Other Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

What Types Of Uncertainty Emerge In Instructional Aviation Incidents?, Abigail Henson

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study utilized narrative reports from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database to examine the types of uncertainty present in near-miss instructional aviation incidents occurring within the United States between 2015 and 2025. The final dataset consisted of 86 reports, with each report containing a set of narrative accounts from both the student pilot and the flight instructor operating under Part 91 regulations. Each instructional event was classified using a combined framework incorporating uncertainty categorizations and the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). Results indicate that epistemological uncertainty was the most common …

Spaceotter: A Floating Spacecraft Simulator Air Bearing Vehicle For Hardware-In-The-Loop Experiments And Research, Alexander Debartolo

Master's Theses

Growing interest in nanosatellites has increased demand for accessible ground-testing methods, which have historically been expensive and restricted. Floating Spacecraft Simulators (FSS), built around Air Bearing Vehicles (ABVs), address this gap by approximating a zero-gravity, friction-minimized environment suitable for testing spacecraft control systems, robotics, and propulsion on the ground.

This thesis presents the design, realization, and initial performance characterization of the Space Optically Tracked Testbed for Experiments and Research (SpaceOTTER) ABV, developed for the Cal Poly Space Robotics Lab. SpaceOTTER is the first step toward emulating the 3 degree of freedom (3-DOF) planar dynamics of a simulated spacecraft and is …

A Polygon Approach For Satellite Coverage Computation Problems, Caleb I. Arbreton

Master's Theses

During celestial body observation mission planning, predicted sensor coverage is a key analysis tool used by designers to inform concept of operations. It enables trade studies by applying a metric to assess how well different sensor, satellite, and constellation configurations can observe a mission's region of interest. The effectiveness of the studied components is then paramount in determining whether they are justified in the system architecture. Coverage computation becomes more difficult as sensor types and regions of interest (RoIs) deviate from simple shapes, and as problem formulations seek higher-fidelity results. These simplifications include: conical camera sensors, RoIs represented as simple, …

Development And Verification Of An Updated Thermal Model For Cal Poly's Small Thermal Vacuum Chamber, Bryce G. Leonard

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses modifications made to the Small Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) Chamber in the Space Environments Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and the development and verification of an updated thermal model reflecting these changes. The chamber was redesigned to improve thermal performance, featuring a homogeneous aluminum platen coated with Aeroglaze Z306 to enhance radiative heat transfer, along with expanded data acquisition capabilities for temperature and pressure measurements.

A new thermal model of the chamber was developed in SolidWorks using a finite element approach. The model incorporates conductive and radiative heat transfer mechanisms and is configured to …

Effects Of Atomic Oxygen Exposure On Stressed Drag Sail Materials For Low Earth Orbit Applications, Nazanin Sadeghian Dezaki

Master's Theses

As low Earth orbit (LEO) has become an increasingly valuable region for satellite operations, it has grown increasingly congested. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deorbit regulations require satellites to be deorbited within 5 years of launch, and drag sails represent a practical means of meeting this requirement. An important consideration for drag sail design is the effect of atomic oxygen (AO) on sail materials. To address the gap in the literature regarding the behavior of stressed drag sail materials under AO exposure, a new test plate was manufactured for the California Polytechnic State University minimum atmospheric experimentation (MAX) AO chamber. …

A2s Uplink Latency Minimization For Wildfire Monitoring Systems Using Mbse And Stochastic Modeling, Luis Giovanni Wang

Master's Theses

Wildfire response depends on how quickly a detection reaches the people who act on it, and the slowest remaining step is often the link that carries an alert from a remote sensing platform to a satellite. This thesis models the latency of that link, the Air-to-Space uplink, for a wildfire-monitoring UAV that carries a Starlink terminal and sends an ALERT packet to a serving Low Earth Orbit satellite. The uplink is difficult to predict because both the UAV and the satellite move, and because the wildfire environment degrades the channel at the moment the data matters most.

