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Space Physics community members are putting substantial efforts and ideas into position papers, in preparation for the U.S. Heliophysics Decadal Survey process; an analysis of the current state of the field and where future research, mission programs, and funding should focus. Furthermore, Space Physics community members in Europe and the U.S. have recently put substantial efforts and ideas into position papers for Vision 2050 and Heliophysics 2050. There are also other ideas in the community about the needs and focus of future Space Physics research efforts, whether they were submitted to other road mapping activities, or have yet to find the appropriate home. With this in mind, we have created a Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences Research Topic ’The Future of Space Physics 2022’, to provide a format for a reference-able, peer reviewed, archived, accessible collection of these ideas from around the world. We wish to make these ideas available to the national academies decadal survey committees, the broader research community and a wider audience, by developing this collection. The collection will publish high-quality papers on key topics across the field of Space Physics, aiming to highlight recent advances in the field, whilst emphasizing important directions and new possibilities for future inquiries.

Simulating the interaction between wheel and soil is critical to the overall rover dynamics. This paper presented simple models for wheel soil interaction including the rolling resistances on the wheel due to soil compression and bull- dozing and the maximum tractive force between wheel and soil. Summary of typical lunar soil properties were presented in this paper and the wheel resis- tance model implementation and integration were also discussed. Integrating the wheel resistance model with the rover simulation will improve its dynamics and wheel slip models and enable the capability simulate the situation where wheel got stuck in the soil.

Solar and Heliosphere physics are areas of remarkable data-driven discoveries. Recent advances in high cadence, high-resolution multiwavelength observations, growing amounts of data from realistic modeling, and operational needs for uninterrupted science-quality data coverage generate the demand for a solar metadata standardization and overall healthy data infrastructure. This white paper is prepared as an effort of the working group “Uniform Semantics and Syntax of Solar Observations and Events” created within the “Towards Integration of Heliophysics Data, Modeling, and Analysis Tools” EarthCube Research Coordination Network (@HDMIEC RCN), with primary objectives to discuss current advances and identify future needs for the solar research cyberinfrastructure. The white paper summarizes presentations and discussions held during the special working group session at the EarthCube Annual Meeting on June 19th, 2020, as well as community contribution gathered during a series of preceding workshops and subsequent RCN working group sessions. The authors provide examples of the current standing of the solar research cyberinfrastructure, and describe the problems related to current data handling approaches. The list of the top-level recommendations agreed by the authors of the current white paper is presented at the beginning of the paper.

