Mexico is home to almost 2.9 million square kilometers of land and water surface area that is affected by water pollution and environmental degradation. While geographically more prevalent to pollution threats as well as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, it is important to coordinate the management and regulation of coastal zones effectively to safeguard these ecosystem from degradation. However, because of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, nations view the problem of living resources and their management as a national priority instead of an international cooperation initiative. Mexico's fragmented, overlapping, and sometimes corrupt domestic institutions for environmental policy yield ineffective and inadequate pollution control, a result of which is a high level of marine debris presence on the coasts, as evidenced by a recent study in Veracruz, Veracruz. This marine debris, the most abundant of which is composed of plastics, is detrimental to marine life, leading to death, starvation, debilitation, reduced quality of life and lowered reproductive performance. While several avenues are being explored to mitigate marine debris in the environment, such as decreasing knowledge gaps, increasing pollution prevention measures, and education, degradation issues have compounded globally, revealing a clear picture of inadequate international regulation and convention. A stricter Mexican national regulatory system that incorporates private and public waste management organizations to incentivize and facilitate waste cleanup is needed to improve the health of the global ocean.

The use of origami-based bellows is of interest in fields where traditional metal bellows are incapable of meeting compression, mass, or flexibility constraints. Metal bellows are often used in space applications but frequently complicate spacecraft design. Origami-based bellows capable of meeting design constraints while adequately shielding sensitive spacecraft parts may be advantageous to space mechanism design. The design and testing of a highly compressible origami bellows for harsh environments is described. Several origami patterns were evaluated and the Kresling fold pattern was designed to meet constraints and selected for use in the bellows design. Origami bellows were prototyped in five different materials and tested in fatigue, thermal cycling, ablation, and radiation. Tested bellows show good fatigue life exceeding 100,000 cycles for some materials and resilience to potential harsh environmental conditions such as thermal cycling, abrasion, and high radiation. The bellows can be designed to fit within a given inner and outer diameter and stroke length depending on the design requirements. The origami bellows shows promise for space application and as an adequate replacement for current metal bellows due to its high compressibility and low mass. The design, testing, and fabrication of an origami-based bellows for microgravity drilling is presented. The benefits of origami created an opportunity for application on NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) to protect sensitive parts from debris. Origami-based bellows were designed to fit spacial limitations and meet needed compression ratios. Designs have demonstrated high mass reductions, improved stroke length, greatly decreased stowed volume, improved flexibility, and reduced reaction forces in comparison with traditional metal bellows. Material and design testing demonstrated that a nylon-reinforced polyvinyl fluoride based bellows with an aramid fiber stitched seam is well suited for debris containment in space conditions. Various epoxies were able to maintain an adequate bond with polyvinyl fluoride below expected environmental temperature for bellows mounting to the ARM drill. Asymmetric compression of the bellows can occur at extreme low temperatures and is preventable by balancing stiffness within the structure.

This paper is predicated on determining the effectiveness of angles-only initial orbit determination (IOD) methods when limited observational data is available for low-Earth orbit (LEO) rocket body debris. The analysis will be conducted with data obtained from Lockheed Martin Space’s Space Object Tracking (SpOT) facility, focusing on their observational data from 2018 that contains tracking of rocket body debris for less than one minute per overhead pass. After the IOD accuracies are better understood, a feasibility study will follow that investigates the possibility of cataloguing LEO orbital debris from a single optical observation facility with similar observational capabilities as that of the SpOT facility. The IOD accuracy analysis will investigate nine different rocket bodies, with a total of 50 orbital passes of data included in the research. Three main IOD approaches will be tested for each data set to determine the best method in achieving high levels of IOD accuracy: a traditional three-point method, an iterative method, and an assumed-circular orbit method. Application of the iterative approach results in increased accuracy for the resultant initial orbit determination as compared to the three-point IOD method, and an assumed-circular orbit assumption allows for a further increase in accuracy, especially for observed objects in near-circular orbits. The feasibility of cataloguing debris from a singular optical facility shows promise, as subsequent target acquisition after an object’s initial observation is determined to be achievable under the correct circumstances. By choosing a correct telescope pointing angle based on the IOD results from one pass of data, an observed rocket body debris object would pass through the field of view of SpOT’s spotter scope (0.7-degrees) during its next overhead pass for two different test cases. An increase field of view would increase both the likelihood of acquiring the target object and the amount of time the object is visible by the telescope.

Overcrowding of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region is a growing problem. Decades of treating this part of space like a scrap yard has caused it to become a hazardous environment for operating satellites. At present, the largest pieces of debris are being continuously tracked and satellite operators avoid them by maneuvering their spacecrafts out of the way. This approach is not possible for pieces that are smaller than 10 cm, since they are hard to detect and track as well as numerous. The exact number is not known but it is believed to be around 190 000. A number of different mitigation methods have been suggested. In this project the Laser Orbital Debris Removal (LODR) has been investigated and a basic simulation model has been developed. Though many aspects have been studied, only a few have been implemented in this first version of the simulation program. The thesis has uncovered some limiting factors of the models and data that have been used to describe the physical phenomena that relate to this problem. These factors, and other suggestions, are mentioned in chapter 5. Though the model is far from perfected, it shows the technical feasibility of the suggested method, as well as some of the problems that need to be solved before it can be implemented. The fact that it would be possible to build a ground based LODR system, in no way assures that it is likely to occur. The political aspects of such a facility are too problematic at this day in age. How should it be operated? Could we trust that it would not be used as a weapon? The questions are many and the answers are uncertain. For now, it seems best to focus on improving the understanding of the phenomena, the precision of the model and hope that there will come a time when this research will lead to an implementable solution.