The thesis uses …

Leveraging Information Theory And Ecological Network Analysis To Monitor Communication Networks In A Student Aerospace Team, Christine Sessions

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Effective communication is a critical component of successful collaboration in group projects and team settings. However, systematically tracking and analyzing team communications can be challenging, especially in complex, multi-member teams such as those found in the aerospace industry. This paper explores an information-theoretic approach that leverages encoding techniques and graph theory to analyze communication networks within a university’s multi-year, student-led cubesat design project (Project COMET). By utilizing Shannon Entropy as a measure of information flow, encoding communication patterns, and analyzing Ecological Network Analysis parameters, this research aims to understand how an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student project team evolves over the …

Aerodynamic And Acoustic Modeling For Evtol Rotor Noise Prediction, Daniella Bezuidenhout, Anastasios S. Lyrintzis, Vladimir V. Golubev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development and validation of a methodology for predicting total acoustic emissions from a one-fifth scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rotor in both hover and edgewise flight conditions. The approach couples sectional two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (2D-RANS) airfoil simulations with rotor loading predictions from the Comprehensive Hierarchical Aeromechanics Rotorcraft Model (CHARM), tonal noise calculations using the acoustic solver PSU-WOPWOP, and broadband noise predictions from the UCD-QuietFly framework. Boundary-layer inputs traditionally obtained from the viscous-inviscid solver, XFOIL, were replaced with higher-fidelity 2D-RANS results from OpenFOAM to better capture low-Reynolds-number flow physics, including laminar-turbulent transition and laminar separation …

Pilot Age And Accident Rates In General Aviation: Analysis And Recommendations, Jackson E. Jolley

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

General aviation accounts for approximately 94% of all civil aviation accidents in the United States, highlighting the need to examine how pilot characteristics and operational factors influence accident risk. With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projecting continued growth in the general aviation pilot population, this study examines the relationship between pilot age, flight experience, and accident risk to inform training and safety interventions. Using the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records from 2008–2024, along with FAA pilot registration data, we analyze age-related trends in accident likelihood, risk, and phase-of-flight distributions in general aviation operations.

Results show an approximately exponential …

Analysis Of Oscillating Flow Over A 2-D Airfoil With Flow Reversal, Colter Couillard-Rodak

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Finite-state models are useful tools in modeling the aerodynamics of rotorcraft in flight simulators. 2-D and 3-D finite-state models have been developed and compared to closed form solutions, however these models are currently unable to handle situations where the freestream changes directions and the rotor re-enters its own wake. A 2-D finite state model was previously developed that includes a parameter that accounts for the change in free stream. This model, however, contains an inherent stability issue at the instant that the velocity changes direction.

The effects of this instability can be mitigated in certain flow conditions. A purely oscillatory …

Adaptive Artificial Potential Field Guidance And Control For Autonomous Docking With Uncooperative And Unknown Spacecraft, Steven Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for on-orbit servicing (OOS), active debris removal (ADR), and space domain awareness (SDA) missions has increased the need for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with uncooperative and unknown targets. Traditional guidance and control methods are typically designed for cooperative systems with known geometry and state information. This work builds on previous research to develop and evaluate an artificial potential field (APF)-based control framework capable of autonomous operation with minimal prior target knowledge and applicability to both relatively static and tumbling spacecraft.

The proposed APF formulation incorporates established safety constructs from cooperative docking systems, including an …

Instrumentation And Control Of A Novel Device To Simulate A Hypersonic Environment, Andrew Marcello

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic flow regime poses several challenges regarding the design of hypersonic vehicles. Among them is the massive energy and economic expense associated with ground- testing evaluation of material responses within this extreme environment. In order to provide a low-cost, rapid option for preliminary material analysis within hypersonic applications, a novel device is under production to replicate this environment on the surface of these materials. This device has been designed to work in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Advanced Photo Source (APS) synchrotron, to allow for in-situ characterization of ablation and oxidation on the sample surface.

