The Micro-g NExT 2019 challenge set out to find a new device to replace the Apollo mission lunar contingency sampler in preparation for the 2024 Artemis mission. The 2019 challenge set a series of requirements that would enable compatibility with the new xEMU suit and enable astronauts to effectively collect and secure an initial sample upon landing. The final prototype developed by the team features a sliding plate design with each plate slightly shorter than the previous. The device utilizes the majority of the xEMU suit’s front pocket volume while still allowing space for the astronaut’s hand and the bag for the sample. Considering safety concerns, the device satisfies NASA’s requirements for manual handheld devices and poses no threat to the astronaut under standard operation. In operation, the final design experiences an acceptable level stress in the primary use direction, and an even less in the lateral direction. Using assumptions such as the depth and density of lunar soil to be sampled, the working factor of safety is about 2 for elastic deformation, but the tool can still be operated and even collapsed at roughly double that stress. Unfortunately, the scope of this thesis only covers the effectiveness of resin prototypes and simulations of aluminum models, but properly manufactured aluminum prototypes are the next step for validating this design as a successor to the design used on the Apollo missions.

The Micro-g NExT 2019 challenge set out to find a new device to replace the Apollo mission lunar contingency sampler in preparation for the 2024 Artemis mission. The 2019 challenge set a series of requirements that would enable compatibility with the new xEMU suit and enable astronauts to effectively collect and secure an initial sample upon landing. The final prototype developed by the team features a sliding plate design with each plate slightly shorter than the previous. The device utilizes the majority of the xEMU suit’s front pocket volume while still allowing space for the astronaut’s hand and the bag for the sample. Considering safety concerns, the device satisfies NASA’s requirements for manual handheld devices and poses no threat to the astronaut under standard operation. In operation, the final design experiences an acceptable level stress in the primary use direction, and an even less in the lateral direction. Using assumptions such as the depth and density of lunar soil to be sampled, the working factor of safety is about 2 for elastic deformation, but the tool can still be operated and even collapsed at roughly double that stress. Unfortunately, the scope of this thesis only covers the effectiveness of resin prototypes and simulations of aluminum models, but properly manufactured aluminum prototypes are the next step for validating this design as a successor to the design used on the Apollo missions.

Fatigue damage accumulation under multiaxial loading conditions is an important practical problem for which there is a need to collect additional experimental data to calibrate and validate models. In this work, a sample with a special geometry capable of producing biaxial stresses while undergoing uniaxial load was fabricated and tested successfully and used, along with standard dogbone samples, to monitor the evolution of surface roughness development under cyclic loading using optical microscopy. In addition, a Michelson interferometer was successfully designed, built and tested that can be used to monitor surface roughness for lower levels of load than those used in this work. Results of testing and characterization in 2024-T3 samples tested at a maximum stress slightly below their yield strength and load ratio ~ 0.1 indicate that most of the surface roughness development under cyclic loads occurs on the second half of the fatigue, with the bulk of it close to failure. However, samples with load axes perpendicular to the rolling direction showed earlier development of roughness, which correlated with shorter fatigue lives and the expected anisotropy of strength in the material.

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) has become a cornerstone of modern experimental fluid mechanics due to its unique ability to resolve the entire instantaneous two-dimensional velocity field of an experimental flow. However, this methodology has historically been omitted from undergraduate curricula due to the significant cost of research-grade PIV systems and safety considerations stemming from the high-power Nd-YAG lasers typically implemented by PIV systems. In the following undergraduate thesis, a low-cost model of a PIV system is designed to be used within the context of an undergraduate fluid mechanics lab. The proposed system consists of a Hele-Shaw water tunnel, a high-power LED lighting source, and a modern smartphone camera. Additionally, a standalone application was developed to perform the necessary image processing as well as to perform Particle Streak Velocimetry (PSV) and PIV image analysis. Ultimately, the proposed system costs $229.33 and can replicate modern PIV techniques albeit for simple flow scenarios.

MAX phases are ternary carbides or nitrides that possess unique material characteristics, often simplified as a mix of metallic and ceramic properties. Many aspects of MAX phases are still being researched, but they have exciting potential applications in high-temperature structural systems, the next generation of nuclear power plants, and concentrated solar power. This project aims to benefit further research into these applications by validating a rapid unconventional synthesis method: microwave-assisted sol-gel synthesis. Three MAX phases (Cr2GaC, Cr2GeC, and V2GeC) were successfully synthesized via this route, which should open the door for more rapid prototyping and ultimately more efficient research.

