Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) /aerospace/ en Google Maps for space? One grad student is making it happen /aerospace/2024/12/03/google-maps-space-one-grad-student-making-it-happen <span>Google Maps for space? One grad student is making it happen</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-03T16:25:47-07:00" title="Tuesday, December 3, 2024 - 16:25">Tue, 12/03/2024 - 16:25</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-12/Turner_photo_jpg.jpg?h=681c29f3&amp;itok=YMLEMmom" width="1200" height="800" alt="Dezell Turner"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p>Dezell Turner slips on a set of sleek augmented reality goggles in the lobby of the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building. Behind him stretches a floor-to-ceiling mural of space—a deep blue sky dotted with constellations and the cloudy shape of the Milky Way.</p><p>In his Microsoft HoloLens headset, however, Turner is experiencing a different kind of outer space.</p><div><div>&nbsp;</div></div><p>Turner, a graduate student in <a href="/aerospace" rel="nofollow">aerospace engineering sciences</a>, waives his hands in front of him and pinches his fingers. Inside the headset, which only he can see, curving red and yellow lines appear. They join two dots, one representing Earth and the other the moon. With a few swipes, the lines shift, transforming from a relatively simple arc to more complicated curls and loop-de-loops.</p><p>It looks like a more dizzying version of directions you might follow on your phone during a road trip.</p><p>“This is like a holographic Google Maps for planning space missions,” he said.</p><p>The new tool, which Turner developed working under advisor Jay McMahon, projects various paths a spacecraft could take to get to the moon through what scientists call “cislunar” space. He named the software ASTROMECH, a nod to a class of droids in the Star Wars franchise.</p><p>Turner’s work arrives as the moon is having a moment. NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/" rel="nofollow">Artemis Program</a> plans to land humans on the lunar surface sometime this decade. Other entities, including a growing number of private companies, have their eyes set on space. Turner hopes that his AR tool will help some of those groups plan out their missions—picking routes and weighing factors like speed versus fuel cost.</p><p>For the budding aerospace engineer, the project is a chance to make the technology from some of his favorite movies a reality. Picture the scene in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens in which a droid projects a holographic map that will lead the characters to the location of a missing hero.</p><p>“When R2D2 projects the map to Luke Skywalker, we’re creating a real-world version of that that’s hopefully just as intuitive to use,” Turner said.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large"><div class="ucb-callout-content"><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span>Dezell Turner in the lobby of the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building. (Credit: Dezell Turner)</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span>According to ASTROMECH, this route from Earth to the moon would take a little over 15 days. The display also includes an estimate for delta-V, essentially how much fuel the spacecraft will need to burn. (Credit: Dezell Turner)</span></p></div></div><h2>Miniature planetarium</h2><p>Turner, who’s 24, has loved space for as long as he can remember. When he was 4 years old, his parents bought him a projector that displayed a star map on the ceiling of his bedroom. He spent so long staring at the projection that he memorized many of the constellations.</p><p>But space is a lot more complicated than movies or his bedroom planetarium might make it seem. In Star Wars, if Han Solo needs to get somewhere, he just points the Millennium Falcon in the right direction and goes. In reality, spacecraft leaving Earth’s orbit are caught in the push and pull between the planet and its moon.</p><p>“Your trajectories aren’t always going to be traditional shapes like ellipses and circles,” Turner said. “Spacecraft may take all sorts of weird paths, and that can become very mathematically complicated.”</p><p>In 1969, for example, Apollo 11 took a relatively direct route to the moon, arriving in an orbit close to the lunar surface in about three days. More recently, <a href="/today/2022/11/16/nasas-orion-spacecraft-now-finally-heading-moon-what-comes-next" rel="nofollow">NASA’s Artemis 1 mission</a>, which launched in 2022 with no humans aboard, made a more circuitous pass. The mission’s Orion space capsule first circled the moon, using its gravity to slingshot roughly 40,000 miles past the moon. That trip took five days.</p><p>Turner explained that some small aerospace companies may not have employees versed in those kinds of gravitational intricacies. ASTROMECH does the math for them.