Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences

Project Summary

Project A.S.T.R.A. is a CubeSat attachment with the goal of modulating its orbital drag to achieve desired orbital maneuvers such as debris avoidance and controlled deorbiting. Once injected into its desired orbit, the attachment will automatically enter sleep mode to reduce power consumption when not in operation. When ready, the user will send a command to the attachment to deploy. At this time, deployment begins with two plates attached to gears on either side of a worm-gear stepper motor, which actuate upwards slightly to reveal a folded mylar sail. On each plate are 2 wounded metal booms constrained by a spool and a clear, filament wire. The wire restrains the spools from unwinding and is tied around a very thin ‘burn wire’. Once in this position, the flight computer sends a high current through the burn wire, heating it and melting through the filament wire. The booms are then free to rotate and shoot out in a V-shape. This, in turn, also pulls out the mylar sail. At this phase, there are two large triangle-shaped sails on either side of the attachment, and the user can modulate the sails to any angle to achieve a desired cross-sectional area/drag. The attachment also includes light sensors that can verify deployment by measuring the shadows cast by the sails. The attachment also includes various sensors that relay status and other telemetry to the user, such as power usage and temperature.

Project Objective

Project A.S.T.R.A. proposes a solution to this problem via an expandable CubeSat attachment capable of modulating atmospheric drag to perform orbital maneuvers. This drag-based control mechanism aims to facilitate orbital adjustments such as debris avoidance and controlled deorbit. This method of control enables these maneuvers without the use of propulsion systems. Team A.S.T.R.A. chose to design this concept as an attachment to enable integration with a greater number of CubeSats, aiming for a greater overall impact in the space vehicle industry. Project A.S.T.R.A will directly support global efforts to mitigate growing space debris concerns and promote long-term orbital sustainability.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The A.S.T.R.A. CubeSat attachment was designed, assembled, and tested at the L3Harris Student Design Center (HSDC). All aluminum components, such as the frame and mounting pieces, were manufactured at the Machine Shop. The onboard computer (Pi4) and stepper were ordered externally and mounted into the frame. Each electronic component was ordered externally, tested, and finally soldered onto a custom-designed PCB. The PCB was connected to the Pi4 via pin-header extensions, and JST connectors were used to connect the stepper motor and various external sensors to the PCB.

Specification

The CubeSat was constrained to a 2U volume (10x10x20cm), 2.66 kg, operating below 20 watts, and able to modulate its cross-sectional area, with respect to the direction of motion, to 0.5 m^2. These constraints ensure the design is as accurate as possible to a real-life CubeSat, further proving the concept’s viability. The additional cross-sectional area is expected to decrease the deorbit time at 400 km altitude from ~340 days to just ~12 days. This drastically reduces total deorbit time and allows the user more control over their trajectory. The CubeSat frame is also designed to withstand launch conditions, including stress and vibrations, and to meet the launch provider (NanoRacks) geometric specifications.

Future Works

Other solutions for area expansion could also be researched, with the purpose of achieving a higher area ratio or increased reliability. Future work on the A.S.T.R.A. concept would expand upon the concept of sail stowage and improve deployment reliability. Additional improvements include a possible burn-wire tensioner and a method for detecting sail position during a mid-operation restart. The incorporation of space-grade materials and components would also further prove the concept's viability in real-world applications.

Acknowledgement

The ASTRA team would like to thank Dr. Camilo Riano-Rios, Dr. Eric Swenson, and Dr. Firat Irmak for their guidance and technical contributions throughout the project. Recognition also goes to the staff of the Florida Tech L3Harris Student Design Center, including Felix Gabriel, Zac Schardt, and Royce Jacobs, for their guidance and support. The team also acknowledges the Florida Institute of Technology for providing the facilities and resources needed to design and construct project ASTRA.

Project Summary

The Advanced Robotic Gimbal and Orbital Simulator (ARGOS) project aims to design and construct a modular mock satellite and a three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) test stand that together replicate realistic satellite dynamics in a controlled laboratory environment. The system is intended to support research in satellite identification, servicing, and AI-assisted docking. These research areas require an accurate and repeatable method for simulating the motion of unresponsive or tumbling satellites. By providing this capability in a ground-based environment, ARGOS enables the study of satellite behavior in a safe and cost-effective manner, eliminating the need for expensive on-orbit testing. The project is motivated by challenges related to satellite failures, limited reusability, and the increasing volume of space debris. Servicing or retrieving satellites in orbit remains extremely costly, and existing laboratory tools often lack modularity, restricting researchers’ ability to test multiple satellite configurations or sensor arrangements. This creates a gap in modern research platforms for evaluating docking algorithms, satellite identification techniques, and recovery or repair strategies for unresponsive spacecraft. ARGOS addresses this need by providing a flexible and repeatable experimental platform capable of recreating a wide range of satellite behaviors. The project scope includes the development of mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems required to implement a gimbaled test stand and interchangeable satellite modules. The team follows a structured engineering design process, beginning with customer requirements and progressing through modeling, component selection, prototyping, and system verification. Design decisions are guided by customer needs, academic requirements, engineering standards, and constraints on time and budget. The customer, Dr. White, defines functional expectations such as system performance, size, and modularity. Since the system will support ongoing research in satellite dynamics, reusability, and AI-assisted docking, long-term usability is a key design consideration. The academic advisor, Dr. Irmak, ensures alignment with Florida Tech’s senior design standards. At project completion, the ARGOS team will deliver the full system assembly, CAD models, and supporting documentation. ARGOS aims to advance technologies that reduce space debris and improve the sustainability of future space missions.

Project Objective

OBJ-01. Design and construct a system capable of simulating a tumbling satellite.
OBJ-02. Design a system with at least three degrees of freedom.
OBJ-03. Develop modular components that represent real-world satellite buses.
OBJ-04. Implement a graphical user interface (GUI).
OBJ-05. Develop a maintenance and repair guide for the system.
OBJ-06. Perform a full system simulation prior to the senior design showcase.

Manufacturing Design Methods

Mechanical System * Six linear actuators and one rotary actuator provide three degrees of freedom * Rigid top plate for payload mounting * Modular satellite bus configuration * Designed for stability, stiffness, and minimal vibration Electrical and Hardware System * Power: 120V AC converted to 48V DC * Microcontroller: Raspberry Pi Pico * Inclinometer: Adafruit BNO055 * Actuator communication via PWM Controls and Software * Maintain system stability while tracking commanded roll and pitch, with continuous yaw rotation * Closed-loop feedback using IMU orientation data * Inverse kinematics for actuator control mapping

Analysis

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was conducted on all major structural components, including the star base, test stand, satellite bus, rotary actuator housing, top plate, bottom plate, all six linear actuators, and a custom U-joint. The system was evaluated under worst-case loading conditions, defined as the configuration in which a single actuator experiences maximum load across the full motion envelope of ±35° roll, ±35° pitch, and 360° yaw. MATLAB results identified the actuator subject to the highest load, the corresponding system orientation, the global center of mass of the combined rotary actuator and satellite mockup, actuator lengths, and actuator angles relative to the system.

