Digital Commons Network^™

Passive Thermal Imaging And Failure Detection Of Large-Area Space Structures Using Spin Crossover Composite Skins, Edward Pomianek, Codrin Tugui, Denise Maria De Andrade, Mihai Duduta

Small Satellite Conference

Deployable solar arrays are among the most failure-prone structures on spacecraft, and on small satellites their large area, low mass, and mechanical complexity make faults both more likely and harder to observe. Electrostatic discharge, string arcing, and localized hot spots can degrade or disable an array, yet the mass and harness penalties of distributed point sensors are difficult to accommodate within CubeSat resource budgets. This paper presents a passive, camera-readable sensing skin based on spin crossover (SCO) composite films that converts thermal events on a large-area structure into persistent optical information. The active material, [Fe(NH₂trz)₃]Br_{2 …}

An Ai-Enabled Ground Processing Pipeline For Image Restoration And Super-Resolution In 1u Cubesat Missions, Juan Bernardo Calabrese, Manuel Alejandro González Mendoza, Eduardo De La Vega Segura

Small Satellite Conference

The inaugural 1U CubeSat mission of Universidad Panamericana represents a shift in academic remote sensing, prioritizing ground-segment intelligence to overcome the physical and computational constraints of a 10-centimeter cubic form factor. Given strict power limitations, the satellite utilizes a low-cost, space-qualified XCAM C3D imaging system providing moderate-quality 1.3MP imagery with a ground sample distance (GSD) of approximately 360 meters at an altitude of 550 kilometers. To transform these raw frames into high-value Earth Observation products, this paper details an automated ground station framework hosting a modular image processing pipeline. The pipeline combines traditional image processing—including histogram equalization and edge enhancement—with …

Itasat2 Conceptual Architectural Design Of A Multi-Band Communication Framework For Distributed Cubesat Formation Operations, Renan Guilherme Soares Menezes, Edson Wander Do Rego Pereira, Bruno Leonardo Schuster, Pedro Casarin, Pedro Henrique Antero Lira, Luiz Fernando Da Cunha Silva, Matheus Esteves, Lidia Shibuya Sato, Ana Di Iorio, Luis Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa

Small Satellite Conference

The growing operational complexity of distributed CubeSat missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) demands communication architectures that provide robustness, responsiveness, and mission-level adaptability. The ITASAT2 mission, composed of three coordinated CubeSats operating in controlled relative motion, serves as a representative case to investigate how a multi-layer communication architecture can support formation flying, responsive maneuver planning, space situational awareness (SSA), distributed payload operations, and increasing levels of onboard autonomy within strict SWaP constraints. This paper proposes and analyzes a multi-band communication architecture designed to improve both operational resilience and communication responsiveness. The architecture combines a primary telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) …

Autonomous Reinforcement Learning Astrobee Control With Low Swap Neuromorphic Hardware, Kenneth Stewart, Roxana Leontie, Samantha Chapin, Joe Hays, Sumit Bam Shrestha, Carl Glen Henshaw

Small Satellite Conference

We present an end-to-end pipeline for deploying neural networks on low SWaP neuromorphic hardware to control a CubeSat like robot. As a test case, we use a reinforcement learning (RL)-trained Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) on neuromorphic hardware by converting them into spiking Sigma-Delta Neural Networks (SDNNs) for controlling the NASA Astrobee free-flying robot, similar to a previously space-validated controller demonstrated on robotic hardware. We demonstrate that an ANN trained entirely in simulation can be transformed into an SDNN compatible with Intel’s Loihi 2 neuromorphic architecture, enabling low-latency and energy-efficient inference. The SDNN is deployed on Loihi 2, then evaluated in …

Effect Of Personal, Organizational, And Work Attributes On Long-Term Care Nurses’ Intent To Stay, Marilyn J. Hodgins, Caitlin Mcarthur, Janice M. Keefe, Rick Audas, Carole Estabrooks, Rose Mccloskey, Gail Tomblin Murphy

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

A stable workforce is key to creating and maintaining a positive work environment, enhancing productivity, reducing adverse events, and lowering recruitment and orientation costs (De Vries et al., 2023). Stability in staffing of long-term care (LTC) facilities is particularly important given the vulnerability of the residents and increasing complexity of their physical and psychosocial care needs (Calver et al., 2025; Virdo & Daly, 2025). However, before action can be taken to address high turnover rates among LTC staff (Gandhi et al., 2021), factors influencing such decisions need to be understood.

