Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium...Agenda / Presentation Schedule 8-9am POSTER SESSION SET-UP-Breakfast providedfor presenters ... Delphine Le Brun Colon and Levi Willmeth - LBCC

2016StudentSymposiumProceedings

November10,20169:00am-5:00pm

LaSellsStewartCenterAgProduction/AgLeadersRooms

OregonStateUniversity

featuringpresentationsfromNASAstudentinterns,fellows,researchscholarsandstudentteams

OregonNASASpaceGrantConsortium

Page2of14 2016NASAStudentSymposiumProceedings

2016NASAStudentSymposium

HostedbyOregonNASASpaceGrantConsortium(OSGC)

November10,2016

© OregonSpaceGrantConsortium,2016

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OregonSpaceGrantConsortium92KerrAdministrationBuilding

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Agenda/PresentationSchedule

8-9am POSTERSESSIONSET-UP-Breakfastprovidedforpresenters

9-10am OPENPOSTERSESSION

SESSIONA-AgProductionRoom SESSIONB-AgScienceRoom

10:00amBrandonGigous-OregonStateUniversityNASAAmesResearchCenterInternshipDevelopingMobilityofaCompliantQuadrupedalRobot

TaraPrevo-PortlandCommunityCollegeNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipConceptAnalysis&DesignofaMagneticallyDampedCheckValve

10:20amErynCangi-UniversityofOregonOSGCFacultyResearchAwardFluxRatioDetectionofGlobalThinCirrusClouds

ConnorThompson-WesternOregonUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipEvaluationofLifeSupportCandidateTechnologyfor100%OxygenRecovery

10:40amKevinQuintero-OregonStateUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipSinglePersonSpacecraftAssessment

JessicaKuonen-OregonStateUniversityOSGCInternship:OregonSeaGrantSeacastProjectEyeofthebeholder:Exploringperspectivesofoceanriskanduncertaintytoimprovedataaccessibility

11:00amDelphineLeBrunColonandLeviWillmeth-LBCCOSGCUndergraduateResearchAwardRockSat-C2016:LBCC/OSUTeam

JamesLuce-PortlandStateUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipMarsAscentVehicleHybridMotorStructuralAnalysis

11:20am

SanjayRamprasad-PortlandStateUniversityOSGCUndergraduateResearchFellowshipReproductionDynamicsinSmallNetworksofAutocatalyticRNAs

TaylorContrerasandLindseyOberhelman-UOOSGCInternship:PineMountainObservatoryCommissioningtheRobbinsforUndergraduateResearch

11:40-1pm LUNCH/NETWORKING/POSTERS-Foodandrefreshmentsprovidedforpresenters

1:00pm

CharityWoodrum-UniversityofOregonNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipSearchingfortheElectromagneticCounterparttoGravitationalWaveEvents

NathanSchorn-OregonStateUniversityOSGCUndergraduateResearchAwardOSUAIAAExperimentalSoundingRocketAssociationIntercollegiateRocketEngineeringCompetition(ESRA-IREC)

1:20pm

AnthonyDunaway-OregonStateUniversityOSGCInternship:OregonSeaGrantSeacastProjectVisualizingOceanConditionForecastingforOregonFishermen

MeaganKoeroghlian-UniversityofPortlandNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipMulti-wavelengthStudyoftheHighEnergyUniverse

1:40pmKristaGalloway-OregonInstituteofTechnologyNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterInternshipAir-BearingFlightControlSimulation

MatthewTwete-UniversityofOregonOSGCFacultyResearchAwardAnalysisoftheOccurrenceandRatesofSupernovaeinAbellClusters

2:00pmKylerStephens-GeorgeFoxUniversityNASAArmstrongFlightResearchCenterInternshipFiberOpticBoxImprovement

RachelNelke-OregonStateUniversityOSGCInternship:OSUPropulsionLabEffectsofCombustionProductsonDetonationVelocities

2:20pm

EmmaFraleyandKarenKuhlman-OSUOSGCInternship:NewYorkSpaceGrant/CornellUniversityCubeSatDesign&Build

MickieCassady,AlexsisHundley-Kennaday,KevinMalstrom,andEricShawStearns-OregonInstituteofTechnologyOSGCUndergraduateResearchAwardRockOn!2016:OregonTechWilsonvilleTeam

2:40pm

MichelleNeely-OregonStateUniversityOSGCGraduateFellowship2-DSpatialPatternAnalysisofMarsandEarthSmall-ScaleBedforms:ChallengesandMethodologyinImageProcessingandDataAcquisition