Future Works

* Improve control accuracy * Develop a robotic arm for interaction based on vision system algorithms * Increase system realism * Expand modular satellite attachments via 3D printing * Refine platform configuration * Implement a PID control algorithm Acknowledgement: The ARGOS Senior Design Team thanks our professor, Dr. Firat Irmak; our GSA, Niall D. Melbourne-Harris; our technical advisor, Dr. Eric D. Swenson; our customer, Dr. Ryan T. White; and the staff of the HSDC for their support in making this project possible

Project Summary

Project AERIS was established to address the growing need for affordable, realistic testing platforms for autonomous satellite servicing and inspection technologies. On-orbit testing of these systems is prohibitively expensive and high-risk, motivating the creation of a ground-based environment where these capabilities can be safely developed and validated. The project also supports the aerospace industry’s push toward autonomous on-orbit operations, which can be helpful for satellite servicing, inspection, and debris mitigation.  The Autonomous Experimental Rendezvous and Inspection System is focused on developing a realistic test environment and an autonomous platform to support and validate advanced satellite inspection technologies, rendezvous, and proximity operations (RPO).​ The system integrates four main elements including a drone-based chaser vehicle with onboard sensors and software, a visually-accurate satellite model mounted on a one-degree-of-freedom (1 DOF) test stand, and a controlled ground environment to emulate space-like conditions. Together, these components form a full testbed for testing and validating deep learning-based computer vision and advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms.  Stakeholders of this project include Dr. Ryan White and Neural Transmissions (NETS) Lab, the Florida Institute of Technology Aerospace Engineering Department, and the College of Engineering and Science, all of whom will benefit from AERIS for future work in autonomous spacecraft operations

Project Objective

The objective of Project AERIS is to design and implement a system that evaluates the performance of an AI vision algorithm within a space-like environment under representative mission conditions (OBJ.01). The system employs a physical drone to simulate a chaser satellite (OBJ.02), performing stable proximity operations within 25 cm of a representative satellite mock-up (OBJ.03, OBJ.04) to enable realistic inspection scenarios in the Autonomy Lab at Florida Institute of Technology. A motorized test stand with rotational motion about the Z-axis is incorporated to simulate dynamic target behavior and validate tracking performance (OBJ.05). Stationary cameras further enhance the system by providing multi-perspective coverage as a cost-effective alternative to swarm-based sensing (OBJ.06).

Manufacturing Design Methods

Project AERIS was developed using a design–build–test–refine methodology that integrates analytical modeling with rapid prototyping to create a functional autonomous inspection testbed. The system combines a quadcopter drone, a scaled satellite mockup, a motorized rotating stand, and a controlled testing environment, all designed for modularity and repeatability. Initial designs were created in CAD and validated using MATLAB and ANSYS to estimate structural performance, torque requirements, and system behavior. The drone platform utilizes a commercial frame with custom 3D-printed mounts to integrate onboard computing and vision sensors, enabling real-time detection and navigation. The satellite mockup was fabricated using aluminum and lightweight composite materials to replicate key geometric and visual features while maintaining low mass. The rotating test stand was constructed from aluminum T-slot extrusion with a bearing and geared motor system to provide controlled rotation about a single axis. All components were assembled and iteratively refined through testing to ensure reliable performance and consistent experimental conditions.

Specification

Drone Platform: F450 Quadcopter Frame Kit with Pixhawk Developer Kit flight controller running ArduPilot, integrated onboard computing via NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit and depth sensing using Intel RealSense D435i with YOLOv5-based vision processing Camera System: Forward-mounted RGB + depth camera configuration for real-time detection and pose estimation Flight Configuration: Quadcopter Dry Weight: ~8–10 lbs Payload Capacity: ~2–4 lbs Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: ~2.5–3.0 Satellite Mockup: Scaled 12U CubeSat-inspired structure Overall Dimensions: ~15 in × 22.5 in body with extended solar arrays (~20 in × 30 in panels) Structural Materials: Aluminum frame with composite paneling Fiducial System: 100 mm ArUco markers distributed across faces and array edges Total Mass: ~15–20 lbs (configurable) Rotating Test Stand: Frame: 1515 aluminum T-slot extrusion (80/20) Bearing System: ~9–10 in lazy Susan bearing with internal track Drive Motor: 270:1 DC geared motor (CQRobot 37mm DC Geared Motor 270:1) Gear Interface: ~20-tooth pinion engaging internal ring track Rotation Axis: Single DoF about vertical (Z-axis) Operational Speed: 2–5 deg/s sustained Positional Accuracy: ±2° Load Capacity: ≥25 lbs top plate Testing Environment: Indoor controlled lab setup (CAMID facility) Lighting Conditions: Consistent diffuse lighting for vision reliability Control System: Arduino-based motor control (Elegoo Uno R3) with L298N driver Endurance Capability: ≥10 minutes continuous operation per test cycle.

Analysis

To validate the structural integrity and dynamic performance of Project AERIS, a combination of analytical modeling and ANSYS Mechanical simulations was conducted to assess system behavior under expected operational loads. The rotating stand and satellite assembly were evaluated for stress distribution, deflection, and torque requirements, with particular focus on critical components such as the bearing interface, motor-driven gear interaction, and primary load-bearing structure. Simulations were performed under static and quasi-dynamic conditions with appropriate boundary conditions and contact definitions to accurately represent real-world behavior. Results indicate that the selected materials and structural configuration maintain sufficient rigidity and remain within allowable stress limits during continuous rotation at target angular velocities. A dynamic analysis was also performed to estimate the system’s mass moment of inertia and corresponding motor torque requirements, confirming that the drive system can achieve and sustain desired rotational speeds without inducing instability or excessive loading. Additionally, the impact of rotational motion on sensor performance was evaluated to ensure angular velocities remain within a range that preserves image clarity and reliable detection for the onboard vision system. In general, these analyses demonstrate that the AERIS platform meets its mechanical and operational requirements, providing a stable and repeatable environment for autonomous inspection testing.

Future Works

Future development of Project AERIS will focus on transitioning the validated vision algorithm from a laboratory environment to an operational spacecraft platform. This includes integrating the algorithm into a real chaser satellite system and adapting it to function under space environment conditions, such as microgravity, orbital dynamics, variable lighting, and radiation effects. Additional work will involve expanding the system to support fully autonomous navigation and inspection, as well as validating performance through higher-fidelity simulations and on-orbit testing. These advancements will bridge the gap between ground-based experimentation and real-world space deployment.

Acknowledgement

Team AERIS would like to thank Dr. Firat Irmak and Dr. White for their guidance and support throughout the duration of this project. The team also acknowledges the Florida Institute of Technology for providing the facilities, resources, and academic environment that made the design, analysis, and testing of the AERIS system possible. Additional thanks are extended to Dr. Tiwari and Prenith at the Autonomy Laboratory for access to their testing environment and facilities. The team is also grateful for the support provided in the Senior Design Laboratory, with special recognition to Felix Gabriel, Zac Schardt, and Royce Jacobs for their assistance during the fabrication and assembly of the AERIS system.

Project Summary

CryoSlosh is an experimental apparatus including a tank capable of holding cryogenic nitrogen, being subjected to drop testing, and measuring data on fluid sloshing behavior in a reduced-gravity environment. The design features an aluminum tank enclosed in a shell that houses all electronics. Five carbon steel rods run the length of the apparatus, providing primary structural support and securing plates for electronics, insulation, and the tank. A 3D-printed TPU-95A nose cone at the base serves as impact damping. Inside it, a stainless-steel weight lowers the center of mass for stability and anchors the rods with bolted connections. The eight test plans were developed to validate the tank’s integrity and performance across operating conditions. These tests confirmed safe containment of fluids with varying properties, including isopropyl alcohol, 3M Novec 7100, and cryogenic liquid nitrogen. Instrumentation was evaluated to ensure accurate measurement of temperature, pressure, linear acceleration, and rotational velocity. Additional testing verified the performance of the drop system’s supporting components, ensuring controlled operation, reliable data collection, and safe recovery during testing. The final design will serve as means of gathering experimental data to be quantitatively compared to theoretical Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation data.

