Surrogate-Based SmallSat Architecture Design Leveraging Integrated Parametric Mission Models

The modern space mission landscape requires consideration of many trade variables to meet growing cost and performance constraints. In the defense sector, threats continue to proliferate, driving the need for multi-layered constellations that are robust to myriad potential conflicts. In the civil sector, stakeholders seek science data with ever increasing timeliness, coverage, and resolution to monitor the pulse of Earth\u27s changing environment. Across the commercial arena, companies compete to deliver the best space products and services, bringing cutting edge business opportunities into the realm of possibility for the first time. Now more than ever, all three sectors demand optimal mission performance at low cost. For years academic methods have existed to address such challenges through complex system-of-systems analyses. However, widespread practical application of these methods to multi-satellite mission design remains uncommon. It is in the best interest of industry to evaluate, adopt, deploy, and standardize these methods as they have the capability to deliver unbiased, quick-turn constellation assessments, improving responsiveness to customer investigations of next-generation space missions of all types. Such capabilities lay the groundwork for rapid discovery of highly capable, low cost, future space architectures. This paper presents an approach to identify promising smallsat architectures through integration of parameterized engineering and cost estimation models. This approach simultaneously explores design drivers at multiple levels of mission architecture including payload, bus, orbit, and launch vehicle by employing proven statistical, data science, and machine learning techniques. When deployed at the early stages of constellation development, this analysis approach delivers two main benefits: It informs stakeholders of mission performance and cost sensitivity to a variety of design variables, leading to better decision making earlier in the acquisition timeline; and it uncovers promising regions of large design spaces to be examined further by teams of experts, increasing the efficiency of engineering design cycles

Home medicines reviews following acute coronary syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Despite continual improvements in the management of acute coronary syndromes, adherence to guideline-based medications remains suboptimal. We aim to improve adherence with guideline-based therapy following acute coronary syndrome using an existing service that is provided by specifically trained pharmacists, called a Home Medicines Review. We have made two minor adjustments to target the focus of the existing service including an acute coronary syndrome specific referral letter and a training package for the pharmacists providing the service.Methods/Design: We will be conducting a randomized controlled trial to compare the directed home medicines review service to usual care following acute coronary syndromes. All patients aged 18 to 80 years and with a working diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, who are admitted to two public, acute care hospitals, will be screened for enrolment into the trial. Exclusion criteria will include: not being discharged home, documented cognitive decline, non-Medicare eligibility, and presence of a terminal malignancy. Randomization concealment and sequence generation will occur through a centrally-monitored computer program. Patients randomized to the control group will receive usual post-discharge care. Patients randomized to receive the intervention will be offered usual post-discharge care and a directed home medicines review at two months post-discharge. The study endpoints will be six and twelve months post-discharge. The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients who are adherent to a complete, guideline-based medication regimen. Secondary outcomes will include hospital readmission rates, length of hospital stays, changes in quality of life, smoking cessation rates, cardiac rehabilitation completion rates, and mortality.Discussion: As the trial is closely based on an existing service, any improvements observed should be highly translatable into regular practice. Possible limitations to the success of the trial intervention include general practitioner approval of the intervention, general practitioner acceptance of pharmacists' recommendations, and pharmacists' ability to make appropriate recommendations. A detailed monitoring process will detect any barriers to the success of the trial. Given that poor medication persistence following acute coronary syndrome is a worldwide problem, the findings of our study may have international implications for the care of this patient group.Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000452998. © 2012 Bernal et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Venus Mobile Explorer: Balloon Concept

This presentation was part of the session : Short CoursesSixth International Planetary Probe WorkshopVenus Mobile Explorer: Balloon Concep