To achieve this, …

Numerical Investigation Of Rotor-Gust Acoustic Interactions Using The Overflow Cfd Solver, Jordan Mills

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid expansion of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) necessitates high-fidelity modeling to predict and mitigate the noise signatures of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft within dense urban landscapes. A critical unknown in community-noise certification is the aeroacoustic response of rotors to unsteady inflow conditions. This research addresses this gap by investigating the aerodynamic and acoustic behavior of a representative rotor subjected to time-harmonic inflow disturbances. By establishing a robust numerical framework, this thesis quantifies the relationship between periodic atmospheric gusts and their impact on rotor performance, unsteady blade loading, and subsequent sound radiation. The research consists of a …

Flexible Fault-Tolerant Multi-Die Fpga-Based Architectures For Varying Space Environments, Yosof Ali Seif El Din Ali Maklad

Theses and Dissertations

It is well-known fact that spacecraft’s electronic components operate in an extreme harsh and varying space environments, beside changing orbit or passing through Van Allan Belts during orbital course results of radiation levels change. This thesis focuses on SRAM-based FPGA systems on-board of such spacecrafts, that are commonly utilized in space applications’ critical applications due to their capabilities and flexibility to reconfigure, since these systems are vulnerable to frequent negative impacts of ionizing radiation, thus inducing soft and hard errors leading to disastrous failures that could jeopardize the entire spacecraft. The soft errors’ effects are frequent yet can be mitigated, …

Students For The Exploration And Development Of Space (Seds) Air Brake Subsystem: High-Altitude Autonomous Apogee Modulator System For High-Powered Rockets (Haamshr), Camden J. Maclean, Matthew Wharton, Nick Revis, Colin Guido

Honors Theses and Capstones

The objective of this project was to research, design, fabricate, and analyze an autonomous apogee modulation air brake system for the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) high-powered rocket as competitors in the Friends of Amateur Rocketry – Oxidizers Uninhibited Tournament (FAR-OUT) competition.

This air brake system would be developed with considerations for full autonomy, structural reliability, and repeatable deployment. The design would also be easily integrated into the existing high-powered rocket airframe and mechanically simple to increase reliability and practical functionality. The final design would be evaluated using finite element analysis simulation …

Design And Analysis Of Energy Recovery Methods For Reduced Aircraft Emissions, Joshua C. Hauck

Honors Theses

Aircraft flights are an increasingly popular mode of transportation. However, their harmful impacts on the environment are a growing concern. Many engineers have worked to develop fully electric aircraft to address this issue. Although they are much more sustainable than conventional aircraft, electric aircraft encounter severe limitations imposed by current battery technology. One alternative route engineers have taken is developing energy recovery methods (ERMs). These are marketed as devices that reduce aircraft fuel consumption without significantly changing their structure and functionality, making them an excellent short-term solution. However, there is little to no consideration of the tradeoffs induced by the …

Modeling And Testing Chain Trencher Excavator And Cone Penetrometer Robotic Prospecting Systems For Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization, Marcello C. Guadagno

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Artemis Missions aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, requiring In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of water-ice deposits in permanently shadowed regions. Two critical capabilities must be developed to enable ISRU at scale: prospecting instruments that can characterize the spatial distribution and geotechnical properties of icy regolith in situ, and excavation systems that can extract hardened icy regolith efficiently. This dissertation addresses both needs through the development and testing of a Percussive Heated Cone Penetrometer (PHCP) for geotechnical prospecting and a chain trencher excavator for icy regolith mining.

The PHCP was developed across eight design iterations and …

Vibration-Based Control Of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems, Ossyris N. Bury

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis investigates vibration-based stability as a mechanism for achieving self-stabilizing nonlinear dynamic motion in engineered systems. Inspired by biological hovering flight, in which periodic wing motion can passively enhance stability, the study explores how controlled oscillations can be used to stabilize otherwise unstable mechanical configurations. The research centers on a simplified dynamic model based on the Kapitza pendulum, an inverted pendulum with a vertically oscillating base, which serves as a foundation for understanding vibration-induced stabilization. Analytical modeling using Lagrangian mechanics is employed to derive the governing equations of motion and identify the excitation conditions required for stable inverted behavior. …