</p><p>“The ways in which Dezell is leveraging AR in designing ASTROMECH has the potential to make cislunar trajectory design much more understandable for most people in the industry,” said McMahon, associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. “This could be hugely beneficial for training new employees and increasing small companies' ability to operate spacecraft in cislunar space.”</p><h2>Alternate routes available</h2><p>Back in the aerospace lobby, Turner demonstrates how he can pinch and swipe to compare those different routes.</p><p>Currently, the tool only tabulates fairly simple trajectories, similar to the direct path Apollo 11 took to the moon. But Turner would like to eventually add in more complicated routes. They include ones that take advantage of “Lagrange points,” or special spots in space where gravitational forces allow spacecraft to, essentially, park. The tool also includes an estimate for what aerospace engineers call delta-V, a calculation that roughly captures how much fuel a spacecraft will need to burn making maneuvers. Do you want to get to the moon fast and spend a bit more money or take your time and save on fuel?</p><p>Turner has a lot more work to do before aerospace companies can begin using ASTROMECH. One day, he envisions laying out trajectories for undertaking journeys even deeper into the solar system.</p><p>For now, he’s happy to have space at his fingerprints—just like Rey gazing at R2D2’s map.</p><p>“Getting to wear the headset really makes my day, especially when I’ve been fighting bugs in my code,” Turner said. “Getting to play with holograms makes me feel like a little kid.”</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/12/03/google-maps-space-one-grad-student-making-it-happen`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:25:47 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5854 at /aerospace Engineers transform smartphones into instruments for studying space /aerospace/2024/11/15/engineers-transform-smartphones-instruments-studying-space <span>Engineers transform smartphones into instruments for studying space</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-15T11:19:53-07:00" title="Friday, November 15, 2024 - 11:19">Fri, 11/15/2024 - 11:19</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-11/7_jade_morton_with_a_phone_and_monitoring_station_jpg.jpg?h=226c458b&amp;itok=L6BROdjo" width="1200" height="800" alt="Jade Morton holding a cell phone."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/329" hreflang="en">Jade Morton News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>That ordinary smartphone in your pocket could be a powerful tool for investigating outer space.</p><p>In a new study, researchers at Google and CU «Ƶ have transformed millions of Android phones across the globe into a fleet of nimble scientific instruments—generating one of the most detailed maps to date of the uppermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-xlarge">&nbsp;</div><p>The group’s findings, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08072-x" rel="nofollow">published Nov. 13 in the journal Nature</a>, might help to improve the accuracy of GPS technology worldwide several-fold. The research was led by Brian Williams of Google Research and included Jade Morton, professor in the <a href="/aerospace" rel="nofollow">Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences</a> at CU «Ƶ.</p><p>“These phones can literally fit in your palm,” Morton said. “But through crowdsourcing, we can use them to change the way we understand the space environment.”</p><p>She and her colleagues used the GPS sensors that come standard in every smartphone to collect data on how Earth’s atmosphere warped signals coming from satellites. In the process, they were able to view phenomena in the atmosphere, such as blobs high above the planet known as “plasma bubbles,” in never-before-seen detail.</p><p>The group released its data publicly so that anyone can watch how the atmosphere swirled and shifted over about eight months.“Collaboration is central to scientific progress and to our scientific research at Google,” said Lizzie Dorfman, product lead for Science AI in Google Research. “Dr. Morton’s expertise was essential to this research, and it has been an absolute pleasure working with her as a visiting researcher and collaborator.”</p><h2>Eye on the ionosphere</h2><p>The study puts new focus on the ionosphere, a wispy layer of the atmosphere that stretches more than 350 miles above Earth’s surface.</p><p>It’s a volatile arena: Here, rays from the sun constantly beat down on the atmosphere, splitting its molecules and atoms into a soupy mix of charged particles—what scientists call a plasma. It also never stays still.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-large">&nbsp;</div><p>“At 2 o'clock in afternoon, there are a lot more charged particles in the ionosphere because the sun is at its strongest,” Morton said. “But at night, the sun is on the other side of the planet, so we have very few charged particles.”