3-5pm RECEPTION/NETWORKING/POSTERS-Foodandrefreshmentsprovided


Abstracts

ErynCangi,UniversityofOregonOregonNASASpaceGrantFacultyResearchAwardwithGregBothun/UOFluxRatioDetectionofGlobalThinCirrusCloudsCirrus clouds are high-altitude (higher than 15 km) clouds composed of ice crystals, often appearing“wispy”or liketheircommonfolkname,“mares’tails.”Cirruscloudsoftenmaybe invisibletothenakedeyebutnonethelesshavesignificantnegativefeedbacktoamplifyglobalclimatechangeasresultoftheirlargeopacityintheinfrared.Thegeneralconsensusintheclimatesciencecommunityisthatthesecloudsaredifficulttodetectandestimatesoftheirglobalcoverage(or increaseovertime)aredifficulttomake.Whilesomenewdetectionmethodsexist,suchassatelliteimaginginthe1.38μmband,weareinterestedinfindingamoreeffectiveandeasierdetectionmethod.Weuseacommonlyavailableall-skyastrophotographycamerawithavarietyofcombinationsofbandpassfilterstoimagecirrusclouds.Theconceptisthatthesethinclouds,madealmostexclusivelyoficecrystals,directly reflect sunlight and therefore have the same filter flux ratios as the sun. Clouds with highermoisture contentwill havedifferent filter flux ratios. Standard astronomical photometric techniques arethenappliedtotheseallsky images.Preliminaryresultsshowthatgooddetectionofcirruscloudsoccurswithuseof the82ablue,11yellow,or LRGB luminance filtersaloneor incombination.Futureworkwillincludemoredatacollection,testingmorefilters,establishmentofapermanentcamerainstallationattheUniversityofOregonwithanautomatedfilterwheelandtheinclusionofacirrus-detectingcamerasystemonaNASAOregonSpaceGrantprogramCubeSat.MickieCassady,AlexsisHundley-Kennaday,KevinMalstrom,andEricShawStearns,OregonInstituteofTechnologyNASAWallopsFlightFacilityRockOn!2016:OregonTechWilsonvilleTeamStudentstraveledtoNASAWallopsFlightFacility inVirginiatolearnhowtoconstructascientificpayloadthatcollectsenvironmentaldataas it is launchedto100kmintotheatmosphere.StudentswrotecodeinC++and soldered components together for3days to createa fully functioningpayload. Throughout theprocess,studentstestedeachcomponenttoensurereliableoperation.Then,studentswereimmersedintothelivesofthetechnicianastheyassistedwiththeintegrationofthepayloadintotherocket.Finally,themorningoflaunch!Datawassuccessfullyretrievedoneachcomponentofthepayload.


TaylorContrerasandLindseyOberhelman,UniversityofOregonPineMountainObservatoryCommissioningtheRobbinsforUndergraduateResearchWepresentandsummarizeourworkandresearchrelatedtothecommissioningandoperationsofanewtelescopesystematPineMountainObservatory(PMO).Throughoutthesummerof2016ourteambroughtthis new system on-line, learned to operate it through hands-on experience and the development ofoperationalprocedures,and led the initial commissioninganduseof the telescopebyobtaining the firstengineeringandsciencequalitydatafromtheintegratedsystem.Theso-named“Robbins”isa14-inchMeadeCassegraintelescope.Coupledtothisisaresearch-qualityCCDcamerawithmultiple filtersandanauto-focus system.Witha focal lengthof2.56 cm, the systemhasafield-of-viewof35x35arcminutes,andapixelscaleof0.7.Initialobservationsshowthatitisanextremelysensitivesystem,whichwillallowustoperformlegitimateundergraduateresearchatthefacility.This summer we devised an observing log and operations procedures, constructed a flat field box forcalibration of the telescope/camera system, and learned how to reduce and stack images with theprofessional softwarepackages IRAFandAstroconda.Over the courseofourwork,webecameadeptatoperating and collecting data with the Robbins through our interface software named Maxim DL. InadditiontocommissioningtheRobbinssystemweweretheleadstudentvolunteersforour“PublicNights”programatPMO.BetweenMayandSeptemberweledtours,operatedtelescopes,andweredocentsforover1500observatoryvisitors.AnthonyDunaway,OregonStateUniversityOregonStateUniversitySeaGrantSeacastVisualizingOceanConditionForecastingforOregonFishermenTheSeacastproject is a collaborationbetween theOregonStateUniversityCollegeofEarth,Ocean,andAtmosphericSciences,theCollegeofEngineering,andOregonfishermen.TheSeacastteamworksdirectlywiththeFishermenwhousethesystemanddesignSeacastaroundtheirneeds.ThepurposeoftheSeacastproject is to provideOregon fishermenwith predictions of ocean conditions through a free easy to useonlinesystem.SeacastprovidesvisualfieldsmadefrommathematicalmodelscreatedatOSUandNOAA.TheSeacastproject isbuiltonaDjangoframeworkwithPython,Javascript,andMySQL,and ishostedbyOSU.ThegoaloftheprojectthisyearwastoexpandthefunctionalityoftheSeacastsystemandimprovethe reliability of access to Seacast.Wind forecasts as well as wave period forecasts were added to theavailable fields. The ability to view daily tide predictions from the Seacastwebsitewas also added. TheSeacast systemwasmademore tolerant to failures,and the feedback systemwasexpanded.Alongwiththe added features some experimentation was performed to test alternative methods of displayinginformation.Theprojecthadasuccessfulyear.Thefishermenexpressedastrongdesireforwindforecasts,and now Seacast can finally providewind fields to users. The new functionality is workingwell, and analternative method of displaying the currents was tested and shows promise, but currently it is notimplemented.AllofthenewadditionshelpmakeSeacastanincreasinglyusefultoolforOregonfishermen.


