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This bachelor thesis was conducted in collaboration with the student research group ARIS. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of the Helvetia sounding rocket with three different fin shapes. Two of the fin designs are provided by ARIS whereas the last design is an original creation that was aimed to be an optimized draft compared to the previous designs. The fins are evaluated in terms of lift, drag and effect on the center of pressure in supersonic condition. The goal is to find which fin design is most suitable for the Helvetia rocket. This study is performed by conducting CFD simulations. Ultimately, it was discovered that the original Helvetia fin proves to be the most suitable. However, given the lessons learned, implementing certain refinements to the internal design has the potential to surpass the efficiency of the Helvetia fin. This would need to be confirmed in future studies. Lastly, the second ARIS fin proved to be unsuitable for the Helvetia rocket.

Microgravity platforms enable cold atom research beyond experiments in typical laboratories by removing restrictions due to the gravitational acceleration or compensation techniques. While research in space allows for undisturbed experimentation, technological readiness, availability and accessibility present challenges for experimental operation. In this work we focus on the main capabilities and unique features of ground-based microgravity facilities for cold atom research. A selection of current and future scientific opportunities and their high demands on the microgravity environment are presented, and some relevant ground-based facilities are discussed and compared. Specifically, we point out the applicable free fall times, repetition rates, stability and payload capabilities, as well as programmatic and operational aspects of these facilities. These are contrasted with the requirements of various cold atom experiments. Besides being an accelerator for technology development, ground-based microgravity facilities allow fundamental and applied research with the additional benefit of enabling hands-on access to the experiment for modifications and adjustments.

We report on the design and the construction of a sounding rocket payload capable of performing atom interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates of 41 K and 87 Rb. The apparatus is designed to be launched in two consecutive missions with a VSB-30 sounding rocket and is qualified to withstand the expected vibrational loads of 1.8 g root-mean-square in a frequency range between 20–2000 Hz and the expected static loads during ascent and re-entry of 25 g. We present a modular design of the scientific payload comprising a physics package, a laser system, an electronics system and a battery module. A dedicated on-board software provides a largely automated process of predefined experiments. To operate the payload safely in laboratory and flight mode, a thermal control system and ground support equipment has been implemented and will be presented. The payload presented here represents a cornerstone for future applications of matter wave interferometry with ultracold atoms on satellites.

The aim of this thesis is to look at the possibility for SSC, Swedish Space Corporation, to build a cost-effective mobile rocket launcher to be used for their most common sounding rockets. Having a mobile rocket launcher will give SSC the possibility to not only expand their own line of launchers but more importantly giving them the opportunity to launch rockets outside their own base. To ease transportation of the launcher it is required to fit in a 40ft container. This requirement is the major limitation during the design phase. To keep the cost down, emphasis will be put on trying to find solutions with commercial products. Concepts were developed during three phases and after presenting the concepts to involved personnel, feedback was given and the concept(s) were developed further. The third and final phase contain the chosen concept and suggestions are given regarding future work to be done before it can be manufactured.

The Fly a Rocket! programme is a hands-on project offered by the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Education Office in collaboration with Andøya Space Education and the Norwegian Space Agency (Norsk Romsenter). The programme represents a unique opportunity for entry-level university students from diverse backgrounds to build, test, and launch an actual sounding rocket and obtain otherwise unattainable practical experience. In September 2020, the ESA Education Office announced the third edition of the programme, for which 30 students from the ESA Member States and the Associate Member States were selected. Of these, 24 participated in the launch campaign which took place throughout the second week of October 2021 at the Andøya Space in Northern Norway. The Fly a Rocket! programme comprises an online pre-course with two assignments and a hands-on launch campaign. The pre-course is self-paced and aims to widen the participants’ understanding of basic rocket science topics such as the rocket principle, aerodynamics, and orbital mechanics in preparation for the campaign. During their stay at Andøya Space, the students were assigned to one of three teams, each with different responsibilities: Sensor Experiments, Telemetry and Data Readout, and Payload. As members of the Telemetry and Data Readout team, the authors’ role was to set up the student telemetry station and ensure that accurate data was collected from the sensors on the rocket. In addition, they were an integral part of the countdown procedure, operating two of the three telemetry stations used for the mission. Following the launch, all the teams worked in conjunction to analyse and present the data according to four previously defined scientific cases. This paper will be concerned with the activities carried out throughout Fly a Rocket!’s third cycle, with a particular focus on the work done by the Telemetry and Data Readout team

The Fly a Rocket! programme is a hands-on project offered by the European Space Agency’s Education Office in collaboration with Andøya Space Education and the Norwegian Space Agency (Norsk Romsenter). The programme, which comprises an online pre-course and a hands-on launch campaign, represents a unique opportunity for european university students from different backgrounds to build, test, and launch a sounding rocket and obtain practical experience. The pre-course strengthened the understanding of rocket science of the students, and taught them about topics such as the rocket dynamics, propulsion, and orbital mechanics in preparation for the campaign. The students were divided into three teams, each with different responsibilities: Sensors Experiments, Telemetry and Data Readout, and Payload. The paper will focus on the work done by the team responsible for the rocket payload. The Payload team was responsible for the sensor placement of the rocket. They ensured the readiness of all the sensors and key components of the rocket. In addition, they were an integral part of the countdown procedure, the arming of the rocket and the performance of the sensors. After the launch, the data was analysed and presented according to four previously defined scientific cases. A GPS and a barometer were used in order to obtain the rocket trajectory. Both methods showed similar results. The GPS detected an apogee of 8630.11 ±2.4m. With an optical sensor it was possible to detect clouds which were verified with a humidity sensor. Additionally, the spin rate of the rocket could be detected with the optical sensor and a magnetometer by doing a Fourier Analysis. The rocket reached a spin rate of about 19 Hz after approximately 10 s after the firing. The results of the spin rate correspond to the results obtained with an accelerometer.

This paper summarizes the final launch preparation tests, the operations before, during, and after the launch, and the results of the launch of a supersonic sounding rocket developed by university students in Spain with the collaboration of INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology). The students are part of the Cosmic Research association, based at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia ESEIAAT, and the rocket is called Bondar. INTA is a Public Research Organization under the Spanish Ministry of Defense dedicated to scientific research and development of systems and prototypes in the fields of aeronautics, space, hydrodynamics, security, and defense. The staff of the El Arenosillo Experimentation Center (CEDEA) collaborated in the Bondar mission with their knowledge and launch capabilities. The launch of the rocket took place on the 30 th of November of 2021. Two students from BiSky, a rocketry team from the University of the Basque Country, also participated in this project, specifically in the development of the on-board and ground-based avionics subsystems. The paper presents information on the mission systems, the operations before, during, and after the countdown to the launch, the documentation required by INTA-CEDEA for the launch, and the results of said launch. In short, the systems developed by Cosmic Research for the launch are: the rocket, the launch pad, the rocket transport box, the flight simulator, and the ground-based rocket tracking station. The documentation required by INTA includes: a detailed description of the systems, a ground risk assessment, a flight risk assessment, structural analysis, aerodynamic analysis, and a list of countdown operations. Launch post-analysis activities evaluate the performance of systems and operations during the most critical phase of the mission. The Bondar Mission, due to its technical and operational complexity, was the most ambitious project ever developed by students in Spain in the field of rocketry.