PURPOSE: To examine extent that LTC nurses’ intent to stay …

Harnessing Expert Insights To Strengthen Hiv Care Through Innovative Programme Development, Mebelo Medupe, Deliwe Rene Phetlhu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate an education programme designed to improve the quality of life (QoL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the Johannesburg Metropole. The Delphi technique was employed to gather expert consensus on the content, scope, and relevance of the program to ensure its appropriateness and effectiveness.

Methods: A three-round Delphi process was conducted with ten purposively selected experts, including HIV/AIDS specialists, practitioners, nurses, and PhD students with relevant experience. Round one involved the development of an initial questionnaire based on literature review and previous research, which …

Postpartum Depression Screening By Pediatric Clinicians In North-Central Florida, Jessica S. Bahorski, Sionika Thayagabalu, Stacy Wright, Dominick Lemas

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Perinatal depression is defined as an episode of depression during pregnancy or within the first year after birth (National Institute of Mental Health, nd; World Health Organization, 2022). Perinatal mental health disorders in women are underrecognized with screening recommended during pregnancy and the postpartum period (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2023; Earls et al., 2019; World Health Organization, 2022). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening for postpartum depression (PPD) at well child checks/visits (WCC) in the 6 months after birth (Earls et al., 2019). To determine if pediatric clinics incorporate this practice, this study aimed to …

Analyzing Proposed Federal Policy For Nurse-To-Patient Staffing Ratios: Insights From State Data, Brayton Amidon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Approaches to nurse staffing in the United States is a highly debated topic. Nurses, policymakers, and hospital administrators are interested in improving patient outcomes and many researchers have looked to safe staffing as a way to improve these outcomes (Costa & Yakusheva, 2016). Mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios have been implemented at the state level and have been proposed at the federal level (Bartmess et al., 2021). Many state hospital associations oppose mandated staffing ratios as they claim these ratios could exacerbate the nursing shortage, deny nurses the flexibility to determine staffing needs, limit access to healthcare, and increase hospital …

Pulse-Q: Space-To-Ground Quantum Key Distribution At The Cubesat Form Factor, Logan Hanssler, Stewart Kristiansen, Ellisian King, Neha Chandran, Unnathi Venkatesh, Selina Gao, Nelson Chan, Mika Sadikario, Joseph Sorel, Lexi Liu, Eleanor Gentry, Rohan Gupta, Juan Ignacio Prieto Asbun, Lauren Ayala, Vincent Redwine, Tian Zhong

Small Satellite Conference

Motivation 

• Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers provably secure communication regardless of the technology available to potential eavesdroppers.
• Space-to-ground QKD facilitates long-distance key distribution without costly terrestrial infrastructure.
• The Polarization-modUlated Laser Satellite Experiment – Quantum (PULSE-Q) is a 12U CubeSat mission to leverage recent innovations in compact quantum sources and optical communication to achieve space-to-ground QKD.

Rapid Integration Of A Secondary Communications Subsystem On Aggiesat6, Alex B. Halbesleben, John F. Connolly

Small Satellite Conference

AggieSat Laboratory (AGSL) is a student-run space program that trains students in systems engineering through hands-on experience in the design, building, testing, and operation of space and space-related systems

AGSL is currently comprised of 107 students, most of whom are undergraduates. Its members work on eight active projects (including a shadow program for underclassmen).

AGSL has demonstrated flight heritage with the deployments of AggieSat2, AggieSat4, and AggieSat6.

The Base Got Hit: Interpersonal Communication Strategies In High-Stress Space Projects, Allison E. Barnes, Avery G. Barriga, John F. Connolly

Small Satellite Conference

The AggieSat Laboratory (AGSL) is a student-driven laboratory with 17 years of space systems experience and flight heritage. As AGSL prepares to launch several space systems over the next three years, reflecting on lessons learned from past projects is critical to improving future reliability and execution. This survey analyzes communication dynamics in past CubeSat and ISS payload projects, specifically within the high-stress phases of Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) and Mission Operations, where a combination of young engineers and high-stakes decision-making can often lead to compounding, avoidable technical anomalies.

This survey identifies specific interpersonal strategies to mitigate human error, including …

Vision-Based Pose Estimation Of A Low-Inertia Robotic Capture Arm, Dane Groves, Willem Jordaan

Small Satellite Conference

The development of CubeSat-integrated robotic arms has expanded the possibilities for In-Orbit Assembly, Repair, and Servicing (OARS). A low-inertia robotic capture arm has been designed previously using remote actuation¹. In the context of CubeSats, this allows heavy actuators to be placed in the base of the CubeSat and lightweight, slender links can be connected to form an arm. This design, depicted in Figure 1, allows for a robotic arm with a low moment of inertia.

