October
16
2026
11:00 AM

Location

Guggenheim 442
Friday, October 16, 2026 11:00AM

AE Brown Bag Seminar

 

featuring

 

James Chambers

Aydan Smith

Michael Yore

Reese Johnson

Henok Desta

 

 

Friday, October 16

11:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Guggenheim 442

Pizza Served

 

Michael Yore

Title: 

OrCa-2 Small Satellite Thermal Model Simulation & Results

Abstract:

Space Domain Awareness (SDA) telescopes can observe, report, and predict the orbit of virtually all satellites orbiting Earth. One of the foundational principles of orbital mechanics is that a satellite’s orbital elements are decoupled from its local dynamics. In practice, since SDA telescope measurements only reveal information about the satellite’s orbit, no information is known about the satellite’s attitude and angular velocity. The Orbital Calibration 2 (OrCa-2) satellite seeks to resolve orbital elements and attitude dynamics with these ground-based measurements by observing the highly reflective external panels of OrCa-2 with optical sensors from the ground. The reflective external panels of OrCa-2 add another level of complexity to the thermal environment of flying in Low Earth Orbit. High-fidelity thermal simulations of the satellite’s orbit and operational modes were performed in Thermal Desktop to establish reasonable temperature bounds on all sensitive components. With no active thermal control, the temperature upper and lower bounds were found to be well within known component operating temperatures, concluding that OrCa-2 doesn’t need a thermal control system for its 400 km altitude orbit. The thermal simulation techniques used to represent OrCa-2’s thermal environment can be applied to any general Earth-orbiting satellite for getting high-fidelity temperature bounds on every component of interest.

Faculty advisor:

Professor Brian Gunter

 

Aydan Smith

Title:

Wave-induced motion ROM

Abstract:

Ocean waves subject floating bodies to continuous forces that can produce complex vertical and rotational motion. This research uses a simplified model to study this behavior and understand how it changes under different wave conditions. The system is represented by a rigid bar resting on a series of springs that compress to support the bar but allow it to lift away. Equations of motion were developed to describe the bar’s heave and pitch motion. The equations were then non-dimensionalized for the purpose of comparing situations with different sized ships. MATLAB simulations explored how various variables affect the bar’s motion. Wave variables included wave amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and damping. The center of mass location was also explored to model different ship architectures. The simulations demonstrated the effects of the variables on the bar’s settling time.  The trends established by the simulations are now being experimentally tested through the creation of a physical model. This model is currently being manufactured using a crank shaft, rotating cams, and spring-supported rollers to recreate wave motion beneath the bar. Future testing will compare the measured motion with the MATLAB predictions to evaluate how well the simulated model captures the physical system’s behavior.

Faculty advisor:

Professor Keegan J. Moore

 

James Chambers

Title:

Guidance, Navigation, and Control Considerations for Space-Based Power Beaming

Abstract:

Space-based power beaming presents a promising approach to remotely delivering energy to spacecraft, and terrestrial rovers, among other targets. However, maintaining efficient power transmission requires precise pointing and tracking capabilities, placing significant demands on spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems. This presentation discusses research conducted at Georgia Tech's Aerospace Design Laboratory (ADSL) to investigate the attitude-control requirements and tradeoffs of space-based power-beaming satellites. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between orbital geometry, relative target motion, pointing accuracy, and actuator performance. Through analytical modeling and computational simulations, key parameters such as slant range, angular tracking rates, pointing jitter, and required control torque are evaluated to inform the sizing and selection of attitude-control hardware. The presentation will highlight the methodologies used to translate mission-level pointing requirements into practical spacecraft design constraints and discuss the tradeoffs between control performance, system mass, and power-transmission efficiency. This work contributes to understanding the feasibility and design challenges of precision-pointing spacecraft for future space-based energy-transfer applications.

Faculty advisor: 

Research Engineer Jeffery McNabb 

 

Henok Desta

Title:

Operability and Emissions Testing of Conventional and Alternative Liquid Fuels

Abstract:

Currently, the vast majority of gas turbines utilize traditional fossil fuels such as diesel and kerosene to generate power. With recent efforts to create a net-zero emissions environment for US power grids, there have been calls for a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by gas turbines. Many alternative renewable liquid fuels have been proven to significantly reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions, but there are fewer studies done characterizing the production of other pollutant emissions and how these fuels compare with each other for gas turbines specifically. This research aimed to compare the production of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions for both conventional and alternative fuels. For alternative fuels to be considered viable, they must not produce significantly more of these emissions when compared to conventional fuels. The testing environment was intended to isolate the effect of fuel choice on the production of these emissions, and it utilized the same hardware regardless of the fuel while also maintaining a constant flame temperature. A gas analyzer was used to measure the emission concentrations and filter paper was used to measure the particulate matter produced. It was found that while renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) had a negligible effect on the amount of CO, NOx and PM emissions, ethanol and methanol showed an increase in CO emissions and decrease in NOx emissions when compared to diesel and Jet A. Alcohol fuels significantly reduced particulate matter production but differed slightly in flame shape. This presentation will outline the setup of these combustion experiments for evaluating the fuels, compare the emission data, and discuss key takeaways regarding the viability of these alternative liquid fuels in gas turbine combustion.

Faculty Advisor:

Professor Timothy Lieuwen

 

Reese Johnson

Title:

Design of Test Sections for Jet in Cross Flow

Abstract:

While imaging hydrogen–natural gas fuel jets in cross flow, ranging from pure hydrogen to pure natural gas, the test section experienced severe overheating. Although the inner liner used a bi-layer ceramic, with a high-temperature material on the hot gas path surface backed by a low-conductivity insulating layer, the outer metal housing still reached excessive temperatures. This led to melting and plastic deformation of the housing, which in turn fractured the inner ceramic and the quartz window clamped against it. To resolve this, an enhanced impingement cooling system was designed to reduce metal temperatures along the liner components. These changes enabled testing at all target conditions.
 

Faculty advisor:

Professor Alfred Burgess Robinson