History has shown that our personal life is highly dependent on the technology that people have developed. A strategic scan of the aerospace environment at the beginning of the 21st century strongly suggests that the world might be approaching a new age of airpower—the era of electrified/hybrid aircraft propulsion. Undeniably, starting from the Montgolfier Brothers balloon flight in 1783, to the Wright Brothers piston engine flight in 1903, and the jet engine of the 1960s, or the space age of today, one can say that leaps in propulsion technology have marked the different ages of human flight. The technological advancements, brought at the beginning of 21st century by the revolution in data exchange, computational power, sensors, wireless communication, internet, and autonomy, contributed to the vision of this new age of propulsion we are approaching. Historically, conventional vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft have been equipped with propulsion units relying on complex internal combustion machines (turbines, piston engines, for example), and complex mechanical arrangements (gearboxes, shafts, variable pitch propeller). By contrast, electric VTOL aircraft (eVTOL)1 rely on simpler propulsion units (electric motors and in some cases fixed-pitch propellers). This promotes redundancy and improves tolerance to failures, in turn improving safety. The use of simpler electric propulsion units should also allow significant acquisition and operating cost reductions. Whether full-electric (relying solely on batteries) or hybrid-electric (relying on a combination of batteries, fuel-powered engines, and generators.), eVTOLs are also expected to generate less noise and air pollution than conventional aircraft with similar payloads. According to the 2019 Annual Review of IATA (International Air Transport Association) [ref.1], due to an expected increase in air transport traffic by 5% every year and a doubling of air transport passenger numbers to 8.2 billion by 2037 significant challenges are posed to the aviation industry. Furthermore, this report does not factor in the expected demand for short-range (intra-city) air transportation, which is in development and yet to be operational. The increased demand to fly creates a responsibility to expand in a sustainable manner and an endeavor to develop more environmentally-friendly aircraft. eVTOL aircraft, either piloted or autonomous, is gathering considerable interest worldwide. Modern and novel full-electric or hybrid-electric eVTOL configurations enable a new paradigm shift in air transportation as the aviation industry remains committed to its goals of carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards and cutting CO2 emissions to half 2005 levels by 2050. While electric power has been used for decades, recent developments in mobile electric/hybrid propulsion coupled with advanced materials and autonomous systems may create the possibility to transition into the next age of air mobility propelled by electric/hybrid VTOL aircraft technology. Although eVTOL aircraft might seem like an incremental improvement or even a counterintuitive regression with regard to past VTOL development, it has in fact the potential to transform air mobility across a wide range of government applications. Previous transformations in aviation generated dramatic leaps in performance, but the cost was commensurate with performance, limiting quantity produced. This next age appears to take a different approach. Performance may not increase, but at this moment technology is poised for future urban mobility that will spawn commercial passenger drone services, that is, autonomous (pilotless) air taxis and thereby add a new dimension to the urban transportation mix of the future [ref. 2]. Advances in electric propulsion, autonomous flight technology, and 5G communication networks will enable this fast new-growing market to become a reality. It is now time to envision the introduction of electric/hybrid eVTOL aircraft for Public Services2. We believe that in the next decades eVTOL aircraft will have the potential to become an essential tool to Public Service agencies around the world in applications such as firefighting, public safety, search and rescue, disaster relief and law enforcement. This is due to several major factors. • First, with the increasing popularity of small, unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) or drones, many companies today are focusing on the development of passenger UAVs designed to accommodate up to five passengers or equivalent cargo payload. Many such configurations are electric or hybrid-electric designs with VTOL capabilities. Several of these projects have started a flight test program and many more are expected to be in the experimental and development phase in 2020. Such revolutionary vehicles could be in commercial operations by 2030. These eVTOL systems could be ready for selected Public Services missions even sooner. • Second, although these advanced eVTOL vehicles under development still need access to fuel (hybrid) and/or electric charging capability, they can take off and land from almost anywhere. Therefore, such vehicles, both manned and unmanned can be successfully integrated for the critical missions of the Public Services with extra deployment flexibilities. • Third, advancement in electric propulsion systems in the automotive industry together with NASA’s leading efforts in electrification of aircraft propulsion systems, FAA’s ongoing active eVTOL certification programs, and EASA’s proposed framework for the certification of electric/hybrid small category VTOL aircraft in Europe [ref. 3] will help accelerate industry electric propulsion system development and integration. • Finally, eVTOL vehicles could be deployed for Public Services sooner than air taxi or other commercial applications, since Public Services missions may be more easily approved based on specific mission criteria, localized airworthiness authority for public-use aircraft3, and are normally operating under centralized airspace management and control by the theater command. Moreover, public perception and acceptance are generally less of a concern when operations save lives and benefit the wider community. The prioritized introduction of eVTOL aircraft in Public Services is ambitious, but we believe it is achievable in the coming decades if fundamental enablers (people and technologies) are engaged in defining the objectives and needs of these missions. The revolution that is currently taking place in eVTOL aircraft represents an unprecedented opportunity to develop a safer, more affordable, more available and more environmentally friendly future of vertical flight. To ensure that these novel aircraft meet the future expectations of Public Services, it is essential to take a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to their development, across engineering disciplines, policy-making, program management, business case development, manufacturing, and flight demonstrations. It should be noted that the term eVTOL (in the near term) used throughout this publication implies aircraft capable of transporting up to 5 persons which may or may not include a pilot if operated fully autonomously, assuming an average of 200 pounds (91 kg) per person or equivalent payload and a range up to 60 miles plus a suitable reserve. Hybrid or hydrogen powered eVTOLs would have greater range. For example, a “3-seat” eVTOL aircraft may only be able to carry two fully equipped firemen, and payload capacity is more relevant when used for the supply mission. Moreover, this paper concentrates on the “last-mile” solutions with a deployment time of no more than 6 hours. Although not specifically discussed in this document, it is understood that the future of Transformative Vertical Flight in general and Public Services, in particular, will also involve smaller UAVs that will undoubtedly play a crucial role in future aerial operations. For example, smaller unmanned aircraft may be used to dispatch medical supplies, portable filtration systems or perform the Search task of future Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. Close collaboration between the aircraft industry, the Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA), e.g., Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) certifiers, will help identify Public Services requirements, define expectations and limit development cost and timescales. Take the US Air Force Agility Prime as an example, the majority of the eVTOL application opportunities and mission elements identified are in line with the NASA TVF WG-4 objectives and use cases. Together, it forms a strong partnership to accelerate the development, certification, and practical deployment for public service missions. The US Air Force Agility Prime has been a collaboration partner on this white paper, and provided valuable input and recommendations. Most of the eVTOL public service mission elements discussed in this paper and additional use cases envisioned by the NASA TVF WG-4 team are shared by the Agility Prime program. The focus and efforts of the Agility Prime in product and system development, industry and government partnership, accelerated certifications as well as early test and deployment are totally in sync with the path forward recommended by this white paper. This kind of collaboration and partnership will help enable the practical use of the eVTOL for public service missions, benefit the eVTOL public acceptance, and accelerate the eVTOL industry revolution.

