Design of a Satellite Tracking Station for Remote Operation and Multi-User Observation

With the advent of LEO constellations, the operation of multiple ground stations becomes an important factor in maintaining several satellites. With a single ground station, the need to perform anomaly resolution on a low-orbiting satellite becomes difficult with short view times and long durations between revisit. The staffing of several ground stations or specialized remote-operation equipment can be cost prohibitive. This paper discusses the design of a satellite ground station at Utah State University (USU) that can be remotely operated over the internet. The design of this ground station outlines software drivers for controlling hardware through a computer interface. A server daemon design is given that provides connections for multiple users. This server Wilkinson, Mark 1 allows an internet connection to the hardware drivers. The design presented illustrates a daemon process running on the Sun Solaris 2 operating system. A graphical user interface (GUI) design was done in the Java programming language. With an embedded TCPIIP client, compatibility is maintained between the C server and this Java client. The end-result is a ground station that can be operated via telepresence through a Java applet. Such a design will allow the operation of multiple low-orbiting satellites, the utilization of several uplink points, all from any internet node. Without a requirement for special equipment, the operation of an experimental satellite or an entire satellite constellation becomes more cost effective

Spacecraft Glow and the Eisg/skirt Experiment

The objective of this experiment is to develop an understanding of the physical processes leading to spacecraft glow phenomena. The emphasis is to be on surface temperature and altitude effects. A complete understanding of the phenomena could be used to accomplish the following: (1) characterize optical instrument backgrounds; (2) provide guidelines for thermal insulations; (3) characterize material selection for flight optics and associated spacecraft; and (4) affect flight-operation altitude selection for relevant missions

University Developed Hardware for the Space Shuttle: Strategies for Success

The current trend in space science is for payload developers to minimize program cost and schedule while conducting useful science. One problem with the design, integration, and testing of lowcost missions is that much of the savings results from the assumption of risk. Analyzing lessons learned from high-risk programs is an effective means for increasing success while meeting budget and schedule constraints. University efforts, such as the University Nanosat Program (UNP), are faced with the seemingly contradictory goals of mission success and low cost while designing revolutionary experiments. Currently planned for a shuttle launch, UNP is subject to rigorous qualification requirements resulting from NASA’s manned spaceflight safety program. Universities have limited experience with the design, integration, and test of flight hardware for manned spaceflight. The program has identified many areas for improvement. This paper explores the effects of various program and technical approaches--those that worked, and those that didn’t. Design, integration and test, configuration management, quality assurance, and safety are considered. Lessons learned from the University Nanosat Program are expected to be the basis for success in launching future university-built technology

Using Social Marketing to Engage Extension Audiences: Lessons from an Effort Targeting Woodland Owners

Social marketing involves applying traditional commercial marketing techniques to public good outcomes. We share findings from use of this approach in reaching woodland owners to promote sustainable forestry in southwest Wisconsin. We experimentally tested three direct mail campaigns. Each included two offers—a free handbook and a free forester visit, but the campaigns varied in terms of landowner segments and marketing messages. Key results across the campaigns include consistent performance of the offers (handbook 17%–19%, forester visit 3%–5%) but varied effects of segment and message. Our results suggest that social marketing can pay dividends in reaching landowners and, potentially, other Extension clientele, but there is more to learn

FINIS: New Methane Detector Technology for Point-Source Detection and Leak Rate Measurements

Utah State University has been developing the Filter Incidence Narrow-band Infrared Spectrometer (FINIS) as a compact instrument for observing atmospheric methane from CubeSats. This instrument will be tested on the upcoming ACMES mission for use as a methane detector. The ACMES mission was selected in 2021 as part of the NASA In-space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program with an expected launch in 2024. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas and one for which a reduction in emissions could have a significant impact on the near-term rate of global warming. As part of the effort to measure tropospheric methane concentration from space, point source leaks have shown to be challenging to be detected and measured using historic satellite sensors due to their low spatial resolution. In this context, Utah State University has been developing FINIS to be suitable for CH4 leak detection using the differential absorption technique in the 1.6 um band of methane. This paper presents the FINIS design for ACMES, including the instrument review, the concept of operation along with lessons learned from previous air-based testing of the FINIS prototype