EmmaFraleyandKarenKuhlman,OregonStateUniversityNewYorkSpaceGrant/CornellUniversity2016CubeSatDesignandBuildInternshipCubeSatsaresmall,relativelyinexpensivesatellitescharacterizedbytheirstructureandpayload.Currently,there is interest to developCubeSats capableof deployingpostage-stamp-sized satelliteswithin solar orlaser sails. Additionally, there is incentive to reduce the cost and development time of CubeSats. Theobjectives of this project were to create a 1U CubeSat capable of deploying a solar sail payload in atimeframeof tenweeks,within a $10,000budget, andusingonlyoff-the-shelf components. Theprojectconsistedoftwomainphases:designandbuild.Thedesignphasefocusedonthedeterminationofsystemsneededforthesatellite,theselectionandpurchaseofcomponentstosatisfyrespectivefunctions,andthedevelopmentofaCADmodeloftheintegratedsatellite.Thebuildphaseconsistedofhardwaretests(viaArduino software), fabrication of structural components and electronic boards (PCBs), along with theintegrationofallsubassembliesintoastandard1U,3Dprintedbus.Attheendoftenweeks,asuccessfuldemonstration of the unintegrated flight components, structural and electronic hardware and software,wasperformed,provingsatellitefunctionalityonacomponentandsoftwarelevel.Asuccessfulprototypewas completedbut furtherwork is needed for a flight-ready satellite. The final product demonstrated aprototypesatellitecanbeconstructedwithinashorttimeframeandforamodestbudget,provingspace-gradeprojectsarebecomingmoreaccessibleandachievable.Thesatellitewillundergoafewmodificationsthisfallandwintertobecomeflight-readyandideally,inthequeueforafutureNASAlaunch.KristaGalloway,OregonInstituteofTechnologyNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterAir-BearingFlightControlSimulationWith CubeSats becoming increasingly popular, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is enabling thedevelopment of an affordable NanoLaunch vehicle for CubeSatmission launches. To achieve Low EarthOrbit (LEO), this rocket employs specialized stabilization maneuvers during flight. These maneuvers arecontrolledbyalowcostavionicsflightcontroller,developedatAmesResearchCenter,knownasAffordableVehicle Avionics (AVA). AVA uses a closed-loop iterative program to set and correct angular positioningduringflightbyautonomouslyfiringcoldgasthrusters.Anexistingmicro-frictionair-bearingassemblywasrefinedtosimulateazero-genvironmentforflightsimulationtestingandcontrolsystemverification.Withtheadditionof lampstohelpvisualizethecontrolreactionsandtheimplementationofanewlydesignedcounterbalance,thepreparationtimeisgreatlydecreasedforeachtest,whichwillallowformoretesting.Thetestresultswereanalyzedtoprovethefeasibilityofaffordableflightcontrol.Althoughcertainaspectsofthetestresultswerenotexpected,thetestpreparationtimeisnowafractionoftheoriginalpreparationtimeandthedatacannowbeanalyzedempiricallymultipleways,furthersupportingfuturetestingofAVA.ThetestwassomewhatsuccessfulasAVAwasabletode-spinthevehiclecorrectlybutAVAwasnotabletoholdthepitchandyawatthedesiredlocation.


