Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Advancing Vtol Tail-Sitter Stability Through Modern Flight Control And System Identification, Tobey Cram, Jacob House, Alexander Theophanis

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Title: Advancing VTOL Tail-Sitter Stability Through Modern Flight Control and System Identification   The concept of tail-sitter aircraft can be traced back to Nikola Tesla nearly 100 years ago; however, no aircraft with this novel design materialized until nearly 20 years later during World War II, when efforts were made to reduce reliance on runways. One notable design that emerged during the Cold War was the Convair XFY-1 Pogo. This design failed for reasons common to many others of the time: pilots had extreme difficulty landing while looking over their shoulders, and the technology of the era could not reliably maintain …

Data-Driven Learning Algorithms To Predict Spacecraft Trajectories In The Dro Family, Sarath Murarisetty, Hansaka Aluvihare Aluvihare, Oshani Jayawardane, Annika Anderson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Generating precise, accurate, and efficient trajectories in the Earth-Moon circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) is crucial for long-term lunar missions, yet it remains challenging. A primary reason for this is that the CR3BP is an extremely nonlinear and chaotic system. Fortunately, neural networks present a promising approach for addressing such complex nonlinear challenges. In “Data-driven Learning Algorithms to Predict Spacecraft Trajectories in the DRO Family,” this work addresses the challenge of solving a nonlinear system within the CR3BP framework to determine the trajectories of spacecraft within the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) family using neural networks (NNs). For a comprehensive comparison …

Adaptive Health Monitoring For Runtime Safety Assurance​ Of Advanced Air Mobility Applications, Michael Budihartono, Francisco Bustamante, Gabriela Gavilanez

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This work proposes a comprehensive, adaptive framework for abnormal condition detection and flight envelope prediction in complex systems. The approach integrates data reduction techniques, including principal component analysis and lower-dimensional projections, to efficiently distinguish between nominal and abnormal operational states while maintaining computational efficiency through metacognitive interventions. A hybrid detection architecture combines bio-inspired real-value negative selection algorithms with support vector machines, augmented by generative machine learning models to synthesize failure data and support training through digital twin environments. Online fault trend analysis enables continuous monitoring of system degradation, while the system dynamically adapts to operational variations by minimizing offline training …

Investigation Of Bio-Inspired Design Tools In Satellites, Spoorti Nanjamma

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study investigates the application of Biologically Inspired Design (BID) tools within student-led satellite design teams, with the goal of enhancing early-stage systems engineering practices. As CubeSat missions become increasingly complex and resource-constrained, there is a need for approaches that support innovative yet structured problem-solving. While BID has shown promise in other engineering domains, its practical integration into satellite design, remains limited. To address this gap, three interactive workshops were developed and implemented with a Embry-Riddle Aeronautical university CubeSat team – Project COMET. The first workshop focused on functional decomposition, guiding students to express subsystem behavior in verb–noun form and …

Atmospheric Gas Dynamics Of Mars: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach For Fine Vertical, Global, And Event-Driven Analysis, Frányerson R. López Ochoa

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

To provide precise vertical resolution and worldwide coverage across all seasons and altitudes, this study integrated nadir, limb, occultation, and general circulation model (GCM) measurements in a thorough remote sensing examination of the Martian atmosphere. The study examined the density and temperature structures of major atmospheric gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO₂), molecular nitrogen (N₂), and argon (Ar), using mission datasets from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Express (MEX), and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). It also assessed retrieval uncertainties resulting from dust, ice clouds, and sensor limitations. The study concluded that, though valuable, single-geometry observation techniques are unable …

Modeling A Spaceborne Passive Radar Architecture For Tracking Resident Space Objects Using Ground-Based Signals Of Opportunity, Chinmay Gaikwad

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Modeling a Spaceborne Passive Radar Architecture for Tracking Resident Space Objects Using Ground-Based Signals of Opportunity Due to an increase in manned and unmanned space activities, there is an increase in demand for resilient space operations. This project investigates passive-radar architecture for space domain awareness in which satellites in a low-Earth-orbit mega-constellation are adapted as distributed sensing platforms for tracking debris and other non-cooperative resident space objects. The motivation is to overcome the coverage, cost, and scalability limits of conventional active or ground-based systems by using lightweight passive receivers that exploit ground-based illuminators of opportunity. In this concept, the receivers …