The aim of this thesis is to look at the possibility for SSC, Swedish Space Corporation, to build a cost-effective mobile rocket launcher to be used for their most common sounding rockets. Having a mobile rocket launcher will give SSC the possibility to not only expand their own line of launchers but more importantly giving them the opportunity to launch rockets outside their own base. To ease transportation of the launcher it is required to fit in a 40ft container. This requirement is the major limitation during the design phase. To keep the cost down, emphasis will be put on trying to find solutions with commercial products. Concepts were developed during three phases and after presenting the concepts to involved personnel, feedback was given and the concept(s) were developed further. The third and final phase contain the chosen concept and suggestions are given regarding future work to be done before it can be manufactured.

NASA’s Endurance sounding rocket (yard No. 47.001) will launch from Ny Ålesund, Svalbard in May 2022 on a solid fueled Oriole III-A launch vehicle. Its ~19 minute flight will carry it to an altitude of ~ 780 km above Earth’s sunlit polar cap. Its objective is to make the first measurement of the weak “ambipolar” electric field generated by Earth’s ionosphere. This field is thought to play a critical role in the upwelling and escape of ionospheric ions, and thus potentially in the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere. The results will enable us to determine the importance to ion escape of this previously unmeasured fundamental property of our planet, which will aid in a better understanding of what makes Earth habitable. Endurance will carry six science instruments (with 16 sensors) that will measure the total electrical potential drop below the spacecraft, and the physical parameters required to understand the physics of what generates the ambipolar field. The mission will be supported by simultaneous observations of solar and geomagnetic activity.

Available Attitude Control Systems are often targeted at orbital flights, and therefore manoeuvre slowly. As such, these solutions are suboptimal for sounding rocket experiments, as experiments such as those conducted on free falling units have restricted flight times. Furthermore, current attitude control systems are usually aimed at projects with extensive funding, and are therefore out of the budget range of low-cost experiments. Taking these constraints into account, the objective of project ASTER is to design and test a low-cost, fast-acting solution, to stabilise and orientate a free-falling platform, which is capable of providing microgravity conditions for experiments. The proposed design utilises three reaction wheels, controlled by a closed loop system, to stabilise the Free Falling Unit within seconds. The platform will be able to perform predefined slewing manoeuvres, which can be adapted to a wide range of applications. The free falling unit is a cube weighing around 3kg with a side length of 150 x 150 x 180 mm, with a recovery parachute system included. Designed to act as a system platform for free falling units, it will be able to accommodate future experiments, providing an easily adaptable payload bay with dimensions up to 56 x 91 x 77 mm. Furthermore, the system will be recovered after the experiment has been concluded and the results obtained will be published on an open source basis to ensure its future availability to other student and low budget research projects, thereby allowing further improvement, optimisation, and customisation. The experiment development began in September 2019 and is scheduled to fly on a sounding rocket in March 2023. Team ASTER wants to contribute to the student community by sharing the experiences and lessons learned during the project development, which is what will be focused upon in this paper and accompanying presentation.

Various parachute-type decelerators can be considered in the design of a sounding rocket recovery system. During the development of various flagship missions of Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE), the Parachute Research Group of DARE has developed several methods and criteria to select the right parachutes for a given mission. This paper presents and discusses the operational envelopes, advantages, and disadvantages of different parachute types. The parachutes described in the paper are variations of cross parachutes, disk-gap-bands, ringsails, conical ribbon parachutes, and hemisflo ribbon parachutes. Variants of these parachute types have previously been developed in-house and flown, allowing for acquaintance with their design, manufacturing and performance. Apart from the more traditional parachutes used for student-built sounding rockets, this paper will also cover the opportunities and challenges that are associated with the use of less conventional parachutes, such as ringsails, ringslots, and parafoils. Each parachute is described in detail after which all are compared to one another based on several sets of typical requirements. Factors that influence the parachute selection process are, for example, the parachute flight envelope, stability behaviour, and manufacturing complexity.

Space exploration drives the human expansion inthe universe. Succeeding in this challenge demands familiarityof the near earth space environment, achieved through soundingrocket experiments that often are lost upon return from space. Afuture proof solution is needed and this study aims to investigatethe aerodynamics of a modular self returning glider attachment.To aid conceptual design, simulations were first performedusing potential theory in the software XFLR5. The resultingdesign was then analysed further using Computational FluidDynamics (CFD) in Simscale after which a glider prototype wasbuilt and tested.The study shows that while it is possible to fulfill the projectrequirements when only modelling the wing surfaces, the gliderfuselage contributes to a destructive drag and pitching moment.Consequently, future prototypes demand increasing the lift orreducing the drag, as well as ensuring longitudinal stability. Moreresources need to be invested into further CFD modelling andprototype testing., Utforskning av rymden driver denmänskliga expansionen ut i universum. För att lyckas meddet krävs dock kunskap om rymden närmast oss, vilketuppnås genom experiment i sondraketer som ofta förlorasvid återkomst. En framtidssäker metod behövs och därförundersöks aerodynamiken av en modulär och självåtervändande glidarlösning.För att underlätta genomförandet av den konceptuella designen så gjordes först simuleringar i XFLR5 med potentialteori.Den resulterande glidaren analyserades sedan vidare iflödesmekaniska beräkningsprogram (CFD), vartefter en prototypbyggdes och testades i verkligheten.Studien visar att det är möjligt att uppfylla projektkravengenom att modellera vingarna, men glidarens flygkropp bidraremellertid till ett destruktivt luftmotstånd och longitudinelltvridmoment. Därför måste framtida prototyper designas föratt uppnå större lyftkraft, minska flygkroppens dragkraft ochsamtidigt uppnå longitudinell stabilitet. Mer resurser måsteläggas på djupare CFD-modellering och prototyptestning., Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2021, KTH, Stockholm