BrandonGigous,OregonStateUniversityNASAAmesResearchCenterDevelopingMobilityofaCompliantQuadrupedalRobotFromanevolutionaryperspective,vertebratesfirstachievedlocomotionthroughmovementofthespine.The evolution of legs occurred later and allowed for enhanced mobility, but movement of the spineremains the centralmechanism for locomotion.Most state-of-the-art robots similar to animals are builtwith a rigid torso and use legs as the primarymeans ofmoving around. Current research in tensegrityrobots—robots made of compliant structures—shows promise for application in exploratory robotics,especiallyspaceexploration.Presentedinthisworkisanextensionofacurrentproject,thefocusofwhichis developing a tensegrity quadruped robot called MountainGoat, the first of its kind. To emulate themotionofanimals,computationalcentralpatterngenerators(CPGs)areused,andaneuralnetworkisusedfor feedback control; theMonteCarlomethod isused to findefficientpatternsofmovement. Themaincontributions inthisworkaretheuseofmachine learningmethodsto tuneparametersofthetensegrityrobot,aswellasa restructuringof theCPGcontrol scheme.Theresultsof this researchshowthatsomeanimal-likewalkingbehaviorisachieved.MeaganKoeroghlian,UniversityofPortlandNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterMulti-wavelengthStudyoftheHighEnergyUniverseThe investigation of high energy electromagnetic radiation reveals information about the universe thatwouldotherwisebeinvisibletohumans,asitisoutsidethespectrumofopticallight.Gammaraysarethemostenergetic typeof radiationon theelectromagnetic spectrum,billionsof timesmoreenergetic thanoptical light. The sources of high energy non-thermal emission include supernova remnants, pulsars,compactstars,andotherastronomicalphenomena.Weexpectacontinuumofnon-thermalradiationfromtheseobjects.Bycorrelatingdata fromvariousobservatorieswecan study thecompletepictureof suchobjects.GammaandX-rayradiationcanbeproducedthroughphotoninteractionswiththesameparticlepopulation. We are studying X-ray sources newly discovered in the TeV energy range to further ourunderstanding of these particle interactions. In some cases, the data shows emission from differentenergiestobecomingfromthesamesourceobjects.Thenextstepwouldbetoperformamoreindepthstudy of the spectral energy distribution in order tomodel the physicalmechanisms responsible for theobserved emissions. In addition, a spatial morphology study would reveal information about theenvironment and interactions around the object, i.e. magnetic field, interstellar medium, shocks insupernovae. The examination of data from various observatorieswill allowus to determine the optimallocation(s)toconductfurtherinvestigation.


JessicaKuonen,OregonStateUniversityOregonStateUniversitySeaGrantSeacastEyeoftheBeholder:ExploringPerspectivesofOceanRiskandUncertaintytoImproveDataAccessibilityOceanusersandmarinescientistsbothhaveconnectionstothesea.Thisresearchaskshowthenatureofthisconnectionleadstodifferentperceptionsofoceanriskandcomfortwithuncertainty,andhowthesedifferencesmight be important to consider when one group has information another group needs. Forexample, when commercial fishermen take to the sea to earn a living, they seek information aboutforecasted currents, winds, and waves to cope with the many risks they face. Marine scientists haveadvanced ocean condition forecasting in recent years, however quantifying and communicating thescientificuncertaintyof forecastmodelshasprovendifficult, resulting in shorter thanpreferred forecastlead times for experienced ocean users like commercial fishermen. This situation creates a uniqueopportunity toexamine thedifferences inperceptionsof riskandcomfortwithuncertaintybetween the“informationprovider”andthe“informationuser,”andhowtheseperceptions influencetheaccessibilityandusefulnessofthedata.Usingopen-endedandsemi-structuredinterviewswithbothcommunities,thisresearch will explore participant perceptions by focusing on the concepts of risk exposure, effect, andmitigation. By documenting the “mental models” of these two interdependent communities, there ispotential to improve accessibility and usability of ocean condition forecasts and empower better riskmanagementbyindividuals.Focusingonunderstandingthenatureofperceptionmayhaveimplicationsforunderstanding and communicating risk and uncertainty between information providers and informationusersforotherissuesrangingfromresourcemanagementtoclimatechange.DelphineLeBrunColonandLeviWillmeth,Linn-BentonCommunityCollegeNASAWallopsFlightFacilityRockSat-C2016:LBCC/OSUTeamInSeptember2016,LinnBentonCommunityCollegeandOregonStateUniversitystudentsformedateamto participate in the RockSat-C program. Our mission was to build a proof of concept gamma raypolarimetertolaunchonaNASAsoundingrocketandsuccessfullyidentifyastralgammaraysintheformofeither background radiation or gamma event radiation. This was an ambitious experiment inspired byOregon State University’s astrophysics professor and researcher Davide Lazzati. The measurement ofgamma-ray polarization is considered cutting-edge astrophysics. Objects in our Universe that producegammaphotons are so far away that there are limitedwayswe can study them.With little informationabouthigh intensitygammaevents suchasgammarayburstsandsupernovaexplosions, successfuldatafrom this experiment could spark future experiments. Our design is based on compton scattering. Apolarizedgammarayyieldsapolarizedphotonwhen ithitsablockofscintillationmaterial.Webuiltourpolarimeter with a central dense scattering block surrounded by an array of 12 scintillation detectors.Polarized photons scatter from the central block orthogonal to the gamma ray incident vector,whereasunpolarizedphotonscanscatterinanydirection.Bylookingattheseangleswecandeduceifthegammaradiationourexperimentacquires ispolarizedornot.A failureofour systemdidnotallowus to recordeventswhile in flight. Thegamma raypolarimeter is expected tobe improvedand sentonaNASAHighAltitudeStudentPlatform(HASP)in2019.


