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Currently the only method to establish the prevalence of particles, space debris or meteoroids, sized between 1 micrometre and a few centimetres, in Earth orbit is by instruments or witness plates dedicated to in-situ detection. Derived…
Recently, a practical and publicly accessible satellite standard called the SmallSat has amplified public involvement in orbital research. This allows for flexible and efficient deployments of impactful low-earth-orbit experiments that…
Using dust grains as probes in gas discharge plasma is a very promising, but at the same time very challenging method, as the individual external control of dust grains has to be solved. We propose and demonstrate the applicability of the…
In this paper we present results of two novel experimental methods to investigate the collisional behavior of individual macroscopic icy bodies. The experiments reported here were conducted in the microgravity environments of parabolic…
We present SpaceHopper, a three-legged, small-scale robot designed for future mobile exploration of asteroids and moons. The robot weighs 5.2kg and has a body size of 245mm while using space-qualifiable components. Furthermore,…
We study the dynamics of large dust grains >1 micron with orbits outside of the heliosphere (beyond 250 AU). Motion of the Solar System through the interstellar medium (ISM) at a velocity of 26 km/s subjects these particles to gas and…
CubeSats are small satellites used for scientific experiments because they cost less than full sized satellites. Each CubeSat uses an on-board computer. The on-board computer performs sensor measurements, data processing, and CubeSat…
Existing space-based cold atom experiments have demonstrated the utility of microgravity for improvements in observation times and for minimizing the expansion energy and rate of a freely evolving coherent matter wave. In this paper we…
In the past decade, hundreds of asteroid shape models have been derived using the lightcurve inversion method. At the same time, a new framework of 3-D shape modeling based on the combined analysis of widely different data sources such as…
In order to obtain the substantial information about the surface physics and thermal property of the target asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3, which will be visited by Hayabusa 2 in a sample return mission, with the Advanced Thermal Physical Model…
The volume available on small satellites restricts the size of optical apertures to a few centimetres, limiting the Ground-Sampling Distance (GSD) in the visible to typically 3 m at 500 km. We present in this paper the latest development of…
The temporal and spatial evolution of dispersed media is a fundamental problem in a wide range of physicochemical systems, such as emulsions, suspensions and aerosols. These systems are multiphasic and involve compounds of different…
This paper presents a low-thrust trajectory optimization strategy to achieve a near-circular lunar orbit for a CubeSat injected into a lunar flyby trajectory. The 12U CubeSat HORYU-VI is equipped with four Hall-effect thrusters and designed…
This paper presents the design and development of a Shear and Compression Cell (SCC) for measuring the mechanical properties of granular materials in low-gravity environments. This research is motivated by the increasing interest in…
With the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA working to return humans to the moon and onwards to Mars, it has never been more important to study the impact of altered gravity conditions on biological organisms. These include astronauts but…
The CuPID CubeSat Observatory was a 6U cubesat launched into low-Earth orbit with a ride-share opportunity in Fall 2021. The mission was supported by NASA's Heliophysics division and motivated scientifically with the objective to image…
The Satellite for Orbital Aerodynamics Research (SOAR) is a CubeSat mission, due to be launched in 2021, to investigate the interaction between different materials and the atmospheric flow regime in very low Earth orbits (VLEO). Improving…
Remote sensing observations by Hayabusa2 and laboratory measurements have revealed that the phyllosilicates on asteroid (162173) Ryugu are dehydrated/dehydroxylated due to space weathering. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations were…
Near-Earth asteroid 162173 (1999 JU3) is a potential flyby and rendezvous target for interplanetary missions because of its easy to reach orbit. The physical and thermal properties of the asteroid are relevant for establishing the…
We study the constraining power of a high-precision measurement of the gravity field for Uranus and Neptune, as could be delivered by a low periapse orbiter. Our study is practical, assessing the possible deliverables and limitations of…