Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modeling Brown Dwarf Atmospheres In Preparation For Jwst Observations, Brayden Roberts, Joshua Lothringer

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Using three inputs, metallicity, effective temperature, and surface gravity, we can model a BD to simulate traits like pressure, temperature, density, spectra, etc.

By comparing the modeled spectra with observed spectra, we can make changes to our models to make them more accurate.

Byu Propulsion Development – Experimental Lox/Paraffin Hybrid Rocket, Jayson Davis, Lincoln Stewart, Logan Morse, David Andelin, Joshua Cook, Brennen Dover, Cameron Van Dyke, Cole Halverson, Elizabeth Barnett, Eric Christie, Gerritt Graham, Jacob Hansen, Jason Metten, Kendall Green, Matt Bozer, Oscar Escobar, Samuel Craven, Zachary Lyman, Courtney Payne, Ben Larson, Tyson Butterfield

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The "Blue Jay" is a 12 ft., LOX and paraffin hybrid rocket with a designed total impulse of 20,330 Ns. The rocket will have its maiden flight summer 2022 at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry with a target altitude of 10,000 ft. above ground level. The rocket is expected to weigh around 100 lbs. dry. This is BYU's first hybrid rocket, and one of the first LOX paraffin hybrids to be flown. The rocket is divided into four subsystems: structures and recovery, electronics and controls, plumbing, and propulsion.

Mars Rover Challenge, Miguel Urbina Rivera, Jake Nance, James Sorge, Austin Stone, Connor Mattson, Michael Bronson, Ben Glines, Ben Graff, Brad Ferguson, Dallin Cordon, Alex Wonnacott, Charlie Tainter, Mckay Christensen, Alejandro Brozalez, Joe Liechty, Daniel Cheney, Alexa Lindberg, Marc Killpack, Brianna Bischoff, Dinah Bronson, Chris Sypherd, Berrett Robinson, Kyle Rippstein, Blake Harsh, Matthew Wilding, Aaron Newman, Rock Kim, Colin Rubow

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Our objective is to develop a competition ready rover as defined by scoring 95% or higher in each of the four University Rover Challenge (URC) tasks, within a budget of 14,000 by March 14th, 2022

Asteroids, Binaries, And Cepheid Variables: The Abc's Of Ktp Observatory, Jade Hills, Alyssa Stauffer, Stacy Palen, Anemone Burkey, Erik Britton, Chloe Jones, Zachary Kennedy, Carson Matthews, Jordyn Redmond, Nathan Tanner

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The observatory research team spends time operating a telescope to gather data on countless astronomical targets, such as asteroids, binary star systems, and cepheid variables to name a few. Our team is made up of WSU undergraduate students pursuing studies in astrophysics, material science, and nuclear physics, and computer engineering. Our work as a team strengthens us as students and physicists by giving us opportunities to do our own research, experience in work that will prepare us for our fields, and a learning environment outside of a traditional classroom. We as a team work together closely alongside our advisor Dr. …

Building A Foundation For Autonomous Navigation, David Goodrich, Ashton Young, Abraham Teng

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Using Robot Operating System (ROS), safely navigate obstacles in environments without human input. Given a GPS target, the robot should autonomously drive to the goal avoiding obstacles and impassable terrain. Build an environment map using odometry, camera and lidar information for future path planning.

Characteristics Of Reverse Hybrid Rocket Propellants Based On Nanomaterials, Sierra Padilla, Jessica North, Amber Stricklen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The purpose of this project is to create dense and porous 3D macrostructures to store nanoenergetic hybrid propellants through the formation of graphene organogels and by incorporating fuel and inorganic oxidizers by applying the resulting compound to rocket propulsion. Graphene organogels raise the reactivity of the hybrid propellants because of the increased surface and volumetric area for more reactions to occur. Hybrid propellants have advantages over liquid and solid propellants, with lower toxicity and reactivity than either propellant on its own. The organogels also have an immense amount of mechanical strength. Since functionalized graphene oxide (FGO) structures have electrostatic interactions, …

Emission Expedition: A Spectral Study Of 800,000 Galaxies, Saxon Stockton, Christian Draper

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Star forming regions and AGN are both strongly associated with emission lines. What can a large sample study of emission lines in galactic spectra tell us about the star formation and AGN history of the universe? We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to observe changes in the number of emission line galaxies, star forming galaxies, and AGN with redshift. We obtained the spectra for close to 800,000 galaxies out to a redshift of about z = 0.6 from Data Release 16 of the SDSS. This gives a sample size large enough to draw conclusions about the …