JamesLuce,PortlandStateUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterMarsAscentVehicleHybridMotorStructuralAnalysisThree structural analyses were conducted for a hybrid rocketmotor design for use on a notionalMarsascent vehicle (MAV). TheMAV is a possiblemission intended to return surface samples fromMars toMartianorbit.Thehybridmotordesignisoneofseveralmotordesignsbeingconsidered.The first analysis investigated cracks seen in samples of a newly developed fuel. These cracks appearedduring environmental testing that replicated the conditions expected on Mars. In order to betterunderstandthecausesofthecracks,amodelofthefuelgrainwascreatedandastructuralfiniteelementanalysiswasconducted tounderstand the thermal stressesexpected in the fuel.Thiswasacomparativeanalysis,examining theeffectsofdifferentdesignsandmaterials tohelpaiddesigndecisionsand futuretesting.Thesecondanalysiswasconducted toexaminestresses in themotor’s casingunder launch loadsand todeterminethepotentialthinnessofthecasinggivenexpectedloadsandfactorofsafety.The third analysis lookedat stresses in themotor’s nozzle and thenozzle’s casing. This analysiswas themostcomplex,takingintoaccountthermalandfiringpressureeffectsduringlaunchaswellasthrustandthrustvectorcontroleffects.Thegoalof thisanalysiswasweight reductionandwasdone inan iterativecyclewithdesignandthermalengineers.E.MichelleNeely,OregonStateUniversityOregonNASASpaceGrantGraduateFellowship2-D Spatial PatternAnalysis ofMars and Earth Small-Scale Bedforms: Challenges andMethodology inImageProcessingandDataAcquisitionApproximately30%oftheEarth’ssurfaceisaridorsemi-aridenvironment,wheresedimenttransportanddepositionofaeolian-erodedmaterialoccursatlocalandglobalscales.Understandingaeolianprocessesisimportant to understanding arid environments. Particle erosion, transport, and deposition by aeolianprocesses results in various depositional features such as dunes and ripple bedforms. Aeolian processesandarangeofdepositionalbedformsareobservedonMarstoday.Understandingthespatialpatternsofpopulationsofaeolianbedformfieldscaninformunderstandingofformationalwindprocesses.Theoverallgoalofthisstudyistoconductageospatialstatisticalanalysisof2-DpatternsofremotelysensedimagesofcomparablebedformsonEarthandMars,andtoeventuallycomparetheterrestrialanalysistolocalwindregimedatatoinferformationalMarswindregimes.Thispresentationfocusesonremotelysensedimageryofthebedforms,andthestepsnecessarytoobtainmeasurementsofthebedformspatialpatterns.Earthimagery from the WorldView-1 Satellite Sensor and Mars imagery from the High Resolution ImagingScienceExperiment(HiRISE)cameraaboardtheMarsReconnaissanceOrbiter(MRO)havedifferentspatial,spectral, and radiometric resolutions which present challenges in bedform digitization. Various imageenhancement techniqueswere used in ENVI to identify bedform crestlines prior to digitizationwith a Cbasedopen-sourceprogram(OnlineLineSegmentDetector,OLSD).Pythonscriptswerewrittentoobtainquantify crestline segments, crestline spacing, and sinuosity angle measurements based on OLSDdigitization.Manual digitization of pre- and post-enhanced imagerywas compared to OLSD and Pythonscriptautomationforefficacy.