Space exploration drives the human expansion inthe universe. Succeeding in this challenge demands familiarityof the near earth space environment, achieved through soundingrocket experiments that often are lost upon return from space. Afuture proof solution is needed and this study aims to investigatethe aerodynamics of a modular self returning glider attachment.To aid conceptual design, simulations were first performedusing potential theory in the software XFLR5. The resultingdesign was then analysed further using Computational FluidDynamics (CFD) in Simscale after which a glider prototype wasbuilt and tested.The study shows that while it is possible to fulfill the projectrequirements when only modelling the wing surfaces, the gliderfuselage contributes to a destructive drag and pitching moment.Consequently, future prototypes demand increasing the lift orreducing the drag, as well as ensuring longitudinal stability. Moreresources need to be invested into further CFD modelling andprototype testing., Utforskning av rymden driver denmänskliga expansionen ut i universum. För att lyckas meddet krävs dock kunskap om rymden närmast oss, vilketuppnås genom experiment i sondraketer som ofta förlorasvid återkomst. En framtidssäker metod behövs och därförundersöks aerodynamiken av en modulär och självåtervändande glidarlösning.För att underlätta genomförandet av den konceptuella designen så gjordes först simuleringar i XFLR5 med potentialteori.Den resulterande glidaren analyserades sedan vidare iflödesmekaniska beräkningsprogram (CFD), vartefter en prototypbyggdes och testades i verkligheten.Studien visar att det är möjligt att uppfylla projektkravengenom att modellera vingarna, men glidarens flygkropp bidraremellertid till ett destruktivt luftmotstånd och longitudinelltvridmoment. Därför måste framtida prototyper designas föratt uppnå större lyftkraft, minska flygkroppens dragkraft ochsamtidigt uppnå longitudinell stabilitet. Mer resurser måsteläggas på djupare CFD-modellering och prototyptestning., Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2021, KTH, Stockholm

This project details the design of a reusable, small model rocket, which is capable of landing safely over a body of water. Said design includes all the structural components of the rocket and their acquisition, including both commercial components and self-manufactured ones. What makes this rocket stand out among common HPR is the landing system, which consists of a buoyancy device in ated with CO2 during the controlled descent of the rocket. However, this system alone would not guarantee the reusability of the rocket after being launched towards the sea. To ensure the recovery of the rocket, two GPS antennas linked to any conventional smartphone are used. Furthermore, an Arduino-controlled mechanism ensures the tightness of the electronic bay, thus preventing the negative effects water would have on the elements it contains. A structural study is performed to estimate the stresses induced in the rocket during ight and to verify the rocket can comfortably withstand them. Thermal analysis is also conducted to demonstrate that aerodynamic heating is not a threat to the integrity of the rocket. The assembly and refurbishment strategies are presented, to explain how the rocket is expected to be built. Since the construction of the rocket is not part of the project, these strategies will not be checked first-hand. As an alternative, a thorough inspection is made to make sure there are no incompatible actions. Finally, a series of tests of the in atable system were performed. They included the real in ation system and a mock-up of the in atable device. Some conclusions that affected the design of the system were drawn, and the necessary corrective actions were taken

At the University of Los Andes, Venezuela, the GCAE has designed and manufactured a group of supersonic nozzles with throat length, which have been used in their experimental phase in sounding rocket engines of the ULA series. In the present work the objective is to analyze the behavior of the over-expanded flow field in the experimental conical nozzle ULA-2, which has a mid angle of the divergent of 9º, considered an out of design nozzle. The flow field was simulated in a 2D computational domain with the Ansys-Fluent code for two throat length cases, the RANS model was used in conjunction with the Menter turbulence model, and for Sutherland's law viscosity. The results of the Mach number, pressure and temperature field, for the longest throat section had fluctuations resulting from the oblique shocks wave, and for the shorter length no fluctuations were presented. It is concluded that, there is an influence of throat length on the development of the flow in that section; however, the throat length does not significantly influence the flow rate at the outlet of the nozzle., En la Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela, el GCAE ha diseñado y fabricado un grupo de toberas supersónicas con longitud de garganta, las cuales han sido empleadas en su fase experimental en motores de cohetes sonda de la serie ULA. En el presente trabajo el objetivo es analizar el comportamiento del campo de flujo sobrexpandido en la tobera cónica experimental ULA-2, que tiene un ángulo medio de la divergente de , considerado una tobera fuera de diseño. El campo de flujo se simuló en un dominio computacional 2D con el código Ansys-Fluent para dos casos de longitud de garganta; se empleó el modelo RANS en conjunto con el modelo de turbulencia de Menter, y para la viscosidad la ley de Sutherland. Los resultados del campo de número de Mach, presión y temperatura, para la sección de la garganta con mayor longitud presentaron fluctuaciones producto de las ondas de choque oblicuas, y para la menor longitud no se presentaron fluctuaciones. Se concluye que existe una influencia de la longitud de garganta en el desarrollo del flujo en esa sección; sin embargo, la longitud de garganta no influye de manera significativa en la velocidad del flujo a la salida de la tobera

At the University of Los Andes, Venezuela, the GCAE has designed and manufactured a group of supersonic nozzles with throat length, which have been used in their experimental phase in sounding rocket engines of the ULA series. In the present work the objective is to analyze the behavior of the over-expanded flow field in the experimental conical nozzle ULA-2, which has a mid angle of the divergent of 9º, considered an out of design nozzle. The flow field was simulated in a 2D computational domain with the Ansys-Fluent code for two throat length cases, the RANS model was used in conjunction with the Menter turbulence model, and for Sutherland's law viscosity. The results of the Mach number, pressure and temperature field, for the longest throat section had fluctuations resulting from the oblique shocks wave, and for the shorter length no fluctuations were presented. It is concluded that, there is an influence of throat length on the development of the flow in that section; however, the throat length does not significantly influence the flow rate at the outlet of the nozzle., En la Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela, el GCAE ha diseñado y fabricado un grupo de toberas supersónicas con longitud de garganta, las cuales han sido empleadas en su fase experimental en motores de cohetes sonda de la serie ULA. En el presente trabajo el objetivo es analizar el comportamiento del campo de flujo sobrexpandido en la tobera cónica experimental ULA-2, que tiene un ángulo medio de la divergente de , considerado una tobera fuera de diseño. El campo de flujo se simuló en un dominio computacional 2D con el código Ansys-Fluent para dos casos de longitud de garganta; se empleó el modelo RANS en conjunto con el modelo de turbulencia de Menter, y para la viscosidad la ley de Sutherland. Los resultados del campo de número de Mach, presión y temperatura, para la sección de la garganta con mayor longitud presentaron fluctuaciones producto de las ondas de choque oblicuas, y para la menor longitud no se presentaron fluctuaciones. Se concluye que existe una influencia de la longitud de garganta en el desarrollo del flujo en esa sección; sin embargo, la longitud de garganta no influye de manera significativa en la velocidad del flujo a la salida de la tobera