</p><p>That fluctuation can play havoc with GPS technology.</p><p>Morton explained that the technology works through a sort of stopwatch in space: Satellites thousands of miles from Earth first beam radio waves to the planet. Your phone then pinpoints your location by measuring how long it takes those signals to reach the ground.</p><p>Scientists try to account for how the ionosphere might shift that timing by mapping this region of space using radar dishes on the ground. Currently, however, they can only observe about 14% of the ionosphere at any one time. As a result, GPS devices may miss your exact location by anywhere from a few to several dozen feet.</p><p>“There are a lot of applications that require a lot of accuracy—for example, landing aircraft,” Morton said.</p><h2>Bubbling up</h2><p>In the current study, the researchers landed on an unusual idea: Rather than rely on expensive radar dishes, they could map the ionosphere using a suite of sensors that already existed in every country on Earth: Android phones.</p><p>The ionosphere maps are created using aggregated measurements of the radio signals between satellites and the receivers in some Android devices. <a href="https://research.google/blog/mapping-the-ionosphere-with-the-power-of-android/" rel="nofollow">Privacy protections</a> ensure these measurements do not identify any contributing individual devices. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In particular, the group used the phones to track in real time how the ionosphere stretches out radio waves coming from satellites.</p><p>The team reported that, on its own, this worldwide fleet could observe roughly 21% of the ionosphere—potentially doubling the accuracy of GPS devices worldwide.</p><p>“Millions of phones together can do a much better job of monitoring the atmosphere than our ground network,” Morton said.</p><p>The group’s maps also capture the ionosphere in brilliant detail.</p><p>In May 2024, for example, a powerful solar storm struck Earth just as the group’s cell phones were looking up. In the hours that followed, huge regions of atmosphere, or “plasma bubbles,” containing low concentrations of charged particles formed above parts of South America. Those bubbles then rose through the ionosphere like wax in a lava lamp.</p><p>Morton, for her part, says the study shows the untapped potential of the everyday technologies that many people take for granted.</p><p>“I have spent my lifetime building dedicated instruments to do scientific research,” Morton said. “But as technology advances in our society, we see all these sensors at our disposal that have a lot more power than we ever imagined.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/today/2024/11/13/engineers-transform-smartphones-instruments-studying-space`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:19:53 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5845 at /aerospace Schaub one of nine new CU Distinguished Professors /aerospace/2024/11/07/schaub-one-nine-new-cu-distinguished-professors <span>Schaub one of nine new CU Distinguished Professors</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-07T12:03:29-07:00" title="Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 12:03">Thu, 11/07/2024 - 12:03</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/aerospace_faculty_portraits_pc0049.jpg.jpg?h=4f1481c3&amp;itok=0GiuHm5T" width="1200" height="800" alt> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/221" hreflang="en">Hanspeter Schaub News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p><strong>Hanspeter Schaub, Ph.D., </strong>Professor and Department Chair, Schaden Leadership Chair, Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering, «Ƶ</p><div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Hanspeter Schaub, Ph.D.</div></div><p>Schaub is a visionary leader in the field of astrodynamics and spacecraft control whose innovative research has advanced the theoretical and practical understanding of spacecraft operations. His pioneering contributions to spacecraft formation flying, proximity operations, autonomous spacecraft scheduling and charged astrodynamics have transformed how we model and manage spacecraft motion, particularly through his work in electrostatic charging. These advancements are reshaping space mission proximity and rendezvous concepts, enabling new capabilities in spacecraft control without physical contact.</p><p>Schaub’s research has been instrumental in high-profile space projects, including the development of key components for the UAE Hope mission to Mars and the creation of the widely used Basilisk simulation environment. His work also explores the integration of machine learning into spacecraft command and control, opening new avenues for the future of space operations. His leadership in these cutting-edge fields is reflected in his recognition as a Fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Astronautical Society (AAS), alongside prestigious awards like the AAS Dirk Brouwer Award and the AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award. He won the University of Colorado Hazel Barnes prize for integrating his research into multiple graduate courses.