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Dream Big: A Novel, Flexible and Robust ½U ThinSat Constellation Solution
No full textThe Dream Big project is a joint initiative between NearSpace Launch (NSL) and NearSpace Education (NSE), combining commercial satellite development with hands-on educational outreach. Focused on advanced manufacturing and space entrepreneurship, the program engages university teams in designing, building, and integrating custom payloads into a novel ½U ThinSat bus. Over the past year, six Midwestern universities completed Phase 1, culminating in the development of six student-built payloads integrated into the NSL bus scheduled for launch in late 2025 or early 2026.
In addition to satellite development, teams conducted high-altitude balloon flights to validate hardware and promote STEM engagement in their communities. This presentation will showcase the system’s innovative flight and ground support technologies, highlight contributions to workforce development, and share key progress updates, challenges faced, and lessons learned from across the program
Laser Crosslink Experiment: Post-Mission Review
Get PDFThe Laser Crosslink Experiment (LaCE) was a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsatellite mission that flew between March 4, 2024, and May 18, 2025. LaCE was a two-CubeSat, multi-payload mission developed by Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC). Its major payloads included the CACI Skylight laser communication terminal, the ELROI optical beacon, the Vulcan CSR payload radio, and a newly developed NIWC Tracking, Telemetry, and Command (TT&C) ground operations center. Additionally, LaCE led to the development of the Stratospheric Optical Link Demonstration (SOLD) high-altitude balloon experiment, a companion mission which demonstrated the Skylight terminal in the stratosphere as a risk reduction and alternate execution path. LaCE was able to fully demonstrate the ELROI and CSR payloads but experienced on-orbit challenges which prevented full demonstration of the Skylight mission. In addition to its primary payload missions, LaCE-1 was operated through re-entry and performed a secondary vLEO profiling mission. NIWC considers LaCE an operational success and has developed several “best practice” operational lessons from the mission, including the value of stratospheric pre-launch test campaigns, the value of satellite telecom radios as backup systems, and the importance of precision Pointing, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions for optical communications on orbit
First-Year Elementary Teachers and Mentor Feedback About Literacy Instruction: Exploring Perceptions, Reactions, And Impact
No full textTo establish best practices in literacy instruction, first-year elementary teachers need additional support in implementing research-based strategies in their classrooms. Mentors often play a key role in providing this support by offering feedback on literacy instruction. However, there is limited understanding of first-year elementary teachers’ perceptions of the feedback they receive from their mentors.
This collective case study explored six first-year elementary teachers’ perceptions of mentor feedback, focusing on feedback characteristics and teachers’ views on which of those characteristics mattered most. Participants completed a survey about the perceived qualities of feedback and the importance of those qualities when considering feedback from their assigned mentor on literacy instruction. Additionally, each teacher participated in a 45-minute interview to further discuss and describe their experiences receiving feedback about literacy instruction.
Results showed that first-year teachers highly valued feedback that was specific and actionable. They also placed great importance on having access to resources to implement their mentors\u27 feedback, though many struggled to identify and effectively use these resources in their classrooms
Aspen Health on National Forests in the Northern Rocky Mountain Region (2008/2009 to 2024)
Get PDFQuaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is a widely distributed species in the western United States, but in the northern Rocky Mountain Region it is a rare forest component. In national forests (NF) of the northern Rocky Mountain Region this species comprises only 1% of the Bighorn, 3% of the Black Hills, and 1% of the Shoshone cover types (DeBlander 2002, Menlove 2008, Witt 2008). Since aspen forests provide increased species richness, support wildlife, are an important component of watersheds, and have aesthetic value, there are concerns regarding the health of this relatively rare forest cover type
ASTRA – Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications: A Technology Demonstrator
Get PDFASTRA is an on-orbit technology demonstrator establishing a new paradigm for implementing on-board “thinking.” ASTRA is a system-level autonomy capability (including digital twins, anomaly detection, diagnostics/prognostics, and mission management) enabled by an innovative technology, NPAS - NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems. NPAS is developed by NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) with support from NASA Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) Advanced Exploration Systems and Mars Campaign Office. ASTRA leverages NPAS for on-board “thinking” autonomy. ASTRA also includes advanced hardware required for implementing autonomy. ASTRA Flight Software (FS) is running on commercial hardware that provides the computational and memory resources required for on-board autonomous behavior and operations. ASTRA’s autonomy capability was successfully validated as a hosted payload operating on-board LizzieSat-1 (LS-1), a commercial satellite designed, built, and operated by Sidus Space. LS-1 successfully launched into a 97.4°, 510km orbit in March 2024. LS-1 satellite avionics include three on-board processors: an SP0 processor running LS-1 flight software implemented in Core Flight Software (cFS) and two NVIDIA General-Purpose Computing Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs) running Linux. One GPGPU manages multiple Sidus payloads. The second GPGPU is dedicated to NASA SSC’s ASTRA.