High-Level Trajectory Learning For Non-Prehensile Object Manipulation With Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning, Gulsum Tuba Cibuk Girgin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Site exploration requires in-situ resource utilization when the physical properties of resources are unknown. Therefore, a generalizable object manipulation method is crucial for extraterrestrial environments. Existing studies develop reinforcement learning policies that enable interaction with objects, in which quadruped robots learn to reach commanded goals with one foot while balancing with the remaining legs. However, in these studies, goal-oriented task execution relies on high-level trajectories provided by human experts, which limits autonomous robotic operations. In this study, we propose a hierarchical DRL in which a high-level pedipulation policy outputs commands for a low-level reach policy, enabling autonomous, smooth and affordable …

Heuristic Trafficability Assessment For Autonomous Lunar Surface Operations Using Orbital Data Products, Leia Spaniak

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study seeks to map the surface of the Moon by developing a new orbital dataset composed of layers that inform trafficability. The project supports the objectives of the Artemis Program by focusing operations on the Lunar South Pole, where terrain conditions remain difficult to assess over broad areas. With future validation anticipated through cone penetrometer testing, the study examines what orbital data layers can reveal about bearing capacity through estimated internal friction angle, density, and cohesion. The research evaluates the feasibility of this methodology by comparing the mapping strategy to data obtained during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 …

Assured Learning For Intelligent Dynamic Systems: A Metacognitive Framework, Rocio Jado Puente, Michael Budihartono, Eduar Cabrera Gaspar

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Assured Learning for Intelligent Dynamic Systems: A Metacognitive Framework   Advanced Air Mobility systems, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and autonomous drone platforms, require increasingly high levels of autonomy and safety. Meeting these demands calls for intelligent systems that can adapt in real time to uncertainty and changing environmental conditions. However, traditional certification methods are not well suited to rigorously measure or quantitatively verify the performance of online learning components because of their non-deterministic behavior.   This work introduces a novel runtime safety assurance method based on a metacognitive architecture (MCA) that supervises and regulates learning-enabled components. The approach …

Catalyst: A Unified Framework For Orbital Debris Risk, Conjunction Analysis, And Space Policy, Tyler Barr

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Catalyst is an analyst grade mission console and offline simulation service that operationalizes the Embry Riddle MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Toolbox Monte Carlo (E-MOCAT-MC) for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) aligned assessment, connecting scenario assumptions to time tagged events, quantitative stability indicators, and evidence preserving exports. E-MOCAT-MC serves as the authoritative generator of seeded scenario runs under explicit configuration control, ingesting locally served Two Line Element sets (TLEs) and persisting each run as a structured record containing configuration data, stochastic seeds, event logs, derived metrics, and replayable artifacts for deterministic analysis. Unlike systems that primarily visualize TLEs and object tracks, Catalyst …

Lightweight Uav-To-Uav Detection And Tracking For Advanced Air Mobility Applications, Taylor Hostetter

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Lightweight UAV-to-UAV Detection and Tracking for Advanced Air Mobility Applications addresses the significant challenge of reliable UAV-to-UAV detection on resource-constrained platforms, particularly within Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) environments where dense, low-altitude airspace requires robust detect-and-avoid capabilities. This work presents the development and experimental evaluation of a lightweight detection and tracking framework for autonomous detect-and-avoid applications. The approach is designed to support real-time onboard operation in multi-vehicle environments characteristic of emerging AAM systems. The proposed framework integrates optical and LiDAR sensing with a low-complexity machine learning decision-support layer that reduces false detections without replacing the underlying control-oriented detection pipeline. This design …

Experimental Cyber-Physical Platform For Aircraft Dynamic Response Across Subsonic To Hypersonic Regimes, Michael Poinsett, Gabriel Martinez

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Understanding how aircraft behavior changes across different flight regimes is essential for modern aerospace design, yet it is often limited to theoretical or purely computational analysis. This project aims to provide an experimental approach to visualize and study these dynamic changes in a more intuitive and practical way. The primary objective is to develop an experimental cyber-physical platform capable of representing aircraft dynamic response across a wide range of flight conditions, from subsonic to hypersonic regimes. The system is designed to (1) analyze how key dynamic parameters vary with changing conditions and (2) provide a physical representation of these effects …

