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The Payload Data Handling System (PDHS) of Gaia is a technological challenge, since it will have to process a huge amount of data with limited resources. Its main tasks include the optimal codification of science data, its packetisation and…
A propulsion concept in which a spacecraft interacts with high-velocity pellets and the interstellar medium is proposed. The pellets are slower than the spacecraft and are accelerated backwards as they are overtaken, imparting a forward…
We have performed an initial stage conceptual design study for the Deep Interior Scanning CubeSat (DISCUS), a tandem 6U CubeSat carrying a bistatic radar as main payload. DISCUS will be operated either as an independent mission or…
Encouraging student engagement is a key aim in any educational setting, and allowing students the freedom to pursue their own methods of solving problems through independent experimentation has been shown to markedly improve this. In many…
Interstellar comets arrive with key ingredients for deep-space platforms already in place: volatile inventories convertible to propellant, natural rotation providing continuous attitude variation, and hyperbolic trajectories that carry them…
Meeting net-zero targets remains formidable as terrestrial renewables grapple with intermittency and regional variability. Here, we integrate space-based solar power (SBSP) -- a potential near-constant, orbital solar technology -- into a…
These notes contain everything necessary to run a flipped course on "The Atmosphere" at an introductory undergraduate level. There are notes for the students to read before each course meeting and problems for them to work on in small…
With advancements in technology, the smaller versions of satellites have gained momentum in the space industry for earth monitoring and communication-based applications. The rise of CanSat technology has significantly impacted the space…
In an effort to better understand the early stages of planet formation, we have developed a 1.5U payload that flew on the International Space Station (ISS) in the NanoRacks NanoLab facility between September 2014 and March 2016. This…
This paper describes the system design methodology derived from the development and evaluation tests of deployable solar panels to be mounted on a 3U CubeSat. The study mainly includes structural analysis, thermal analysis, and a review of…
High altitude scientific balloons offer unique opportunities to carry scientific payloads to stratospheric altitudes at a cost several orders of magnitude lower than corresponding satellite missions. Balloon-borne payloads are easy to…
We describe the cryogenic system being developed for Taurus: a super-pressure balloon-borne microwave polarimeter scheduled to fly in 2027. The Taurus cryogenic system consists of a 660L liquid helium cryostat which achieves a base…
The construction of a space elevator would be an inspiring feat of planetary engineering of immense cost and risk. But would the benefit outweigh the costs and risks? What, precisely, is the purpose for building such a structure? For…
Nowadays, space science is facing increasing problems with the amount of data collected from sensors in space and its transmission back to Earth. In this paper we introduce the novel Holographic Orbital Return Storage Technology (HORST) and…
One of key goals of contemporary physics (and, realistically, STEM) education is to develop students' science literacy and critical thinking skills. In this paper, we present the construction and use of several versions of a simple…
The expansion of commercial launch capabilities has significantly increased opportunities for interplanetary small satellite (SmallSat) missions. As researchers plan for more missions beyond Earth, there is a demand for accessible tools…
A new idea for reusing rockets, based on the Energia 2 launch vehicle, using deployable wings is proposed. A mission design is planned with an expected maximum altitude of 500 m. Following that systems engineering was used to manage the…
We demonstrate how students' use of modeling can be examined and assessed using student notebooks collected from an upper-division electronics lab course. The use of models is a ubiquitous practice in undergraduate physics education, but…
The space-based CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of…
Artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous edge computing in space are emerging areas of interest to augment capabilities of nanosatellites, where modern sensors generate orders of magnitude more data than can typically be transmitted to…