ASTRA’s implementation is containerized and demonstrates a hierarchical distributed autonomy architecture. ASTRA FS includes two autonomous system managers that coordinate work to achieve mission objectives: a Vehicle System Manager (VSM) and an Electrical Power System (EPS) manager. In this way, ASTRA is a uniquely configured payload that can operate LS-1 when enabled. Furthermore, software updates enable ASTRA to evolve. For example, ASTRA Flight Software (FS) version 1.0 includes core capabilities required to validate communication, command, and control. Then, ASTRA FS version 2.0 is intended to monitor and manage the LS-1 onboard EPS, including load-shedding non-essential power under low power generation conditions. ASTRA FS operations are coordinated with LS-1 using NPAS’ Software Bus Network (SBN) bridge (SBN bridge enables ASTRA FS integration with LS-1 cFS applications). SBN publish/subscribe capabilities enables transmission of telemetry from LS-1 systems (e.g. power) to ASTRA, as well enabling ASTRA commands to change satellite EPS onboard state. Data flow from LS-1 to ASTRA includes ground operations performed at the ASTRA ASL Payload Operations Command Center (POCC). LS-1 data is downlinked at least 16 times/day into Sidus leased commercial ground stations which automatically relay LS-1 data (including ASTRA data) via Amazon Web Service (AWS) commercial lines into Sidus Space Merritt Island, Florida Mission Command Center (MCC). ASTRA, in addition to validating successful autonomous operations, served as a testbed for NASA SSC’s ASL on-board the LS-1 satellite on-orbit. The ASTRA FS technology demonstrator on-orbit shows potential to enable development, test, and validate autonomous operations on-orbit (e.g. satellites, spacecraft) and autonomy capabilities required for future Moon-to-Mars missions
Veery, A Flat Satellite Scatterometer for Global, Hourly Refresh of Ocean Surface Vector Winds
Get PDFCare Weather is developing Veery, a small satellite scatterometer for monitoring ocean surface vector wind (OSVW) with state-of-the-art performance. Veery uses a rotating fan-beam C-band radar to provide a 1,050 km swath with 25 km resolution and more than 70% uptime. Veery’s dynamic range covers 3–27 m/s with speed errors below 1.6 m/s and directional errors below 11°, matching the performance of previous scatterometers from a much smaller satellite. Veery’s small size is enabled by a flat satellite form factor that vertically integrates the instrument and bus. That small size makes it affordable for deployment in a constellation capable of an unprecedented hourly global refresh. The Veery constellation will fill large gaps in the diurnal cycle to provide sorely needed clarity for numerical weather prediction and cyclone tracking, enabling more accurate weather forecasts and earlier warnings of some of Earth’s costliest natural disasters. Veery is being developed in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Space Force (USSF), and others
Towards Realizing the Promise of Lower-Cost Near-Term Mars Science and Exploration
Get PDFThe Mars Exploration Program (MEP) 2024-2044 Plan [1] charts a new path for the next two decades of science-driven missions. An underpinning of the MEP 2024-2044 Plan is the ability to have a high cadence of missions leveraging frequent, low-cost access and at-Mars infrastructure. Current rapid maturation of affordable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar industry capabilities point towards near-term Mars adaptation. Towards understanding Mars adaptations, cost, and needed government investment, MEP competitively solicited and conducted 12 studies across four major classes of potential missions with 9 companies in 2024. Additionally, MEP sought to understand if there is sufficient maturity and market to warrant a major shift towards services rather than government procurements via standard contracting vehicles.
