Digital Commons Network^™

Those Queer Devils: Queercoding Villains, Devils, And Demons In Mythopoeic Film And Media, Grace Moone

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

In the early years of Hollywood’s Golden Age, The Hays Code functioned as a rigid morality code designed to shape the norms of Western culture. Its far-reaching impacts remain visible even decades after its enforcement was no longer required. In this talk, we will explore one of the most pervasive elements of the code’s legacy: the prohibition against showing LGBTQ characters in a positive light, and the resulting phenomenon of “queer-coding” characters. The practice of portraying LGBT+ characters through a lens of villainy and stereotype to adhere to the Hays Code requirement that queerness be punished and depicted as undesirable …

Animated Dancing To Hell And Back: Disney’S Fantasia, Matthew Elfenbein

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Imaginative images of Heaven and Hell capture the sociocultural engagement with Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940), which demonstrates animated dancing bodies to represent the descent and passage of the hero’s journey. This journey is presented with many different forms of conflict and images that become unique through the qualities of the animated screendance. This form of dance on film is accentuated by the visualization of imaginative bodies, a conflict between knowledge and curiosity, and the spectacle of layering images on top of symbolic meanings to emphasize the power of identification with the audience. The spectators of this film are engaged with …

From Hell (Or Not): Representations Of Merlin And His Origins In The Comics, Michael A. Torregrossa

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The Arthurian figure of Merlin has a long literary history, but he never seems able to shake off the effects of his parentage. In medieval tradition, Merlin is sired by inhuman powers: first a seemingly benign dæmon and then a decidedly wicked demon. This preternatural aspect to his conception grants Merlin the skills and powers he uses to support the realm, yet it also taints him as someone potentially dangerous. Although Merlin’s background cannot be changed, creative artists often choose to ignore or alter his origins, especially when retelling his story for mass audiences. In contrast, other creators, usually those …

Cadence: Cubesat Autonomous Detection And Enhanced Networked Computing Experiment, Michael Pham, Zachary Gaines, Pragun Bethapudi, Tarek Elsharhawy

Small Satellite Conference

With the growing proliferation of Earth Observing small satellite platforms, access to remote sensing data has never been greater. Although the collection of remote sensing data has improved significantly, there still exists a significant bottle neck in converting the collected remote sensing data into valuable insights for the end users that need them. In particular a few factors significantly choke the flow of satellite data into insights: limited down-link bandwidth and ground station availability, difficulties associated with responsive tasking, and a general need for human-in-the-loop analysis of the data collected. The proposed CADENCE (Cubesat Autonomous Detection and Enhanced Networked Computing …

Development And Implementation Of Automated Planning In Cubesats, Liam Riley, Vedika Ghildyal, Cameron Bonesteel, Deepak Mishra

Small Satellite Conference

The University of Georgia’s (UGA) Small Satellite Research Laboratory (SSRL) is developing two CubeSat missions, each with ambitious operational goals that require accounting for a large number of variables. Given the inherent difficulty of fulfilling these requirements without complex onboard autonomous decision-making software, an automated ground-based solution is desirable. To meet this demand, SSRL is implementing an operational pipeline to effectively integrate the newly authored Multi-aspect Automated Satellite Scheduler (MASS) into both missions. MASS is administered and tested by SSRL’s Mission Operations and Flight Software teams. MASS implements a complex decisional tree informed by CubeSat operational requirements, and determines operational …

Denethor’S Descent Into Hell, Craig Boyd

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

One character in Tolkien’s Legendarium stands out as one of the more morally sad and complicated individuals: Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. Although he tries to defend the kingdom he cares for, his own significant moral weaknesses subvert even the best of his intentions. His despair, provoked by the death of his favorite son—and the apparent death of his other son—sends him into a spiral of self-destructive harm from which there is no return. What accounts for this are three factors. First, his self-imposed isolation from others cuts him off from the necessary fellowship that could sustain his character; his …

Feasting At The Threshold: Transubstantiation, Queer Desire, And Homonationalism In Diane Duane’S The Tale Of The Five, Taylor Driggers