Investigation Of The Impact Of The Shape Of The Wings On Formula E Racing Car Performance: Enhancements For Optimal Aerodynamics, Ednie Marthe Adlaikah Jozil

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aerodynamic performance of a Formula E chassis significantly dictates its overall race efficiency, directly impacting crucial parameters such as battery range and thermal management. This thesis investigates the external aerodynamics of the baseline Gen 2 Formula E car and evaluates the performance gains of two novel aerodynamic packages: a "Fully Modified" configuration and a "Flat Rear Wing" design. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to analyze drag coefficients (Cd), downforce generation, and vehicle wake structures at race-relevant free-stream velocities (e.g., 37 m/s and 89 m/s). To ensure numerical robustness, the computational setup was validated using a smooth sphere …

Numerical And Experimental Evaluation Of A Simple, Low-Energy Lunar Volatile Separation Technology, Eleanor L. Zimmermann

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the practice of finding, extracting, and using the local resources found on extraterrestrial bodies, such as the Moon and Mars. ISRU enables in-situ production of mission consumables—such as rocket fuel and potable water—which will be critical for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon, a goal NASA intends to accomplish by 2028 with the Artemis missions. The separation and liquefaction of locally extracted volatiles—such as water, CO₂, and Methane—is an essential component in lunar surface sustainability, but there are very few technologies being developed for this purpose. This report introduces the Radiative …

Development Of An Atmospheric Particle Imaging System (Apis), James W. Hebert

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The study of atmospheric particulates plays a crucial role in both climate change studies and the improvement of hypersonic travel. The current issue at hand is a lack of knowledge of stratospheric particulate content and the high cost that is associated with conducting research at these altitudes. This project focuses on the development of an Atmospheric Particle Imaging System (APIS) to be a low-weight, low-cost optical payload. The goal is to make a device that can be mounted onto an uncrewed aerial system that has the capability of imaging particulates moving at steady flow velocities, and thereby characterize the individual …

Evaluating The Impact Of Cognitive Distraction On Spaceflight-Relevant Task Performance Using Surface Electromyography And Motion Capture, Allyson K. Mitchell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive distraction poses a risk to astronaut performance during complex, multitasking operations in spaceflight environments. This study examined the effects of cognitive load on neuromuscular coordination and task execution using surface electromyography (sEMG) and motion capture. Thirteen participants performed spaceflight-relevant tasks under undistracted and distracted conditions, with distraction induced through verbal questioning. EMG signals from eight upper-extremity muscles were processed using envelope filtering, peak normalization, and time normalization to enable inter-subject comparison, and group-level mean activation with standard deviation was analyzed. While overall muscle activation was similar between conditions, phase-dependent differences were observed, with undistracted trials showing higher activation during …

Exploratory Study Of Semiconductor Nanomembranes In Em Applications, Grant D. Heileman

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Antenna systems are a cornerstone of modern technologies, playing an increasingly vital role in their advancement. As demand for compact, high-performance, and adaptable communication platforms grows reconfigurable antenna technologies are becoming essential. This research explores a novel front-end reconfigurable antenna system (FERAS) architecture that leverages the mechanical flexibility and photoconductive behavior of semiconductor nanomembrane (SNM) devices. By exploiting the emergent properties of ultra-thin silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanomaterials and optically exciting these samples using vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays, this study develops lightweight, low-cost, deployable antenna structures for satellite communications, remote sensing, GPS, and radar. Despite their significant …

Unresolved Image Simulation For Space Situational Awareness Applications, Fox Coniglario

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The knowledge of what lies in orbit around Earth is at best a guess. Decades of spaceflight, debris buildup, and vehicle collisions have contributed to a large number of objects that are simply not able to be catalogued. Ongoing efforts to catalog debris in orbit have reached limits by conventional measures and as such, research is active in the field of in-orbit space situational awareness. This thesis intends to help fill a hole in the development of such orbital platforms by assisting the development of image processing software pipelines though the simulation of unresolved space imagery. The simulation uses accurate …

