Real-time simulations for automated rendezvous and capture

Although the individual technologies for automated rendezvous and capture (AR&C) exist, they have not yet been integrated to produce a working system in the United States. Thus, real-time integrated systems simulations are critical to the development and pre-flight demonstration of an AR&C capability. Real-time simulations require a level of development more typical of a flight system compared to purely analytical methods, thus providing confidence in derived design concepts. This presentation will describe Martin Marietta's Space Operations Simulation (SOS) Laboratory, a state-of-the-art real-time simulation facility for AR&C, along with an implementation for the Satellite Servicer System (SSS) Program

Modular, Autonomous Command and Data Handling Software with Built-In Simulation and Test

The spacecraft system that plays the greatest role throughout the program lifecycle is the Command and Data Handling System (C&DH), along with the associated algorithms and software. The C&DH takes on this role as cost driver because it is the brains of the spacecraft and is the element of the system that is primarily responsible for the integration and interoperability of all spacecraft subsystems. During design and development, many activities associated with mission design, system engineering, and subsystem development result in products that are directly supported by the C&DH, such as interfaces, algorithms, flight software (FSW), and parameter sets. A modular system architecture has been developed that provides a means for rapid spacecraft assembly, test, and integration. This modular C&DH software architecture, which can be targeted and adapted to a wide variety of spacecraft architectures, payloads, and mission requirements, eliminates the current practice of rewriting the spacecraft software and test environment for every mission. This software allows missionspecific software and algorithms to be rapidly integrated and tested, significantly decreasing time involved in the software development cycle. Additionally, the FSW includes an Onboard Dynamic Simulation System (ODySSy) that allows the C&DH software to support rapid integration and test. With this solution, the C&DH software capabilities will encompass all phases of the spacecraft lifecycle. ODySSy is an on-board simulation capability built directly into the FSW that provides dynamic built-in test capabilities as soon as the FSW image is loaded onto the processor. It includes a six-degrees- of-freedom, high-fidelity simulation that allows complete closed-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing of a spacecraft in a ground processing environment without any additional external stimuli. ODySSy can intercept and modify sensor inputs using mathematical sensor models, and can intercept and respond to actuator commands. ODySSy integration is unique in that it allows testing of actual mission sequences on the flight vehicle while the spacecraft is in various stages of assembly, test, and launch operations all without any external support equipment or simulators. The ODySSy component of the FSW significantly decreases the time required for integration and test by providing an automated, standardized, and modular approach to integrated avionics and component interface and functional verification. ODySSy further provides the capability for on-orbit support in the form of autonomous mission planning and fault protection

Italian viticulture between tradition and innovation: a survey on the business decisions of wineries of Basilicata

Most of the Italian economy has been experiencing, since late last year, an economic recession. The only exception to this scenario is that represented by those industries for which the characteristic feature of made in Italy is recognized by the market as a value. In addition to some manufacturing sectors, the agrofood industry is showing a dynamic against the negative trend. In 2011, respect to the previous year, the turnover of the Italian wine sector has increased by 9,2% (Mediobanca, 2012); while the export value increased of 11,5% compared to 2010. About volumes of wine selled, in 2011, Italy continues to maintain the leading position worldwide with 23.8 million hectoliters (+10%). The forecast about the vintage 2012 indicates a decline in volumes of about 9%, partly caused by the bad year, while exports grew by about 7% compared to 2011. The data show a sector with a positive balance but the italian wineries have to take in account the changes in progress to define future strategies: the rising costs of non-renewable resources; the relationship between exchange rates; the new emerging countries (such example, Eastern European countries); new consumers (the Y generation, Asian consumers etc.); substitutive products (beers, wines with a lower alcohol content, dealcholized beverages etc.), the basic equilibrium between demand and supply of wine in the worldwide scenario (Oiv, 2012). In the last years, the Italian wine has been able to maintain and to strengthen its position on the international markets, that’s depends not only by the successful performance of the northern and central regions, historically suited, but also by an increase in both quality and quantity produced in the South and therefore also with the contribution of Basilicata. The wine sector in Basilicata, although quantitatively limited compared to the national production, at the regional level represents a driving force towards other agricultural productions, also thanks to the growing acknowledgment received at national and international level, in particular by the wine Aglianico. In fact, the vintage 2011 was the first one for the denomination “Aglianico Docg Superior”, that’s has allowed the flagship wine of Basilicata to enter in the circuit of prestigious Italian wines as Barolo and Chianti. The aim of this paper is to analyze, through an empirical survey carried out through a questionnaire to a sample of wineries in Basilicata, the business strategies of the past five years and their evolutionary dynamics in the context of this difficult economic environment. Innovate and differentiate are the strategies that more than others allow wineries to compete in a context of tremendous global economic crisis, uncertainty and markets instability. The combination of tradition and innovation is the winning strategy to address the change in the Italian wine industry. The tradition is tied to the value and image of made in Italy, from which the consumer expects a high level of quality and a high service content. Even if some data show that for small firms, the cost containment is still the only viable opportunity, tying the company strategies to a time horizon is often the short term, underestimating unconventional marketing initiatives (such as web marketing) and working, mostly, through conventional channels