We present a sensitive search with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array for the radio counterpart of the gravitational wave candidate S191216ap, which is classified as a binary black hole merger and suggested to be a possible multimessenger event, based on the detection of a high-energy neutrino and a TeV photon. We carried out a blind search at C band (4–8 GHz) over 0.3 deg2 of the gamma-ray counterpart of S191216ap reported by the High-Altitude Water Cerenkov Observatory (HAWC). Our search, spanning three epochs over 130 days of postmerger and having a mean source-detection threshold of 75 μJy beam−1 (4σ), yielded five variable sources associated with active galactic nucleus activity and no definitive counterpart of S191216ap. We find <2% (3.0% ± 1.3%) of the persistent radio sources at 6 GHz to be variable on a timescale of <1 week (week–months), consistent with previous radio variability studies. Our 4σ radio luminosity upper limit of ∼1.2 × 1028 erg s−1 Hz−1 on the afterglow of S191216ap, within the HAWC error region, is 5–10 times deeper than previous binary black hole (BBH) radio afterglow searches. Comparing this upper limit with theoretical expectations given by Perna et al. for putative jets launched by BBH mergers, for on-axis jets with energy ≃1049 erg, we can rule out jet opening angles ≲ 20° (assuming that the counterpart lies within the 1σ HAWC region that we observed).

The authors of this white paper met on 16-17 January 2020 at the New Jersey Institute of Technology,Newark, NJ, for a 2-day workshop that brought together a group of heliophysicists, data providers,expert modelers, and computer/data scientists. Their objective was to discuss critical developments and prospects of the application of machine and/or deep learning techniques for data analysis, modeling and forecasting in Heliophysics, and to shape a strategy for further developments in the field. The workshop combined a set of plenary sessions featuring invited introductory talks interleaved with a set of open discussion sessions. The outcome of the discussion is encapsulated in this white paper that also features a top-level list of recommendations agreed by participants

NASA is anticipated to commission the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey (PSDS) with preparation expected in early calendar year 2020. The new PSDS will outline the priorities of science missions for the decade spanning 2023-2032. For the previous PSDS, the science and technology communities have been invited to submit white papers to the PSDS sub-panels as background information to guide the PSDS recommendations. The National Research Council has previously stated that white papers that represent the opinion of many authors from different institutions carried more significance and weight, and the recommendations from the previous PSDS attempted to reflect more of a consensus opinion. In 2009, a total of 4 white papers were submitted to the PSDS panels regarding thermal protection system (TPS) readiness for missions, as well as one on TPS instrumentation. The TPS readiness papers were co-authored by 90 individuals from many institutions. These white papers surveyed the TPS materials for both forebody and afterbody of a probe and analyzed the suitability of materials for missions to each destination. In addition, each paper outlined the ground testing required and ongoing technology development. Recommendations were provided for further technology development and ground test capability in order to fulfill future missions. Many improvements and changes have occurred in the past 10 years with regard to TPS materials and instrumentation. New materials have been developed and tested, such as the high density material Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET), and new capabilities for ground testing for high heating and high pressures have been added such as the 3-inch nozzle at the Ames arc jet. NASA has also flown several TPS instrumentation suites, such as MEDLI (Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrument) and EFT-1 (Exploration Flight Test-1). In order to provide the PSDS sub-panels with the most current information about the state-of-the-art suitability for TPS materials for entry missions, we are beginning to update and draft new white papers. We will present the outline for material to be covered in the white papers, and we invite all IPPW (International Planetary Probe Workshop) attendees to particiate in co-authoring these papers.

