<p>The aim of the project is to collect empirical data on contact line motion in vibrating tanks under zero-gravity (zero-g) conditions. This study is particularly focused on the behavior of current green propellants, which have a high contact angle compared to traditional stores like water. As a result, the non-linear contact line and angle is expected to have a significant impact on zero-g behavior. The thesis focuses on the dynamic experiment of developing an experimental payload designed to fly on Blue Origin\textquotesingle s New Shepherd suborbital flight. The data collected from this experiment will provide a benchmark case for developers of zero-g fluid dynamics simulations to compare or improve their simulation results. The results will also be useful for testing non-linear hysteresis contact line simulations.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The design of the experiment mainly focuses on conducting oscillatory motion in zero gravity to observe the contact line at varying speeds. Two different liquids are intended to be tested on the same payload. The liquid is to be filled so that the free surface has a height of 1 inch, and the vibration amplitude is to be 0.1 inches. The liquid chosen closely simulates the current green propellants under development or other poorly-wetting liquids. The purpose of each of the components used in the experiment is justified with respect to the given flight design constraints, along with how the constraints impacted the experiment. The experiment is designed to sustain the forces in case of hard landing during the flight and autonomous control of motion. The experiment is staged to be ready for flight on the New Shepherd, and any future works are mentioned. </p> <p><br></p> <p>To meet these constraints, the experimental payload is designed with a variety of components, each chosen for its ability to perform under the given conditions. The payload includes a custom-built system, which generates the oscillatory motion necessary to observe the contact line behavior. The system is designed to be compact and lightweight, yet robust enough to withstand the forces of launch and landing. In addition, the payload includes a custom-built tank designed to hold the liquids being tested. The study of contact line motion in vibrating tanks under zero-g conditions is important in understanding the behavior of liquids in space. This study will provide crucial data that will help in the development of more accurate fluid dynamic simulations for future space missions.</p>

abstract: The development of new Ultra-Violet/Visible/IR range (UV/Vis/IR) astronomical instrumentation that use novel approaches for imaging and increase the accessibility of observing time for more research groups is essential for rapid innovation within the community. Unique focal planes that are rapid-prototyped, low cost, and provide high resolution are key. In this dissertation the emergent designs of three unique focal planes are discussed. These focal planes were each designed for a different astronomical platform: suborbital balloon, suborbital rocket, and ground-based observatory. The balloon-based payload is a hexapod-actuated focal plane that uses tip-tilt motion to increase angular resolution through the removal of jitter – known as the HExapod Resolution-Enhancement SYstem (HERESY), the suborbital rocket imaging payload is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) delta-doped charge-coupled device (CCD) packaged to survive the rigors of launch and image far-ultra-violet (FUV) spectra, and the ground-based observatory payload is a star centroid tracking modification to the balloon version of HERESY for the tip-tilt correction of atmospheric turbulence. The design, construction, verification, and validation of each focal plane payload is discussed in detail. For HERESY’s balloon implementation, pointing error data from the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO) Antarctic balloon mission was used to form an experimental lab test setup to demonstrate the hexapod can eliminate jitter in flight-like conditions. For the suborbital rocket focal plane, a harsh set of unit-level tests to ensure the payload could survive launch and space conditions, as well as the characterization and optimization of the JPL detector, are detailed. Finally, a modification of co-mounting a fast-read detector to the HERESY focal plane, for use on ground-based observatories, intended to reduce atmospherically induced tip-tilt error through the centroid tracking of bright natural guidestars, is described. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Exploration Systems Design 2019

This report investigates research opportunities in manned suborbital flights and gives future recommendations for relevant parties to seize such opportunities. The objective is to make a summary of the current state and elaborate on possible future steps to take. The study uses a research- and analysis-based approach, with stakeholder interviews being an important contribution to the analysis, as well as open-source mate-rials such as market analyses and research papers. Emerging suborbital flight vehicle developers are studied, as well as the future demand for suborbital flights. Major space research areas are investigated in terms of current experiments conducted, platforms used for experiments and their drivers and drawbacks, and future goals and dreams.The demand for suborbital flights is expected to grow up to 40% in coming years, out of which space research will account for 24%. Key characteristics of currently used platforms are microgravity time and level, payload capacity, flight and re-flight opportunities, launch flex-ibility and cost. The cost per kg of payload for suborbital flights is a competitive k€0.5-5. Suborbital flights can fill a gap in research in biology, physiology and human research, astrobiology/exobiolgy, atmo-spheric physics, space technology, and education. There are also fu-ture opportunities for satellite launch, with a growing demand for small-satellite launches. Future recommendations for Sweden are to develop institutional support for suborbital flights on an EU level, and to initi-ate collaborations for a suborbital flights program with a vehicle concept that provides better microgravity time and level than parabolic flights, and offers the possibility to have a human operator.

Les transports suborbitaux privés peuvent être définis comme tout vol réalisé au moyen d’un véhicule aérospatial, capable d’atteindre une très haute altitude et d’évoluer dans les couches supérieures de l’atmosphère terrestre, sans pour autant être mis en orbite. Plusieurs entreprises ont pour projet de faire des vols suborbitaux, le mode de transport de personnes à grande vitesse de demain. Dans l’hypothèse d’un tel développement, la réflexion autour de la règlementation de ces activités devient primordiale. Les activités suborbitales ont la particularité de prendre place à la fois dans l’espace aérien et dans l’espace extra-atmosphérique et pour ce faire, empruntent autant les caractéristiques techniques de l’aéronef que de l’engin spatial. Il est donc particulièrement difficile de les qualifier du fait qu’il existe plusieurs corpus législatifs susceptibles de régir ces vols : le droit aérien, le droit spatial ou un nouveau régime qu’il conviendrait alors d’imaginer. Sans prétendre à l’exhaustivité, ce mémoire envisagera les différentes options normatives pouvant permettre de règlementer la responsabilité du transporteur suborbital de personnes lorsqu’il cause un dommage au participant durant le vol. Le cas échéant, nous proposerons les meilleures alternatives pouvant permettre d’assurer le développement pérenne de ce secteur d’activité, tout en garantissant un haut niveau de sécurité juridique pour l’ensemble des parties prenantes, participants comme opérateurs spatiaux. / Private suborbital transportation can be defined as any spaceflight by an aerospace vehicle capable of reaching a very high altitude into the edge of space without reaching orbital velocity. For now, the aim of those activities is to offer customers direct experience with space travel. However, the ultimate goal is to provide high speed flights between various point of the Earth. When this objective will be achieved, the need to promulgate an integrated and uniform legal regime will be of great importance in order to facilitate and secured commercial aerospace activities expansion. Private suborbital activities have the dual specificities of using a vehicle that use either astronautic et aeronautics technology in order to achieve lift and thereby flying in air space, and also traveling through outer space during a small portion of the flight. This hybrid nature raises legal uncertainties about the applicable legal regime that could be one of air law, space law or a new regime that would need to be invented. This essay will focus on the specific issues surrounding liability. In other terms, it will focus on the different options that are available to manage liability issues that will arise between spaceflight participant and spaceflight operators and the way it will impact disputes when an accident occurs. Then, we will make a proposal for solutions that would best preserve the economic needs of this emerging industry, while insuring legal certainties for both spaceflight operators and participants.