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Diane Duane’s ongoing pulp fantasy series The Tale of the Five (1979- ) is set in a world marked by constant bodily transgressions and surprises, where a human and dragon can occupy the same body and become lovers and a one-night stand can bring one face-to-face with God. This essay will argue that Duane’s series articulates eroticism in a manner comparable to Linn Marie Tonstad’s (2016) queer re-visioning of transubstantiation and bodily and spiritual transformation through the Eucharist. Acts of eating and drinking serve to highlight how characters’ pansexual, polyamorous relations with each other and the love of the Goddess …

The Underworld As The Heroine’S Journey Home: Marvel, Xena, And Mythic Reimaginings, Valerie Estelle Frankel

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Hell is traditionally a place of torment, where the young heroine, like Persephone or Eurydice, is kidnapped by the patriarchy, leaving others to rescue her. The last few decades, however, have offered a model closer to Sumerian Inanna, in which the heroine is enlightened by hell or even conquers it. Angela, Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld by Marguerite Bennett (2016) gives its heroine this path. Winning back her beloved, Angela, sister of Thor and Loki, becomes queen of the underworld but then prefers to bring Sera back to earth in a flip on Eurydice. The Xena episode “Fallen …

Infernal Landscape In Jacob’S Ladder (1990) In Light Of Carl G. Jung’S Theory Of Individuation, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Carl G. Jung’s conception of the human psyche as an inner realm that gives access to profound, numinous experiences inspired many artists and popular culture authors to portray heaven and hell as symbolic expressions of the opposite forces within the human psyche rather than cosmological or supernatural regions. In my paper, I will concentrate on how the Hollywood film Jacob’s Ladder (1990) directed by Adrian Lyne, by portraying the main character’s descent into a deathbed vision depicted as hellish reality, reflects Jung’s theory of individuation, a process of self-realization that aims at reconciling various elements of the psyche and achieving …

Communication, Localization And Synchronization Of Spacecraft For Swarm Missions, Yoan Grégoire, Hervé Guillon, Clément Dudal, David Valat, Bernard Pontet

Small Satellite Conference

Swarm missions are based on the use of several spacecraft working together to pursue a specific task for a specific mission. To allow these elements to work together, it is necessary for them to be able to communicate with each other and to synchronize themselves within the swarm. Moreover, the mission may likely require knowing the relative or absolute positions of the spacecraft in the swarm.

In order to collect simultaneous measurements allowing computing localization and synchronization in the swarm, a full duplex CDMA communication method is studied by CNES. An Inter Satellite Link (ISL) transmitter prototype is currently under …

Technology Challenges Of Surround: A Constellation Of Small Satellites Around The Sun For Tracking Solar Radio Bursts, Nicholas H. Crisp, Alejandro Macario Rojas, Ciara N. Mcgrath, Shane Maloney, L. Alberto Cañizares, Dale M. Weigt, Sophie Murray, Eoin Carley, Peter Gallagher

Small Satellite Conference

The SURROUND mission proposes the operational monitoring and forecasting of space weather events using a constellation of five small satellites in orbit around the Sun. This unique mission concept would enable the localisation and tracking of solar events with unprecedented accuracy. The small payload combined with high launch requirements makes this an ideal candidate mission for a distributed constellation of small spacecraft and provides an opportunity for technical development in the areas of deep space communication, propulsion, and survivability. The baseline configuration for SURROUND proposes the deployment of spacecraft to Earth-Sun Lagrange points L1, L4, and L5, and two additional …

Sar-Disksat For Mega-Constellation, Hirobumi Saito, Mitsuteru Kaneoka, Richard P. Welle, Anastasia Muszynski

Small Satellite Conference

We have developed and demonstrated in 2021 small SAR satellites of 1-m ground resolution with novel deployable slot array antennas. This paper newly proposes a novel concept of quasi-two-dimensional SAR satellites, SAR-DiskSats with this deployable passive slot array antenna. The deployable slot array antennas can be compactly folded in the quasi-two-dimensional satellite body. Also, it is possible to install flexible solar cell sheets on the back side of the antenna because the antennas do not dissipate heat. This quasi-two-dimensional satellite configuration is suitable to for stacking in a rocket faring for mega-constellation launching. Another advantage of the SAR-DiskSat is the …