The limited 6.5 mm link profile prevents the integration of high-resolution joint encoders, motivating the use of an alternative state estimation technique. This …

Development Of Nurse-Led Ultrasound-Guided Iv Access Using Novel Diva Scoring Too, Kevin Lamonica

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: To develop and validate a novel Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA) prediction tool for an urban emergency department (ED) and implement a nurse-led ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous (USGPIV) access program.

Background: Difficult intravenous access affects 10-24% of ED patients, causing treatment delays and unnecessary central line placement (Egan et al., 2013; Loon et al., 2016). USGPIV demonstrates superior success yet procedures remain physician-restricted. Existing DIVA tools developed in European populations may not accurately predict risk in diverse urban settings. Expanding nursing scope requires validated risk stratification and standardized training.

Methods: This multi-phase quality improvement initiative utilized SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines. Phase I: …

Decisions Under Fire: Healthcare Students Reactions To An Active Shooter Simulation, Linda S. James, Sarah Hirsch

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The Joint Commission (2021) recommended that hospitals train their employees on how to act and respond during an AS event. Students are required to complete agency trainings (i.e. fire, HAZMAT etc.) prior to attending practicum but are not required to complete AS response, sending them into clinical settings ill prepared.

The purpose of this study was to examine healthcare professional students’ moral and ethical challenges experienced from an interprofessional active shooter (AS) simulation. This simulation also explored ethical decision-making and provided students an opportunity to practice critical thinking in high-stress situation and had a secondary impact on their development of …

Advancing Quality In Online Nursing Education: A Global Perspective, Kaneez R. Odgers, Shantha Franks

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The global shift toward online and hybrid nursing education has transformed how nurses learn, offering flexible pathways for students across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. As nations continue to face nursing shortages, digital and distance education models have expanded access, yet ensuring high-quality, competency-based preparation in virtual environments remains a major challenge. Concerns include the adequacy of virtual learning for developing clinical reasoning, variability in clinical training standards across countries, and disparities in technological access that directly affect learning outcomes. These issues reflect findings in current literature, showing the need for evidence-based strategies to ensure that digitally educated nurses are …

Usa-Kenyan Primary Care Teams Offer Phq-9 And Gad-7 Screening For Hiv+ Women In Kenya, Janet Meda, Laura L. Van Auker, Stephen J. Cavanagh, Miriam Carole Atieno Wagoro, Mariana Omenda

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: As HIV treatment advances in sub-Saharan Africa, care for women living with HIV (WLWH) shifted from acute AIDS management to chronic disease care, with need to integrate mental health and HIV services. In low-resource settings comorbidities and antiretroviral (ARV) side effects can heighten anxiety and depression. Anemia, diabetes, hypertension, malaria, and ARV-related fatigue, pain, and neuropathy complicate diagnosis and treatment. Mental health screening in primary care improves identification and supports better outcomes. Rural and urban WLWH face different barriers and resources, emphasizing context-specific approaches. Expanding nursing education and advanced nursing roles may help reduce gaps in integrated care.

Objectives: …

Processor And Sensor Interfacing On Fpga For Stp-H12-Vantage Space Mission, Christopher Brubaker, Alan D. George

Small Satellite Conference

Previous SHREC Missions

• STP-H5-CSP – Demonstration of CSP and hybrid COTS + rad-hard architecture
• STP-H6-SSIVP – Parallel and distributed computing with multiple CSPs
• STP-H7-CASPR – Onboard processing with next-gen sensors and apps

STP-H12-VANTAGE

• Visual And Neuromorphic Tracking And Geosensing Experiment
• Correlation of neuromorphic and visual sensor data
• Advancing usage of COTS SoMs supplemented with rad-hard monitoring and watchdog circuitry

Squidsat: A Modular, Open-Source 3u Cubesat Bus For Low-Cost Cubesat Missions, Aaron Bournias, Joseph Dukowitz, Mark Jaber, Tyler Field, Micah Nguyen, Koowum Joshi, Noah Campos, Daphne Riordan, Ryan La Ra, Jonathan Luse, Joshua Sink, Tyler Nielsen, Ricardo Ontivaros, Michael Goryll, Joe Dubois