Life Will Find A Way: Investigating Entombed Microorganisms In Gypsum At Great Salt Lake As A Model For Studies Of Gypsum On Mars, Paulina Martinez-Koury, Bonnie K. Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Great Salt Lake (GSL) is the second saltiest lake in the world, whose hypersaline geochemistry, high UV irradiation and volatile climate coalesce into a fascinating and extreme environment. The genetic diversity of the microbial community of GSL is primarily comprised of “salt-loving” halophiles ranging from archaea, bacteria and fungi. These organisms have the ability to live in high osmolarity brines, survive the high UV radiation and high salinity. Halophiles have “superpowers” including lifestyle flexibility that allows a state of dormancy when trapped within tiny inclusions such as small pockets of fluid or clay, in gypsum or halite minerals. The entombment …

Spatial Exploration Of Microbial Biodiversity Of Great Salt Lake, Alvin Sihapanya, Paulina Martinez-Koury, Bonnie K. Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Our research focused on the collection of water, microbialites, gypsum, and halite samples to analyze and compare the biodiversity found in each arm of the lake. Each was analyzed using various microscopy and cultivation techniques, and molecular methods to assess genetic diversity. This survey serves the purpose of seeking combinatorial methods to elucidate microbial diversity. Future work will further examine gaps in data, especially searching for overlooked fungi, protists, and cyanobacteria. How does the population of microorganisms vary among the distinct micro-environments at Great Salt Lake?

Lunar Mining: Designing An Improved Mining System, Evan Cleveland, Rian Simpson, Trevor Mcfarland, Chandler Millar, Alexander Charters, Arthur Steur, Andrew Tolton, Noah Graber, Rene Valles, Sebastien De Villiers, Leaticia Mimche, Nathan Yonkee, Jonathan Warner, Michael Lukowski, Daniel Robinson, Mandy Zheng, Haley Platas, Greyson Mitra, Najman Husaini, Alexander Gill, Lincoln Sand, Shing Ho, Parker King, Byron Liu

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The annual NASA Robotic Mining Challenge: Lunabotics tasks teams with building robots capable of traversing and mining simulated Lunar terrain. The material to mine is approximately 30-45 cm below the surface regolith, and is represented using gravel.

This year, Utah Student Robotics built upon an already successful platform from the 2020-2021 robot. With the biggest changes being the removal of the carbon fiber rocker bogie design and the implementation of a improved sliding mechanism to extend the digging module.

Rr Lyrae Metallicity In Gaia Data Release 2, Justin Bates, Fernando Araujo, Tyler Trotter, Jonathan Barnes

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Metallicities of RR Lyrae stars can be determined by Fourier parameters of their light curves (Jurcsik and Kovacs 1996). Clementini et al. (2019) analyzed Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) for RR Lyrae stars and determined metallicities through this method. In this work we attempt to re-determine RR Lyrae membership of known globular clusters from the Gaia data and compare derived metallicities to published globular cluster metallicity values. Early results indicate that the Jurcsik and Kovacs method may be better for c-type RR Lyrae stars.

Construction And Characterization Of The Fiber Coupled Diode Laser For A Baga4se7 Non-Linear Optical System, Alexander Gibb, York Young, Brantson Wayman

Utah Space Grant Consortium

One way to probe tissue for disease is via long wave infrared spectroscopy. This technique uses wavelength dependent absorption of specific molecules which serve as early indicators of disease onset in human tissue.

Though proven to work, this method of using long wave spectroscopy to probe tissue is not widely used. This is because detectors that function in the long wave infra red (LWIF) are generally expensive, cryogenically cooled and slow.

Another deterrent is that typical LWIF light sources, such as quantum cascade lasers, (QCL) are difficult to tune over wavelength ranges spanning several microns. This limits the molecule types, …

Launch Vehicle Acoustics Research, Taggart Durrant, Carson Cunningham, Kent Gee, Grant Hart, Mark Anderson, Logan Mathews, Griffin Houston, Michael Bassett, Matthew Yancey, Samuel Olausson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

No abstract provided.

Simulated Icrh In A Vasimr, Benjamin Miera, Phil Matheson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) uses Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (IRCH) to heat a plasma near a magnet nozzle. Thrust is generated as the plasma expands through the nozzle. A VASIMR is expected to develop several Newtons of thrust and exhaust velocities of up to 50,000 m/s. Although the VASIMR plasma is collisional, an upper limit of the efficiency of a VASIMR may be explored by modeling the pumping of the magnetic moment of an ion with circularly polarized IRCH RF fields.