</p><p>As an educator, Schaub has had a profound impact on aerospace engineering. His co-authored textbook is a cornerstone in universities worldwide, and his groundbreaking aerospace MOOC has brought advanced learning to tens of thousands of students. His commitment to education has been recognized with numerous awards, and his mentorship has guided the careers of dozens of Ph.D. students, fostering the next generation of leaders in the field. In his role as Department Chair and through his editorial leadership at the AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Schaub continues to shape the future of aerospace engineering research and education, leaving a lasting legacy in academia and industry.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The high honor recognizes exceptional contributions in research, education and service. Schaub’s research has been instrumental in high-profile space projects, including the...</div> <script> window.location.href = `https://connections.cu.edu/spotlights/nine-faculty-members-join-ranks-cu-distinguished-professors`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:03:29 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5837 at /aerospace NSF spotlight on CU «Ƶ CubeSat project /aerospace/2024/10/25/nsf-spotlight-cu-boulder-cubesat-project <span>NSF spotlight on CU «Ƶ CubeSat project</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-25T13:08:57-06:00" title="Friday, October 25, 2024 - 13:08">Fri, 10/25/2024 - 13:08</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/swarm-ex_project_description_20190530_v3-52.png?h=eab6a245&amp;itok=eW4hS2ee" width="1200" height="800" alt="Renderings of the SWARM-EX satellite."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/187" hreflang="en">Scott Palo News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/callout/swarmex7.png?itok=Z4LYbM64" width="750" height="750" alt> </div> </div> <p>The National Science Foundation is highlighting the SWARM-EX CubeSats.</p><p>The three cube satellite project, formally titled Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX), is an initiative of six universities, led by the «Ƶ.</p><p>"The thermosphere and ionosphere system — the start of what we often think of as 'outer space' — is a highly variable and complex region of our atmosphere contributing to space weather," said Scott Palo, a professor in Smead Aerospace and principal investigator for SWARM-EX.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://new.nsf.gov/news/surfing-atmospheric-waves-tiny-satellites" rel="nofollow">Read the full article at NSF...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>The National Science Foundation is highlighting the SWARM-EX CubeSats. The three cube satellite project, formally titled Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable...</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:08:57 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5822 at /aerospace Air Force Research Lab Co-Learning Team Visits Smead Aerospace /aerospace/2024/10/25/air-force-research-lab-co-learning-team-visits-smead-aerospace <span>Air Force Research Lab Co-Learning Team Visits Smead Aerospace</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-25T11:48:16-06:00" title="Friday, October 25, 2024 - 11:48">Fri, 10/25/2024 - 11:48</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-10/image4.jpg?h=52d3fcb6&amp;itok=6kPwLZHO" width="1200" height="800" alt="Members of the team in the human centrifuge lab."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/229" hreflang="en">Marcus Holzinger News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/image1.jpg?itok=OBxBvnxV" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Inspecting a RAAVEN drone."> </div> <p class="small-text">Inspecting a RAAVEN drone.</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-10/image4.jpg?itok=utmZd1QZ" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Members of the team in the human centrifuge lab."> </div> <p class="small-text">Members of the team in the human centrifuge lab.</p></div></div></div><p>Personnel from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Dayton, Ohio visited Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences October 7, 2024.&nbsp;</p><p>AFRL members met with faculty, researchers, and students pursuing human factors and space research in the department.&nbsp;</p><p>The Co-Learning team, led by Dr. Lorraine Borghetti, is pursuing novel methods for developing effective human-machine teaming systems in space domain awareness (SDA). The interdisciplinary team consists of experts from a wide range of backgrounds, including cognitive engineering, psychology, computer science, and data analysts.