Active Measurement Of A Micron-Order Gap Under High-Speed And High-Temperature Conditions, Andrew Becker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic regime poses numerous challenges that researchers face in the development of hypersonic flight vehicles. Due to their excellent thermomechanical properties, ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) have risen as a promising solution to act as a protective barrier between the harsh environment and surface materials of these flight bodies. The mechanical operation of a portable hypersonic simulation device was developed in-house and tested at Argonne National Laboratories (ANL) to gather in-situ material response of prospective UHTC samples when exposed to a hypersonic regime. An edge detection-based algorithm was developed and used in LabVIEW to monitor the health and operation of the …

High-Fidelity Modeling Of Evtol Rotor Unsteady Aerodynamic And Aeroacoustic Response To Time-Harmonic Gust, Vadim Voropayev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid emergence of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) demands accurate prediction and mitigation of noise generated by electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operating in complex urban environments. Among the various noise sources, the aerodynamic and acoustic response of rotors to unsteady inflow represents a major uncertainty in community-noise assessment and certification. This thesis investigates the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic behavior of a representative eVTOL rotor subjected to time-harmonic inflow disturbances, providing a detailed numerical framework to quantify how periodic gusts influence rotor performance, unsteady loading, and sound radiation.

The study employs a three-stage computational methodology using the open-source solver …

Advancing Real-World Implementation Of The Well Optimized Linear Finder (Wolf) High-Speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation Method, Timothy Evan Coon

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation advances the real-world implementation of the Well Optimized Linear Finder (WOLF) method for high-speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation (ATC). Atmospheric turbulence introduces phase aberrations into optical wavefronts and degrades image quality in terrestrial imaging systems. Traditional phase diversity methods are computationally intensive and poorly suited to real-time operation. The WOLF method addresses these limitations through a novel, point-wise formulation of the optical transfer function (OTF) as a structured autocorrelation of the generalized pupil function (GPF). This formulation enables the estimation of phase aberrations at individual spatial coordinates with distributed computational complexity.

The research begins by developing a MATLAB-based simulation …

Thermally Perfect Augmentation Of A Supersonic Inlet Design Tool That Uses Method Of Characteristics, Mario V. Guardado

Master's Theses

This work is the first in a series to augment a supersonic air inlet design tool based in Python 3 to incorporate new models that increase the range of applicability of the tool. This effort focuses on improving the thermodynamics model by incorporating a thermally perfect gas model. This tool utilizes method of characteristics to solve the governing equations for an inviscid, irrotational, isentropic, steady, supersonic flow field. Multiple test cases are used to assess the accuracy of all new models. A comparison is made between the original code’s test case for a supersonic inlet at low temperatures to verify …

Investigation Into Silicone-Silicate Conversion Due To Atomic Oxygen In The Low Earth Orbit Environment, Justin T. Self

Master's Theses

Silicones have been widely used over the years in spacecraft for a variety of functions, but atomic oxygen (AO) exposure in Low Earth Orbit causes a silicate (SiO₂) surface layer to rapidly develop on the silicone which results in a permanent change in its thermal and optical properties. Although this silicone to silicate conversion is known to occur, statistical predictions of layer formation as a function of time on orbit are not found in literature. This thesis utilized optical and scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and nonlinear regression statistical techniques after RF plasma asher …

Pressure Switch Tester, Michael Starasinich, Andrew Dobson, Jordan Huschen, Mitchell Smith, Melvin Brown Iii

Honors Capstones

Abstract—- The Pressure Switch Test Stand is a comprehensive and automated testing solution designed to streamline the actuation and validation of simultaneously. At the core of the system is a PLC-controlled architecture that enables precise control and simulation of pressure conditions, replicating real-world scenarios to ensure accurate and reliable switch performance.

This test stand integrates robust mechanical fixtures, a reliable pneumatic control system, custom-designed electrical circuits, and a modular software interface, working in unison to deliver consistent and high-fidelity testing outcomes. Each pressure switch undergoes a sequence of pressure ramps and holds, with the system continuously monitoring switch states, activation …