Saturn: A Technological Demonstration Mission For Distributed Sar Imaging, Matteo Battilana, Giulia Capuani, Vito Lamarca, Luca Maioli, Vincenzo Mancini, Maria Lucia Tampellini, Fabio Gerace, Davide Giudici, Pietro Guccione, Julien Marini, Luciano D’Agristina, Domenico Di Lanzo, Andrea Monti Guarnieri, Alberto Fedele, Roberto Luciani, Francesco Tataranni, Silvia Natalucci

Small Satellite Conference

The OHB-Italia S.p.A-led consortium is in the midst of Phase B of SATURN (Synthetic AperTure radar cUbesat foRmation flyiNg), part of ALCOR, an Italian Space Agency (ASI) programme promoting the development of the next generation Italian CubeSats. SATURN is a demonstration mission that features Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology applied to a Swarm of CubeSats equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for Earth Observation. MIMO is based on cooperative active sensors, where each one transmits signals and receives the illuminated common area backscatter related to the entire swarm, increasing measurement performances with a trend approximatively equal to the square of …

Hell On His Mind: Dean Winchester’S Journey To Hell And Back, Anna Caterino

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Season three of Supernatural (2005-2020) closes with a shot of Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) in Hell. The place has no discernible features and resembles neither the long waiting line nor the gothic castle of later seasons. The few elements that do characterize it, however, make it look like a brain, the labyrinth of ropes reminiscent of neurons. This association introduces Hell as a place that exists first and foremost in Dean’s dead. The lack of establishing shots and the abstract terms used to discuss Hell, damnation, and Dean’s experience further support this claim, working in its favor. After all, the …

The Righteousness Of The Damned In Jeffrey Konvitz’S The Sentinel, Raymond G. Falgui

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The paper will examine the nature of the damned in Jeffrey Konvitz’s 1970s pulp horror novel The Sentinel by using a framework utilized by C.S. Lewis in The Great Divorce, wherein damnation involves a species of spiritual blindness that masquerades as righteousness and shields the damned (for a time) from an awareness of their ultimate condition. Specifically, the paper will provide a character analysis of the co-protagonist Michael, arguably one of Konvitz’s more complex literary creations, and the role he plays in briefly elevating a generic genre-contrived plot into the realm of true spiritual horror. While making such a …

Developing Intelligent Space Systems: A Survey And Rubric For Future Missions, Mary Dahl, Christine Page, Kerri Cahoy, Evana Gizzi

Small Satellite Conference

Space exploration continues to inspire the development of advanced technologies to explore the universe. From moon landings and the Mars rovers to the recent successful deployment of the James Webb Telescope, space exploration continues to push the limits of what is possible in both science and technology and to pave new ways for the discovery of our galaxy. While we have seen great advancements and barriers broken, we remain limited in our ability to optimize science discovery without onboard intelligent capabilities to enable complex system missions. In this paper, we focus on AI technologies and cross-disciplinary directions for sparking research …

Welcome And Announcements, Mythsoc Stewards

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Welcome and Announcements

Join us for a screening of the Welcome and Announcements video, and have a cup of coffee before we get started!

A Bistatic Ground Station For Concurrent Spacecraft Operations, Kerry Clapham, Chris Bull, Robin Mcneill, Chris Hann

Small Satellite Conference

It is common for SmallSat and CubeSat operators to implement telecommunication systems using a half-duplex UHF system to reduce the cost and complexity of spcecraft hardware. This half-duplex configuration requires transmission and reception of the spacecraft signals at the same frequency, with the 402 MHz to 403 MHz band being a popular choice.

Due to practical filter limitations, it is impossible to produce an analogue filter for a ground-based receiver which can sufficiently attenuate transmissions from neighboring transmitters also operating in the same 402-403 MHz, band while still retaining a sufficiently low insertion loss to clearly receive tranmissions from a …

A Framework For Multi-Agent Fault Reasoning In Swarm Satellite Systems, James Staley, Kerri Lu, Elaine Schaertl Short, Evana Gizzi

Small Satellite Conference

Complex distributed systems are critical to scientific discovery in space. Future missions will take place in increasingly remote planetary environments where human intervention will neither by feasible, nore scalable toward fleet-wide mission control. To this end, autonomous onboard fault mitigation will be necessary. The unique topology of fleet systems offers opportunities for high-level contextual understanding of faults and coordinated fault mitigation not possible for single agents. We present a framework that augments single-agent fault mitigation with the context provided by a fleet. Multi-Agent Anomaly Detection (MAAD) operates on time-series sensor data to build a unidimensional distribution against which we can …