Project Objective

OBJ-01. The team shall design, build, and test an experimental system that measures slosh behavior using cryogenic nitrogen* as the testing medium. OBJ-02. The team shall design and build a test apparatus capable of measuring accelerations in six degrees of freedom. OBJ-03. The team shall capture images within the test tank, synchronized with acceleration data over the duration of the tests. OBJ-04. The team shall induce a known input on the test apparatus during the experiment. OBJ-05. The team shall measure the temperature and pressure of the liquid nitrogen* in the test tank at an appropriate sample rate throughout the experiment. OBJ-06. The team shall compare experimental data to CFD simulation results and quantify the agreement between the two. *Liquid Nitrogen can be substituted for another simulant fluid

Manufacturing Design Methods

The manufacturing process begins with machining structural components, including cutting and precision turning 0.75-inch steel rods, adding notches, and drilling mounting features, followed by fabrication of the tank assembly through cutting, machining, and welding its hemispherical, cylindrical, and top plate components. Supporting aluminum plates are water-jet cut and refined with secondary machining, while additive manufacturing is used to iteratively prototype and produce electronics plates, rib supports, IMU enclosures, shaft collars, and the nose cone using materials such as PA6-GF and TPU-95A. Additional structures, including insulated inner and outer walls, are formed using shaped wire and aluminum tape, and the dropping mechanism is manufactured through cutting, drilling, threading, and milling of tubing, rods, and flanges. Finally, the full apparatus is assembled by integrating all components—mounting the tank, electronics, insulation, and structural elements onto support rods, securing them with shaft collars, and enclosing the system with inner and outer walls and a top plate to create the complete test vehicle.

Project Summary

Fluid movement in spacecraft fuel tanks poses dangers such as overpressure and vapor ingestion into rocket engines and is difficult to simulate using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). It can also disrupt the center of gravity of a space vehicle and destroy the engine turbomachinery if gas rather than liquid enters the combustion chamber. For this capstone project, the F.R.O.S.T team shall design and build a prototype drone capable of producing accurate sloshing data for comparison with existing CFD, as well as recording the liquid's sloshing and timestamping it. This shall be accomplished by programming the prototype drone to fly an autonomous parabolic flight path to achieve microgravity and record accurate sloshing data.

Project Objective

The team will design and build a drone-mounted tank capable of storing a cryogenic fuel simulant during flight maneuvers, ensuring the structure is robust enough to withstand flight loads and fluid-induced stresses. In addition, they will develop a sensor system to accurately record the simulant surface topography, as this represents the primary data of interest. The integrated system will then be used in drone flight maneuvers, including those that simulate microgravity conditions, to capture fluid behavior in flight. A drone is selected as a cost-effective platform that enables flexible testing under a variety of load conditions and flight paths.

Manufacturing Design Methods

This project is based on a central tank, with all additions surrounding it facilitating flight. Before any components were manufactured, all load-bearing parts were analyzed using ANSYS to ensure they would survive their expected loads. The fluid tank was created from a 5 mm-thick borosilicate glass tube shaped into a pill, with two valve stems added to the top at a 45-degree angle from the central axis. To form the chassis, thick 3D-printed PETG upper and lower rings that contain the tank were added. Multiple aluminum arms, 4 in a quadcopter formation and 6 in a hexacopter formation, are bolted to the upper rings and have aluminum rods linking the bottom rings halfway down each aluminum arm, where a 3D-printed bracket is located. These arms were waterjet-cut from 1/8” aluminum sheets and welded to form an n-shaped cross-section. Originally, 1/16” aluminum was desired to lower overall weight, but a thicker sheet was required to meet the larger factor of safety required by the drone’s powerful motors. 3D-printed battery casings were made to house 4 or 6 batteries, depending on the drone configuration, and were attached to the underside of the arms. Underneath the battery casing is a plate for mounting the 3 cameras used to record slosh data. Below the lower chassis ring, four aluminum landing legs extend downward through a PETG cradle that supports the fluid tank. The four legs are paired, and each pair is linked with another aluminum rod, with the interface between these components provided by additional 3D-printed brackets. All interfaces between 3D-printed and aluminum components were fixed using appropriately sized screws. Above the upper ring, a fully 3D-printed electronics bay with 4 layers houses the power distribution board, electronic speed controllers, battery eliminator circuit, power monitor, Pixhawk, radio receiver, GPS, and Raspberry Pi. These electronics were fixed to each layer using double-sided tape.

Specification

Drone Motors: Brother Hobby T10 5215-500KV Props: HQProp 15x7x3 Flight Controller: Pixhawk 6x with ArduPilot ESC: SEQURE 120A ESC 2-8S Batteries: Gaoneng GNB 29.6V 8S 1530mAh 160C Lipo Battery Cameras: SVPRO 1080P USB Camera Module Cryogenic Simulant: Novec 7100 Quadcopter configuration: Dry weight: 19.2 lbs Capacity: 3.7 lbs (.3 gallons of simulant) Thrust-to-weight: 3.2 Hexacopter Configuration: Dry weight: 24.1 lbs Capacity: 9.3 lbs (0.74 gallons of simulant) Thrust-to-weight: 3.3

Analysis

To validate the drone’s mechanical strengths and factor of safety, a comprehensive analysis was conducted using ANSYS Mechanical to ensure all components could withstand the stresses and deflections induced by the propulsion system. The container was additionally evaluated for its ability to endure cryogenic conditions associated with liquid nitrogen exposure. All simulations were performed under static loading conditions, with fixed support constraints applied at the attachment points for individual components and at the landing legs for full drone analyses. Results from the stress and deformation analyses confirm that the material selections and overall design are sufficient to withstand the operational loads generated by the motors. A CFD model in ANSYS Fluent was developed to compare simulated fluid behavior with experimental results during microgravity flight. A transient VOF multiphase approach with a k–ε turbulence model was used to simulate one second of microgravity conditions inside the tank.

Future Works

With more time and resources, the team would like to conduct flight tests using liquid nitrogen, implement a custom control system, add reversible motors, and install a more powerful, small-form-factor computer.

Acknowledgement

The F.R.O.S.T (Free-fall Responsive Operator for Simulating Thermofluid) team would like to thank our faculty advisors, Dr. Firat Irmak and Dr. Daniel Kirk, and our graduate student assistant, Ian Swies. The team would also like to extend its gratitude to Zen Glass Studios for assistance with the borosilicate glass tank, Vaya Space for assistance with our 3D prints, and the Florida Tech HSDC staff for their guidance.

Project Summary

The HAWK (Hybrid Aerospace Winged Kit) project studied the design and development of a compact vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system capable of both vertical and forward flight. The aircraft uses a central rotating blade system with blade-tip propulsion to reduce the size of the fuselage while still generating sufficient thrust for flight. The system is designed to deploy from a compact launch tube, transition between flight modes, and carry a small payload. Aerodynamic analysis, structural analysis, and control system testing were conducted to evaluate the feasibility and expected performance of the design.