Improving Multi-Agent Swarm Collision Avoidance Using Reciprocal Velocity Obstacles, Nick Wilson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

As multi-agent systems grow increasingly complex, physical robotic swarms are essential to bridge the gap between limited software simulations and real-world application. The BID4R STARS swarm provides a physical platform for testing diverse algorithms, yet its success relies heavily on fundamental agent capabilities—most notably, obstacle avoidance. Preventing intra-swarm collisions is critical to avoid hardware damage and experimental disruption. To address this challenge, this project implements the Reciprocal Velocity Obstacles (RVO) algorithm onto the STARS swarm. While standard collision avoidance algorithms often overcorrect and induce oscillatory agent movement, RVO factors in the velocity and anticipated responses of all agents involved in …

Simplified Flight Controls For Urban Air Mobility (Uam), Sierra Martinez, Frank Cunningham Iv, Nicole Giordano, Olivia Honan, Katie Stubits, Heather Bond, Paul Seal, Brandon Ibarra

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Air taxis are meant to perform short-distance, lower-altitude flights in challenging terrain- whether it be maneuvering around skyscrapers in urban areas, or for emergency responders in remote, difficult to access areas. It is paramount that the control system is intuitive and user friendly, since air taxi pilots will likely receive less training than commercial airline pilots. The Human Factors Department is working to advance Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiatives by evaluating alternative inceptors (ie. control systems) that might be used in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) air taxi designs. The controller itself needs to have specific and distinct enough operations …

Nano Aircraft Using Underactuated Technology (Naut), Giol Vinyals I Roca

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Nano Aircraft using Underactuated Technology (NAUT) project presents a novel swashplateless rotor system that achieves cyclic pitch control using a single actuator, eliminating the need for conventional multi-servo swashplate assemblies. This approach is specifically tailored for nano unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating within Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) environments, where size, weight, and power constraints demand highly efficient and simplified control architectures. A functional prototype has been developed and experimentally validated, demonstrating measurable cyclic pitch variation and effective control authority. Multiple mechanism variants are currently being investigated to evaluate performance trade-offs in responsiveness, mechanical efficiency, and aerodynamic effectiveness. These configurations …

Project 337, Kaushal Meda, Tuhin Misra, Pranav Rathi, Vraj Patel, Diivyaang Desa, Sameera Patki, Vaidehi Saini, Roy Su

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Access to critical medical infrastructure and supplies can be limited in rural and remote communities, where long travel distances and limited transportation networks can delay emergency response/care. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, in the United States alone, “about 20% of the US population—more than 50 million people—live in rural areas, but only 9% of the nation's physicians practice in rural communities”, highlighting the challenges many communities face in accessing timely medical resources. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), however, offer a potential solution by providing fast and flexible delivery of critical life support medical payloads. Project 337, developed …

Starlink-Based Navigation System For Fixed-Wing Uav, Aidan Panter, Ayse Okatan, Spencer Richter, Carson Frankovic, Faheem Khan, Eldon Crossett, Oleg Sugatov, Dylan Hardt

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Conventional UAV navigation and control systems rely on short-range RF communication, imposing significant limitations on operational range, real-time control capabilities, and autonomous mission execution beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). While existing research addresses regulatory frameworks, communication relay strategies, and positioning optimization for extended-range operations, a comprehensive and cost-effective solution integrating satellite-based Internet connectivity with web-accessible control remains absent from the literature. This project develops a Starlink-based navigation and control system for fixed-wing UAVs that overcomes traditional range constraints through low-earth orbit satellite and cell network connectivity. The system integrates a Starlink terminal with an onboard flight computer running custom …

Policy Brief: Satellite Resiliency Against Nuclear Detonation In Space, Brianna Johnshon, Samantha Harper, Tyler Thompson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The deployment of nuclear weapons in space poses an arms challenge that is both critically important and inherently ambiguous. Although Article IV of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) explicitly prohibits placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit (UNOOSA, 1966), recent developments suggest that this prohibition is not absolute. In 2024, the U.S. and Japan brought concerns regarding WMD in space to the UN Security Council, calling on states to work to prevent an arms race in space and agree not to place nuclear weapons and WMD in orbit (United Nations Security Council, 2024). However, this …