Comparison Of Tracking-By-Detection Algorithms For Real-Time Satellite Component Tracking, M. Nehru J. Attzs, Trupti Mahendrakar, Mackenzie J. Meni, Ryan T. White, Isaac Silver

Small Satellite Conference

With space becoming more and more crowded, there is a growing demand for increasing satellite lifetimes and performing on-orbit servicing (OOS) at a scale that calls for autonomous missions. Many such missions would require chaser satellites to autonomously execute safe and effective flightpath to dock with a non-cooperative target satellite on orbit. Performing this autonomously requires the chaser to be aware of hazards to route around and safe capture points through time, i.e., by first identifying and tracking key components of the target satellite. State-of-the-art object detection algorithms are effective at detecting such objects on a frame-by-frame basis. However, implementing …

Developing An Affordable, Mechanically Similar Martian Regolith Simulant, Sijun Zhao, Philip Ferguson

Small Satellite Conference

One of the main challenges planetary rovers face today is their ability to traverse various terrains. Driving a test rover over mechanically similar terrains on Earth is one of the best ways to test the rover’s performance before it is sent on its mission. However, through background research, I found that most Martian regolith simulants are not mechanically similar to Martian regolith. This paper aims to find an affordable and accessible Martian regolith simulant that is suitable for rover mobility research. The two most notable parameters that characterize the regolith-wheel interactions are the regolith cohesive strength (c) and internal friction …

Concepts And Considerations For Small Satellite Constellation Deployment Via Momentum Exchange Tethers, Ben Campbell

Small Satellite Conference

For the small satellite community, establishing new satellite constellations using traditional practices can be costly, require a long time to perform, and be logistically difficult to accomplish. Most existing satellite constellations have been established using methods involving either multiple independent launches of member satellites, the inclusion of propulsion systems aboard ride-sharing satellites capable of providing significant ΔV to increase spread, or a combination of the two involving space tugs. One approach that can potentially enable the small satellite community to more easily execute missions involving their own constellations is to implement a rotating momentum exchange tether deployment system launched using …

Characterization And Modeling Of Rectifying Antennas For Space-To-Space Power Transmission, Leilani Baker, Zack Daniels, Samantha Korfe, Will Hamel, Chad Rathbun, Ricardo Quintana, Dante Orona Yang, Hailey Holder, Joseph Likar, Steve Lindsley, Rachel Delaney, Constance Moyer, Christopher Rodenbeck, Brian Tierney

Small Satellite Conference

Wireless electrical power transmission, also known as power beaming, is an old idea with renewed interest that has the potential to create a new solar power infrastructure. COSMIAC, a research center of The University of New Mexico School of Engineering, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Operational Energy – Innovation (OE-I) fund is developing a ground-based experiment aimed at supporting space-based wireless power transmission called Wolf. In parallel, AFRL is developing Arachne to demonstrate space-based power transmission to various receivers. The Wolf project is evaluating design concepts for potential rectenna-powered CubeSats by demonstrating ground-based power beaming …

Hot & Cold: The Finch Thermal Simulator, Dana Murdoch, Dinushka Orrin Dahanaggamaarachchi, Benjamin Nero, Carrie Ann Po, David Maranto, Rosalind Liang, Cameron Rodriguez, Khang Nguyen

Small Satellite Conference

Thermal modelling is an integral part of thesatellite design process. However, detailed simulations require high-fidelity models and resources that are not readily available in the preliminary design stage. To gain insight into the on-orbit temperature ranges and heatloads that FINCH, a 3U hyperspectral imaging CubeSat, will experience, a six-node numerical model was developed in MATLAB. This model was developed as an alternative to industry modelling software during preliminary design stages. The model:

• Allows teams to conduct rapid iteration of thermal design with reduced barrier to entry.
• Provides a platform to make informed decisions early in the design cycle.
• Encourages a …

The Design, Analysis And Testing Of Low Cost Dual Deployable Solar Panels For Small Satellite Missions, Celvi Lisy, Linda Hu, Lillian Shoemaker, Scott Palo, Whitney Lohmeyer