Project Objective

Design, build, and fly a prototype VTOL unmanned aerial system (UAS). Conduct flight testing in both vertical and horizontal flight configurations. Demonstrate the ability to transition between vertical and forward flight. Enable deployment from a compact launch canister. Demonstrate controlled vertical landing and recovery of the aircraft.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The HAWK UAS was designed using iterative 3D modeling to develop and integrate all structural and aerodynamic components while ensuring compliance with the system’s tube-launch dimensional constraints. Aerodynamic performance and stability characteristics were evaluated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, while structural integrity and safety factors were verified using finite element analysis (FEA). The airframe was designed with a modular architecture to enable rapid field assembly without the use of screws or adhesives. Following the initial design process, prototype components were fabricated and subsystem testing was conducted prior to full system integration and evaluation.

Specification

The HAWK UAS is designed to operate as a compact VTOL UAS capable of tube-launched deployment and multi-mode flight. The system must fit within a launch tube with a maximum internal diameter of 5.4 inches and a length of 47.5 inches when stowed. In its deployed configuration, the aircraft has an approximate overall length of 42 inches and a rotor diameter of about 65.7 inches with three 31-inch blades. The system is designed to carry a minimum payload of 2.5 pounds and operate within FAA small UAS limits, including a maximum altitude of 400 ft and a maximum speed of 100 mph.

Analysis

The HAWK UAS design was evaluated through aerodynamic and structural analysis to assess expected flight performance and stability characteristics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted in ANSYS Fluent to analyze the aerodynamic behavior of the nosecone, fuselage, tail surfaces, and central rotating propulsion system. The simulations utilized a k-ω SST turbulence model with refined meshes and boundary layer inflation to accurately capture near-wall flow behavior and aerodynamic loading on the vehicle surfaces. A double-enclosure modeling approach was used for the propeller CFD analysis to simulate the rotating central rotor system. An inner moving reference frame boundary condition was applied to the inner enclosure, while an outer stationary domain represented the freestream flow. This configuration allowed the analysis to capture thrust generation, wake development, and aerodynamic interactions between the rotor system and the airframe. The CFD results of the rotor system were used to estimate thrust and were then applied to a stability simulation of the fuselage and tail, where the inlet boundary condition represented the backflow generated by the rotor wake. Structural performance of the aircraft was then evaluated using finite element analysis (FEA) to verify that critical components meet the required factors of safety under aerodynamic and landing loads.

Future Works

Future work for the HAWK project focuses on comprehensive flight testing to evaluate real-world system performance. Flight tests will validate vertical takeoff capability, transition between flight modes, and overall flight stability. These tests will allow comparison between experimental performance and the analytical and simulation results developed during the design phase. Further development involves simplifying the electronic architecture to reduce system complexity and improve reliability. Additional work includes refining the flight control system to improve stability and responsiveness during transitional flight. Structural assemblies will also be optimized to improve durability, manufacturability, and overall integration of the aircraft systems.

Acknowledgement

The HAWK team would like to thank Dr. Firat Irmak and Dr. Russell for their guidance, technical insight, and continued support throughout the development of this project. The team also acknowledges the Florida Institute of Technology for providing the facilities, resources, and academic environment that made the design, analysis, and testing of the HAWK system possible. The team would also like to recognize the staff of the Florida Tech Harris Student Design Center, Felix Gabriel, Zac Schardt, and Royce Jacobs for their support and assistance during the fabrication and assembly of the HAWK system.

Project Summary

The RADM-S system is a custom-built drone equipped with an on-board camera suite, designed to provide video during controlled flight. It is launched using a recoverable, custom-designed solid-motor launch vehicle that serves as a ferry to a given target altitude and distance. The drone is deployed mid-air at the apex of the rocket's flight, where it executes a stabilized, controlled descent and continues post-deployment operations. The final design system will serve as a proof of concept for future mission architectures with greater range/operational capabilities.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The overall design process required multiple iterations to ensure that the drone would be able to fold inside of the rocket body. Multiple times, rocket sizing, drone sizing, drone wing sizing, and folding mechanisms needed to change to accommodate for different problems as they came up. The RADM-S team's unique mission profile required the use of precise manufacturing and the selection of specific materials. For many drone parts (fuselage, wings, tails), the use of fiberglass was essential to allow the drone to withstand deployment forces while also remaining lightweight. Fiberglass was also used for rocket parts that endure large ejection forces for similar reasons. Specifications: I600R-14A Rocket Motor T-Motor AM480 650KV with an 80A ESC turns the folding propellor 13" x 6.5" Folding Propeller Easy Mini Altimeter determines ejection charge

Project Summary

Project RAPID developed the design of a launch system and vertically launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that transitions into a winged vehicle carrying humanitarian aid to natural and other disaster sites. This vehicle serves as a prototype for a theoretically payload-bearing device, however, with the limited time allotted, the team wanted to focus on the development of the wing deployment mechanism and optimize the transition aspect of the vehicle. Disaster-stricken areas are often compromised due to collapsed infrastructure, wildfires, or flooding. This forces emergency responders to navigate hazardous terrain on foot or prevents them from accessing the site at all, delaying aid responses and reducing situational awareness. Every second counts, and timely and accurate information, as well as the delivery of aid, are crucial for saving lives, protecting infrastructure, and coordinating relief efforts. RAPID's solution is a plane-based system designed to be launched from a safe zone near the disaster site. Upon launch, the vehicle ascends in a nearly vertical state, compact and with retracted wings, to minimize drag. At the apex of its flight, it transitions into a winged vehicle, activating an external propulsion system to begin sustained flight. This transformation enables rapid deployment without the need for a runway, allowing the vehicle to access disaster areas and deliver aid to affected victims. Stakeholders in the RAPID project include customers guiding the design process, as well as potential future partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The above organizations could be leveraged to enhance RAPID's capabilities and improve disaster response operations worldwide.

Project Objective

Project RAPID has four objectives, which are stated below: 1. Objective 1: The Team shall design a launch system. a. Rationale: The launch system will propel the drone to altitude without using the drone’s limited power supply or mass budget. 2. Objective 2: The Team shall design a controlled winged flight drone. a. Rationale: The winged drone configuration will complete the distance of the mission. 3. Objective 3: The vehicle shall transition from the launch configuration to the drone configuration. a. Utilizing a launch configuration allows for less drag and energy usage, and the drone configuration allows for efficient horizontal flight. 4. Objective 4: The launch system shall launch the vehicle. a. Rationale: Ensures that the launch system and vehicle can operate as a system as intended

Manufacturing Design Methods

The high-level design of the entire system was based on the vehicle's structure and the ground launch system. The wings and body were to be resized several times during the preliminary phase to optimize vehicle performance within the requirements while maintaining a reasonable launch system. The vehicle design was primarily centered on the deployment mechanism and avionics components. The fuselage has a flat top to provide room for the rotating wings while maximizing usable space within. The nose cone is a smooth taper down to the motor diameter with a canopy shape on top to create room for a motor mount. The tail section of the vehicle consists of a tail base, a carbon fiber tube, and a tail cap to house the tail fins. The tail base has a smooth taper to reduce drag effects. For the wings, the team selected the S1223 airfoil for its superior lift-to-drag ratio, which reduced stall speed for a safer landing. However, the airfoil geometry was modified to feature a thicker trailing edge to facilitate manufacturing. The wing deployment was designed to rotate the wings from an in-line stacked position over the tail section to a traditional non-swept position over the center fuselage. This is done using a servo, which rotates a series of gears and arms to push the wing boxes through swivel joint attachments. The team chose to use the mortar-style launch system as it was a simpler design, as well as traditionally being designed to achieve high-arching ballistic trajectories, which allows the team to meet specified requirements. Most of the vehicle and launch system were manufactured at the L3 Harris Student Design Center (HSDC). The main body of the vehicle was manufactured via 3D-printing at the HSDC and team members’ personal printers for quick prototyping and optimized strength-to-weight ratios. All printed components use PETG filament with a gyroid infill ranging from 15% to 20% based on expected local stress and deformation. The fuselage ribs were laser-cut from plywood and assembled with carbon fiber rod stringers, which were adhered with CA glue, then attached to the printed body components with CA glue. The tail section was assembled using CA glue as well to connect the base, connecting carbon fiber tube, and cap. The wings are assembled from laser-cut plywood ribs, carbon fiber tube stringers, and a carbon fiber rod that serves as a pin for the 3D-printed aileron. The wing skin consists of two layers of UltraKote, utilizing the “pinhole method” where the first layer is adhered to the ribs whilst pulled taut, small ventilation holes are created across the skin, then a second layer is laid on top of the first using the same technique. Eight-inch nominal diameter PVC was acquired for the launch system and was cut (eight feet for the main launch tube and four feet for the pressure vessel) utilizing a miter saw. The ends of both sides of the cut tubes were sanded smooth, and the outsides were sanded to create a surface for the PVC cement to be appl