&nbsp;</p><p>The visit day was hosted by Prof. <a href="/aerospace/marcus-holzinger" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="af7471b2-7853-4c15-b4fa-2963c1099264" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Marcus Holzinger">Marcus Holzinger’s</a> Vision, Autonomy, and Decision Research (VADeR) Lab. Researchers in the VADeR Lab are developing a comprehensive SDA virtual reality (VR) wargaming environment to train Space Force cadets to operate spacecraft in cislunar space – the area between the Earth and Moon.&nbsp;</p><p>The partnership also includes subject matter experts from the CU Center for National Security Initiatives (NSI) and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). AFRL/RH and the VADeR Lab have plans to conduct joint human subject experiments related to space wargaming on campus.</p><p>The AFRL RH team and the VADeR lab also discussed space workforce development. Dr. Marcus Holzinger serves as the Principal Investigator on the <a href="/aerospace/2023/10/03/cu-boulder-leading-5-million-multi-university-project-advance-space-economy" rel="nofollow">STARLIT award</a>; STARLIT focuses on advancing SDA research and expanding the space talent pipeline. The discussion encompassed student recruitment strategies for AFRL internships, as well as information dissemination on AFRL’s postdoctoral opportunities through the National Academy of Sciences.</p><p>For more information on the AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate, <a href="https://www.afrl.af.mil/711HPW/RH/" rel="nofollow">please visit their website.</a></p><p>For more information on Dr. Marcus Holzinger and the VADeR Lab, <a href="/faculty/holzinger/" rel="nofollow">please visit their website.</a></p><p><em><span>Contributing authors: Casey R. Heidrich, Meaghan Allyn</span></em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Personnel from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Dayton, Ohio visited Smead Aerospace...</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 25 Oct 2024 17:48:16 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5821 at /aerospace NASA Spotlight on CU «Ƶ CubeSat Van Allen Belt research /aerospace/2024/09/17/nasa-spotlight-cu-boulder-cubesat-van-allen-belt-research <span>NASA Spotlight on CU «Ƶ CubeSat Van Allen Belt research</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-17T12:59:33-06:00" title="Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - 12:59">Tue, 09/17/2024 - 12:59</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/callout/cirbe_0.png?h=fe03d23e&amp;itok=EeZoFpFP" width="1200" height="800" alt> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/187" hreflang="en">Scott Palo News</a> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/189" hreflang="en">Xinlin Li News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/callout/img_7985.jpg?itok=4eTVH2E8" width="750" height="563" alt="CIRBE"> </div> </div> <p>An instrument aboard the CIRBE CubeSat is using advanced detection techniques and leveraging an orbit with specific characteristics to increase our understanding of the Van Allen belts</p><p>Designed and built by Smead Aerospace and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the «Ƶ, CIRBE launched in 2023 and is conducting sophisticated, fine-grain measurements of the Van Allen radiation belts. CIRBE is managed by Professors <a href="/aerospace/xinlin-li" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="a49b2ac4-3de2-4147-8f53-2de3a72b7855" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Xinlin Li">Xinlin Li</a> and <a href="/aerospace/scott-palo" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="1db428f6-4f74-4e10-9481-dd0e1aacdb3b" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Scott Palo">Scott Palo.</a></p><p>NASA is highlighting the research in a new article on an intense magnetic storm in May 2024.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/innovative-instrument-reveals-hidden-features-deep-inside-the-van-allen-radiation-belts/" rel="nofollow">Read the full article at NASA.gov...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:59:33 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5797 at /aerospace Holzinger interviewed by PBS News Hour on space junk /aerospace/2024/08/12/holzinger-interviewed-pbs-news-hour-space-junk <span>Holzinger interviewed by PBS News Hour on space junk</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-08-12T16:27:54-06:00" title="Monday, August 12, 2024 - 16:27">Mon, 08/12/2024 - 16:27</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-08/PBSscreenshot%20.jpg?h=b543874e&amp;itok=ENJPxQpd" width="1200" height="800" alt="Rendering of debris orbiting the Earth."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/229" hreflang="en">Marcus Holzinger News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-default"> <div class="field_media_oembed_video"><iframe src="/aerospace/media/oembed?url=https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZnP28QbZx_Y&amp;max_width=516&amp;max_height=350&amp;hash=hofwjAF4iI-mQ4R7HwlEoZY4Dj6xAElfDBOMsFhSC8k" frameborder="0" allowtransparency width="516" height="350" class="media-oembed-content" loading="eager" title="Human-made debris left behind in outer space is a growing problem down on Earth"></iframe> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/marcus-holzinger" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="af7471b2-7853-4c15-b4fa-2963c1099264" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Marcus Holzinger">Marcus Holzinger </a>spoke to PBS News Hour about the growing problem of derelict satellites and other debris orbiting our planet: space junk.