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSat launches continue to increase yearly, yet over 51% of missions from 2002–2016 failed. Primary faults were often due to power, mechanical, or design issues. Costs still remain high in a market driven by expensive flight-heritage hardware with proprietary designs. In order to counteract such costly practice, Sun Devil Satellite Lab (SDSL) at ASU has developed an open-source, modular 3U CubeSat bus built for low cost reliability. Unlike other bus architectures, SquidSat distributes control across independent microcontrollers linked via a CAN bus. CAN is commanded by the OBC but is capable of independent operation for fault isolation and easier testing. …

Onboard Ai At The Orbital Edge: A Mission Debrief From Stp-H7-Caspr, Evan W. Gretok, Linus Silbernagel, Diego Wildenstein, Michael J. Cannizzaro, Seth Roffe, Alan D. George

Small Satellite Conference

Goals: Enable autonomous Earth observation and onboard sensor data processing with novel compute

Motivations: Growing numbers of spacecraft demand autonomy in operation and data collection

Challenges: Harsh radiation and thermal environment of space over four-year mission lifetime

Individual Factors Associated With Self-Management In People With Coronary Heart Disease In Colombia, Jennifer Rojas Reyes, Edith Arredondo Holguín, Maria Paulina Florez Gonzalez

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: The rise in mortality from ischemic heart diseases such as acute myocardial infarction in Colombia—14,964 deaths by 2024 (1)—shows the need to identify factors that support self-management, an issue scarcely studied in Latin America, where most research focuses on cardiovascular risk (2–4) or other chronic diseases (4,5).

Objective: To examine correlations between individual factors and self-management in people with acute myocardial infarction in a quaternary hospital in Medellín, Colombia.

Method: A cross-sectional study with 177 participants with confirmed AMI who were close to hospital discharge. After ethical approval and informed consent, the adapted “Partners in Health Scale” (6) and …

A Comparative Analysis Of Radio Frequency And Optical Inter-Satellite Link Communications For Leo Mega-Constellations, Alexa Houck, Suryansh Aryan, Kevin Schroeder, Samantha Kenyon

Small Satellite Conference

SpaceNet design  

Software-based testbed for simulating large satellite networks, specifically LEO-based constellations to analyze network behavior, connectivity, routing, and overall communication.  

• Phase one focuses on connectivity and routing: Given the topology and link availability over time, how does my network behave? 
• Phase two focuses on network emulation: Given the topology and link availability over time, how does my network behave? 

Arcsecond-Level Pointing Accuracy In A Cubesat: Development And Verification Of The High-Precision Pointing System For The Cubespec Mission, Leonardo Peri

Small Satellite Conference

Mission and objectives 

CubeSpec is a 12U CubeSat mission designed to demonstrate high-resolution stellar spectroscopy from a small, low-cost space platform. 

Its scientific objectives require the payload line-of-sight to remain stable within a few arcseconds. This is beyond the capability of conventional CubeSat Attitude Determination & Control Systems (ADCS). 

To meet this challenge, CubeSpec uses a dual-stage pointing architecture: the spacecraft ADCS provides coarse body pointing, while a High-Precision Pointing Platform applies fast, precise corrections directly to the payload line-of-sight.

Snack Protocol For Reliable High-Throughput Data Transfer On Mtu-Constrained Low-Cost Uhf Radios, Samantha Mallari, Dennis Sarsozo, Miguel Nunes

Small Satellite Conference

• Student CubeSat missions using sub-$100 UHF radios are constrained by small packet sizes, making standard protocols (e.g., TCP, CFDP) too overhead-intensive for payload downlinks.  
• We developed a Selective Negative Acknowledgement (SNACK)-based protocol for the Artemis CubeSat Kit bus to support reliable 160 × 120 LWIR thermal image transmission for the CubeSats for Climate Change Monitoring (C3M) mission  
• A 45-byte SNACK bitmap acknowledges up to 360 packet fragments, minimizing retransmission overhead.  
• Field tests from 5 m to 1.6 km achieved 72.2 kbps peak throughput and ≥98.7% final data integrity.

Austronauts 3u Cubesat Space Weather Payloads Proposal, Tiana Pendray

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSats are becoming increasingly prominent due to their accessibility, affordability and versatility. An emerging field of satellite application is the monitoring of ionospheric space weather, made possible by sensitive instruments that collect data on plasma potential, temperature and ion density. These parameters vary due to changing solar activity in the form of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and solar flares, which can have severe impacts on satellite navigation systems, radio communication networks and orbital estimations. The AUStronauts team at the University of New South Wales is developing a 3U CubeSat with two space weather payloads – an Electrodynamic Tether (EDT) and …