Future Works

The future of RAPID includes a full-scale model with a dedicated payload-bay capable of traversing several miles into disaster zones, seeing a mission through to completion and aiding in disaster relief response as desired. Acknowledgement: The team would like to thank the faculty advisor Dr. Firat Irmak, our graduate student assistant Niall Harris, Felix Gabriel, and HSDC Staff for providing helpful feedback and guidance for our project.

Project Summary

The purpose of this project is to design and manufacture a bipropellant engine and investigate the characteristics of combustion instability by varying the characteristic length of the engine. This project is motivated by performance concerns such as unstable flow and uneven pressure distributions, as well as the broader need in the industry to improve chemical propulsion devices. The team aims to complete three static fires while varying the characteristic length.

Project Objective

OBJ-01 The team shall design and test a bipropellant rocket engine. Rational: To construct a system capable of testing for combustion instabilities. Expected compliance by showcase. OBJ-02 The team shall utilize a testing apparatus capable of securely mounting the engine and its components as well as supporting data acquisition devices. Rational: To provide a testbed for the purpose of safely testing the bipropellant engine. Expected compliance by showcase. OBJ-03 The team shall perform a static test fire of the engine before the conclusion of the 2026 spring semester. Rational: To experimentally validate the effects of combustion stability on combustion. A static fire test is necessary. Expected compliance by showcase. OBJ-04 The team shall experimentally study the impact that combustion stability has on engine performance. Rational: To characterize the theoretical and experimental influence combustion stability has on engine combustion. Expected compliance by showcase.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The structures team has put in over 500 hours manufacturing the injector plates, combustion chambers, and nozzles in the machine shop. The CNC Machines involved designing a CAD model, creating a CAM program, setting up machines, and then running the program. The combustion chambers involved a combination of manual and CNC manufacturing. CNC Mill (3- and 3.5-axis): Injector Plates, soft jaws, and tombstone. CNC Lathe: Combustion chambers and nozzles.

Specification

The system contains three main subsystems: the engine, feedlines, and test stand. The test stand was made from mild steel, which measures 16.5 in tall, with a base diameter of 15 in and a stand outer diameter of 4.5 in. Gussets were welded onto the test stand to provide added support and stiffness. The feedlines consisted of a fuel and oxidizer feedline made primarily from braided hoses with stainless steel pipe fittings. Fuel and oxidizer flow was controlled through ball valves and solenoids, one of each for each feedline. The fuel tank has a volume of 56.5 in^3, and the oxidizer tank has a volume of 4620 in^3. The engine was made up of an injector, combustion chamber, and nozzle. The injector was 4 in in diameter and 1.877 in long. Combustion chamber A, the baseline chamber, was 3.686 in long. Lastly, the nozzle was a 75° converging, 15° diverging angle nozzle that was 0.729 in long with a 0.848 in diameter throat.

Analysis

To verify the structural design of the engine, CFD and FEA analyses were performed. CFD simulations verified the internal geometry of both the combustion chamber and nozzle. The CFD simulations used an SST-K-Omega density-based solver. Results were provided via temperature and velocity profiles. FEA simulations validated the chamber and injector thickness, material selection, and bolt sizing.

Future Works

Future works include performing CFD analysis on the injector and feedlines, using a larger fuel tank with a known outlet area to limit premature choking, and implementing a more robust ignition system. CFD analysis on the injector and feedlines would provide analytical insight into pressure losses throughout the system, resulting in a more accurate burn simulation. The pressure loss data would also help determine a more accurate oxidizer-to-fuel ratio.

Acknowledgement

Team SABER would like to thank Dr. Firat Irmak for his continuous advice, insight, and guidance throughout the junior and senior design courses. The team would also like to thank Caleb Phillips for his assistance and willingness to support static fire endeavors at Vertex. Gratitude also extends to the Florida Institute of Technology HSDC staff and machine shop staff for providing the facilities, guidance, and machines needed to further the project.

Project Summary

Project Silent Skies explores noise reduction in aircraft using a combined passive and active approach. The team designed and built three iterations of an RC aircraft to test modified trailing edge geometries and a narrowband active noise cancellation (ANC) system. Wind tunnel testing showed reduced turbulence and drag with modified trailing edges, while ANC simulations demonstrated up to 6 dBA noise reduction by targeting dominant propeller frequencies. Flight testing revealed key challenges in control authority and structural integration, driving iterative design improvements across each aircraft version. The final system integrates both approaches into a single platform, with full flight validation planned following showcase. This work demonstrates the feasibility of quieter aircraft design and provides a foundation for future real-time noise reduction systems.

Project Objective

Design and validate an aircraft system that achieves noise reduction using combined passive and active methods without significantly compromising aerodynamic performance.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The aircraft was designed and fabricated using a combination of lightweight materials and rapid prototyping techniques to enable fast iteration and modular testing. - 3D Printing (PETG): Modular trailing edge components, vertical tail, and custom mounts for rapid design iteration and easy replacement - Lightweight Structures: Balsa wood and foamboard fuselage for low weight and ease of fabrication - Modular Design Approach: Interchangeable trailing edge sections to test different noise reduction geometries - Electronics Integration: Embedded servos, control linkages, and onboard systems integrated within the airframe - Rapid Iteration & Repair: Designs optimized for quick assembly, modification, and post-crash repair

Analysis

The project incorporated computational analysis to evaluate both aerodynamic performance and structural integrity. - Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): Used to analyze airflow over baseline and modified trailing edge designs. Results showed reduced turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) near the trailing edge, indicating potential for noise reduction. - Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Conducted to assess structural integrity and stress distribution across key components. Informed reinforcement of critical joints and load-bearing structures.

Future Works

Real-Time ANC Integration: Transition from narrowband to full, real-time active noise cancellation - Optimized Trailing Edge Design: Refine serration geometry to balance noise reduction and aerodynamic performance - Improved Control & Stability: Further enhance tail design and control authority based on flight test feedback - Expanded Testing: Collect higher-fidelity acoustic and aerodynamic data across varied flight conditions

Acknowledgement

The team thanks Dr. Firat Irmak and Dr. Reza Jahanbakshi for their guidance, Niall Harris for his technical support, and Mr. Matthew Ellis (Piper Aircraft) for his industry mentorship. The team also acknowledges the Florida Tech Design Center staff and facilities for enabling fabrication and testing, and our pilot and peers for their continued support.

