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Preliminary Results for Collision Probability Predicted Using GNSS Ephemeris from CubeSats
No full textAccording to an ESA research report, there are now more than one million pieces of space debris larger than one centimeter in low Earth orbit (LEO) [1]. Conjunction assessment (CA) has been drawing attention in various fields. This study proposes leveraging space borne Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data, including raw pseudorange measurements, to obtain the satellite state vector and covariance for SmallSats or CubeSats. The proposed approach offers the advantage of enabling autonomous CA risk evaluations, while mitigating measurement uncertainties typically associated with ground-based radar systems. Real-time satellite state enables more accurate predictions of future collision probabilities. The COSMIC-2 raw L1 and L2 Pseudorange measurements [2] and GNSS Ephemeris products [3] are used for orbit determination (OD). This paper applies single point positioning to estimate the satellite position and velocity. Collision probability is then computed using NASA’s Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA) software [4]. The results illustrate that covariance size significantly influences the uncertainty of collision probability. The aforementioned method serves as an innovation, helping satellites maintain the capability to assess potential future collision risks, while being accessible to a growing number of small satellite operators
An Evaluation of Interactive Computerized Training to Teach Preservice Speech Language Pathologists to Implement Brief Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement Preference Assessments
No full textPositive reinforcement is often used when teaching new skills. When working with individuals with developmental disabilities, it can be difficult to determine reinforcing items. Preference assessments can be used to identify items that may function as reinforcers. A multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment (MSWO) produces a ranking of preferred items and can be conducted quickly. Researchers have utilized interactive computerized training (ICT) to teach behavior analytic skills and procedures. The present investigation aimed to extend previous MSWO training and ICT research by developing and evaluating the effects of an MSWO ICT implemented with speech language pathology graduate students. The results of the current study demonstrate that ICT may be effective to teach SLP graduate students to implement MSWO preference assessments. Results to evaluate the usefulness and applicability indicate that participants agree that the training prepared them to run the assessment. Potential weaknesses to the study are acknowledged along with suggestions for future research along this path
Success Designing a SmallSat Multi-Function Electric Actuator with COTS Hardware.
No full textPoster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference
A Social and Environmental Restoration Plan for Warm Springs and North Gateway Parks in Salt Lake City, Utah
No full textThis research-based design thesis examines the historic and ecological significance of the combined 20-acre Warm Springs and North Gateway Parks in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on the north end of Salt Lake City. Distinguished by the natural hot springs in North Gateway Park, the area was formed through geological processes associated with the emergence of the Wasatch Mountains (Lutz, 2004) and holds a deep cultural history for indigenous peoples such as the Shoshone, Goshute, Southern Utes, and Northern Utes. These tribes historically used the springs for social bathing, healing, and wintering grounds until the arrival of settlers in 1847, which brought disease, displacement, and over 36 unmarked graves near Warm Springs Park (Alter, 1934). The area has undergone various social transformations, including the construction of a bathhouse commissioned by Brigham Young in 1848, which served as a social center and economic resource for the Latter-day Saints community (Jones, 2008).
Over the years, the parks have faced numerous challenges: issues related to homelessness, aging infrastructure, environmental degradation such as invasive species overtaking wetlands, excessive watering of turf grass, and the decline of mature trees (Maxwell, 2024; S.L.C. Public Lands, 2020). The historic bathhouse has fallen into disrepair, posing health and safety hazards and impeding safe circulation within the parks (Williams, 2018). Community concerns emphasize the need for interventions that address safety, ecological health, and cultural preservation.