This project consists in the definition of the technical requirements, the design and the development of a solid rocket engine. This rocket engine must fulfil a specific mission: to propel a 0.3 kg heavy payload to a height of 100 km, while following a parabolic trajectory, in a suborbital flight. The payload could make use of the very unique conditions experienced in a suborbital flight; namely, the microgravity conditions for a certain amount of time. The rocket would take-off from a launch platform lifted up to a height of 30 km, by means of an aerostatic balloon. The engine must fulfil 3 main properties: safety, cost and robustness. It shall be safe, for anyone working on any of its associated processes: the manufacturing of its structure, the processing of the propellant, the integration of all elements, the transportation, etc. The cost of the engine shall be as low as possible, in order to pave the way for students, universities or research centres with low funds to use this launch system. Besides, the engine must be robust enough; that is, it must be able to work as expected at nominal conditions but also at slightly adverse conditions. As has already been pointed out, the project is structured in 3 phases: definition, design and development. The first phase is based on research, and it must allow detailed acknowledgement on how a solid rocket engine works, thus allowing to define the technical requirements. The design phase consists on establishing technological solutions for the requirements, while fulfilling the 3 properties of the rocket engine that have already been mentioned. Finally, the development phase is about testing some critical elements of the engine, in order to validate, or either invalidate and thus improve, the design.

This study’s objective was to determine the feasibility of manufacturing carbon fiber cylinders using an X-Winder filament winder for a structural airframe in sounding rockets. Multiple carbon fiber tubes were manufactured using the X-Winder and tested. The results of this testing successfully demonstrated that tubes manufactured with the X-Winder are capable of performing as an airframe for small sounding rockets. Five tube samples were destructively tested in compression, and the average maximum compressive strength of the tubes was 9,854 lbf. One of the tubes was used as the airframe in a small sounding rocket which flew to 4,042 feet above ground level and recovered successfully.

This study’s objective was to determine the feasibility of manufacturing carbon fiber cylinders using an X-Winder filament winder for a structural airframe in sounding rockets. Multiple carbon fiber tubes were manufactured using the X-Winder and tested. The results of this testing successfully demonstrated that tubes manufactured with the X-Winder are capable of performing as an airframe for small sounding rockets. Five tube samples were destructively tested in compression, and the average maximum compressive strength of the tubes was 9,854 lbf. One of the tubes was used as the airframe in a small sounding rocket which flew to 4,042 feet above ground level and recovered successfully.

The UCI Rocket Project is an undergraduate engineering design team at the University of California, Irvine, dedicated to the design and development of liquid bi-propellant rockets. The team’s main goal is to design a liquid rocket capable of reaching 100 km for the Base11 Space Challenge. The current iteration of the rocket is designed to reach 45,000 ft as a preliminary verification of the team’s design and manufacturing capabilities. The design utilizes a pressure fed system with a propellant combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen. As the team moves further into the testing and verification stages, development of the rocket capable of reaching 100 km begins. There are a total of four launch windows for the Base11 competition that begin in May 2020 and end in December 2021. The team has a dedicated lab space with the resources necessary for general design and assembly, but manufacturing is typically contracted to professional companies. As the space industry continues to grow, the UCI Rocket Project will continue giving undergraduate students relevant and impactful hands-on experience to prepare them for the challenges of working in the industry.Advisors: Professor Mark WalterProfessor Ken Mease

The UCI Rocket Project is an undergraduate engineering design team at the University of California, Irvine, dedicated to the design and development of liquid bi-propellant rockets. The team’s main goal is to design a liquid rocket capable of reaching 100 km for the Base11 Space Challenge. The current iteration of the rocket is designed to reach 45,000 ft as a preliminary verification of the team’s design and manufacturing capabilities. The design utilizes a pressure fed system with a propellant combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen. As the team moves further into the testing and verification stages, development of the rocket capable of reaching 100 km begins. There are a total of four launch windows for the Base11 competition that begin in May 2020 and end in December 2021. The team has a dedicated lab space with the resources necessary for general design and assembly, but manufacturing is typically contracted to professional companies. As the space industry continues to grow, the UCI Rocket Project will continue giving undergraduate students relevant and impactful hands-on experience to prepare them for the challenges of working in the industry.Advisors: Professor Mark WalterProfessor Ken Mease

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

It is not fully understood how cells detect external mechanical forces, but mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in detecting and translating physical forces into biological responses (mechanotrans-duction). With the “OoClamp” device, we developed a tool to study electrophysiological processes, including the gating properties of ion channels under various gravity conditions. The “OoClamp” device uses an adapted patch clamp technique and is operational during parabolic flight and centrifugation up to 20 g. In the framework of the REXUS/BEXUS program, we have further developed the “OoClamp” device with the goal of conducting electrophysiological experiments aboard a flying sounding rocket., + ID der Publikation: hslu_51260 + Art des Beitrages: Wissenschaftliche Medien + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-02-09 11:08:15

We present an analysis of in situ measurements from the MICA (Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfvén Resonator) nightside auroral sounding rocket with comparisons to a multifluid ionospheric model. MICA made observations at altitudes below 325 km of the thermal ion kinetic particle distributions that are the origins of ion outflow. Late flight, in the vicinity of an auroral arc, we observe frictional processes controlling the ion temperature. Upflow of these cold ions is attributed to either the ambipolar field resulting from the heated electrons or possibly to ion-neutral collisions. We measure convection away from the arc (poleward) and downflows of hundreds of m s−1 poleward of this arc, indicating small-scale low-altitude plasma circulation. In the early flight we observe DC electromagnetic Poynting flux and associated ELF wave activity influencing the thermal ion temperature in regions of Alfvénic aurora. We observe enhanced, anisotropic ion temperatures which we conjecture are caused by transverse heating by wave-particle interactions (WPI) even at these low altitudes. Throughout this region we observe several hundred m s−1 upflow of the bulk thermal ions colocated with WPI; however, the mirror force is negligible at these low energies; thus, the upflow is attributed to ambipolar fields (or possibly neutral upwelling drivers). The low-altitude MICA observations serve to inform future ionospheric modeling and simulations of (a) the need to consider the effects of heating by WPI at altitudes lower than previously considered viable and (b) the occurrence of structured and localized upflows/downflows below where higher-altitude heating rocesses are expected.