Nominally the magnetic moment of an ion, which is the ratio of its perpendicular kinetic energy …

Imaging Waves In Space, James Morley, Kim Nielsen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Atmospheric gravity waves are disturbances in the atmosphere and near-space environments caused by displacement of air in a stable environment. These waves transport energy away from the source of the disturbance and can transfer large amounts of energy between atmospheric regions through wave dissipation. One of the regions of most energy transfer is the mesopause region, in the transition between the Earth's atmosphere and the near-space environment. This is a region that is difficult to observe, but the presence of certain atoms and molecules allows for remote sensing of faint emissions named airglow. As the waves passes through the airglow, …

Achieving Low-Variation Deployable Panels For Space Telescope Applications, Jared Hunter, Spencer Magleby

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology uses short bursts of high frequency laser light to gather data used for critical NRO and NASA measurements (atmospheric gases, surface topography, vegetation, etc.). Reducing the size and complexity of LiDAR satellites will lower cost and allow for more frequent missions.

Open Source Antenna Pattern Measurement System -- Phase Ii, Matthew Finger, Christian Hearn, Ren Fisher, Justin Knighton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

No abstract provided.

An Estimate Of The Distance To An Ser Using An Rr Lyrae Period-Luminosity Relationship, Cordelia Latham, Julia Kamenetzky

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cepheid variable stars have been used as “standard candles” to find distances to other stars. The fluctuation of brightness in variable stars can help identify their distance by comparing the apparent luminosity to the absolute luminosity as determined by a relationship between the period of the fluctuation and the absolute luminosity of the star (called the period-luminosity relationship). Stars that have shorter periods with a lower luminosity than Cepheid variables can be classified as RR Lyrae stars, which are particularly useful for estimating distances to the oldest stellar clusters.

Microbial Diversity At Rozel Point Tar Seeps, Great Salt Lake, Utah, Cayla Martin, Jaimi Butler, Bonnie K. Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Naturally occurring tar seeps, located at Rozel Point at the north arm of Great Salt Lake, provide an opportunity to study a petroleum-rich environment adjacent to this unique hypersaline ecosystem. These seeps result from high molecular weight hydrocarbons migrating through cracks and fissures along fault lines. During high lake levels, the seeping petroleum directly enters the salty brine, but during low lake levels, it spreads along the surface of the dry lakebed forming tar seeps that are numerous and vary in size. Bacteria have been cultured previously from oil reservoirs, yet little is known about microorganisms that live in natural …

Long-Range Autonomous Aerial Package Delivery Via Aggieair 55-Pound Suas, Nathan Schwemmer, Tex Johnson, Chase Vance, Brandon Dearden, Stockton Slack, Cal Coopmans, Dan Robinson, David Crummitt

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This project includes the development of a package delivery system for AggieAir’s long-range sUAS to enable the vehicle to deliver packages autonomously to rural areas.

Usu’S Gaspacs Cubesat, Jack Danos, Carter Page, Shawn Jones, Ben Lewis

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Get Away Special Passive Attitude Control Satellite (GASPACS) is a 1U CubeSat technology demonstration mission designed to test inflatable structures in space. The project aims to present a possible solution to the limited capacities of spacecraft by providing an inflatable boom that can be packed into a small space and then expanded into something much larger. GASPACS is the world’s first completely undergraduate CubeSat as well as the first satellite to use a Raspberry Pi as its onboard computer.

Analyzing Electron Yield Decay Curves With The Electron Emission Spectra, Matthew Robertson, Jr Dennison

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Electron emission is when electrons escape from the surface of a material. Emissions can be caused by many different mechanisms such as thermionic effects, photon, electron, or ion radiation. When energy is imparted to a material, it can cause electron emissions. Emitted electrons have an energy distribution or emission spectra. Figure 1 shows the emission spectra of gold when irradiated with an ~80 eV electron beam. Emission spectra are related to the work function for metals or the electron affinity for insulators. The goal of this research is to measure the work function or electron affinity of a material using …

Effect Of Various Inlet Distortion Patterns On Distortion Transfer And Generation At The Near-Stall Operating Point, Andrew Bedke, Steven Gorrell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