Project Summary

The purpose of this project is to create and maintain a test stand capable of debugging and fixing modules that are planned to be used in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment within the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) after it undergoes its Phase 2 upgrade cycle. The project consisted of setting up a novel test stand for these custom modules and creating and managing software, standardized operating procedures (SOPs), and characterizing modules for use within the community of CERN.

Project Objective

The objective of the project was to create the testing stand and upgrade it as necessary for future intake

Manufacturing Design Methods

This is a large-scale process with multiple facets that required design to be completed. For one, it was important to program a database to store the tested modules and their overall characterization data. Secondly, physical implements, such as the cold box and custom DryAir dehumidifier, had to be created and implemented to allow for testing to be completed. Finally, SOP were designed and are still being modified as new demands from the CERN collaboration come in. This is by no means a holistic list but merely a representative sample of the types of designs done within the scope of this project.

Analysis

Analysis is primarily done via multiple characterization plots shown on the Panthera website. These plots allow for easier understanding of the overall efficiency and errors within the modules and allow for extrapolation to be done on any potential maladies that might be damaging the modules performance.

Future Works

As this is an ongoing portion of the Phase 2 CMS Inner Tracker Upgrades, this project has much more additional work to be completed in future years. Maintaining and updating Panthera to be able to deal with new modules and any unforeseen consequences from working on an international collaboration number among these challenges. Additionally, testing more modules and fixing faulty ones will be an ongoing process for multiple years to come.

Acknowledgement

Special Acknowledgments to Scott Demarest and Alex Dumbell.

Project Summary

Acoustic levitation uses high-frequency sound waves to create a standing wave, where regions of high and low pressure form stable nodes that can trap small objects. The upward acoustic radiation force at these nodes balances gravity, allowing the object to float in midair. This technology is applicable in various fields such as chemistry, biological engineering, and sub-gravity simulation. It can also be used for drop dynamics studies, crystallization, and containerless transport. Dual-Lev investigates the capability of a levitator which utilizes four orthogonal arrays of ultrasonic transducers to produce two sound emitter axes rather than the more traditional setup of two opposing transducer arrays creating a single emitter axis.

Specification

Dual-Lev consists of four orthogonal arrays of 18 transducers each, for a total of 72 transducers. Each array is separated from its opposing array by 68.6 mm, and the transducers are placed in a hexagonal arrangement which maximizes packing density. Driving electronics: An Arduino Nano creates 40 kHz square waves which are then amplified by a L298N motor driver. The whole device is powered by a 12 V DC wall adapter, and the input voltage can be adjusted via a DC boost converter. Transducer Specifications:16 mm diameter, emit sound waves at 40 kHz, maximum driving voltage of 40 V peak-to-peak, either transmitter or receiver type. Receiver type transducers only emit at approximately half the amplitude of transmitter types. The two types of transducers are typically sold together, and unfortunately budget constraints required that receiver types were used in Dual-Lev. It was decided that one axis would use only transmitters, while the other would use receivers. The transmitter axis primarily creates the force which opposes gravity, while the receiver axis supports by increasing the lateral trapping force.

Analysis

The performance of Dual-Lev was measured by determining the minimum driving voltage required to levitate samples at various densities. These experiments were performed with the secondary axis both on and off so that its effect on the total trapping force could be evaluated. Unfortunately, no decrease in minimum driving voltage was observed when the secondary axis was turned on. Furthermore, the stability of asymmetric samples decreased with the secondary axis turned on.

Future Works

In future studies, it is suggested to upgrade Dual-Lev to use only transmitter type transducers, so the performance of a levitator with two equally strong axes can be evaluated.

Acknowledgement

Our device was inspired by the TinyLev design created by Asier Marzo, Adrian Barnes, and Bruce W. Drinkwater at the University of Bristol.

Project Summary

The standard models for gamma ray bursts (GRBs) typically assume that shock-accelerated electrons follow a power law distribution of energies. However, this behavior is not what some gamma ray bursts show. In this project, it is suggested that the presence of thermal electrons causes temporal and spectral structure across the afterglow, which is significantly different from models assuming a pure power-law distribution of electrons. To model the afterglows, we decide on a large number of samples of GRBs from the Swift database and obtain the temporal and spectral indices at arbitrary times. By finding the temporal and spectral indices at arbitrary times for a large sample of GRBs, a plot can be created to track the behavior of the afterglows through time, and determine if the curves resemble those of figures 11 and 12 in Warren et al. (2022).

Project Summary

This project explores how the ratio between radii of a binary system influences the occupation fraction in random close packing. Optimizing this occupation fraction will be instrumental in addressing the challenge of effective thermal management in electronic systems, such as those at the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at CERN which currently use a mono-disperse system of thermal fillers in radiation-hard resins. This project utilized computer simulations in order to identify the optimal ratio between the spheres that should be used as thermal fillers.

Project Summary

This project presents a theoretical study of the three-dimensional spherical quantum harmonic oscillator, a fundamental model in quantum mechanics. Beginning with the time-independent Schrödinger equation, the problem is reformulated in spherical coordinates to take advantage of the system’s symmetry. By applying separation of variables, the wavefunction is divided into radial and angular components, allowing each part to be solved independently. The solutions show that the angular behavior is described by well-known functions that determine the orientation and shape of the system, while the radial component governs how the particle’s probability distribution changes with distance from the origin. The mathematical form of the radial solution introduces special functions and normalization conditions that ensure physically meaningful results. A key outcome of this analysis is that the system exhibits discrete energy levels, meaning only specific energies are allowed. These energy levels, along with associated quantum numbers, define the structure, angular momentum, and spatial characteristics of each state. As energy increases, the wavefunctions develop more nodes and extend farther outward, with probability distributions shifting away from the center. Overall, this work illustrates how symmetry and mathematical structure lead to quantization and determine the physical behavior of a particle in a three-dimensional harmonic potential.

Project Summary

This project analyzes the timing and association between TGF pulses and VLF pulses in multi-pulse TGF events.

Project Summary

Using Hubble Legacy Archive images of giant elliptical radio galaxy NGC 6251, we were able to use data reduction and analysis pipelines to analyze this galaxy to glean information about its structure, properties, and interesting features. To this end, a color map reveals a prominent dust lane and an interesting feature that is better analyzed in a background-adjusted dust map to reveal an optical extension. Comparing this with "An anomalous ultraviolet extension in NGC 6251" from Crane, P. & Vernet J., (1997), it reveals star formation behind the dust, and that the dust in front of that is being separated out.

Project Summary

The Chandra X-ray observatory has provided an invaluable amount of data for astronomers working in the X-ray regime. In particular, Chandra has helped shed light on the properties and behavior of the elliptical galaxy Messier 87. However, the amount of time required to thoroughly review all the data and reach conclusions is far beyond what can be done via manual methods. Our intended solution to this problem is to create an automated data analysis pipeline using tools provided by the Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations (CIAO).

Project Objective

The main goal of this project was to create a data analysis pipeline that identifies spectra to search for supernovae. In addition, we would like to publish the code on GitHub, which may aid future research on transient X-ray events.