Sun-Synchronous Low Earth Orbit Missions For Imaging Applications, Isaac Rosenthal

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Orbit and mission design are crucial elements that must be considered to achieve Earth observation data for land monitoring. This project examines the sun-synchronous low Earth orbit (LEO) implementations of missions with similar objectives: NASA’s Landsat 8 and ESA’s Sentinel-2 constellation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how differing mission designs, impact imaging and coverage capabilities. Key design trade offs between the two missions include altitude effects on atmospheric drag and station-keeping, swath width versus field-of-view choices, and a single, centralized spacecraft architecture versus a multi-satellite distributed system. This is accomplished by analyzing different orbital parameters, ground track …

Low-Complexity Polynomial Ring Learning For Quantum Space Assets, Lola Torres

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Secure communication for space-based systems requires cryptographic methods that remain both reliable and efficient under strict computational constraints. This work investigates a low-complexity polynomial ring learning algorithm designed for quantum space assets, including satellite–ground communication systems. The project focuses on post-quantum cryptographic principles, where encryption and decryption rely heavily on repeated polynomial operations; this can be computationally expensive with constrained platforms. This is addressed with reformulating polynomial multiplication as a structured linear transformation on coefficient vectors. By representing these operations as matrices with a cyclic structure, the structure allows the use of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT); this will simplify …

Satellite Autonomous Launch Assembly (Satlass), Anthony Todisco, Jaden Caradine, Justin Della, Essence Howard, Andrew Hawks, Alexander Kushto, Colin Mccaughey, Javier Narvaez, Frányerson R. López Ochoa, Diana Tormo

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Satellite Autonomous Launch Assembly (SATLASS) is a Cube Satellite deployer whose development falls under the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association (ERORA), an organization focusing on CubeSat technology development. Project SATLASS provides hands-on experience in spacecraft subsystem development, including propulsion design, instrumentation, applied structural analysis, and experimental testing. The current objectives of this research are to map pressure changes throughout a high-pressure feed system, evaluate the pressure and velocity response of nitrogen gas after solenoid valve actuation, and determine the most effective nozzle geometry through direct thrust measurements. A static propulsion test stand was designed and fabricated to house a high-pressure …

Trim Characteristics And Its Importance, Daviel Peralta

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project will go into the characteristics that lead to the concept of “Trim adjustment” in aircraft by modeling and demonstrating physical principles and mathematical concepts under ideal conditions. We will derive an equation from the basic physical principles of torque and lift to demonstrate how the trim is adjusted in steady, constant velocity flow for the sake of the pilot’s ease of control and to induce stability in flight. These adjustments are considered differently with different types of aircraft; as such, we will be focusing on mono-fixed-winged aircraft with one engine and conventional helicopter designs. Both flying devices will …

Fault-Aware Flight Path Assessment For Evtols Using An Integrated Air Traffic Management Environment, John Clardy, Edison Alberto Martinez Samaniego

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study introduces a simulation framework to evaluate Fault-Aware Flight Paths for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft within an integrated air traffic management environment. By combining an air traffic management system with intelligent trajectory generation frameworks, the approach assesses the development of safe, adaptive, and fault-aware flight paths that account for traffic interactions, airspace features, and specific operational constraints. Real-world historical airspace traffic data was used to accurately simulate complex and congested operational conditions. The main goal is to evaluate the operational impact of integrating eVTOL operations into the National Airspace System, with a focus on conflict detection, …

Se(3) Touchdown Dynamics With Multi-Joint Landing Legs And Regolith-Dependent Contact For Autonomous Tip-Over Risk Prediction, Rithika Nagarajan

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project develops an SE(3)-based touchdown dynamics framework to study how lunar landers can remain stable during landing on sloped and uncertain terrain. Safe lunar landing is challenging because uneven load redistribution, slip, and asymmetric sinkage can push the vehicle’s center of mass outside its support polygon, increasing tip-over risk. The purpose of this work is to extend a fixed-leg touchdown model to a multi-joint landing leg system while also examining how varying regolith properties affect landing stability. The method combines coupled rigid-body translation and rotation with per-foot unilateral contact, compliant normal force response, and Coulomb-limited friction to simulate touchdown …