</p><p>"So these are defunct satellites, rocket bodies that have been expended and left up in orbit, as well as parts of spacecraft or parts of rocket bodies that have been up there now for an excess of 50 years, and even all the way up to the current time. There are about 40,000 objects that we're tracking right now on orbit," Holzinger said.</p><p>Holzinger, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is an expert on space domain awareness -- the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the Earth.</p><p>During the interview, he discussed the importance of systems to track orbital material and policy solutions to ensure old satellites are de-orbited or moved to graveyard orbits to ensure they do not cause problems in the future.</p><p class="text-align-center lead"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/human-made-debris-left-behind-in-outer-space-is-a-growing-problem-down-on-earth" rel="nofollow">Read the Interview Transcript</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnP28QbZx_Y" rel="nofollow">Watch the Interview on YouTube</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 12 Aug 2024 22:27:54 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5767 at /aerospace Scheeres joins ESA’s Hera asteroid mission /aerospace/2024/07/03/scheeres-joins-esas-hera-asteroid-mission <span>Scheeres joins ESA’s Hera asteroid mission</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-03T09:08:11-06:00" title="Wednesday, July 3, 2024 - 09:08">Wed, 07/03/2024 - 09:08</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/dimorphos_north-up_image_composition_final_10_full-frame_images.png?h=dd1e4d4b&amp;itok=SOYHG1br" width="1200" height="800" alt="Dimorphos up close."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/243" hreflang="en">Daniel Scheeres News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/article-image/smead_scheeres_lr_jpg.jpg?itok=J30wcwGU" width="375" height="533" alt="Dan Scheeres"> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/node/432" rel="nofollow">Dan Scheeres</a> has been named a NASA participating scientist on the European Space Agency’s Hera mission.</p><p>Scheeres, a distinguished professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the «Ƶ, is <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/planetary-science/nasa-selects-participating-scientists-to-join-esas-hera-mission/" rel="nofollow">one of 12 individuals announced by NASA </a>to join the space probe mission, which is scheduled to launch in October 2024.</p><p>Hera will study the binary asteroid system Didymos, including the moonlet Dimorphos, which was impacted by NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft on Sept. 26, 2022. The objectives of DART and Hera collectively aim to validate the kinetic impact method as a technology to deflect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, if one is ever discovered, and to learn more about the near-Earth asteroids that are the source of this natural hazard.</p><p>“The Smead Department was heavily involved with the DART mission, and Hera is really the culmination of that project. My overall focus will be on interpreting the pictures we obtain of the Didymos binary asteroid system to better understand the orbit and spins of the two bodies about each other, and to understand what the surface environment is like,” Scheeres said.</p><p>Scheeres is a National Academy of Engineering member, recognized for pioneering work on the motion of bodies in strongly perturbed environments such as near asteroids and comets.</p><p>Hera is scheduled to arrive at the Didymos/Dimorphos binary asteroid system at the end of 2026, where it will gather otherwise unobtainable data about the mass and makeup of both bodies and assess the changes caused by the DART spacecraft’s kinetic impact.&nbsp;</p><p>“There are many aspects of this system that don't seem to make sense, so puzzling out these different issues will be an exciting and exhilarating experience,” Scheeres said. “The Hera mission will be able to take crucial measurements that will determine how effective the DART impact was in moving the secondary asteroid Dimorphos.”</p><p>The goal of NASA’s Hera Participating Scientist Program is to support scientists at U.S. institutions to participate on the Hera mission and address outstanding questions in planetary defense and near-Earth asteroid science. The participating scientists will become Hera science team members during their 5-year tenure with the mission.