This export is a technical white paper that recommends what is necessary to create a version (V7) DTN specification for the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) blue book and is based on IETF RFC BPBis.v26 (Note the original CCSDS standard as IRTF 5050). The considerations in this document follow the current CCSDS specification 734.2-B-1 (​https://public.ccsds.org/Pubs/734x2b1.pdf​) and is consistent with its intent and level of service. In it, are identified areas requiring updates and specification items that are essential to meet current minimums of capability.

Himalayan countries, including Bhutan, have become vulnerable to warming trends which result in increasing temperature and variable rainfall and snowfall. By combining phenological and meteorological data, Earth observation platforms and sensors were used to assess trends in precipitation, temperature, and vegetation phenology in Bhutan from 1996 through 2017. This project studied precipitation using Climate Hazards Center Infrared Precipitation with Station data, analyzed temperature using the Famine Early Warning System Network Land Data Assimilation System, incorporated elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, and assessed vegetation phenology using Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to evaluate climate variability and its effects on Bhutan. In situ temperature and precipitation data were also collected from the Himalayan Environmental Rhythm Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES) project and Bhutan’s National Center for Hydrology and Meterology. Modeled and in situ data showed similar trends in precipitation and temperature for the Thimpu, Chhukha, and Gasa regions. Aqua and Terra MODIS phenology data were variable from year to year. However, the data suggested a late onset of spring green up. Partners at the Bhutan Foundation and locally in Bhutan can use this information to better understand and monitor climate variability and replicate these methods for future analysis.

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a flagship species essential for the functioning of forest ecosystems, and they also have cultural significance in Bhutan. Elephants receive the highest legal protection as listed under Schedule I of the Bhutan Forests and Nature Conservation Act, 1995. Yet, they face threats of extinction due to poaching for ivory as well as the loss and fragmentation of their habitat. Due to the recent clearing of forests and the growing populations in these areas, there has been an increase in incidents of human-elephant conflict. These conflicts have been detrimental to farmer’s annual harvests and livelihoods and have led to retaliatory killing and injury of elephants in southern Bhutan. The DEVELOP Southern Bhutan Ecological Forecasting team partnered with the Bhutan Foundation and Bhutan Tiger Center to help address this problem. The team integrated NASA Earth observations, including Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) to acquire information on land cover change and elephant habitat suitability along the southern border of Bhutan. The team utilized Esri ArcGIS Pro and Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) for data analysis, modeling, and visualization. The team used elephant occurrence data and environmental variables to model current habitat suitability for migrating elephant populations. This analysis provided partners with maps to inform decisions about the placement and conservation of elephant corridors and helped build their capacity to use satellite data for future studies and project planning.

In January 2017, the mission concept Psyche: Journey to a Metal World was one of two concepts selected by NASA for implementation as part of the 14th Discovery mission competition. Over the course of the past year, the Psyche team has actively worked to refine and mature the technical design, culminating in a successful completion of the Project Preliminary Design review and approval to proceed to Phase C in mid-2019. Psyche is a deep space mission utilizing solar electric propulsion (SEP), consisting of SPT-140 Hall thrusters which have been successfully employed on multiple commercial spacecraft. When launched, Psyche will carry over 1000 kg of Xenon, and will represent the farthest usage of electric propulsion usage from the Sun – a distance of over 3.3 AU. The use of solar electric propulsion in deep space has resulted in challenges unique to other missions. Spacecraft designs typically balance margins across two main elements – mass and power – that are independent of one another. Utilizing a low thrust trajectory through the application of electric propulsion introduces more elements - namely flight time, missed thrust percentage and thruster duty cycle. Moreover, these elements become connected, presenting additional relationships that must be considered. This paper will present an overview of the margin management process for Psyche, and how it has evolved from the early proposal stage to its current state. It will discuss the elements that are margined, their relationship with one another, and key uncertainties that must be addressed. It discusses challenges and mitigations obtained during the refinement of the Psyche project, culminating in a new margin strategy that enables optimization across many of the system elements, and will serve as a template for future deep space SEP missions.