This thesis employs a mixed-methods approach—including site inventory and analysis, community engagement, literature review, and case studies—to develop a comprehensive master plan for revitalization. The proposed design framework aims to integrate cultural heritage recognition, ecological restoration, and social inclusivity, resulting in a vision that fosters community identity and environmental sustainability. Anticipated outcomes include the creation of inclusive public spaces, the adaptive reuse of historic structures, and the enhancement of ecological resilience, ensuring these parks serve as vital community assets for future generations
Small Satellite Enabled Human Capital Development Approaches for a Space Professional Cadre
No full textThe rapid growth of the commercial and government space sectors has highlighted a critical shortfall in qualified talent. Addressing these gaps requires innovative educational programs that can efficiently develop human capital without extensive resources or extended classroom requirements. This paper will explore these challenges and present solutions through a focus on Small Satellite (SmallSat) resources and lessons learned from previous attempts, as well as highlighting a number of emerging programs that are quickly helping to address this growing concern.
One promising approach is the Space Force Cadet Corps Cadet Training in Space, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. This program exposes cadets to potential careers in government, military, and civilian sectors, emphasizing leadership and aerospace education. The initial “Space” focus is on training cadets in Space Missions and Operations, Small Satellite Design and Development, Astrodynamics/Space Environment, Space Law/Policy, and Space Cybersecurity/Network defense. By providing hands-on experience and expert guest speakers, cadets gain valuable insights preparing the next generation of space enthusiasts. Utilizing small satellites as the technology baseline allows SFCC cadets to gain experience quickly and at low cost, parallel to the arguments made for small satellite development in Fleeter’s seminal text, “Logic of Microspace”.
Another innovative program is the Space Operations Certification Program offered by Lake Superior State University. This certification program equips students with a well-rounded suite of skills, including a fundamental understanding of the space environment, orbital dynamics, and pragmatic skills involved in space system operations. The program emphasizes real-world experience through experiential learning at the Homestead Mission Operations Center (HMOC), leading to opportunities for co-op and internship positions with leading employers in the space industry. Here, small satellites were utilized as test articles for the students to demonstrate satellite operations proficiency, from digital twins of well known small satellite demonstration missions, to conducting live satellite tracking and communications sessions with on-orbit small satellites designed for open source interactions.
These programs demonstrate that effective human capital development for space professionals can be achieved through targeted educational initiatives that cost-effectively leverage SmallSat resources and provide targeted, practical, hands-on learning experiences necessary for growing the Space cadre. By highlighting these programs and sharing lessons learned, the authors aim to inspire and guide future efforts in addressing the talent shortfall in the space sector
PROMETHEUS-1: A Satellite Framework for Research and Educational Access to Space
No full textIn this work, we present the PROMETHEUS-1 satellite mission, a 1P PocketQube designed to validate its development pipeline, to perform onboard Machine Learning tasks on photographs taken by onboard cameras, and to evaluate its active Attitude Determination and Control System implementation. PROMETHEUS-1 was developed under a collaborative initiative involving the University of Minho (UM), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), conceived to address the current lack of a unified and streamlined infrastructure for low-cost educational satellites. The project covers the lifecycle of a satellite mission, including the development, assembly, licensing, certification, launch, and operation of a flight unit, together with the construction of a dedicated ground station. PROMETHEUS-1 is based on the PyCubed-Mini platform, an open-source, low-cost, and user-friendly spacecraft architecture with flight heritage. PROMETHEUS-1, the framework’s first mission, was successfully launched and began operations in January 2025, becoming the first Portuguese PocketQube mission to reach space. It successfully demonstrated autonomous data processing and machine learning inference on resource-constrained hardware, significantly expanding the potential of PocketQube-class spacecraft
SLALOM: A Mission Concept for Autonomous Very Low Lunar Orbit Operations