Academic Advising and the Student Transition to College

The first year of college continues to be a critical period for student persistence, learning, and development. College students are under increasing pressure to make commitments to major and career plans at a very early stage in their undergraduate experience, often without the programmatic support to do so. First-year experience professionals, who are knowledgeable about student development theory and professionally committed to facilitating the transition of students to collee, are well position to fill the void in support for early academic and career decision-making. Provision of proactive and personalized support to meet the current demands for early educational and vocational decision-makingmay be pivotal for ensuring the success of today's first-year students in general, and today's growing number of first-generation students in particular

Manned maneuvering unit applications for automated rendezvous and capture

Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) is an important technology to multiple National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs and centers. The recent Johnson Spacecraft Center (JSC) AR&C Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has listed on-orbit demonstration of related technologies as a near term priority. Martin Marietta has been evaluating use of the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) for a low cost near term on-orbit demonstration of AR&C technologies such as control algorithms, sensors, and processors as well as system level performance. The MMU Program began in 1979 as the method of repairing the Space Shuttle (STS) Thermal Protection System (the tiles). The units were not needed for this task, but were successfully employed during three Shuttle flights in 1984: a test flight was flown in in February as proof of concept, in April the MMU participated in the Solar Max Repair Mission, and in November the MMU's returned to space to successfully rescue the two errant satellites, Westar and Palapa. In the intervening years, the MMU simulator and MMU Qualification Test Unit (QTU) have been used for Astronaut training and experimental evaluations. The Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) Retriever has used the QTU, in an unmanned form, as a free-flyer on the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Precision Air Bearing Floor (PABF). Currently, the MMU is undergoing recertification for flight. The two flight units were removed from storage in September, 1991 and evaluation tests were performed. The tests demonstrated that the units are in good shape with no discrepancies that would preclude further use. The Return to Flight effort is currently clearing up recertification issues and evaluating the design against the present Shuttle environments

Unlocking the Next Generation of Nano-Satellite Missions with 320 Mbps Ka-Band Downlink: On-Orbit Results

Relatively low downlink data rates have historically limited the scientific and commercial return from CubeSats and SmallSats. As the capability of payloads for these satellites continues to increase, high-speed downlink capability is required to realize the increasing potential from these systems. In this paper we present the on-orbit results of our high-speed Ka-band transmitter operating aboard the twin Corvus-BC3 and Corvus-BC4 6U CubeSats. The 1-U form factor Ka-band system enables the unprecedented data return from a multi-spectral imager in this class of spacecraft. We highlight the spacecraft design and operational challenges that have been overcome on these missions that will enable high-speed downlink on any CubeSat or SmallSat. While the pointing requirements for this Ka-band downlink are readily achievable by today’s small satellites, we discuss some of the hidden complexities on both the attitude determination and control system (ADCS) as well as on the ground segment. Currently in-place ground infrastructure, including a 2.8 m dish at a downlink station in Svalbard, Norway, has enabled rapid commissioning and on-demand downlink several times a day for these sun-synchronous spacecraft. This paper includes flight data from early commission to routine operation at high-data rates. We believe the lessons learned on these missions will be valuable for other CubeSat developers that plan on moving away from UHF, S-band, and X-band and into the realm of millimeter microwave frequencies (such as 27 GHz)

Cold start fuel management of port-fuel-injected internal combustion engines

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 64).The purpose of this study is to investigate how changes in fueling strategy in the second cycle of engine operation influence the delivered charge fuel mass and engine out hydrocarbon (EOHC) emissions in that and subsequent cycles. Close attention will be paid to cycle-to-cycle interaction of the fueling strategy. It is our intent to see if residual fuel from each cycle has a predicable influence on subsequent cycle's charge mass and EOHC emissions. The fast flame ionization detector is employed to measure both in-cylinder and engine out hydrocarbon concentrations for various cold start strategies. The manufacturer's original fueling strategy is used as a starting point and is compared to a "in-cylinder fuel air ratio (Phi) [approx.] 1" case (a fueling strategy that results in an in-cylinder concentration of approximately stoichiometric for each of the first five cycles) and to a number of cases that are chosen to illustrate cycle-to-cycle mixture preparation dependence on second cycle fueling. Significant cycle-to-cycle dependence is observed with the change in second cycle. A fueling deficit in cycle two has a more pronounce effect on future cycles delivered charge mass than a fueling surplus while a fueling surplus in cycle two has a more pronounce effect on future cycles charge mass than a fueling deficit.by James M. Cuseo.S.M

Student Experiences of Multidisciplinarity in the Undergraduate Geography Curriculum

This paper explores the student experience of multidisciplinarity within the undergraduate Geography curriculum. It considers the drivers that have underpinned this development before considering the findings of research into student experiences in two universities in the south of England. The results suggest that most students view this development positively and recognize a number of advantages that it brings, citing expanded opportunities for learning, working with people from other disciplines, expansion of perspectives and perceived benefits to employability. However, for a minority this development is more problematic. The research points here to issues with specialist knowledge and disciplinary pedagogies, social issues within the classroom and class organization and some reservations regarding groupwork. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations