In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a dominant force in the aerospace industry. Recent technological developments have moved these aircraft from remote operation roles to more active response missions. Of particular interest is the possibility of applying UAVs toward solving complex problems in long-endurance missions. Under that belief, the feasibility of utilizing UAVs for wildfire detection and response was investigated in a partnership that included NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Science Mission Directorate, and the United States Forest Service. Under NASA’s Intelligent Mission Management (IMM) project, research was conducted to develop a mission architecture that would enable use of a high altitude UAV to search for reported wildfires with a separate low altitude UAV supporting ground assets. This research proposes a “straw man” concept incorporating both a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV and a Low Altitude Short Endurance (LASE) UAV in a loosely coupled, low cost solution tailored towards wildfire response. This report identifies the communications architecture, algorithms, and required system configuration that meets the outlined goals of the IMM project by mitigating wildfires and addressing the United States Forest Service immediate needs. The end product is a defined parent-child framework capable of meeting all wildfire mission goals. The concept has been implemented in simulation, the results of which are presented in this report.

The Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory (CPCL) is currently facing unprecedented engineering challenges—both technically and programmatically—due to the increasing cost and complexity of CubeSat flight missions. In responding to recent RFPs, the CPCL has been forced to find commercially available solutions to entire mission critical spacecraft subsystems such as propulsion and attitude determination & control, because currently no in-house options exist for consideration. The commercially available solutions for these subsystems are often extremely expensive and sometimes provide excessively good performance with respect to mission requirements. Furthermore, use of entire commercial subsystems detracts from the hands-on learning objectives of the CPCL by removing engineering responsibility from students. Therefore, if these particular subsystems can be designed, tested, and integrated in-house at Cal Poly, the result would be twofold: 1) the space of missions supportable by the CPCL under tight budget constraints will grow, and 2) students will be provided with unique, hands-on guidance, navigation, and control learning opportunities. In this thesis, the CPCL’s attitude determination and control system design and analysis toolkit is significantly improved to support in-house ADCS development. The toolkit—including the improvements presented in this work—is then used to complete the existing, partially complete CPCL ADCS design. To fill in missing gaps, particular emphasis is placed on guidance and control algorithm design and selection of attitude actuators. Simulation results show that the completed design is competitive for use in a large class of small satellite missions for which pointing accuracy requirements are on the order of a few degrees.

The solar wind is a supersonic flow of protons and electrons emitted in all directions from the sun. As the supersonic solar wind encounters Earth’s magnetic field, it creates the Earth’s bow shock, which increases the kinetic entropy of electrons passing through it. In this study, the aim is to analyze shock crossings of Earth’s bow shock in order to draw conclusions of which shock parameters that are important forkinetic entropy generation. Due to knowledge gained from an earlier study by M. Lindberg et al. [1], the shock crossings of interest in this study are quasi-perpendicular shocks with a low electron plasma beta. The data used is measured with the NASA MMS spacecraft and accessed through IRF Uppsala. As a result,a database with 13 shock crossings was created and the entropy change was related to, among other parameters, temperature and density change, shock angle, Alfv´en Mach number, ion ram pressure and upstream magnetic field. We found that a highAlfv´en Mach number related nearly proportionally to a large change in electron entropy for low electron plasma beta quasiperpendicularcollisionless shock crossing. / Solvinden består av protoner och elektroner som emitteras ut från solen i alla riktningar med enorma hastigheter. När dessa partiklar, med en hastighet som överstiger signalhastigheten, träffar Jordens magnetfält uppstår Jordens bågchock. Bågchocken ökar den kinetiska entropin hos elektroner som färdas genom den. För den här studien är målet att analysera chockkorsningar vid Jordens bågchock för att kunna dra slutsatser om vilka chockparametrar som är viktiga för generering av kinetisk entropi. Till följd av en tidigare studie av M. Lindberg et al. [1] är det endast kvasi-vinkelräta chockkorsningar med ett lågt plasma beta som denna studie avser. Den uppmätta datan erhålls från NASAs MMS satelliter och kan nås genom IRF Uppsala. Resultatet blev en databas med 13 chocker där entropiförändringen plottades mot bl. a. temperaturoch densitetsändring, chockvinkel, Alfve´n Machtal, jontrycket och magnetfältet uppströms. Det upptäcktes då att ett högt Alfve´n Mach-tal indikerade på en stor entropiökning hos kollisionslösa, kvasi-vinkelräta chockkorsningar med låga elektronplasmabeta. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2022, KTH, Stockholm