Manufacturing Design Methods

Five data analysis modules: 1) User Input: Handles all user interaction 2) Source Detection: Matches a list of M87 sources to the input data 3) Variability: Uses an algorithm to search for variable sources, gives sources a variability “score” (0 to 10) 4) Spectral Analysis: Extracts the photon count at different wavelengths 5) Visualization: Plots and visualizes all data from each module

Analysis

After running our data through the pipeline, we were left with 178 candidate sources from 27 observations. This list was further refined by removing false positives, such as any sources with large errors or low photon counts. From here, we arrive at a final list of 42 variable sources across 17 observations. Of these sources, 18 were transient, 6 were periodic, and the last 18 appeared to be longer-term sources that could not be identified. We found many false positives because sources in M87 are fairly dim due to their distance from our galaxy. This low luminosity can cause photon counts to fluctuate significantly, often mimicking the behavior of variable sources. Although none of the variable sources we found were supernovae, some produced light curves similar to those of less intense, recurring novae. Most variable sources had a score near 6, with the highest at 8. All sources with a score above 8 were false positives due to their large errors.

Future Works

Despite not detecting any supernovae in our M87 data, we found many variable sources and some periodic sources. In future research, a larger dataset would increase the likelihood of detecting supernova candidates. Future work on this project includes implementing a user interface, optimizing the code, and allowing it to work with objects other than M87. This new code will be used along with X-ray data from 10 other galaxies to search for and categorize supernovae based on their spectra.

Acknowledgement

We want to thank our graduate student advisor, Meagan Porter, for providing guidance on code implementation and data analysis, as well as the Chandra X-ray Center for the data and the CIAO software package.

Project Summary

Bolides (fireballs) are meteors that explode in the atmosphere upon impact, producing an extremely bright, high-energy event, and sometimes leave recoverable fragments . The project aims to develop a new analysis pipeline using JPL CNEOS government sensor data. The data is obtained from the JPL CNEOS fireball database [1], which uses government-based sensors to capture light-curves of events. Workflow: Classify light curves with the BLADE framework [3], Construct trajectory, Implement an orbital model with REBOUND, Develop a fragmentation model, and generate a strewn-field. The results were compared with the bolide event in Palotai et al. [2]

Project Summary

Enceladus is one of the most promising moons in our Solar System for housing an environment necessary for prebiotic synthesis or life itself. This is due to the fact that aqueous plumes ejecting form the subsurface ocean penetrate the ice shell dispersing water and subsequent organics (if present). We hypothesize that as our Sun evolves into a red giant, the increase in stellar flux will result in higher average temperatures leading to increase the potential of habitability for Enceladus. After thorough testing, it is found that the transition from Main Sequence to Red Giant will create a secondary habitable environment capable of increasing prebiotic activity. These results provide crucial predictive data for future missions to icy moons, suggesting that post-main sequence stars may create transient habitable zones.

Project Summary

The interaction between young stellar populations and surrounding molecular gas governs the morphology and evolution of star-forming regions. In the Orion Nebulae (M42), strong radiative feedback, stellar winds, and dynamical motions yield complex structures in nebular gas that are often sought and identified through traditional narrowband imaging and spectroscopy. Here, we repurpose color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) as diagnostic tools for nebular structure rather than stellar classification. Using a star-removal neural network, we generate star-reduced, calibrated nebular images from Hubble Space Telescope observations MAST archive and map the residual gas emission into CMD space.

Project Summary

JunoCam is a non-scientific camera attached to the Juno Probe, and takes images approximately every 30 days, at each perijove (PJ). These images can be projected into a 3D array in Python. Sankar’s Citizen Scientist project aimed to make this process accessible to amateur scientists. Using parts of the method Sankar’s team developed, our aim was to investigate the circumpolar regions of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Around five notable features during PJ 53 and 54 were identified. The primary feature noted was looked at using an open-source particle image velocimetry (PIV) software, OpenPIV, during PJ52 - PJ54. It was found that this feature appears to have a counter-rotating internal storm, which is unusual. Further investigations could reveal if this is a common occurance in Jupiter’s circumpolar regions.

Acknowledgement

Ramanakumar Sankar. JunoCamProjection. GitHub, 2025, https://github.com/ramanakumars/JunoCamProjection OpenPIV Consortium (2019). OpenPIV/openpiv-python: (Version 0.21.8b) http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3566451 We would like to extend a special thanks to: Ramanakumar Sankar, PhD, and Tommy Galletta

Project Summary

Comets and asteroids are, and should be, of special interest to humanity. Not only do they pose a risk if they are on a collision course with Earth, but they also present a unique opportunity to gather and mine additional resources. Direct telescope observations of these celestial objects allowed us to identify their orbital elements and compare our findings with existing published data. In this project, we focused on observing three targets: the periodic comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, and the asteroid 6 Hebe. Once we determined the orbital parameters for our targets, we created an orbit visualizer to illustrate each object's trajectory. We then created what are known as porkchop plots to display the total Δv required for any spacecraft to travel from Earth to each target, highlighting the most energy-efficient transfer trajectories. The tools and code we designed are fully generalizable to any small Solar System bodies we may observe in the future. This project demonstrates how ground-based telescope observations, combined with trajectory calculations, can enhance our understanding of the motion of comets and asteroids and inform the planning of future spacecraft missions.

Project Summary

This project considered the possibility of ammonium hydrosulfide and ammonium sulfide forming in aqueous solution in Jupiter's atmosphere to produce the predicted 2-3 bar cloud deck. Gibb's energy, Henry's law concentrations, and equilibrium constants were calculated to find the final concentrations of these products in solution, and preliminary results were positive for the formation of ammonium hydrosulfide and negative for the formation of ammonium sulfide.

Project Summary

On September 1, 1859, a powerful solar flare was observed by Richard Carrington [1]. This flare ejected highly energetic plasma, called a coronal mass ejection (CME), towards Earth. This CME impacted Earth, causing magnetic induction which seriously impacted technology. Lingam and Loeb (2017) [2] predicted that if the Carrington CME were to occur today, the economic damages to the US would be on the order of $2 trillion USD. In this work, we present an impact mitigation strategy as a sufficiently strong magnetic dipole field placed at a gravitational equilibrium point (L1) located at 1.5 Gm from Earth in the direction towards the sun [2]

Project Summary

All observable stellar systems produce measurable flux. When an object passes in front of a star, the flux dips in a way that encodes the object’s geometry and dynamics. While exoplanet searches typically assume near-spherical occulters, engineered “kilostructures” (e.g., O’Neill Cylinder, Stanford Torus, equilateral “Arnold” triangle) would imprint distinctive, non-planetary light-curve morphologies. We propose a deep learning system that learns these morphologies from simulated and absolute photometry, then assigns a calibrated probability that a given light curve is consistent with one of several kilostructure classes.

Project Objective

To create a synthetic lightcurve's using Python for various types of kilostructures and inject them into a CNN with real observational data from GAIA Data Release III.

Manufacturing Design Methods

The lightcurves are made within a Python environment. A limb-darkened star is created on a 2-D grid with time steps. Equal area shapes then move across the stellar disk. This movement is calculated as flux over time, resulting in lightcurves.

Specification

To bury our synthetic light curves amidst enough real, comparative sources, we draw our real epoch photometries from GAIA’s data release III. Our sourcing range is a series of 16 connected box queries, each 2.5 degrees across.

Analysis

Our model successfully classified kilostructures with an accuracy of 88%. This approach can be used in future astronomical surveys to identify signals of interest or even new exoplanets. This work provides a foundation for integrating deep learning into transit analysis and supports the further development of CNN-based methods in astrophysics.

Future Works

An important part of this project is not just making the model, but showing how deep learning techniques can be used in future astrometric research. Astronomers and other fields deal with a large amount of data, and CNN's make this task of analyzing it easier.