観測ロケットS-310-42打ち上げ時に搭載機器の音響及び振動の計測を行った。民生品を組み合わせた廉価な搭載計測装置を開発し、質の良いデータの取得に成功した。計測されたデータを分析したところ、飛翔中の振動環境は非常に正弦波振動が卓越している事が判明した。, Measurements of on-board acoustic / vibrational environment were carried out in the flight of sounding rocket S-310-42. The on-board and commercial-off-the-shelf measuring system was developed for the sounding rocket at a low cost in this experiment. As the result of analysis for measured data, some sinusoidal vibrations are dominant in the flight environment., 形態: カラー図版あり, Physical characteristics: Original contains color illustrations

The rocket investigation 'Scattering Layer in the Bottomside Equatorial F-region Ionosphere' was part of the NASA EQUIS 2 campaign. Two salvos of sounding rockets were launched from Roi Namur in Kwajalein on August 7th and 15th of 2004. Each of the salvos consisted of one instrumented and two chemical release payloads. The instrumented rockets were launched westward into equatorial spread F precursor that was first observed from ground using the Altair radar. The instrumented rockets reached an apogee of approximately 421 km. The instruments consisted of an internally heated Sweeping Langmuir Probe (SLP), a fixed bias DC Probe (DCP), a Plasma Impedance Probe consisting of a Plasma Frequency Probe and a Plasma Sweeping Probe built at Utah State University. The instrument suite also included an Electric Field Probe built by Penn State University. The ratio of the cumulative probe area (DCP + SLP) to that of the payload skin was on the order of approximately 120. This led to a systematic fluctuation of the payload floating potential as SLP swept from - 1 V to + 5 V. This paper presents an analysis of the rocket surface charging and extraction of temperature from 'warped' Langmuir Probe sweeps., JAXA Special Publication, 宇宙航空研究開発機構特別資料

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is currently studying on the 'Solar Sail' propulsion for future deep space explorations. One of the key technologies to realize the solar sail is how light and how compact we can make the photon acceptance surface. JAXA has conducted extensive studies on utilizing centrifugal force to deploy the photon acceptance surface. The final objective is to realize the 7.5 micrometer-thickness and 50 m diameter polyimide membrane, combined with thin flexible solar cells, as the photon acceptance surface that will be needed around the Jupiter orbit. In the August 9, 2004, JAXA has launched the S-310 sounding rocket, which tested two different shapes of membranes during the zero-gravity flight. The first type of the membrane looks like a 'clover-leaf', and another is like a 'fan'. These two membranes, both of them have 10 m diameter, were unfolded sequentially during the zero-gravity flight under the free spin condition, and their behavior was observed by onboard cameras. This paper focuses on the 'clover-leaf' solar sail, which was fully deployed successfully, and compares its result with a numerical simulation model called improved multi-particle model, to validate its applicability for the analysis of actual 50 m size solar sail dynamics., 著者らが提案している改良多粒子系モデルは、従来の薄膜のダイナミクスの高速計算法である多粒子系モデルを拡張し、任意形状の膜を取り扱えるようにしたものであり、これにより膜のさまざまな力学的特性を、簡易な計算で合理的に導き出すことができる。本稿は、本計算手法をソーラーセイル探査機への搭載を想定したセイルに適用し、その各種計算結果を紹介するとともに、スピンテーブルやS310観測ロケットを用いた実験の結果と比較考察するものである。

Seeding the flow with tracer particles is a common way to visualize the flow in a half zone liquid bridge. In our experiments on the ground, these tracer particles were found to accumulate and to form a rotating closed loop when the flow field is three dimensional and traveling. We named this structure the Spiral Loop Particle Accumulation Structure (SL-PAS). The present experiment conducted was using the sounding rocket MAXUS6 which launched on 22. 11. 2004 operated by ESA. The SL-PAS was firstly confirmed to emerge under the microgravity, too. The SL-PASs with mode number of 2 and 3 were formed successfully. Bottom and side views of the SL-PAS were recorded. The numerical analysis of the three dimensional structure was also performed., 本研究は、微小重力科学国際公募(IAO)のテーマの一環として、国際宇宙ステーション(ISS: International Space Station)に搭載される実験装置の相互利用を目的として行われた。ハーフゾーン液柱内の対流場を可視化する方法として、一般にトレーサ粒子法が用いられる地上実験において、対流場が3次元回転振動流を呈する際、トレーサ粒子が1つの閉じたひも状に集合する現象を捉えている。これをSpiral Loop Particle Accumulation Structure(SL-PAS)と名づけた。本研究では、実験用小型ロケットMAXUS6を用いた宇宙実験を、2004年11月22日に欧州宇宙機構(ESA)の支援により行った。これにより微小重力環境下においても粒子が集合し、SL-PASが形成されることが始めて明らかになった。さらに周方向波数m=2および3のいずれの場合もSL-PASの形成に成功した。SL-PASの上面および側面の2方向からの可視化により、微小重力環境下におけるSL-PASの3次元的構造を再構築することに成功した。さらに同条件での数値シミュレーションによってもSL-PASの再現に成功した。, JAXA Research and Development Report, 宇宙航空研究開発機構研究開発報告

This thesis has been performed in collaboration with the Swedish Space Corporation at the department Science Services. SSC provides services in the areas of spacecraft subsystems, ground stations and sounding rockets to enable governments, companies and research institutes to benefit from space. Science Services are responsible for sounding rocket flight missions allowing customers to perform research in a microgravity environment. Currently, they have good knowledge how to design the sounding rockets experiment modules to minimize thermal effects within the system. However, no computational models are available to evaluate and verify the thermal heat transfer inside of the modules and as such the systems are designed primarily based on previous experience. The main purpose of this thesis was to develop a thermal computational model, which would work as a basis for designing experiment modules. The model would be used in an early stage of the design process before CAD parts have been designed. This required a flexible model allowing the user to evaluate different types of components and configurations. A finite element method (FEM) was used to perform heat transfer calculations in MATLAB. The development process was divided into three stages, which reduced the complexity of the problem formulation. The first version was made to approximate heat transfer solution in three dimensions using the Galerkin’s weighed residuals method. The second version was made to implement the dynamic environment occurring during flight missions. Based on the external environment, the dynamic process was divided into phases with different boundary conditions. In the final version internal convection, conductivity between air elements and a GUI was developed. The versions were verified with COMSOL (2013) and previous measured flight data. The results from the simulations showed that the internal convection coefficient and the element’s conductivity have a great impact on how the heat is d, Detta examensarbete har utförts i samarbete med Swedish Space Corporation på avdelningen Science Services. SSC är ett svenskt företag verksam inom rymdtekniksektorn som erbjuder myndigheter, företag och forskarlag runt om i världen möjlighet att dra nytta av rymden. Avdelningen Science Service är ansvariga för utvecklig samt uppskjutning av sondraketer. I dagsläget finns en god kunskap hur sondraketens experimentmoduler ska konstrueras för att minimera den termiska påverkan i systemen. Dock existerar ingen beräkningsmodell för att undersöka värmeutvecklingen och temperaturer i dessa experimentmoduler, all kunskap inom detta område är baserad på tidigare erfarenheter. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utveckla en termisk beräkningsmodell som kan användas som underlag när nya experimentmoduler konstrueras på SSC. Användningsområdet för modellen var avsett i ett tidigt skede i produktutvecklingsprocessen, innan CAD-modeller eller dylikt har framställts. Därav efterfrågades en flexibel modell där användaren kan undersöka olika typer av kompententer och konfigurationer. Den Finita elementmetoden (FEM) har används för att skapa en termisk beräkningsmodell i MATLAB. Utvecklingen delades upp i tre steg, eller tre programversioner, vilket bidrog till att frågeställningens komplexitet reducerades. Första programversion genomfördes för att approximera värmeflöden och temperaturer i tre dimensioner med hjälp av Galerkins viktade residualmetod. I den andra programversionen implementerades den dynamiska omgivningen som uppstår under flygning. Baserat på den yttre påverkan från det dynamiska förloppet delades flygningen in i olika faser, alla med skilda randvillkor. I den slutliga programversionen implementerades intern konvektion, strålning och ett grafiskt användargränssnitt. Samtliga versioner verifierades numerisk med hjälp av COMSOL (2013) . Resultatet från beräkningsmodellen påvisade att den interna konvektionskoefficient samt konduktiviteten hos element har stor inverk