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In this thesis, the possibility of enabling space-mining for the upcoming decade is explored. Making use of recently-proven reusable rockets, we envision a fleet of spacecraft capable of reaching Near-Earth asteroids. To analyze this idea, the goal of this problem is to maximize the asteroid mass retrieved within a spacecraft max life span. Explicitly, the maximum lifetime of the spacecraft fleet is set at 30 years. A fuel supply-chain is proposed and designed so that each spacecraft is refueled before departing for each asteroid. To maximize access to the number of asteroids and retrievable mass for each mission, we propose launching each mission from an orbit with low escape velocity. The L2-Halo orbit at the libration point in the Earth-Moon system was selected due to its easy access from Low-Earth Orbit and for a cislunar synergy with NASA Gateway. Using data from NASA SmallBody and CNEOS databases, we investigated NEAs in the period between 2030 and 2060 could be captured in the ecliptic plane and returned to L2-Halo with two approaches, MARM-1 and MARM-2. Together, these databases provide all information for every asteroid's close approach known today. Returning the asteroid as a whole is explored in the MARM-1 method, while MARM-2 evaluates the possibility of reaching larger asteroids and returning a fragment of their masses, such that it optimizes the available cargo weight per time of flight of each mission. The following results are compared with previous work from the community. The results show a 96% reduction in the cost per kg, with an enormous increase in retrieved mass. With these results, this thesis shows that not solely energy or dynamic optimization will be responsible for proving space mining feasibility, but rather a combination of those and business best practices. Proving feasibility for space mining is a complex and immense problem. Although this thesis opens new possibilities for future work on the field and sparkes the interest of private endeavors, the final solution for this problem still requires additional exploration. / M.S. / In this thesis, the possibility of enabling space-mining for the upcoming decade is explored. Making use of recently-proven reusable rockets, we envision a fleet of spacecraft capable of reaching Near-Earth asteroids, NEAs. To analyze this idea, the goal of this problem is to maximize the asteroid mass retrieved within a spacecraft max life span. Explicitly, the maximum lifetime of the spacecraft fleet is set at 30 years. A fuel supply-chain is proposed and designed so that each spacecraft is refueled before departing for each asteroid. To maximize access to the number of asteroids and retrievable mass for each mission, we propose launching each mission from an orbit with low escape velocity. A location after the Moon, at the L2-Halo orbit, was selected due to its easy access from Low-Earth Orbit and for a synergy with the proposed new space station at the Moon orbit. Using data from NASA databases, we investigated the asteroids in the period between 2030 and 2060 that could be captured and returned with two approaches, MARM-1 and MARM-2. Together, these databases provide all information for every asteroid's close approach known today. Returning the asteroid as a whole is explored in the MARM-1 method, while MARM-2 evaluates the possibility of reaching larger asteroids and returning a fragment of their masses, such that it optimizes the available cargo weight per time of flight of each mission. The following results are compared with previous work from the community. The results show a 96% reduction in the cost per kg, with an enormous increase in retrieved mass. With these results, this thesis shows that not solely energy or dynamic optimization will be responsible for proving space mining feasibility, but rather a combination of those and business best practices. Proving feasibility for space mining is a complex and immense problem. Although this thesis opens new possibilities for future work on the field and sparkes the interest of private endeavors, the final solution for this problem still requires additional exploration.

Waterworks typically refer to a system or facility for supplying, storing, and treating water. It encompasses the infrastructure and machinery used to collect, purify, and 
distribute water to homes, businesses, and other users. The term can also mean starting to cry, especially to gain sympathy or attention. Additionally, it can refer to the organs of the body through which urine is passed. The climate crisis presents significant challenges to water filtration. Extreme weather events can contaminate sources. Harmful algal blooms, saltwater intrusion and toxins further complicate filtration. We might have to rethink how we take clean tap water for granted. This home water filtration unit that via acoustics filters the water, reimagines our relationship to drinking water and the habits around it, and the new behaviors and rituals that would emerge from this new normal. / Waterworks avser vanligtvis ett system eller en anläggning för att tillhandahålla, lagra och behandla vatten. Det omfattar infrastrukturen och tekniken som används för att samla in, rena och distribuera vatten till hem, företag och andra användare. Termen kan också betyda att börja gråta, särskilt för att få sympati eller uppmärksamhet. Dessutom kan det referera till kroppens organ genom vilka urin passerar. Klimatkrisen innebär betydande utmaningar för vattenfiltrering. Extrema väderhändelser kan förorena dricksvattentäkter. Skadlig algblomning, saltvattenintrång och gifter försvårar filtreringen ytterligare. Vi kanske måste tänka om kring hur vi idag tar rent kranvatten för givet. Denna filtreringsenhet, som via akustik filtrerar vattnet, belyser vårt förhållande till dricksvatten och de nya beteenden och ritualer som skulle uppstå ur en ny klimatmässig normalsituation.