Small Satellite Conference

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded university small satellite mission, Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX) is designed to address outstanding aeronomy and space weather questions while demonstrating swarm behavior in constellations of six to twelve 3U CubeSats. SWARM-EX is limited in power, which requires the use of dual-deployable solar panels in order to maximize the number of solar cells powering the small satellite. Commercial off the shelf (COTS) dual-deployable solar panel options tend to be expensive, necessitating the creation of custom-built, dual-deployable solar panels. The design of the dual-deployable solar panels is constrained in volume, manufacturability, and survivability …

Visualization Of Sensor Coverage And Optimization Of Sensor Tasking For Satellite Constellations, Natasha Waldorf

Small Satellite Conference

With large constellations of satellites, it can be difficult to determine coverage capabilities as well as determine the best-suited satellites for fulfilling requests for information as quickly as possible. When expanding constellation coverage by increasing the number of sensors, incomplete awareness of current coverage may lead to money and time being spent acquiring assets providing additional coverage in areas with already sufficient coverage rather than filling in gaps. Even in areas with sufficient coverage, receiving imagery before it becomes obsolete relies on tasking the most optimal sensor for quick data turnaround. With sensors potentially having differing tasking lead times, latencies, …

Thermal Operation For The 6u Deep Space Cubesat Equuleus In The Initial Critical Phase, Kazuki Toma, Toshihiro Shibukawa, Shunhei Matsushita, Shingo Nishimoto, Hokuto Sekine, Aoma Fujimori, Isamu Moriai, Ryu Funase

Small Satellite Conference

EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) was launched to deep space by NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) on November 16, 2022. It has an engineering mission to demonstrate low-energy orbit maneuvering to EML2, a libration orbit around the second Earth-Moon Lagrange Point using the water propulsion system “AQUARIUS” (AQUA ResIstojet propUlsion System). The initial critical phase in EQUULEUS refers to a series of operational procedures associated with the first delta-V(DV1), which generated the largest thrust throughout the entire mission, taking place about 38 hours after separation for entering the transfer orbit to EML2. Thisorbit control was followed …

Design And Fabrication Of A 3d Printed Compliant System For The Orientation Of Payloads, Morgane Domerg, Benjamin Ostre, Yoann Joliff, Yves-Henri Grunevald

Small Satellite Conference

CES WORKS is developing a 2-axis joint for small satellite applications. With a range of ration of ±45°, this joint could be used for orienting payloads. This bio-inspired joint is a compliant mechanism, meaning that it is a monolithic system that produces complex movements through the elastic deformation of its structure. Compliant mechanisms do not have backlash or wear which lead to precise motions and absence of lubrication. These qualities are particularly relevant for space applications. A first demonstrator has been 3D printed in Polylactic(Acid) (PLA). The next demonstrator will be made of 3D printed Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) to determine its …

Instrumentation Design And Placement For Krups Re-Entry Capsules, Matthew P. Ruffner, Kirsten Ford, Logan Craig, Bruno Tacchi, William Smith, Savio J. Poovathingal, Alexandre Martin

Small Satellite Conference

Atmospheric re-entry flight tests are one of the best ways to evaluate the performance of new Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials. The flight proven Kentucky Re-Entry Payload System (KRUPS) project provides a low cost, quick turnaround platform for these evaluative missions.

Following the success of the first KREPE mission, the Krups Flight Computer (KFC) and the instrumentation suite were redesigned for the next mission, KREPE-2. The original suite contained only four thermocouoples. The new design contains six thermocouples, five pressure sensors, a mini-spectrometer, an IMU and an accelerometer.

Linear Model Predictive Control Of A Cubesat Servicer For On-Orbit Servicing, Mitchell Kurnell, Inna Sharf

Small Satellite Conference

On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) is a field of orbital operations concerned with the maintenance, repair, and refuelling of space assets. It is one of many proposed solutions to aid with the mitigation of the growing space debris population. In this work, we propose the use of a CubeSat servicer equipped with a 1 Degree of Freedom (DoF) robotic arm for performing Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) installations to demonstrate its capabilities for OOS. The servicer is controlled using Model Predictive Control (MPC) which computes control inputs using a linearized form of the system dynamics while considering the strict force and torque constraints …