Quantensensoren auf Basis ultra-kalter Atome sind gegenwärtig auf dem Weg ihre klassischen Pendants als Messintrumente sowohl in Präzision als auch in Genauigkeit zu überholen, obwohl ihr Potential noch immer nicht vollständig ausgeschöpft ist. Die Anwendung von Quantensensortechnologie wie Materiewelleninterferometern im Weltraum wird ihre Sensitivität weiter steigen lassen, sodass sie potentiell die genauesten erdbasierten Systeme um mehrere Grössenordnungen übertreffen könnten. Mikrogravitationsplattformen wie Falltürme, Parabelflugzeuge und Höhenforschungsraketen stellen exzellente Testumgebungen für zukünftge atominterferometrische Experimente im Weltraum dar. Andererseits erfordert ihre Nutzung die Entwicklung von Schlüsseltechnologien, die hohe Standards in Bezug auf mechanische und thermische Robustheit, Autonomie, Miniaturisierung und Redundanz erfüllen müssen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden erste Interferometrieexperimente mit degenerieten Quantengasen in Schwerelosigkeit im Rahmen des QUANTUS Projektes durchgeführt. In mehr als 250 Freifall-Experimenten am Bremer Fallturm konnte die Präparation, freie Entwicklung und Phasenkohärenz eines Rubidium Bose- Einstein Kondensates (BEC) auf makroskopischen Zeitskalen von bis zu 2 s untersucht werden. Dazu wurde ein BEC-Interferometer mittels Bragg-Strahlteilern in einen Atomchip-basierten Aufbau implementiert. In Kombination mit dem Verfahren der Delta-Kick Kühlung (DKC) konnte die Expansionsrate der Kondensate weiter reduziert werden, was zur Beobachtung von effektiven Temperaturen im Bereich von 1 nK führte. In einem Interferometer mit asymetrischer Mach-Zehnder Geometrie konnten Interferenzstreifen mit hohem Kontrast bis zu einer Verweildauer von 2T = 677 ms untersucht werden., State-of-the-art cold atomic quantum sensors are currently about to outpace their classical counterparts in precision and accuracy, but are still not exploiting their full potential. Utilizing quantum-enhanced sensor technology such as matter wave interferometers in the unique environment of microgravity will tremendously increase their sensitivity, ultimately outperforming the most accurate groundbased systems by several orders of magnitude. Microgravity platforms such as drop towers, zero-g airplanes and sounding rockets are excellent testbeds for advanced interferometry experiments with quantum gases in space. In return, they impose demanding requirements on the payload key technologies in terms of mechanical and thermal robustness, remote control, miniaturization and redundancy. In this work, first interferometry experiments with degenerate quantum gases in zero-g environment have been performed within the QUANTUS project. In more than 250 free fall experiments operated at the drop tower in Bremen, preparation, free evolution and phase coherence of a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) on macroscopic timescales of up to 2 s have been explored. To this end, a BEC interferometer using first-order Bragg diffraction was implemented in an atomchip based setup. Combined with delta-kick cooling (DKC) techniques to further slow down the expansion of the atomic cloud, effective temperatures of about 1 nK have been reached. With an asymmetrical Mach-Zehnder geometry, high-contrast interferometric fringes were observed up to a total time in the interferometer of 2T = 677 ms.

This thesis has been performed in collaboration with the Swedish Space Corporation at the department Science Services. SSC provides services in the areas of spacecraft subsystems, ground stations and sounding rockets to enable governments, companies and research institutes to benefit from space. Science Services are responsible for sounding rocket flight missions allowing customers to perform research in a microgravity environment. Currently, they have good knowledge how to design the sounding rockets experiment modules to minimize thermal effects within the system. However, no computational models are available to evaluate and verify the thermal heat transfer inside of the modules and as such the systems are designed primarily based on previous experience. The main purpose of this thesis was to develop a thermal computational model, which would work as a basis for designing experiment modules. The model would be used in an early stage of the design process before CAD parts have been designed. This required a flexible model allowing the user to evaluate different types of components and configurations. A finite element method (FEM) was used to perform heat transfer calculations in MATLAB. The development process was divided into three stages, which reduced the complexity of the problem formulation. The first version was made to approximate heat transfer solution in three dimensions using the Galerkin’s weighed residuals method. The second version was made to implement the dynamic environment occurring during flight missions. Based on the external environment, the dynamic process was divided into phases with different boundary conditions. In the final version internal convection, conductivity between air elements and a GUI was developed. The versions were verified with COMSOL (2013) and previous measured flight data. The results from the simulations showed that the internal convection coefficient and the element’s conductivity have a great impact on how the heat is d, Detta examensarbete har utförts i samarbete med Swedish Space Corporation på avdelningen Science Services. SSC är ett svenskt företag verksam inom rymdtekniksektorn som erbjuder myndigheter, företag och forskarlag runt om i världen möjlighet att dra nytta av rymden. Avdelningen Science Service är ansvariga för utvecklig samt uppskjutning av sondraketer. I dagsläget finns en god kunskap hur sondraketens experimentmoduler ska konstrueras för att minimera den termiska påverkan i systemen. Dock existerar ingen beräkningsmodell för att undersöka värmeutvecklingen och temperaturer i dessa experimentmoduler, all kunskap inom detta område är baserad på tidigare erfarenheter. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utveckla en termisk beräkningsmodell som kan användas som underlag när nya experimentmoduler konstrueras på SSC. Användningsområdet för modellen var avsett i ett tidigt skede i produktutvecklingsprocessen, innan CAD-modeller eller dylikt har framställts. Därav efterfrågades en flexibel modell där användaren kan undersöka olika typer av kompententer och konfigurationer. Den Finita elementmetoden (FEM) har används för att skapa en termisk beräkningsmodell i MATLAB. Utvecklingen delades upp i tre steg, eller tre programversioner, vilket bidrog till att frågeställningens komplexitet reducerades. Första programversion genomfördes för att approximera värmeflöden och temperaturer i tre dimensioner med hjälp av Galerkins viktade residualmetod. I den andra programversionen implementerades den dynamiska omgivningen som uppstår under flygning. Baserat på den yttre påverkan från det dynamiska förloppet delades flygningen in i olika faser, alla med skilda randvillkor. I den slutliga programversionen implementerades intern konvektion, strålning och ett grafiskt användargränssnitt. Samtliga versioner verifierades numerisk med hjälp av COMSOL (2013) . Resultatet från beräkningsmodellen påvisade att den interna konvektionskoefficient samt konduktiviteten hos element har stor inverk