RachelNelke,OregonStateUniversityOSUPropulsionLabEffectsofCombustionProductsonDetonationVelocitiesPressuregaincombustionhasreceivedanincreasedinterestinrecentyears,duetothepotentialofhigherthermodynamicefficiencieswhenusedforpropulsionorpowerextractionthanconventionalengines.Twocommon pressure gain combustion devices are pulse detonation engines (PDEs) and rotating, orcontinuous,detonationengines(RDEs).Inpressuregaindevices,mixingoffreshfuel-oxidizermixtureswithcombustion products can occur upon injection into the combustion chamber. Mixing the flammablemixture with combustion products may decrease detonation velocities, as seen in trends from laminarflamespeedcalculationsandfromdetonationwavespeedresultsfromSandiaNationalLaboratories.Thesechanges in velocity characteristics are expected to occur due to both dilution and chemical effects.Hydrocarbon fuels dilutedwith CO2 and N2 will be used, expanding on the results reported for laminarflames and ignition delay. The knowledge obtained from this study could be utilized in the design ofdetonation engines, enabling a better understanding of critical geometry while providing insight intopractical usage and potential of PDE’s and RDE’s. The detonation propagation velocity is expected todecreaseastheconcentrationof inertdiluent increasesuntilthedeflagrationtodetonationtransitionnolongeroccurs. Similarly to the laminar flame speed results, it is expected thatdiluting themixturewithcombustionproductswillcauseagreaterreductiontothedetonationvelocitythantheinertgasesbecauseofchemicalkineticreactions.Preliminaryresultshaveshownatrendinthisdirection,howevernotenoughdefinitivequantitativedatahasbeencollectedyet.TaraPrevo,PortlandCommunityCollegeNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterConceptAnalysis&DesignofaMagneticallyDampedCheckValveCheck valves are a common component in propulsion systems, designed to allow fluid flow in only onedirection.Duetotheirsimplepassivenature,however,thesevalvesaredifficulttocontrolandarepronetochatter,wherehighfrequencypressuredropscauseinternal‘hammering,’prematurelydegradingthevalveandsurroundingseals.Thegoal istodevelopadesignforamagneticdampingsystemforpassivevalves,whichwillutilize forcesproducedbymagnetswithin copper tubesaccording to Lenz’s Law.Byanalyzingexperimentaldata,parametersmustbeestablishedforthedesign,includingmagnetstrength,coppertubewallthickness,clearances,anddampingratesnecessary.Usingadditivemanufacturing,theconceptdesignshall be printed and tested, and its effectiveness in eliminating chatter shall be evaluated. Should thedesignprovetosignificantlydampenpassivevalvechatter,itsimplementationcouldbewidespreadbothinjetpropulsionsciencesandexternalmechanicalfields.


KevinQuintero,OregonStateUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterSinglePersonSpacecraftAssessmentSpacesuitsaredangerousandpainfulforastronautstooperatein,butarecurrentlyrequiredtoservicetheInternational Space Station andother satellites. Also, future deep spacemissions have an increased riskassociated with them. The FlexCraft is a single-person spacecraft concept that aims to solve theseproblems. It is designed to be an enclosed system equipped with robotic arms, which will reduce thefatigue of the astronaut and better protect against the hazards of space. This project is assessing thecurrent design of the FlexCraft Simulator (FCS) and how intuitive the FCS is to pilot. These tests willdeterminewhat changes need to bemade to the FCS and set a precedent for future tests. Localizationsensorsareusedtorecordpositionandrotationdata,andsurveyswillbeusedtocollectqualitativedata.The resultswill suggest improvements for the software, electronics, andmechanical systemsof the FCS.TheseresultsandimprovementswillhelpNASAintheirassessmentoftheFlexCraftconcept.SanjayRamprasad,PortlandStateUniversityOregonNASASpaceGrantUndergraduateResearchFellowshipReproductionDynamicsinSmallNetworksofAutocatalyticRNAsRNA’s competency as both a catalyst and an information store suggests that large networks of thesemacromolecules were the immediate precursors to biological systems capable of undergoing Darwinianevolution.Withemergingexperimentalandtheoreticalsupport,itseemsincreasinglyplausiblethatlifeonearthoriginated fromaheterogeneousnetworkof cooperatingRNAs rather thana single self-replicatingspecies.1 Here we propose that simple graphs can be used to predict the outcome of reproductivecompetitions in smallRNAnetworksof theAzoarcusgroup I intron.TheAzoarcus isoleucyl-tRNAgroup IintroniscatalyticallyactiveandcanrecombineexogenousRNAfragmentstoproducemorecopiesofitself.Thisisaccomplishedviaathree-nucleotideinteractionbetweentheribozymeandtwoexo-RNAfragments,whicharesubsequently ligatedthroughaconcertedtrans-esterificationreaction.Toprovideanempiricaldemonstrationof thegraphicalmodels, ribozymesandRNA fragmentswerepreparedby in vitro run-offtranscriptionsfromDNAplasmidtemplates.Two,singlenucleotidesubstitutionsareintroducedtoproduceheterogeneousribozymes.Theheterogeneousribozymesarethenforcedtocompeteforasharedresourceduringrapidboutsofreproduction.Populationsofribozymesaretrackedusingdifferential32Plabeling.ThisallowsforthequantificationofthechemicalequivalentofevolutionarysuccessacrossgenerationsofRNAself-assembly.Thisinvestigationisinearlystageshoweverpreliminaryresultswillbepresented.1Yeates,J.A.M.,Lehman,N.(2016).RNAnetworksattheoriginoflife.TheBiochemist.38:8-12.


NathanSchorn,OregonStateUniversityOSUAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics(AIAA)TeamOregon State Rocketry - Experimental Sounding Rocket Association Intercollegiate Rocket EngineeringCompetition(ESRA-IREC)The Oregon State Rocketry Club (OSR) participates in the Experimental Sounding Rocket AssociationIntercollegiateRocketEngineeringCompetition(ESRA-IREC)throughtheAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronautics (AIAA). The challenge is to design andbuild a rocket that can reach 23,000 ft. altitudeabove ground level with a 10 lb. scientific payload. The team of 15 students was split up into five subteams: Aerodynamics & Recovery, Avionics, Payload, Propulsion, and Structures & Integration.AerodynamicsandRecoverywasresponsiblefortheaerodynamicprofileandtherecoverysystem.Payloadand Avionics were a dual team of six students responsible for the scientific payload and telemetry.Propulsion was tasked with designing a motor providing impulse to reach the target altitude. Finally,StructuresandIntegrationwasresponsibleforfabricatingtherocketbodyandintegratingthesubsystems.Atthecompetition,OSRwon1stplaceintheadvancerocketcategoryandreceivedanhonorablementioninthepayloadchallenge.ThissuccesshasspurredonmoreprojectsunderOSRcreatingteamspursuinga100,000ft.elevationchallengeanddevelopmentofahybridrocket.KylerStephens,GeorgeFoxUniversityNASAArmstrongFlightResearchCenterFiberOpticBoxImprovementTheFiberOpticSensingSystem(FOSS)Labhasdevelopedaportablesystem,referredtoastheFOSSboxthatcanhavemanyapplications in flightresearch. Inordertomakethesystemeasierto implementanduse, thereareseveral improvements thatarebeingpursued.Theobjectiveofoneof theseprojects is toprovide a way to set the operational settings on the FOSS box in a Windows® app (Microsoft Corp.,Redmond,Washington).UsingC#(MicrosoftCorp.,Redmond,Washington),agraphicalinterfacewheretheusercaninputthebox’ssettings,isideal.TheappwillthenwriteoutabinaryfilethattheFOSSsystemcaninterpretanduse todetermine theproperoperational settings.Thesystemalsoneedsacircuit thatwillallowaswitchtobeaddedtotheboxtocontrolwhentheboxisonoroff.ThecircuitwillfirstbedesignedinEaglePCBdesignsoftware(EagleElectronics,Inc.,Schaumburg,Illinois).Oncethisstepiscompleted,theboard will be fabricated using a PCB printer in AFRC building 4840 that I have recently set up. A finalimprovementtotheFOSSsystem,full-immersionliquidcooling,isbeingconsideredinordertobettercooltheboxwhileitisoperating.Thissummer,experimentswillbeconductedonhoweffectivefluidssuchas3M™Fluorinert (3MCompany,St.Paul,Minnesota)areatdissipatingheatwhilenot interferingwith theoperationsofthefiberopticsystem.