Get PDFA Sustained Low-Altitude Lunar Orbital Mission (SLALOM) maintains an orbital path very close to the surface of the Moon: passing within 1–5 kilometers of topographical peaks and maintaining an average altitude under 10 kilometers. This extremely low orbit enables high-resolution observations of the Moon but requires a new class of autonomous navigation and stationkeeping. The au-tonomous software system, ALPINE (Auto-maneuver Location Processor using Integrated Navigation Estimates), fuses real-time optical navigation data with one-way and cross-link radiometric tracking data to maintain continuous and autonomous custody of the spacecraft. This paper examines a stationkeeping strategy that maximizes surface coverage of desirable locations of the Moon, which may be polar regions or equatorial regions, or anything in between, de-pending on mission objectives
Below-Ground Carbon Gradients Surrounding Saskatchewan\u27s Native Agricultural Copses
Get PDFAs carbon markets develop, understanding the carbon storage capabilities of agricultural land is imperative to maximizing carbon storage. Ecosystems store two-thirds of their carbon below ground. Shrubland and shelterbelt carbon storage have been well documented in agricultural settings, yet little is known about the carbon stored under the native woody vegetation scattered across the Prairies. This study aims to be the first to quantify the below-ground carbon under and around these native trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) copses in the Canadian Prairies. For this study, the leaf, fibric, humic layer (LFH) and soil samples up to 60cm were collected from 142 sampling locations across the Black soil zone of Saskatchewan. Samples were collected under six native woody copses and 24 transects across agricultural lands. Soil samples were divided by soil horizons. Transect distances were based on average aspen height at the site and extended into the surrounding agricultural fields. Total, organic, and inorganic carbon values were quantified using temperature ramping. A carbon gradient from the copse into the field was evident. Moreover, the copse stored 111% more total carbon than the agricultural field, predominantly as organic carbon. Analysis of the below-ground horizon landscape suggests that the LFH and A-horizon were the most important horizons in carbon storage differences. Overall, this study suggests that a native copse can store 82-90% more organic carbon than the planted shelterbelts in other studies, highlighting the importance of including these areas in carbon modelling across the Canadian Prairies
Factors Impacting the Variability of Post-Fire Forest Regeneration in Central European Pine Plantations
Get PDFFire is increasingly posing a risk to forests and plantations, even in the temperate latitudes of central Europe. Little is known about fire ecology in this region, and therefore, appropriate approaches for the management and reforestation of burned sites are mostly lacking. In a Scots pine plantation region in Brandenburg (northeast Germany), the early tree regeneration of two nearby areas that burned 1 year apart was investigated. We observed that 3 years after the fire events, the forest in one study area showed a relatively high regeneration with a mean density of 7765 saplings/ha, clearly dominated by European aspen (93%); whereas the other study area showed a lower mean density of 5061 saplings/ha, dominated by Scots pine (71%) and aspen (15%). Three years after the fires, the difference in aspen density was 11-fold between the two areas. We studied the effects of several variables about soil and environmental properties on the aspen establishment in these two study areas in the second and third years after the fire events. We found that the post-fire aspen regeneration was influenced by several factors, including soil texture, soil disturbance from forest management, volume of deadwood, and browsing. We also discussed that weather conditions during seed production and germination might have played a role in the difference in aspen establishment between the two study areas. We concluded that the post-fire forest regeneration potential in the study region is highly variable and could come under critical pressure as climate change progresses
Feasibility of Producing Non-Structural Wood Products Using Trembling Aspen Lumber
Get PDFTrembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) is abundant in Canada but underutilized in non-structural solid wood products.This study was aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using aspen lumber to produce flooring, moulding, and siding. The shrinkage, surface roughness, and wettability of aspen wood were tested. The surface hardness, screw withdrawal resistance, colour change, and dimensional stability of there products fabricated were examined. The wood yield of each product was analyzed. It was found that aspen showed superior machinability and wettability to silver maple and yellow poplar. Aspen flooring had a Brinell hardness of 13.47 MPa, 60% lower than silver maple. Aspen moulding exhibited a screw withdrawal resistance of 23.42 MPa, 15% higher than eastern white pine. Aspen siding showed comparable colour and dimensional stability to spruce-pine-fir wood. The aspen wood yields were estimated to be 38.25%, 25.4%, and 49.2% for flooring, moulding, and siding, suggesting its potential for non-structural applications