Quantensensoren auf Basis ultra-kalter Atome sind gegenwärtig auf dem Weg ihre klassischen Pendants als Messintrumente sowohl in Präzision als auch in Genauigkeit zu überholen, obwohl ihr Potential noch immer nicht vollständig ausgeschöpft ist. Die Anwendung von Quantensensortechnologie wie Materiewelleninterferometern im Weltraum wird ihre Sensitivität weiter steigen lassen, sodass sie potentiell die genauesten erdbasierten Systeme um mehrere Grössenordnungen übertreffen könnten. Mikrogravitationsplattformen wie Falltürme, Parabelflugzeuge und Höhenforschungsraketen stellen exzellente Testumgebungen für zukünftge atominterferometrische Experimente im Weltraum dar. Andererseits erfordert ihre Nutzung die Entwicklung von Schlüsseltechnologien, die hohe Standards in Bezug auf mechanische und thermische Robustheit, Autonomie, Miniaturisierung und Redundanz erfüllen müssen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden erste Interferometrieexperimente mit degenerieten Quantengasen in Schwerelosigkeit im Rahmen des QUANTUS Projektes durchgeführt. In mehr als 250 Freifall-Experimenten am Bremer Fallturm konnte die Präparation, freie Entwicklung und Phasenkohärenz eines Rubidium Bose- Einstein Kondensates (BEC) auf makroskopischen Zeitskalen von bis zu 2 s untersucht werden. Dazu wurde ein BEC-Interferometer mittels Bragg-Strahlteilern in einen Atomchip-basierten Aufbau implementiert. In Kombination mit dem Verfahren der Delta-Kick Kühlung (DKC) konnte die Expansionsrate der Kondensate weiter reduziert werden, was zur Beobachtung von effektiven Temperaturen im Bereich von 1 nK führte. In einem Interferometer mit asymetrischer Mach-Zehnder Geometrie konnten Interferenzstreifen mit hohem Kontrast bis zu einer Verweildauer von 2T = 677 ms untersucht werden., State-of-the-art cold atomic quantum sensors are currently about to outpace their classical counterparts in precision and accuracy, but are still not exploiting their full potential. Utilizing quantum-enhanced sensor technology such as matter wave interferometers in the unique environment of microgravity will tremendously increase their sensitivity, ultimately outperforming the most accurate groundbased systems by several orders of magnitude. Microgravity platforms such as drop towers, zero-g airplanes and sounding rockets are excellent testbeds for advanced interferometry experiments with quantum gases in space. In return, they impose demanding requirements on the payload key technologies in terms of mechanical and thermal robustness, remote control, miniaturization and redundancy. In this work, first interferometry experiments with degenerate quantum gases in zero-g environment have been performed within the QUANTUS project. In more than 250 free fall experiments operated at the drop tower in Bremen, preparation, free evolution and phase coherence of a rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) on macroscopic timescales of up to 2 s have been explored. To this end, a BEC interferometer using first-order Bragg diffraction was implemented in an atomchip based setup. Combined with delta-kick cooling (DKC) techniques to further slow down the expansion of the atomic cloud, effective temperatures of about 1 nK have been reached. With an asymmetrical Mach-Zehnder geometry, high-contrast interferometric fringes were observed up to a total time in the interferometer of 2T = 677 ms.

Auroral ionospheric F region density depletions observed by PFISR (Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar) during the MICA (Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfvén Resonator) sounding rocket campaign are critically examined alongside complementary numerical simulations. Particular processes of interest include cavity formation due to intense frictional heating and Pedersen drifts, evolution in the presence of structured precipitation, and refilling due to impact ionization and downflows. Our analysis uses an ionospheric fluid model which solves conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations for all major ionospheric species. These fluid equations are coupled to an electrostatic current continuity equation to self‐consistently describe auroral electric fields. Energetic electron precipitation inputs for the model are specified by inverting optical data, and electric field boundary conditions are obtained from direct PFISR measurements. Thus, the model is driven in as realistic a manner as possible. Both incoherent scatter radar (ISR) data and simulations indicate that the conversion of the F region plasma to molecular ions and subsequent recombination is the dominant process contributing to the formation of the observed cavities, all of which occur in conjunction with electric fields exceeding ∼90 mV/m. Furthermore, the cavities often persist several minutes past the point when the frictional heating stops. Impact ionization and field‐aligned plasma flows modulate the cavity depth in a significant way but are of secondary importance to the molecular generation process. Informal comparisons of the ISR density and temperature fits to the model verify that the simulations reproduce most of the observed cavity features to a reasonable level of detail.