ConnorThompson,WesternOregonUniversityNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterEvaluationofLifeSupportCandidateTechnologyfor100%OxygenRecoveryThecurrentAtmosphereRevitalization (AR) life support system isnot ideal for long-durationmissionsastheresourceloopisopen.Thissystemventsmaterialsintospaceandthereforerequiresregularresupply.NASAiscurrentlydevelopingaBosch-basedreactorsystemtominimizetheseverityofthisproblem.Thissystemiscomposedoftworeactors inseries.Thefirst isaReverseWater-GasShiftreactor(RWGSr)andthesecond,aCarbonFormationReactor (CFR).Thecombinationof thesereactors is theSeries-Bosch (S-Bosch)system.ABosch-basedARsystemhasthepotentialtoclosetheresourceloop,thereforedecreasingtheneed for resupply and the requiredmassof the spacecraft.A kinetic analysiswas conductedon thesteelbeadcatalystcurrentlyunder investigation for theCFR.ThecurrentPrecisionCombustion Inc. (PCI)RWGSreactorwasmodifiedandtestedforperformanceusingtwomodificationconfigurations.TherearetwodesignsforaCFRbeinginvestigatedatMSFC,aBatchCFR(BCFR)andaContinuousCFR(CCFR).DesignmodificationsweremadetotheCCFRandwereincorporatedintotheBCFR.TheCCFRwasassembledandateststandbuilt.ThesecombinedeffortshavefurtheredtheunderstandinganddevelopmentofaneffectiveandefficientBosch-basedARsystem.MatthewTwete,UniversityofOregonOSGCFacultyResearchAwardwithGregBothun/UOAnalysisoftheOccurrenceandRatesofSupernovaeinAbellClustersTherateandoccurrenceofsupernova isofprimeinterest inastronomy,particularly if theirbehavior isafunctionof largescaleenvironmentand/orthesmallscaleenvironmentof localdetonation. Aclusterofgalaxies isanenvironmentwheremostofthegalaxiesareembedded inahot intraclustermedium(ICM)gas that emits X-rays. In addition, galaxies in a cluster feel far more gravitational perturbations fromnearbygalaxies than say, galaxies likeours. In this study the ratesand locationsof supernova in variousAbell Cluster Galaxies were determined and were analyzed with respect to the X-ray luminosity of theclustersandgalaxies,theirredshiftandthefractionradiusofthesupernovafromtheclustercenter.Datataken from various supernova searches and the Abell catalog andwas analyzed computationally. Itwasfound that in clusters with high X-ray luminosity, supernova occurrence was lower in the cluster core.Indeed,onlyonesupernovawasfoundwithinthe½massradiusofgalaxyclusterwithanX-rayluminosityabove10^45ergs/second.Simplestatisticsbasedonthenumberofgalaxiesinthatregionssuggeststhatweshouldhavefound15-20events, insteadof1. Ofthesupernovaethathadfractionalradii largerthan0.6,onlyonewasfoundtohaveanX-rayluminositylessthan5*10^44ergs/sec,theremainingsixrangedfrom≈7*10^44to1.6*10^45ergs/second.ThisshowsthatprocessesthatcauseAbellclusterstohavehighX-ray luminosity either directly or indirectly inhibit the occurrence of supernova near the cores of theclusters.


CharityWoodrum,UniversityofOregonNASAMarshallSpaceFlightCenterSearchingForTheElectromagneticCounterpartToGravitationalWaveEventsAboutonehundredyearsafterEinstein'sgeneraltheoryofrelativity,theexistenceofgravitationalwaveswas confirmed experimentally by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Themergerofcompactbinariessuchasneutronstar-blackholesystemsorneutronstar-neutronstarsystemsare expected to produceburst-like electromagnetic signals in addition to gravitationalwaves. The FermiGamma-raySpaceTelescope'sGamma-rayBurstMonitor(GBM)iscontinuouslysurveyingthesky lookingfor the electromagnetic signals produced in these types of events. In addition to the on-board triggersystem that alerts the astronomical communitywhen a gamma-ray burst event has been detected, theGBMteamisalsodevelopingasearchalgorithmtocombthedataforpossiblegamma-rayburststhatdidnottriggertheon-boardsystem. Ianalyzedtheresultingevents fromthisuntriggeredsearchtooptimizethe search algorithm by categorizing successful search parameters and evaluating timing and spectralinformationtodistinguishgamma-raybursteventsfromknownGalactictransients.

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Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium...Agenda / Presentation Schedule 8-9am POSTER SESSION SET-UP-Breakfast providedfor presenters ... Delphine Le Brun Colon and Levi Willmeth - LBCC