Gravity Gradient Exploration Satellite, Luke Ritchie, Isaac Rosenthal, Benjamin Mason, Nathaniel O’Hara

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Gravity Gradient Exploration Satellite (GGEOS) is a single-unit CubeSat technology demonstration being developed by a group of four undergraduate aerospace engineering students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The mission is designed to validate a controlled, motor-driven, semi-rigid space-tether and deployment system. Space tethers offer significant potential for gravity gradient stabilization and propellant-less electrodynamic propulsion, however past missions have frequently failed due to rebound and tangling from their spring-based deployment systems and elastic tethers. GGEOS mitigates these challenges using a semi-rigid, tape-measure-like tether, deployed with a stepper-motor-driven extrusion system enabling slow, controlled deployment and reduced post-deployment problems. The spacecraft architecture utilizes …

Modelling Quadcopter Thrust And Torque Using Lu-Decomposition, Diya Patil

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

3 & 4 motor systems have been in the world of aviation in many different forms as the field grows and evolves. To understand the complexities of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and its stability, assessing the amount of thrust put into each motor can help generate the torque produced despite factors such as multidirectional movement. While a UAV does this multiple times a second, producing a simplified version of this calculation can aid in simpler models simulating UAV movement. Due to the popularity of the quadcopter drone, a simple algorithm depicting thrust through each spinning motor can aid in …

Machine Learning For Predictive Energy And Emissions Modeling Of Vehicles And Power Grids In The United States, S M Tanvir Faysal Alam Chowdhoury

Dissertations

The environmental benefits of electric vehicle (EV) adoption depend on more than replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric powertrains. EV adoption reshapes electricity demand, interacts with regional generation mixes, and influences travel behavior and congestion, creating a coupled transportation-energy system in which vehicle and power-plant emissions must be evaluated together. This dissertation develops machine-learning frameworks for predicting energy consumption and emissions from vehicles and power grids under rising EV adoption. The first component forecasts grid emissions from EV charging. Using simulation data from NREL's Cambium database, a Prophet-based time-series framework predicts carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane emission rates …

Global Time-Resolved Measurements Of Inlet/Isolator Unstart Induced By Mass Injection, Andrew N. Bustard, Benjamin L. Bemis, Aaron Marques, Matthew J. Zahr, Thomas J. Juliano

Publications

The inner surface pressure of an axisymmetric inlet/isolator model was measured using anodized-aluminum pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) viewing through cast acrylic. Temperaturesensitive paint was utilized to correct for the PSP’s temperature sensitivity. The model was tested under Mach 5.7 flow at 𝑹𝒆 = 7.1 ×106 /m under conventional noise conditions. Transverse jet injection with jet-to-inlet mass-flow ratios up to 0.8 was used to induce unstart in the inlet/isolator. Background-oriented schlieren visualization of the inlet shocks was collected simultaneously with the PSP to determine when the inlet unstarted. Computational fluid dynamics results were used to determine off-wall flow structures and quantify approach …

Noise-Optimized Routes For Air Taxi, Waleed Raza

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Community noise is a primary barrier to the public acceptance and deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) air taxi operations. This dissertation develops a coupled siting, routing, and noise optimization framework that links vertiport placement to its downstream acoustic consequences, demonstrated through a Daytona Beach case study. Candidate vertiports are screened and selected using accessibility, safety, demand, and feasibility criteria, and the selected sites form a directed network of 20 routes. Each trajectory is evaluated with a physics-based acoustic pipeline reporting Lmax, SEL, and EPNL at school, hospital, and residential receptors, showing that received exposure …

Optimal Integrated Cfd-Gnc Model For Drag-Based Reentry Dynamics, Sebastian Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research focuses on optimizing the control of a drag-maneuvering, Starship-class re-entry vehicle by closely integrating high-fidelity aerodynamic data derived from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, specifically using StarCCM+. The aerodynamic models, tailored to the unique geometry of a drag-maneuvering body, are seamlessly incorporated into a guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) framework. This integration enables closed-loop CFD simulations with real-time control feedback, allowing for direct analysis and optimization of vehicle stability, trajectory, and control demands throughout the re-entry process.

Building upon the work of Gaglio and Bevilacqua, this advanced CFD-GNC model introduces high-order aerodynamic effects, such as aerodynamic moments and …