Out of sight but not out of harm’s way: human disturbance reduces reproductive success of a cavity-nesting seabird

While negative effects of human disturbance on animals living above the ground have been widely reported, few studies have considered effects on animals occupying cavities or burrows underground. It is generally assumed that, in the absence of direct visual contact, such species are less vulnerable to disturbance. Seabird colonies can support large populations of burrow- and cavity-nesting species and attract increasing numbers of tourists. We investigated the potential effects of recreational disturbance on the reproductive behaviour of the European storm petrel <i>Hydrobates pelagicus</i>, a nocturnally-active cavity-nesting seabird. Reproductive phenology and outcome of nests subject to high and low levels of visitor pressure were recorded in two consecutive years. Hatching success did not differ between disturbance levels, but overall nestling mortality was significantly higher in areas exposed to high visitor pressure. Although visitor numbers were consistent throughout the season, the magnitude and rate of a seasonal decline in productivity were significantly greater in nests subject to high disturbance. This study presents good evidence that, even when humans do not pose a direct mortality risk, animals may perceive them as a predation risk. This has implications for the conservation and management of a diverse range of burrow- and cavity-dwelling animals. Despite this reduction in individual fitness, overall colony productivity was reduced by ≤1.6% compared with that expected in the absence of visitors. While the colony-level consequences at the site in question may be considered minor, conservation managers must evaluate the trade-off between potential costs and benefits of public access on a site- and species-specific basis

Oiling Of The Continental Shelf And Coastal Marshes Over Eight Years After The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

We measured the temporal and spatial trajectory of oiling from the April, 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill in water from Louisiana\u27s continental shelf, the estuarine waters of Barataria Bay, and in coastal marsh sediments. The concentrations of 28 target alkanes and 43 target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in water samples collected on 10 offshore cruises, in 19 water samples collected monthly one km offshore at 13 inshore stations in 2010 and 2013, and in 16-60 surficial marsh sediment samples collected on each of 26 trips. The concentration of total aromatics in offshore waters peaked in late summer, 2010, at 100 times above the May, 2010 values, which were already slightly contaminated. There were no differences in surface or bottom water samples. The concentration of total aromatics declined at a rate of 73% y(-1) to 1/1000th of the May 2010 values by summer 2016. The concentrations inside the estuary were proportional to those one km offshore, but were 10-30% lower. The oil concentrations in sediments were initially different at 1 and 10 m distance into the marsh, but became equal after 2 years. Thus, the distinction between oiled and unoiled sites became blurred, if not non-existent then, and oiling had spread over an area wider than was visible initially. The concentrations of oil in sediments were 100-1000 times above the May 2010 values, and dropped to 10 times higher after 8 years, thereafter, demonstrating a long-term contamination by oil or oil residues that will remain for decades. The chemical signature of the oil residues offshore compared to in the marsh reflects the more aerobic offshore conditions and water-soluble tendencies of the dissolved components, whereas the anaerobic marsh sediments will retain the heavier molecular components for a long time, and have a consequential effect on the ecosystems. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Scales of variability of bio-optical properties as observed from near-surface drifters

A drifter equipped with bio-optical sensors and an automated water sampler was deployed in the California Current as part of the coastal transition zone program to study the biological, chemical, and physical dynamics of the meandering filaments. During deployments in 1987 and 1988, measurements were made of fluorescence, downwelling irradiance, upwelling radiance, and beam attenuation using several bio-optical sensors. Samples were collected by an automated sampler for later analysis of nutrients and phytoplankton species composition. Largescale spatial and temporal changes in the bio-optical and biological properties of the region were driven by changes in phytoplankton species composition which, in turn, were associated with the meandering circulation. Variance spectra of the bio-optical parameters revealed fluctuations on both diel and semidiurnal scales, perhaps associated with solar variations and internal tides, respectively. Offshore, inertial-scale fluctuations were apparent in the variance spectra of temperature, fluorescence, and beam attenuation. Although calibration samples can help remove some of these variations, these results suggest that the use of bio-optical data from unattended platforms such as moorings and drifters must be analyzed carefully. Characterization of the scales of phytoplankton variability must account for the scales of variability in the algorithms used to convert bio-optical measurements into biological quantities