Recently, the United States announced a plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 [8]. Lunar landing (and subsequent Mars landing) architecture was not considered when the current NASA standards and vehicle design requirements for crew injury risk were developed. Therefore a gap exists in protecting the crew in planetary landing scenarios. One of the interesting aspects of this design reference mission (DRM)is the consideration of having the crew stand during dynamic phases of flight. Although this approach was contemplated for the Apollo Lunar Module, current NASA standards do not address design solutions that allow the crew to stand. Currently, NASA uses several tools and associated limits to mitigate crew injury because of dynamic loads. Some of these tools are the Brinkley Dynamic Response Criterion (BDRC) model and Hybrid III Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) [10]; and these have several limitations for assessing spaceflight loading environments, as well as specific underlying assumptions that may not be applicable in planetary landing vehicles. The BDRC is a simple lumped mass parameter model developed by the U.S. military, and has been used primarily to evaluate injury risk associated with aircraft ejection systems. The model evaluates seat accelerations in each axis to determine injury risk. Because the model treats the human-seat-restraint system as a single system, it is contingent on a restraint system and seat with similar characteristics of the original test data underlying the model. In particular, the model requires a rigid seat with a minimum natural frequency of 15Hz, minimal seat pan padding, side supports, and multipoint harness. The BDRC model uses undamped natural frequency and damping coefficients based on these requirements and any deviations may render the model injury predictions void. In lunar landing, one expects that a minimal or even no seat with minimal restraints will be employed. In this case, the original model parameters are likely to not be applicable. For capsule-based spacecraft returning crew to Earth, the Hybrid III ATD in various sizes also is used to supplement the BDRC. This analytical tool was added to address limitations in the BDRC related to spacecraft landings while wearing a pressure garment and helmet. Although the Hybrid III ATD has additional measurement capability; head, neck,and lumbar spine responses were the only metrics included because of the limitations imposed by the model.Lunar landing acceleration limits must assume the crew is standing during landing, an orientation for which we have limited data.Although the Apollo missions did employ a standing orientation for the crew, much of the data is lost. Therefore data from othersources havebeen examined to inform lunar landing acceleration limits.

The Simons Observatory (SO) is a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment sited on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert in Chile that promises to provide breakthrough discoveries in fundamental physics, cosmology, and astrophysics. Supported by the Simons Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and with contributions from collaborating institutions, SO will see first light in 2021 and start a five year survey in 2022. SO has 287 collaborators from 12 countries and 53 institutions, including 85 students and 90 postdocs. The SO experiment in its currently funded form (‘SO-Nominal’) consists of three 0.4 m Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) and one 6 m Large Aperture Telescope (LAT). Optimized for minimizing systematic errors in polarization measurements at large angular scales, the SATs will perform a deep, degree-scale survey of 10% of the sky to search for the signature of primordial gravitational waves. The LAT will survey 40% of the sky with arc-minute resolution. These observations will measure (or limit) the sum of neutrino masses, search for light relics, measure the early behavior of Dark Energy, and refine our understanding of the intergalactic medium, clusters and the role of feedback in galaxy formation. With up to ten times the sensitivity and five times the angular resolution of the Planck satellite, and roughly an order of magnitude increase in mapping speed over currently operating (“Stage 3”) experiments, SO will measure the CMB temperature and polarization fluctuations to exquisite precision in six frequency bands from 27 to 280 GHz. SO will rapidly advance CMB science while informing the design of future observatories such as CMB-S4. Construction of SO-Nominal is fully funded, and operations and data analysis are funded for part of the planned five-year observations. We will seek federal funding to complete the observations and analysis of SO-Nominal, at the $25M level. The SO has a low risk and cost efficient upgrade path – the 6 m LAT can accommodate almost twice the baseline number of detectors and the SATs can be duplicated at low cost. We will seek funding at the $75M level for an expansion of the SO (‘SO-Enhanced’) that fills the remaining focal plane in the LAT, adds three SATs, and extends operations by five years, substantially improving our science return. By this time SO may be operating as part of the larger CMB-S4 project. This white paper summarizes and extends material presented in, which describes the science goals of SO-Nominal, and which describe the instrument design.

The Gateway program has selected a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) of the L2 southern family as its operational orbit. In order to facilitate mission analysis for Gateway and associated programs utilizing this orbit, a representative reference trajectory 15 years in duration has been developed. The purpose of this white paper is to review the properties of this NRHO reference trajectory.