The increasing reliance on space infrastructure and its rapid expansion necessitate the development and enhancement of tools for space debris and fragmentation research. Accurate prediction of the risks associated with satellite fragmentation requires comprehensive understanding of the dynamics involved. To address this need, the widely used NASA Standard Breakup Model (SBM) is employed in this thesis to predict fragment characteristics resulting from breakup events. Additionally, a novel method is introduced to determine the direction of these fragments, something not directly covered by the SBM. Furthermore, the principle of kinetic gas theory is applied to calculate the overall, long-term collision risk between debris and a predetermined satellite population. The results from this reveal the limitations of the SBM in accurately simulating fragmentations for certain satellite types. However, the newly implemented fragment directionality method aligns well with observed data, suggesting its potential for further research. Similarly, the risk model exhibits strong correspondence with ESA's MASTER, a model used for assessing collision risks with debris, with the deviations likely due to different impact velocity models used. Finally, the validated fragmentation and risk models are combined, and the combined model is used to analyse a real-world fragmentation event. / Det ökande beroendet av rymdinfrastruktur, samt dess snabba expansion kräver utveckling och förbättring av verktyg för forskning och analys kring rymdskräp och fragmentering. För att förstå risken förknippad med satellitfragmentationer så krävs förståelse för den involverade dynamiken. För att tillgodose detta används NASA:s Standard Breakup Model (SBM) i denna avhandling för att bestämma fragmentegenskaper som bildas från olika sorters fragmentationshändelser. Dessutom introduceras en ny metod för att bestämma riktningen för dessa fragment, något som inte direkt täcks av SBM. Dessutom tillämpas principen för kinetisk gasteori för att beräkna den totala, långsiktiga kollisionsrisken mellan rymdskrot och en förutbestämd satellitpopulation. Resultaten från detta avslöjar SBM:s begränsningar när det gäller att simulera fragmenten för vissa satellittyper. Hursomhelst så kan man se att den nyligen implementerade fragmentriktningsmetoden stämmer väl överens med den observerade datan, vilket tyder på dess potential för ytterligare forskning. På samma sätt uppvisar riskmodellen överensstämmelse med ESA:s MASTER, en modell som används för att bedöma kollisionsrisker med rymdskrot, där avvikelser sannolikt beror på att olika kollisionshastighetmodeller används. Slutligen kombineras de validerade fragmenterings- och riskmodellerna, som sedan används för att bidra med analyser till en riktig fragmentationshändelse.

In tracing the history of the TIROS meteorological satellite system, this dissertation details the convergence of two communities: the DOD space scientists who established US capability to launch and operate these remote sensing systems and the US Weather Bureau meteorologists who would be the managers and users of satellite data. Between 1946 and 1964, these persons participated in successive coalitions. These coalitions were necessary in part because satellite systems were too big—geographically, fiscally, and technically—to be developed and operated within a single institution. Thus, TIROS technologies and people trace their roots to several research centers—institutions that the USWB and later NASA attempted to coordinate for US R&D. The gradual transfer of persons and hardware from the armed services to the non-military NASA sheds light on the US’s evolution as a Cold War global power, shaped from the “top-down” (by the executive and legislative branches) as well as the “bottom-up” (by military and non-military scientific communities). Through these successive coalitions, actor terms centered on “basic science” or the circulation of atmospheric data were used to help define bureaucratic places (the Upper Atmospheric Rocket Research Panel, International Geophysical Year, NASA, and the World Weather Watch) in which basic research would be supported by sustained and collaboration could take place with international partners.