AE Brown Bag Seminar
Friday, March 28
11:00 a.m.
Guggenheim 442
Pizza Served
Adi Arora
Ryan Cohen
Bailey Goldstein
Jaiden Miller
Rohan Ravikanti
Tobias Roule
Evan Thomas
Adi Arora
Title:
Green Propulsion Dual Mode (GPDM) Propulsion System Characterization
Abstract:
The Green Propellant Dual Mode (GPDM) mission is a groundbreaking technology demonstration designed to showcase the first-ever integration of a single 'green' liquid propellant, ASCENT, for both high-thrust monopropellant and high-efficiency electrospray propulsion within a 6U CubeSat platform. By utilizing a common propellant tank and feed system, GPDM will significantly enhance the maneuvering capabilities of small spacecraft, enabling complex mission profiles that have traditionally been beyond the reach of CubeSats. This mission supports NASA’s strategic objective to develop and validate transformational space technologies, particularly in the realm of low-toxicity, high-performance propellants. Georgia Tech’s Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) plays a critical role in the GPDM mission, overseeing the design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of the spacecraft bus. SSDL is also responsible for the structure, flight software, avionics, and integration of the Dual Mode Propulsion System (DMPS). Additionally, DMPS must be verified to ensure that all fluid system requirements, such as maximum allowable pressure and effective thrust output, are met.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Glenn Lightsey
Ryan Cohen
Title:
Validation of High-Gravity Slosh-Damping Correlations via Model Rocket Launch
Abstract:
The objective of this project is to validate high-gravity slosh-damping correlations through an experimental test conducted inside a rocket. The experiment is designed to reconstruct fluid sloshing behavior using the natrual motions and vibrations inside a rocket. The sloshing will be measured using perpendicular line lasers, differential pressure transducers, and an axially locked camera, with data processed in MATLAB. The payload consists of a custom avionics system, including an Arduino-based sensor suite that captures acceleration, angular velocity, and pressure variations. A previous launch demonstrated successful rocket deployment and video capture. This semester, we aim to redesign the electronics system and improve sensor integration to conduct a second launch. Additionally, wind tunnel testing will be performed to validate pressure-velocity relationships. The results of this study will contribute to the understanding of fluid dynamics in high-gravity environments, informing future aerospace applications.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Bailey Goldstein
Title:
Performance of Sharply Bent Acoustic Resonators at
High Sound Levels
Abstract:
Experimental research was conducted to understand how the presence of a single, 90-degree bend placed along the length of a quarter-wave resonator (QWR) affected its performance as a sound absorber. Several individual QWRs were 3D printed and their sound absorption coefficients were measured using a two-microphone impedance tube. Measurements were made using broadband noise and discrete tones at incident sound pressure levels as high as 148 dB re 20 μPa around the fundamental resonance frequency of the QWRs. At low sound levels, the QWRs behaved very similarly, as the peak power absorption coefficients for each resonator fell across a range of 0.03 at the resonance frequencies spanned a range of 60 Hz. As the sound level was increased, the QWRs with bends placed closer to their inlets exhibited greater nonlinearity as the incident sound pressure level than those with bends placed further from their inlet. This is understood as follows. The acoustic velocity fluctuations inside a QWR at its fundamental resonance frequency are largest near the inlet. Thus, as the bend in the QWR was placed increasingly close to the inlet, nonlinear acoustic dissipation inside the resonator is expected to be more substantial. That is, larger acoustic velocity fluctuations are present near the 90-degree bend where acoustically induced, separated flow may occur.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Krishan K. Ahuja
Jaiden Miller
Title:
Development and testing of flight software for the OrCa2 Cubesat
Abstract:
As the OrCa2 CubeSat prepares for launch and operations, extensive testing must be done to ensure that the spacecraft’s software services are robust enough to ensure mission success. This presentation will outline several of the approaches the OrCa2 team has used to ensure software reliability, including software architecture, the testing that has occurred to verify spacecraft functionality, and some of the lessons learned and changes that could be made to improve the development of future CubeSat missions.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Brian Gunter
Rohan Ravikanti
Title:
Hands on Satellite Software
Abstract:
This Brown Bag will share practical insights gained through the hands-on development of flight and ground software, highlighting a ground station commanding GUI for a satellite mission. While not traditional research, this project provided valuable experience in tackling real-world challenges in aerospace software engineering. The presentation will discuss the process of designing and implementing safe and reliable flight and ground software, via the design of an interface for satellite uplink commands, highlighting key learnings related to human factors, system safety, and the iterative nature of software development in an operational context.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Brian Gunter
Tobias Roule
Title:
Designing Adaptive Mass Simulators for Space Payloads
Abstract:
Payload integration in rideshare missions requires careful analysis of structural compatibility to prevent in-flight mechanical failures or resonance. However, when payloads fail to meet design requirements and must be removed from the mission, engineers must quickly develop mass simulators to replace them, which often results in inefficient and high-mass solutions. This project aims to develop a toolset for the rapid and efficient design of optimal mass simulators. Our approach combines finite element analysis, structural optimization, and parametric CAD modeling to create adaptable mass simulators that match a payload’s mass, center of gravity, and natural frequencies. This talk will discuss current and previous design iterations, challenges in modal matching, and future work in this process.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Graeme James Kennedy
Evan Thomas
Title:
Development of an Open-Source Propellant Sloshing Modeling Application
Abstract:
In the design of a space launch vehicle, it is critical to consider the effect of fluid sloshing on the dynamics of the system during flight. While simulating a rocket during launch, it is convenient to model propellant sloshing as a series of mechanical parameters, such as spring-masses or pendulums. Since the identification of this problem, there have been several applications to generate these mechanical analogies, all of which are becoming outdated and inaccessible to a modern engineer. For the last two years, an open-source MATLAB application, called SLOSH-ML, has been in development at the Low Gravity Science and Technology (LGST) Lab to fill this gap in technology. Modal and frequency parameters are generated using a variational Rayleigh-Ritz algorithm originally derived by NASA scientist D. O. Lomen in 1965. Significant effort has also been spent on the development of the graphical user interface, which allows the user to interact with the physical models, design the propellant tank geometry, and batch process over a large parameter space with much greater efficiency and convenience than existing codes. This presentation aims to develop the theory behind Lomen’s sloshing algorithm and outline the development process for SLOSH-ML.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Álvaro Romero-Calvo