</p><p>DART was the first flight mission from NASA’s<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense" rel="nofollow"> Planetary Defense Coordination Office, </a>which oversees the agency’s ongoing efforts in planetary defense. International participation in DART and Hera, including the Hera Participating Scientist Program, has been enabled by an ongoing worldwide collaboration in the planetary defense research community known as the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 03 Jul 2024 15:08:11 +0000 Anonymous 5752 at /aerospace New approach to aerial ground penetrating radar for Mars research /aerospace/2024/07/01/new-approach-aerial-ground-penetrating-radar-mars-research <span>New approach to aerial ground penetrating radar for Mars research</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-01T08:43:08-06:00" title="Monday, July 1, 2024 - 08:43">Mon, 07/01/2024 - 08:43</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/overview_sketch_1.png?h=dae7f172&amp;itok=IxVUcAxF" width="1200" height="800" alt="Drawing of a multirotor drone using passive radar to analyze subsurface areas."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/474" hreflang="en">Sean Peters News</a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/article-image/overview_sketch_1_0.png?itok=FjOTqmoK" width="750" height="440" alt="Drawing of a multirotor drone using passive radar to analyze subsurface areas."> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/node/5480" rel="nofollow">Sean Peters </a>is leading a major multi-institutional initiative to develop power efficient passive radar systems that could peek under the surface of Mars.</p><p>Peters has earned a $2.45 million, three-year NASA grant to create a drone-based system to map subsurface areas. The project includes field-testing on Earth with an eye toward potential future deployments on missions to the red planet. The work will be carried out in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Arizona, and the Reykjavik University in Iceland.</p><p>“This will allow us to understand the properties of the surface, the depth of ice deposits, and areas that have potential for astro-biological studies on indicators that may support life” said Peters, an assistant professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the «Ƶ.</p><p>Utilizing radar on a drone presents unique challenges, and Peters’ team has ideas how to solve this challenging problem.</p><p>Most radar technology actively transmits signals, sending out pings and tracking the response to map nearby terrain or objects. This technology has been applied to various industries, such as military, air traffic control, and the geosciences.</p><p>Aboard a drone, such systems are not always practical, as they are large and power hungry.</p><p>Peters has proposed a much smaller passive radar system that, instead of emitting its own signals, would pick up natural electromagnetic waves emitted by the sun and Jupiter to conduct measurements.</p><p>“You’re listening for radio noise, essentially the unwanted part in a traditional active radar, to implement this low-resource technology onboard an uncrewed aerial system for altimetry and sounding,” Peters said. “We’ve done preliminary tests with the sun, and we know this is possible. It should be possible for Jupiter too.”</p><p>Taking advantage of ambient radio waves from radio-astronomical bodies was a focus of Peters’ PhD thesis and has been an area of active work for nearly a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is a partner on the grant.</p><p>“Jupiter produces radio bursts at the same frequencies as traditional ground penetrating radars, and we can measure them here on Earth. They penetrate into the ground, and our goal is to pick up and analyze the reflected signals to observe what’s below the surface,” Peters said.</p><p>Peters’ PhD student, Thorsteinn Kristinsson, is conducting early work on the grant.</p><p>“We feel electromagnetic waves coming from the sun just going outside. You wouldn’t think looking at the sky that there are waves hitting your body from Jupiter too, but at certain times there are.”</p><p>The project is incorporating both the sun and Jupiter because their electromagnetic waves cover different areas of the frequency spectrum. Jupiter’s waves are lower frequency and penetrate deeper into the ground, allowing the team to conduct additional subsurface analysis.</p><p>The team will design and build the radar system and conduct initial field-testing on the ground in California within the next year. By the third year of the grant, the radar system will be incorporated into a drone for flight tests in Iceland, which has terrain analogous to Martian volcanoes.</p><p>The Iceland portion of the grant is particularly exciting for Kristinsson, who grew up there and has conducted previous research in the same area.</p><p>“It’s amazing. It gives me the opportunity to do work in my home country and field testing in an environment I know, and that is also so beautiful to be in,” Kristinsson said.