An increased understanding of how inlet flow distortion affects transonic fans enables improved fan design and performance prediction. Inlet distortion refers to non-uniformities in the incoming flow properties. Complex inlet ducts in high performance aircraft result in distorted flow at the fan inlet. In this paper, Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations were used to investigate how the P_t gradient between the clean and distorted sector in the inlet profile affects distortion transfer and generation through a transonic fan. Variants with an increasingly more gradual P_t gradient at the boundary of the distorted sector were applied at the fan …

Preliminary Concepts For Magnetic Actuation And Stabilization Of Origami-Based Space Arrays, Hunter T. Pruett, Nathan M. Coleman, Spencer P. Magleby

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A framework for the generalization of pairs of cuboid magnets embedded in origami-based hinges is presented. Various design variables for the framework are defined. Two novel self-actuation and self-stabilizing hinges (the MaLO hinge and the MaLDO hinge) are presented. The characterization of these hinges is defined, and the hinges are shown in application. The presented applications are the VEMO reflect array antenna design and a deployable truss.

Exploring Depth Adjustable Embedded Membrane Joints, Collin Ynchausti, Larry L. Howell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This work presents methods for using membrane joints in origami-inspired mechanisms. Our method takes the previously presented hinge ideas of the Regionally Compliant Sheets (ReCS) method and the Compliant Rolling Contact Element (CORE) joint, and builds upon them to provide a hinge that has the benefits of being adhered between sheets using clamping with no adhesive needed, preserving panel volume that can be used as hard stops, and keeping the stress in the bending membrane below the yield stress, while reducing the parasitic motion of previous membrane joints. Two different configurations are presented: The Contacting Circles Embedded Membrane and the …

Selecting And Optimizing Origami Flasher Pattern Configurations For Finite-Thickness Deployable Space Arrays, Katie Varela, Diana Bolanos, Brandon Sargent, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Design parameters of the flasher pattern can be modified to meet a variety of design objectives for deployable array applications. The focus of this paper is to improve understanding of design parameters, objectives, and trade offs of origami flasher pattern configurations. Emphasis is placed on finite-thickness flasher models suitable for engineering applications. The methods presented aim to provide clarity on the effects of tuning flasher parameters based on existing synthesis tools. An optimization technique is implemented and results are presented to converge on optimal design parameters for a specific case study. Lastly, an approach used to develop thick flasher arrays …

Energy Extraction In Five Dimensional Black Holes, Alexandra Chanson, Maria J. Rodriguez

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The goal of this study is to analyze black hole phase spaces by using a small, electromagnetically dominated perturbation near a resonant gravitational saddle; then, a unique decomposition of the asymptotic perturbation states (a vaccuum solution tower) could be used to index perturbatively stable phase-volumes and, in turn, to construct asymptotically interactive channels (perturbative black hole dynamics).

Ultra-Low Power Adcs For Space Sensors And Instruments, Shea Smith, Wood Chiang

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A 28nm 0.1V 10-bit 20kS/s time domain ADC with 225Hz bandwidth is proposed. This design opens the doors to both low supply and low power space sensors and instruments. Due to the stringent voltage supply, unique challenges arise that are met with innovation in the sample switch and the quantizer design. These components of the ADC architecture are aggressively optimized to perform successfully at a 0.1V supply with a sample rate suitable for most sensor applications.

Heat Management For Electromagnetic 3d Printing, Brian Elder, Yong Lin Kong

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The integration of nanomaterials with additive manufacturing, a.k.a. 3D printing, can enable the creation of complex architecture with tunable functional properties.^[1] As discussed in our review paper,^[1] particles can be patterned or assembled with a broad range of forces during the printing process to impart specific functionalities in an otherwise passive structure. For example, a magnetic field can be leveraged to program the local magnetic remanence of a printed ferromagnetic composite. Magnetic programming can enable the fabrication of biocompatible materials with high energy density, which have promising applications in magnetically actuated biomedical robots. For example, a wireless ingestible …

Antenna Designs For Cubesat-Borne, Continuous-Waveform Radar, Logan E. Voigt, Reyhan Baktur

Utah Space Grant Consortium

CubeSat-borne radar has many potential applications in space exploration including tracking, imaging, and weather prediction. A continuous-waveform radar has advantages of compact size and low power consumption, making it suitable to implement on small platforms such as CubeSats. This paper demonstrates an isolation technique that overcomes the self-interference between the transmit and receive antennas inherent to continuous-waveform radar. The presented approach combines opposite circularly polarized antennas on two deployed solar panels to minimize the self-interference. The prototype antennas are tested on a 6U CubeSat frame and the results show more than 40 dB isolation, satisfying the power budget requirements.