Other Information

References: This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. G. K. O’Neill, “The colonization of space”, Physics Today, Vol. 27, No. 9, September 1974. R. D. Johnson, C. Holbrow (eds.), Space Settlements: A Design Study, NASA Special Publication SP-413. Washington, DC: NASA Scientific and Technical Information Office, 1977. L. F. A. Arnold, “Transit Lightcurve Signatures of Artificial Objects”, AsJ, Vol. 627, No. 1, July 2005.

Acknowledgement

Research Advisory: D. Harris, J. C. Palacios, & M. Lingam Computational Insight: K. Taylor & R. White Resources & Support: L. Quiroga-Nuñez & the Ortega Observatory

Project Summary

This project characterized the limiting magnitude performance of three telescopes, including the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Telescope, as a function of exposure time. A series of images of the M35 star cluster were collected and stacked to create increasing effective exposure times and then analyzed using aperture photometry. These measurements were combined with catalog magnitudes to determine how faint an object each telescope could detect at different exposure lengths. The results help future observers choose the appropriate instrument and estimate the exposure time needed to collect useful data.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the use of their telescope.

Project Summary

Cosmic rays (CRs) are bare atomic nuclei with varying origins and a wide range of energies; this project focuses on TeV CRs. It is expected that, at this energy range, CRs incident on Earth originate within the Milky Way galaxy. When CRs enter our atmosphere, they trigger atmospheric showers that generate neutrinos and muons. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a below-ice observatory that has collected 12 years of data of these particles interacting with the ice and detector modules; this is the source of data for this study. The forefront of CR research seeks to understand their origins and transport mechanisms through space. The direction of CR origins can be inferred from anisotropy maps by analyzing the angular scales over which the relative intensity of events fluctuates. Using IceCube observation data at 13 TeV, one can confirm previous suggestions that the supernova remnant Vela is a source of cosmic rays and estimate the angle between the interstellar magnetic field and Earth's rotation axis. Furthermore, it is evident that the southern hemisphere sky lacks information on CRs and should not be trusted for the analysis of the entire sky.

Project Objective

Understanding the origins of CRs is made difficult by the trajectory modulations introduced by the heliosphere. As well, to mitigate detector bias, neutrino observatories use a time-averaging method that eliminates latitudinal sensitivity in observations. To utilize observations here on Earth, we have to undo the effects introduced by the heliosphere and restore the data's latitudinal sensitivity. This project accomplishes this by employing the Liouville Mapping Method, retrieving the characteristics of the CR events before they entered the heliosphere, and returning latitudinal sensitivity to the data.

Manufacturing Design Methods

To retrieve the interstellar characteristics of cosmic rays, we employ the Liouville Mapping Method. The Liouville theorem dictates that the density of a Hamiltonian phase-space particle distribution is conserved when all Lorentz forces are known. A Fortran suite of code was used on Florida Tech's HPC cluster, linking each pixel of an Earth observation to 40 particle trajectories with randomized pitch angles, which are then backpropagated to the local interstellar medium; the characteristics of each group of trajectories are then averaged to act as our most likely cosmic ray event before entering the heliosphere. After retrieving the CR characteristics in the local interstellar medium, a K-fold cross-validation method was used to determine the optimal Legendre polynomial order for truncating our model. In short, CR anisotropy is treated as a series of contributing terms, where higher-order Legendre polynomials contribute to smaller-scale angular variations in anisotropy; the validation method indicates at which order physical significance is no longer introduced, and statistical noise rather provides the small-scale structure.

Analysis

In this study, it was found that the anisotropy of CRs outside the heliosphere is dominated by a dipole, suggesting that the heliosphere introduces the small-scale angular structure observed on Earth. The results exhibit a CR density gradient oriented toward the Vela Supernova Remnant, suggesting it is a likely source of TeV cosmic rays; previous studies also support this. It is found that retrieving the latitudinal sensitivity to measurements reveals a difference in anisotropy, confirming that latitudinal variation cannot be neglected in future studies. It is observed that the plane perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field separates particles arriving from opposite ends of the field line, supporting the inferred magnetic field direction. Using the model trained on IceCube data to map the entire sky reveals that the IceCube FOV lacks sufficient information to do so accurately: the model fails to reproduce a hotspot observed in the northern hemisphere in previous studies (e.g., ARGO-YBJ experiment). It is also observed that the distribution of pitch angles in the measurements has a distinct cutoff at a certain angle, confirming that the IceCube FOV is unable to capture events with small pitch angles parallel (or antiparallel) to the magnetic field, including those contributing to the hotspot. This cutoff yields an estimate of the angle between the local interstellar magnetic field and Earth's rotation axis, which is 44.4°.

Future Works

From this study, it is evident that in cosmic ray studies, the southern hemisphere sky should not be trusted; rather, future work should either use the northern hemisphere or create full-sky maps for a physically meaningful analysis. Future studies can examine higher energy levels, analyze the spectral power of intensity as a function of energy, and constrain effects introduced by the heliosphere across different energy levels.

Acknowledgement

I want to thank Noufel Malaal and Dr. Ming Zhang for their guidance in this research. This work was partly supported by NASA grants 80NSSC22K0524, 80NSSC24K0267, and 80NSSC21K0004. We thank the IceCube Collaboration for providing the data used in this study. Some results in this paper were obtained using healpy and HEALPix. This work relied on the MHD model provided by Dr. Nikolai Pogorelov. We acknowledge support from the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern through International Team Project \#574, “Shocks, Waves, Turbulence, and Suprathermal Electrons in the Very Local Interstellar Medium.” This work utilized the AI.Panther computing cluster at Florida Tech, funded by NSF MRI grant 2016818.

Project Summary

Pyrethroids are widely used insecticides that disrupt neuronal signaling and have been linked to cardiovascular and neurological disease in humans. This project uses the nematode C. elegans as an ethical and cost-effective model organism to identify secondary mechanisms of pyrethroid toxicity, as these nematodes lack voltage-gated sodium ion channels, the primary targets of pyrethroids. Worms were exposed to these insecticides during their larval stage and assessed across multiple behavioral assays, including soft touch, basal slowing, and aldicarb-paralysis responses. Rather than causing broad behavioral impairment, these pyrethroids selectively altered locomotory output and aldicarb sensitivity, indicating disruption of motor circuit function and cholinergic signaling. These findings provide insight into secondary mechanisms of pyrethroid toxicity relevant to human health, and support our proposed model in which pyrethroids also act on voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, leading to increased cholinergic signaling at the neuromuscular junction.

Project Summary

This project aims to prove that plant growth promoting bacteria or PGPBs can change the way we imagine food production in a long term mars mission. Humans plan to eventually have a long term mission to Mars and with this we need to worry about how are we going to have enough food for our astronauts or colonists. Mars is a long journey away and we would need way more space to be able to carry enough food on the rockets to survive until the next resupply mission. So instead of constantly waiting for a resupply mission or using all of the ships payload for food supplies we plan to go another way. By experimenting with specific PGPBs it has been proven that certain food producing crops can be grown in unmediated Martian regolith. Plants are grown in this unmediated regolith for 4 weeks in multiple concentrations with 3 specific space tested bacteria. The overall goal is to simulate our own microbiome somewhat similar to what plants have here on earth. This microbiome will assist the plant in numerous ways so that it may grow in the very hostile conditions of the regolith.

Project Summary

An assessment of 11 fungi cultured from the International Space Station's VEGGIE unit for plant growth promoting phenotypes in the context of space agriculture.