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 01 Jul 2024 14:43:08 +0000 Anonymous 5749 at /aerospace CU «Ƶ, Johns Hopkins APL team advance in NASA space weather competition /aerospace/2024/06/20/cu-boulder-johns-hopkins-apl-team-advance-nasa-space-weather-competition <span>CU «Ƶ, Johns Hopkins APL team advance in NASA space weather competition</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-06-20T10:01:21-06:00" title="Thursday, June 20, 2024 - 10:01">Thu, 06/20/2024 - 10:01</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/map.jpg?h=faffab08&amp;itok=HAthy4l7" width="1200" height="800" alt="DYNAMIC targets the Lower Thermosphere Ionosphere (LTI) altitude region where the thermosphere’s neutral gas interacts with the coexisting plasma population of the ionosphere, influenced by forcing from above and below. Poorly understood multiscale ripples in this area are a result of atmospheric wave forcing from below."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/152"> Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/301" hreflang="en">Tomoko Matsuo News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/article-image/map.jpg?itok=FBE078OE" width="1500" height="865" alt="DYNAMIC targets the Lower Thermosphere Ionosphere (LTI) altitude region where the thermosphere’s neutral gas interacts with the coexisting plasma population of the ionosphere, influenced by forcing from above and below. Poorly understood multiscale ripples in this area, as depicted in the gray-scale ground track, are a result of atmospheric wave forcing from below."> </div> <p><br>DYNAMIC targets the Lower Thermosphere Ionosphere (LTI) altitude region where the thermosphere’s neutral gas interacts with the coexisting plasma population of the ionosphere, influenced by forcing from above and below. Poorly understood multiscale ripples in this area, as depicted in the gray-scale ground track, are a result of atmospheric wave forcing from below. (Image Credit: «Ƶ, Johns Hopkins APL)</p></div></div></div><p>A joint proposal of the «Ƶ and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland has earned a $2 million award for a NASA mission concept study.</p><p>The team is <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-funds-study-of-proposals-to-investigate-space-weather-systems/" rel="nofollow">one of three concept teams chosen by NASA</a> competing to develop Phase-A proposals to enact the space agency’s Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (DYNAMIC) mission. Each of the three winning teams will receive funding for a Phase-A, nine-month concept study, after which NASA will select a single winning proposal.</p><p>The mission will ultimately design and build a satellite with science payloads to explore fundamental gaps in our understanding of how changes in the lower atmosphere influence the upper atmosphere and low Earth orbit.</p><p>“We’re grateful and overjoyed for this opportunity to work together to make our vision of DYNAMIC a reality<em>. </em>With these measurements, we can finally gain an understanding of the critical link between Earth’s atmosphere and space,” said <a href="/aerospace/node/1704" rel="nofollow">Tomoko Matsuo,</a> principal investigator (PI) on the project and an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU «Ƶ.</p><p>Additional partners joining CU «Ƶ and APL include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts, Clemson University in South Carolina, Arizona State University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.</p><p>The team’s project will fulfill science goals recommended by <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/a-decadal-strategy-for-solar-and-space-physics-heliophysics" rel="nofollow">the 2013 Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics</a> published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.</p><p>When launched, DYNAMIC is expected to provide comprehensive measurements of the upper atmosphere in the very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 300 km) range — the new frontier for spacecraft operation. This will provide a deeper understanding into how space weather — events generated by activity on the Sun and the Earth’s weather — can interfere with satellites, navigation systems and other technology.</p><p>“We have been looking forward to a mission such as DYNAMIC for many years, and are grateful for the NASA step 1 selection,” said Jason Kalirai, APL’s mission area executive for Space Formulation. &nbsp;“Our PI, team at the Lab, and partners across the nation are excited to push forward on a new Heliophysics mission that will answer fundamental questions about how space weather affects our planet.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>A joint proposal of the «Ƶ and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland has earned a $2 million award for a NASA mission concept study. The team is one of three concept teams chosen by NASA competing to...</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:01:21 +0000 Anonymous 5744 at /aerospace