NASA is anticipated to commission the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey (PSDS) with preparation expected in early calendar year 2020. The new PSDS will outline the priorities of science missions for the decade spanning 2023-2032. For the previous PSDS, the science and technology communities have been invited to submit white papers to the PSDS sub-panels as background information to guide the PSDS recommendations. The National Research Council has previously stated that white papers that represent the opinion of many authors from different institutions carried more significant and weight, and the recommendations from the previous PSDS attempted to reflect more of a consensus opinion.In 2009, a total of 4 white papers were submitted to the PSDS panels regarding thermal protection system (TPS) readiness for missions, as well as one on TPS instrumentation. The TPS readiness papers were co-authored by 90 individuals from many institutions. These white papers surveyed the TPS materials for both forebody and afterbody of a probe and analyzed the suitability of materials for missions to each destination. In addition, each paper outlined the ground testing required and ongoing technology development. Recommendations were provided for further technology development and ground test capability in order to fulfill future missions. Planning for the next PSDS: Many improvements and changes have occurred in the past 10 years with regard to TPS materials and instrumentation. New materials have been developed and tested, such as the high density material Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET), and new capabilities for ground testing for high heating and high pressures have been added such as the 3” nozzle at the Ames arc jet. NASA has also flown several TPS instrumentation suites, such as MEDLI and EFT-1.In order to provide the PSDS sub-panels with the most current information about the state-of-the-art suit-ability for TPS materials for entry missions, we are be-ginning to update and draft new white papers. We will present the outline for material to be covered in the white papers, and we invite all IPPW attendees to parti-ciate in co-authoring these papers.

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CMB-S4 is envisioned to be the ultimate ground-based cosmic microwave background experiment, crossing critical thresholds in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Universe, from the highest energies at the dawn of time through the growth of structure to the present day. The CMB-S4 science case is spectacular: the search for primordial gravitational waves as predicted from inflation and the imprint of relic particles including neutrinos, unique insights into dark energy and tests of gravity on large scales, elucidating the role of baryonic feedback on galaxy formation and evolution, opening up a window on the transient Universe at millimeter wavelengths, and even the exploration of the outer Solar System. The CMB-S4 sensitivity to primordial gravitational waves will probe physics at the highest energy scales and cross a major theoretically motivated threshold in constraints on inflation. The CMB-S4 search for new light relic particles will shed light on the early Universe 10,000 times farther back than current experiments can reach. Finally, the CMB-S4 Legacy Survey covering 70% of the sky with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution from centimeter- to millimeter-wave observing bands will have a profound and lasting impact on Astronomy and Astrophysics and provide a powerful complement to surveys at other wavelengths, such as LSST and WFIRST, and others yet to be imagined. We emphasize that these critical thresholds cannot be reached without the level of community and agency investment and commitment required by CMB-S4. In particular, the CMB-S4 science goals are out of the reach of any projected precursor experiment by a significant margin.

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This paper describes an experiment designed to compare the use of paper strips with the use of a new user interface, the Ramp Traffic Console (RTC), designed for use by ramp controllers to be used in place of paper strips. A Human-In-the-Loop (HITL) experiment was performed as the fifth study in a series of six HITL simulation experiments designed to evaluate a concept that provided advisories to the users. The RTC was designed to be used as a Decision Support Tool (DST) that provided advisories to ramp controllers regarding metering or pushback such that most of the delay was taken at the gate to save fuel and emissions. In addition to being a DST, an added benefit of the RTC is that it can provide real-time updates of flight data, airport and airspace status to the controller including Traffic Management Initiatives (TMI). The RTC was designed as new user interface that displays virtual strips on a terminal map drawn on a 27-inch touch screen monitor. The RTC was used in some conditions of the experiment by ramp controllers in place of paper strips and paper maps in the HITL environment. In other conditions the controllers were given paper strips and paper maps similar to what they currently use at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). The study described here, evaluated the use of the virtual strips displayed on the RTC as compared to the use of paper strips and paper map, using current ramp tower controllers at CLT as participants. The research question being asked was - How does management of ramp traffic affect user workload and usability ratings while using RTC to manage traffic in the ramp verses using paper strips? Workload for our purposes is defined by four components of the NASA-TLX (Task Load Index). Usability was assessed with two sets of usability questions - One set of usability questions addressed traffic management performance and the other set addressed issues of resources and efficiency. Both Post Run and Post Study questionnaire responses were gathered and the results were analyzed to assess controller workload and usability ratings under both conditions, virtual strips shown on RTC and Paper Strips. The results indicate that controllers perceived lower workload while using virtual strips displayed on RTC to manage ramp traffic. Usability ratings for Traffic management performance questions are lower in the virtual strip/RTC condition than in the paper strip condition showing a preference for RTC over Paper. Usability ratings for Resources and efficiency questions show mixed results. Additionally, the Post Study Questions show preference for RTC over paper strips. Results of this data analysis will be presented in this paper. This DST evaluation was an important step in researching and improving the tool, which was planned to be deployed in the field.