The objective of this thesis is defining the feasibility of using an Inductive Wireless Power and Data transfer system (IWPD) as sounding rocket umbilical. An Umbilical is used to supply power and communicate with the rocket in the last moments before launch. The power is used to keep the batteries fully charged and the communication is used for arming and disarming procedures. An IWPD system uses magnetically coupled coils, or inductors, to transfer power and data. This principle is used in transformers where a magnetic core creates a high coupling. In the umbilical the coils cannot be placed around a single core. This comes from the fact that one coil is outside the rocket and one coil is inside the rocket. Coupling of two coils separated by air is obtained by the magnetic field they produce. The coupling is defined as the magnetic field shared by the two coils in reference to the field that only passes one of the coils. To determine the coupling a simplified model was made which allowed the coupling to be plotted to the distance between the coils. The power transfer between a pair of coupled coils is dependent on the coupling between the coils. The magnetic field will not dissipate energy unless it goes through conductive materials. This means that magnetic energy is stored in the field and can be reclaimed. Making the inductors resonate with the addition of capacitors keeps the energy in the circuit. This resonance makes the power transfer non linear to the coupling of the coils. Circuit calculations are presented to determine the transfer of the IWPD in respect to frequency, supply and load conditions. The transfer is then used to determine the best setup to be used for an IWPD umbilical. The resonance of the system is used as frequency response of an oscillator. This oscillator is used to overcome the frequency shift of the system. The proposed system is compared with a more conventional umbilical. This comparison is made in three fields. Performance, Interfer, Micro Electronics, Microelectronics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The objective of this thesis is defining the feasibility of using an Inductive Wireless Power and Data transfer system (IWPD) as sounding rocket umbilical. An Umbilical is used to supply power and communicate with the rocket in the last moments before launch. The power is used to keep the batteries fully charged and the communication is used for arming and disarming procedures. An IWPD system uses magnetically coupled coils, or inductors, to transfer power and data. This principle is used in transformers where a magnetic core creates a high coupling. In the umbilical the coils cannot be placed around a single core. This comes from the fact that one coil is outside the rocket and one coil is inside the rocket. Coupling of two coils separated by air is obtained by the magnetic field they produce. The coupling is defined as the magnetic field shared by the two coils in reference to the field that only passes one of the coils. To determine the coupling a simplified model was made which allowed the coupling to be plotted to the distance between the coils. The power transfer between a pair of coupled coils is dependent on the coupling between the coils. The magnetic field will not dissipate energy unless it goes through conductive materials. This means that magnetic energy is stored in the field and can be reclaimed. Making the inductors resonate with the addition of capacitors keeps the energy in the circuit. This resonance makes the power transfer non linear to the coupling of the coils. Circuit calculations are presented to determine the transfer of the IWPD in respect to frequency, supply and load conditions. The transfer is then used to determine the best setup to be used for an IWPD umbilical. The resonance of the system is used as frequency response of an oscillator. This oscillator is used to overcome the frequency shift of the system. The proposed system is compared with a more conventional umbilical. This comparison is made in three fields. Performance, Interfer, Micro Electronics, Microelectronics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

An analysis of experimental data obtained in a sounding rocket campaign is presented. Data were obtained in the sounding rocket Rexus-V launch, as part of a student campaign organized by ESA (European Space Agency). We took part in the campaign with the project Vib-Bip, which consisted in an experiment to study two-phase fluids behaviour in microgravity and hipergravity conditions. The experimental setup contained four test cells with different liquids and gas fractions, in order to generate bubbles with different characteristics. Two of the cells contained water and air in different proportions, the third cell contained silicon oil and air, and the fourth one contained ethanol and air. The test cells contained different liquids in order to determine the influence of surface tension and viscosity, and different proportions of liquid and gas in order to determine the influence of volume fraction in bubble behaviour. We obtained a high quality video from the rocket launch. The images have been analyzed in order to determine the acceleration (gravity) dependence of bubble position and shape. The video reflects both microgravity and hipergravity phases. The video analysis has allowed us to determine that bubble height inside the cavity depends directly on the acceleration rate of change, as well as on the air volume fraction. We have also observed that eccentricity is higher for lower accelerations. We have determined that bubble diameters are smaller when the acceleration rate of change is zero. Moreover, we have observed that bubble equivalent diameter decreases with surface tension and increases with viscosity, while eccentricity and equivalent volume increase with surface tension and decrease with viscosity.

This report handles the preliminary design of a control system that includes both attitude control and boost control functionality for sounding rockets. This is done to reduce the weight and volume for the control system. A sounding rocket is a small rocket compared to a satellite launcher. It is used to launch payloads into suborbital trajectories. The payload consists of scientific experiments, for example micro-gravity experiments and astronomic observations. The boost guidance system controls the sounding rocket during the launch phase. This is done to minimize the impact dispersion. The attitude control system controls the payload during the experiment phase. The system that is developed in this report is based on the DS19 boost guidance system from Saab Ericsson Space AB. The new system is designed by extending DS19 with software and hardware. The new system is therefore named DS19+. Hardware wise a study of the mechanical and electrical interfaces and also of the system budgets for gas, mass and power for the system are done to determine the feasibility for the combined system. Further a preliminary design of the control software is done. The design has been implemented as pseudo code in MATLAB for testing and simulations. A simulation model for the sounding rocket andits surroundings during the experiment phase has also been designed and implemented in MATLAB. The tests and simulations that have been performed show that the code is suitable for implementation in the real system.

This report handles the preliminary design of a control system that includes both attitude control and boost control functionality for sounding rockets. This is done to reduce the weight and volume for the control system. A sounding rocket is a small rocket compared to a satellite launcher. It is used to launch payloads into suborbital trajectories. The payload consists of scientific experiments, for example micro-gravity experiments and astronomic observations. The boost guidance system controls the sounding rocket during the launch phase. This is done to minimize the impact dispersion. The attitude control system controls the payload during the experiment phase. The system that is developed in this report is based on the DS19 boost guidance system from Saab Ericsson Space AB. The new system is designed by extending DS19 with software and hardware. The new system is therefore named DS19+. Hardware wise a study of the mechanical and electrical interfaces and also of the system budgets for gas, mass and power for the system are done to determine the feasibility for the combined system. Further a preliminary design of the control software is done. The design has been implemented as pseudo code in MATLAB for testing and simulations. A simulation model for the sounding rocket andits surroundings during the experiment phase has also been designed and implemented in MATLAB. The tests and simulations that have been performed show that the code is suitable for implementation in the real system.

The Auroral Turbulence II (AT2) sounding rocket carried three payloads into the auroral ionosphere where they crossed several are structures. At the border of an auroral are a quasiperiodic structure was observed by the magnetic and electric field instruments as well as by the particle detectors. The variations were temporal oscillations, but existed only in a narrow (approximate to 7 km) region transverse to the are, with a correlation length along the are of at least several km. The relation between the electric and magnetic field amplitude indicates the Alfvenic nature of the variations. Field aligned electron precipitation is correlated to the field variations. The narrow band nature of the oscillations and frequency around 0.6 Hz is consistent with waves confined in the ionospheric Alfven resonator., QC 20100618

This report deals with the design, development, fabrication, analysis and field support of signal processing, control systems and telemetry systems for space vehicles. Sounding rocket programs discussed include BEAR, COLDR, LIFE AND SPEAR I. Shuttle-borne programs include IMPS, IBSS/CIV and GAS/VIPER. Brief studies were made of airborne optical disk recording systems and packet telemetry. A telemetry system for vibration and shock testing and electro- mechanical release systems were also developed. PL (formerly GL) scientists were provided consultation and assistance in monitoring the EXCEDE-III and SPIRIT-II program.