it was determined in 2015 that the sage-grouse did not warrant Endangered Species protection due to the strength of wide-spread collaborative conservation actions.

Dynamic Site Characterization For Los Alamos National Laboratory: Topographic Amplification Array Studies And Deep Shear Wave Velocity Profiling Using Masw And Mam Surface Wave Methods, Kyle S. Cannon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

An assessment of seismic hazard must be performed for any critical structures designed or built in seismically active regions, where critical structures are defined by ASCE as those that, if damaged excessively, could pose a threat to national security, the economy, or public health, safety, and welfare. This is done, in part, through a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) and incorporated site response analysis (SRA). One of the many pieces of information needed to perform a PSHA and an incorporated SRA is the shear wave velocity structure of the site. Additionally, if there are significant topographic features at the site …

Online Multiplayer Video Game Play And College Adjustment, Salina M. Ochoa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There are an increasing number of individuals who participate in multiplayer video games and an increase in screen time overall. Due to the increase in online video game play, this study aimed to find possible positive impacts that online multiplayer video games had on freshmen who are adjusting to college, as this is a pivotal point in life. The data were collected at the beginning of the second semester and 99 freshman, 18 years or older, who regularly engaged in online multiplayer video games participated in the study. The study showed four important findings: First, students who receive support from …

Developing Educational Tools For Sustainable Stormwater Management, Lauren Houskeeper

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Rapid population growth and development in Western states are exerting strain on the region’s limited water resources. Urbanization exacerbates this issue by increasing impervious surfaces, limiting infiltration of precipitation during storm events and snowmelt, which results in changes to hydrologic conditions with higher runoff volumes and higher peak flows. Stormwater transports pollutants as it flows across impervious surfaces, discharging high volumes of runoff and elevated loads of urban contaminants into receiving waters. The amount of pollution entering waterways continually increases as urban areas expand. Utah is currently experiencing a rapid transition from undeveloped to developed landscapes, necessitating the implementation of …

An Online Scientific Twitter World: Social Network Analysis Of #Sciencetwitter, #Scicomm, And #Academictwitter, Man Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding who makes up online social worlds as well as how information flows within those communities is important as more people access news, research topics, collaborate with others, and entertain themselves. This study identified and classified the people discussing scientific topics on Twitter, determined the type of social network, and described the member composition of this online world. Scientists, the public, and educators formed this online world. They built connections by initiating activities and interacting with others, which created the Community Clusters social network structure. All three categories of people are in positions of influence in this network leading and …

Evaluation And Improvement Of The Design 4 Every Drop Course, Kenzy Fogle

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah and the greater Intermountain West are experiencing a water crisis. Many factors are contributing to this situation, including an arid climate exacerbated by climate change, rapid population growth, and a high-water-demanding landscape typology. Landscapes currently consume an estimated 60-80% of Utah’s potable water, representing a significant opportunity for water savings. However, changing the traditional water-dependent landscape typology requires educating the public regarding water-wise landscape design processes, best practices, and implementation approaches. Utah State University is the land grant university for Utah and home to one of the oldest Landscape Architecture departments in the Intermountain West. Utah State University’s community …