This work summarizes the development of a dynamic measurement platform in a cryostat to measure sample temperature response to space-like conditions and the creation a MATLAB theoretical model to predict sample temperature responses in the platform itself. An interesting variable-emittance sample called a Fabry-Perot emitter was studied for its thermal homeostasis behavior using the two developments. Using the measurement platform, it was shown that there was no thermal homeostatic behavior demonstrated by the sample at steady state temperatures. Theoretical calculations show other ways to demonstrate the cooling homeostasis behavior through time-varying heat inputs. Factors within the system such as heat loss and thermal mass contributed to an inhibited sample performance in the platform. Future work will have to be conducted, not only to verify the findings of the initial experiments but also to improve the measurement platform and the theoretical model.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the correlation between the starting pitch angle of a Dragon Boat paddle and the ensuing total stress and force on the paddle during the first stroke. During the first stroke (i.e., starting at rest) the stress on the paddle can be equated with the force output. To do this, a paddle was modified with a strain gauge and other equipment, and tests were run varying the pitch angle. The results showed that while the most positive starting angle yielded the highest stress and force on the paddle, there was no discernible trend correlating the angle to the stress. Further experimentation must be run to determine which other factors influence the stress.

One of the most promising technologies for creating power without emissions is Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) because it uses oxygen and hydrogen to create electricity with the only byproduct being water. To figure out the optimal design of the fuel cell, a literature review was conducted to determine the effects of adding both internal and external current collectors as well as the difference length has on the performance. To learn more about the kinetics of the reaction, hydrogen and carbon monoxide disappearance rates were measured to compare the rate at which each species disappears.

Wardriving is when prospective malicious hackers drive with a portable computer to sniff out and map potentially vulnerable networks. With the advent of smart homes and other Internet of Things devices, this poses the possibility of more unsecure targets. The hardware available to the public has also miniaturized and gotten more powerful. One no longer needs to carry a complete laptop to carry out network mapping. With this miniaturization and greater popularity of quadcopter technology, the two can be combined to create a more efficient wardriving setup in a potentially more target-rich environment. Thus, we set out to create a prototype as a proof of concept of this combination. By creating a bracket for a Raspberry Pi to be mounted to a drone with other wireless sniffing equipment, we demonstrate that one can use various off the shelf components to create a powerful network detection device. In this write up, we also outline some of the challenges encountered by combining these two technologies, as well as the solutions to those challenges. Adding payload weight to drones that are not initially designed for it causes detrimental effects to various characteristics such as flight behavior and power consumption. Less computing power is available due to the miniaturization that must take place for a drone-mounted solution. Communication between the miniature computer and a ground control computer is also essential in overall system operation. Below, we highlight solutions to these various problems as well as improvements that can be implemented for maximum system effectiveness.

Children with cerebral palsy suffer from balance deficits that may greatly reduce their quality of life. However, recent advancements in robotics allow for balance rehabilitation paradigms that provide greater control of the training environment and more robust measurement techniques. Previous works have shown functional balance improvement using standing surface perturbations and compliant surface balancing. Visual feedback during balance training has also been shown to improve postural balance control. However, the combined effect of these interventions has not been evaluated. This paper presents a robot-aided rehabilitation study for two children with cerebral palsy on a side-specific performance-adaptive compliant surface with perturbations. Visual feedback of the participant’s center of pressure and weight distribution were used to evaluate successful balance and trigger perturbations after a period of successful balancing. The platform compliance increased relative to the amount of successful balance during each training interval. Participants trained for 6 weeks including 10, less than 2 hours long, training sessions. Improvements in functional balance as assessed by the Pediatric Balance Scale, the Timed 10 Meter Walk Test, and the 5 Times Sit-to-Stand Test were observed for both participants. There was a reduction in fall risk as evidenced by increased Virtual Time to Contact and an increase in dynamic postural balance supported by a faster Time to Perturb, Time to Stabilize, and Percent Stabilized. A mixed improvement in static postural balance was also observed. This paper highlights the efficacy of robot-aided rehabilitation interventions as a method of balance therapy for children with cerebral palsy.