Autonomous Microelectronics See Payload For Validating Terrestrial Predictions In Space, Michael A. Blacconiere, Isaac Hudson, John W. Burgoon, Terrance Sacks, Spencer Westfall, Sajal Islam, Davidson Juhke, George Randel, Jared Harvey, Merek Chertkow, Daniel Loveless

Small Satellite Conference

The radiation environment in space is complex and time-varying, causing major risks for microelectronic applications. Terrestrial radiation sources are used to characterize devices before missions to predict in-orbit error rates. However, these predictions are rarely validated in deployment. The payload, designed by IU CREATE and The Radiation Team, the IUB-SAT-1, integrates IU’s RadFX-IC and commercial SRAMs with well-characterized terrestrial radiation responses into a modular payload to collect on-orbit radiation-response data. Results will refine radiation error-rate models and improves confidence in deploying advanced microelectronics to radiation-rich space environments.

Bit-Flip Sensitivity And Selective Fp32 Protection For Onboard Neural Networks In Flight Software: In-Place Secded Healing Of An Fp32 Weight Buffer Inside Nasa Cfs, Ryan Goodman, Carson Cramer, Braden Eichmeier, Emily Gerber, Christopher Roscoe

Small Satellite Conference

Smallsat missions increasingly deploy neural networks on COTS processors. In orbit, a charged particle striking such a device can flip a single bit of memory, a single event upset (SEU). An upset in a network weight raises no fault condition: the network continues to run, returns incorrect values, and the control loop downstream acts on them. 

The standard cFS response to memory corruption is process restart, which interrupts service and discards runtime state.

Development And Validation Of An Operator-Friendly Flight Dynamics System For High-Precision Leo Nanosatellite Operations, K. W. Cheong, M. C. Kim, P. R. Kim, M. G. Kim, J. Y. Yu, G. H. Ju

Small Satellite Conference

A ground-based Flight Dynamics System (FDS) provides essential orbit information for satellite monitoring and mission planning. This study develops a Python-based integrated FDS that processes GPS observations, TLEs, and ephemerides through interconnected orbit determination, orbit propagation, and event prediction modules. The developed system combines Batch Least Squares orbit determination, HPOP/SGP4 propagation, covariance analysis, and nodal-crossing prediction within a consistent time and coordinate framework. 

The objective is to establish and validate an integrated workflow that generates reliable orbit states, future ephemerides, uncertainty information, and operational event products for CubeSat ground operations 

Experimental Assessment Of A 15-N Nitrous Oxide And Ethane Thruster For Premixed And Non-Premixed Operations, Eunwoo Jung, Juwon Kim, Eunkwang Lee, Keunseok Lee, Yonggu Kim, Minwoo Lee

Small Satellite Conference

• Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) has attracted significant attention as an oxidizer for next-generation small scale propulsion systems due to its non-toxic and high vapor pressure, which enables self-pressurization.  
• By combining N₂O with hydrocarbon fuels, propulsion systems can be operated either as bipropellant systems or as premixed propulsion systems.  
• N₂O-based premixed propellants, commonly known as NOFB (Nitrous Oxide Fuel Blend), require only a single propellant tank, similar to monopropellant systems, resulting in a simplified system architecture; however, their high susceptibility to flashback necessitates the incorporation of dedicated flashback prevention devices.  
• The objective of this study is …

Functional Analysis Of Raspberry Pi Rp-Series Microcontrollers Using High-Dose Gamma Radiation For Low-Cost Cubesats, Tyler Nielsen, Aaron Bournias, Joe Dubois

Small Satellite Conference

Radiation testing of non-rad hard microcontrollers is crucial for low-cost CubeSats, allowing teams to avoid the prohibitive cost of radiation-hardened systems while still selecting microcontrollers that will survive in the irradiated environment of space.

In-Transit Debris Remediation: Dual-Use Logistics For Sustainable Cislunar Smallsat Constellations, Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba

Small Satellite Conference

A Debris Crisis Meets A Logistics Boom: Low- and high-Earth orbit keep accumulating debris faster than the atmosphere can clear it, even as NASA's Artemis and CLPS programs establish routine trans-lunar traffic. The 2009 Iridium-Cosmos collision and later anti-satellite tests proved that single fragmentation events can irreversibly degrade critical orbital shells, raising the specter of Kessler Syndrome. 

• 46,600+ objects tracked on orbit today, with ~130 million sub-cm fragments (ESA, 2025)
• $500K-$2M cost per kilogram for dedicated ADR, fiscally intractable at system scale
• 5-10 / yr large objects must be removed to stabilize LEO (Liou & Johnson)

The Unit-Economics Problem: Purpose-built …