The growth in orbital debris has been predicted since the dawn of the space age. Now the debris fields cascade through orbits and the risk of collision is on an infinite upward trajectory. This thesis will examine what impact a wider concept of space security can have our understanding of orbital debris and the space security agenda. The space security agenda is in a state a flux as it seeks the most effective way to deal with the threat posed by orbital debris. A traditionally narrow approach of security would see debris discarded as a security threat due to its limited threat to a state. However, a broader approach would see aspects of environmental security emerge, allowing both public and private sectors to act to solve this crisis. There is a sizeable void in the literature that links policy and science when analysing orbital debris. Therefore, when applying the theory, it is best to find consensus and collaboration. The Copenhagen and Welsh Schools of International Security offer opposing views initially. Nonetheless, when examined closely they reveal similarities that allow for a 'hybrid' theory to emerge. The international challenges to legal and policy changes are diverse and complex. Consequently, the significance of transparency and confidence- building measures to lead space policy and...

Two distinct studies within the Saltville Valley of southwestern Virginia revealed insights into local Pleistocene geology and paleontology. A variety of analytical techniques were applied to gravel deposits within the paleontological site of SV-5/7 that revealed this unit is very poorly sorted, has a subangular matrix, and contains significant components of silt and sand in addition to rounded cobbles. These results suggest that rather than being deposited by fluvial processes as previously suggested, these gravels were likely the result of one or many debris flows. Additionally, the identity of fossil muskoxen from Saltville was reassessed using cranial and dental material. The results of the comparative anatomy of Bootherium and Ovibos specimens suggest that it may be possible to distinguish between fossil muskoxen genera using teeth, and to a lesser extent, cranial measurements. This analysis reaffirms that Bootherium is the only muskoxen definitively known from the Pleistocene of the Saltville Valley.

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In November, 2006, a storm generated a minimum of 34 cm of precipitation in six days, triggering debris flows in many of the drainages on all sides of Mount Hood, Oregon. Of the eleven drainages surveyed, seven experienced debris flows; these include the White River, Salmon River, Clark Creek, Newton Creek, Eliot Creek, Ladd Creek and Sandy River basins. Flows in the White River, Eliot Creek, and Newton Creek, caused major damage to bridges and roadways. Initiation elevations averaged around 1,860 meters. Initiation zone material was predominantly sand (45-82%) with gravel (15-49%) and had few fines (3-5%). Four debris flows were triggered by landslides caused by undercutting of the river banks. Three developed through coalescence of multiple small debris flows within major channels and were termed "headless debris flows". Physical and morphological characterization of source areas was used to assess factors controlling debris flow initiation. Although findings indicate that all major drainages on Mount Hood are capable of producing debris flows, drainages with direct connection to a glacier, low percentages of vegetation, and moderate gradients in the upper basin were the most susceptible. Among basins not having debris flows, neither the Zigzag River nor Polallie Creek have a direct connection to a glacier, And the Muddy Fork and the Coe both have high percentages of vegetated slopes. The material in the upper basin of the Muddy Fork is predominately rock making initiation there weathering-limited. Additionally, the Muddy Fork and the Zigzag have two of the steepest gradients on the mountain. This pattern suggests that material there is regularly transported downstream through normal fluvial processes rather than building up to be catastrophically removed through debris flow processes.

Debris flows caused by heavy rains occurred in November of 2006 on several Cascade volcanoes. Mt. Adams experienced debris flows in seven of eighteen drainages including Adams Creek, Big Muddy Creek, Lewis Creek, Little Muddy Creek, Muddy Fork, Rusk Creek and Salt Creek. Six debris flows occurred on the northeast side of the mountain. A landslide initiated one debris flow, three were initiated by heavy water flow and in channel landslides, and three were initiated by a coalescence of eroded channels (headless debris flows). Four pre-2006 debris flows were found in the Cascade Creek, Crofton Creek, Hellroaring Creek and Morrison Creek drainages. Every 2006 debris flow initiated in Quaternary glacial drift. Attributes of the drainages were investigated to determine differences between drainages with debris flows and those without. The upper basins of drainages with debris flows averaged 37% glacial coverage, 29% bedrock and 35% unconsolidated material. The upper basins of drainages without debris flows without averaged 12% glacial coverage, 63% bedrock, and 25% unconsolidated material. All of the drainages with debris flows were directly connected to a glacier, opposed to only 36% of the drainages without debris flows. Drainages with debris flows averaged 18% slopes above 33°, 10% vegetation, a gradient of 0.38, a Melton's Ruggedness Number of 0.62, an average annual rainfall of 2.16 m, and -52% glacier lost between 1904-2006. The upper basins of drainages without debris flows averaged 11% slopes above 33°, 18% vegetation, a gradient of 0.31, a MRN of 0.58, an average annual rainfall of 2.38 m, and -41% glacier lost between 1904-2006. A multiple logistic regression was performed to determine factors with highest influence on predicting the probability of a debris flow. Influencing factors were percent glacial coverage and average annual rainfall. They predicted the 2006 debris flows with an 89% accuracy rate. This model was used to produce a debris flow hazard map. Due to the number of Cascade volcanoes that experienced debris flows as a result of the November 2006 storm, data of this type could be combined from multiple mountains to construct a general Cascade Mountain debris flow hazard model.

No description available.