Several analogous NASA programs (Commercial Cargo, Commercial Crew, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services [CLPS]) use services to lower cost and increase mission frequency. The four major classes of studies include: 1) Small payload hosting and delivery to low Mars orbit, 2) Large payload hosting and delivery, 3) High-resolution surface imaging, and 4) Next-generation Mars telecommunication. Each class had three companies conducting separate studies, with some companies partnering. Three companies studied two major classes. Having three studies per major class with three of the companies studying two major classes and connections between them provides a good basis for understanding the range of the potential service cost, scope, and assumptions of required government investment. These studies underscore what has been hinted for the last decade: pairing much lower cost delivery to Mars with a telecommunications infrastructure at Mars is a powerful combination that can produce much lower cost and more frequent science- and human-exploration-driven missions at a cadence not yet achieved. The studies also reinforced that several combinations of delivery, proximity telecommunications, and imaging could be the first steps in this new paradigm. Lastly, several paths with different sequences of missions and consistent future funding levels are possible over the next decade. Having multiple options for future paths keeps the program nimble and able to adapt to discoveries and shifting priorities
Voting and Civic Engagement Among Utah Women: A 2025 Update
No full textIn 2016, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) released a research snapshot called “Voting and Civic Engagement Among Utah Women.”1 At the time, despite having a strong history of women’s political and civic involvement, Utah had fallen to the bottom of national rankings in terms of women’s political participation.2 In 2019 and 2021, UWLP released updates of this report, which showed some improvement in voter participation rates for both the United States (US) and for Utah women. Since 2016, the level of political participation among women in Utah and the US has grown, and civic engagement—a critical element of change for municipalities, counties, and states—has remained high.
In line with our past reports, this research snapshot focuses on three key areas: Women’s voting participation rates in Utah and the US in recent elections, by various demographics; Utah’s women’s political voice, demonstrated through policy priorities and political engagement; and Utah women’s civic and community involvement, including volunteer work and associated activities
Women in the Workplace: Part 1: Utahns’ Awareness, Understanding, And Attitudes
No full textDuring the fall of 2023, Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) researchers conducted a statewide study to establish a baseline for public perceptions related to the awareness, understanding, and attitudes about challenges that Utah women and girls face. In early 2024, we published 20 short research summaries1 that shared the results of this comprehensive study. Then, in the fall of 2024, we administered this survey, with slight changes, around the state of Utah for the second time. This is the first of six white papers to share the results of the new data.
Overall, this comprehensive study was designed to support the efforts of A Bolder Way Forward (BWF), which is a statewide initiative focused on ensuring that more Utah girls, women, and their families thrive. Each area of focus (imagine the areas as spokes on a wheel) has bold goals with data-driven metrics to measure progress on shifts in public awareness, understanding, and/or attitudes related to each spoke.
The following lists the five overarching categories within BWF and the 18 spokes included in this research: Education: Finance, Higher Education Attainment, and K–12 Initiatives Community Engagement: Political Representation, Boards and Commissions, and Civic Engagement/Advocacy Safety and Security: Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Poverty and Homelessness, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Discrimination Health and Wellbeing: Health Across the Lifespan, and Home and Family Workplace: Childcare/Pre-K Programs, Entrepreneurship, Gender Pay Gap, Leadership Development, Organizational Strategies and Workplace Culture, STEM Fields, and Workforce Development
This report covers elements of three spokes in the Workplace category (i.e., Organizational Strategies and Workplace Culture, Childcare/Pre-K Programs, and Gender Pay Gap), as well as one spoke in the Safety and Security category (i.e., Sexual Harassment and Gender-based Discrimination), which also applies to the workplace. The results of the other Workplace spokes are included in the second white paper in this 2025 series. We first discuss foundational research methods for the study as a whole, then share the 2024 findings of the four areas of focus mentioned above and include both the applicable quantitative and qualitative results