This paper describes a study comparing the use of paper strips with virtual flight strips depicted on a new user interface, the Ramp Traffic Console (RTC), designed for use by ramp controllers to be used in place of paper strips. A Human-In-the-Loop (HITL) experiment was performed as the fifth in a series of six HITL simulation studies designed to evaluate a pushback Decision Support Tool (DST) concept for Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). Workload and usability were assessed in post-run and post-study questionnaires. In the RTC virtual flight strip condition, post-run questionnaire results show lower workload ratings across all aspects of workload; additionally a trend is found toward increased usability ratings. Post-study questionnaire results indicate a preference for RTC over paper strips. Additional research is suggested with more training runs and a greater number of participants to increase statistical power. It is also suggested that this new technology be re-evaluated as a part of the ATD-2 (Airspace Technology Demonstration 2) field testing activities.

Enabled by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, we now know young and recycled pulsars fill the gamma-ray sky, and we are beginning to understand their emission mechanism and their distribution throughout the Galaxy. However, key questions remain: Is there a large population of pulsars near the Galactic center? Why do the most energetic pulsars shine so brightly in MeV gamma rays but not always at GeV energies? What is the source and nature of the pair plasma in pulsar magnetospheres, and what role does the polar cap accelerator play? Addressing these questions calls for a sensitive, wide-field MeV telescope, which can detect the population of MeV-peaked pulsars hinted at by Fermi and hard X-ray telescopes and characterize their spectral shape and polarization.

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Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are on the verge of detecting low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs)from supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs). With continued observations of a large sampleof millisecond pulsars, PTAs will reach this major milestone within the next decade. Already,SMBHB candidates are being identied by electromagnetic surveys in ever-increasing numbers;upcoming surveys will enhance our ability to detect and verify candidates, and will be instrumentalin identifying the host galaxies of GW sources. Multi-messenger (GW and electromagnetic) obser-vations of SMBHBs will revolutionize our understanding of the co-evolution of SMBHs with theirhost galaxies, the dynamical interactions between binaries and their galactic environments, and thefundamental physics of accretion. Multi-messenger observations can also make SMBHBs `standardsirens' for cosmological distance measurements out to z ~ 0.5 LIGO has already ushered in break-through insights in our knowledge of black holes. The multi-messenger detection of SMBHBs withPTAs will be a breakthrough in the years 2020-2030 and beyond, and prepare us for LISA to helpcomplete our views of black hole demographics and evolution at higher redshifts.

The Transient Astrophysics Probe (TAP) is a wide-field multi-wavelength transient mission proposed for flight starting in the late 2020s. The mission instruments include unique ``Lobster-eye'' imaging soft X-ray optics that allow an approximately 1600-degrees-squared Field of View (FoV); a high sensitivity, 1-degree-squared FoV soft X-ray telescope; a 1-degree-squared FoV Infrared telescope with bandpass 0.6 to 3 microns; and a set of 8 NaI gamma-ray detectors. TAP's most exciting capability will be the observation of tens per year of X-ray and Infrared counterparts of gravitational waves (GWs) involving stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars detected by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ) / Virgo / KAGRA (Kamioka (Japan) Gravitational Wave Detector) / LIGO-India, and possibly several per year X-ray counterparts of GWs from supermassive black holes, detected by LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) and Pulsar Timing Arrays. TAP will also discover hundreds of X-ray transients related to compact objects, including tidal disruption events, supernova shock breakouts, and Gamma-Ray Bursts from the epoch of reionization.

As the extent of human spaceflight becomes longer in duration and farther from Earth, there will be a need for astronauts to grow plants during their mission in order to have a source of food production. In order to have confidence in the effectiveness of this off-Earth food production system, it will need to be proven reliable before any long duration missions take place. For this reason, the Utilization & Life Sciences Office at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is developing a test platform for components testing of a plant growing system.In order to ensure that this test platform is an effective stepping stone for a future plant growing system, this fall, internship contributions will include developing requirements and an integrated testing plan. This may include level 1, level 2, and level 3 requirements depending on the necessity of requirement detail.