Yajatra Kulkarni – Johnson Space Center

Final Goals of your Project/s:

Previous versions of a gravitational offloading device for limbs have utilized passive mechanisms, such as springs, to alleviate the effects of gravity on the shoulders and upper arms of test subjects and astronauts. This device is used for training in reduced-gravity environments. The goal for the active version of this apparatus is to introduce a variable offloading mechanism capable of providing a more precise gravitational offload, depending on the arm’s orientation. In essence, the kinematics of this method have been developed, alongside an initial prototype. A pulley system is employed to lift the upper arm similarly to a marionette puppet. Ongoing rapid prototyping is focused on iterating through improved designs for the ARC-ANGEL, aiming to reduce both its volumetric footprint and material costs.

Describe what you did during your internship:

My role as an intern was to focus on improving the CAD design to reduce the footprint of the brackets and pulley system for ARC-ANGEL. Currently, the device utilizes custom-made aluminum parts produced by a third-party supplier, which are costly and lead to delays incompatible with rapid prototyping needs. I also explored alternative materials such as NylonX and manufacturing techniques like 3D printing as ways to maintain structural strength while significantly cutting down on production time and costs.

Did you achieve your goals? What were the results?:

Yes – the goals of this project were achieved as improved designs were proposed for ARC-ANGEL. While the success criteria relies on prototype testing which has not been completed yet, new designs were proposed in hopes of achieving a smaller volumetric footprint and cost.

Describe positive lessons learned:

As this internship was done virtually, I learned to create a work-life balance and improve my communication skills with my lab and mentor to make sure I was in the loop on project changes and updates.

Describe negative lessons learned:

The virtual aspect of this internship made it challenging to feel well-integrated into the projects and networking opportunities that would have been available if I was on-site. It also made it difficult to ask questions and be more involved on numerous projects like I have been able to do in the past.

Rudolph Nahra – Ames Research Center

What are the current goals of your project?

The goal of the internship is to investigate how to optimize path planning and on-board decision making so the UAV can collect the best data with its limited battery.

What accomplishments has your project made so far?

The project I am working on, Streamflow, aims to automate the United States Geological Survey (USGS) task of measuring river flow rates across U.S. rivers. The project uses a UAV equipped with advanced optics to measure flow rate from visual and thermal data. One broad goal of my internship is to develop the data processing pipelines that allow us to understand the flow rate of a river.

So far, I’ve implemented several scripts necessary for efficient processing of the data collected by the UAV, such as a script to interpolate water flow rates where the measurements are missing. Currently, I am building a system to stabilize the video feed from the UAV by using data collected from its IMU. This involves several steps such as the measurement of intrinsic parameters of our cameras, which I have accomplished, as well as an implementation of the mathematics that transforms images based on this data.

What impact has this internship had so far?

I think this internship will be instrumental in shaping my career. Before beginning this internship, I had questions about whether I should pursue a PhD for a career in research or simply enter industry. Thanks to the wonderful environment at Ames Research Center, I have been able to observe what a career in cutting edge research looks like, as well as get advice from people who have walked the path before me. My experience here is motivating me to continue my education even further and has provided me with connections to make the process easier.

Nicholas Barber – Glenn Research Center

What are the current goals of your project?

With most of the work toward my original deliverables already complete, I plan to spend the second half of the internship on my personally assigned projects. The creation of calculator demos was actually suggested by me after doing some initial research in the first two weeks. I found a better way to run the backend of our simulators, which I plan to use to convert all of the remaining calculators on the site.

I was also recently assigned to a team for a collegiate design challenge held by NASA for interns, which involves designing and prototyping a small cleaning robot meant to operate in zero gravity environments. That work will be completed over the next 4 weeks, along with several of the other interns in my office. Of course, any more page migration or implementation of already completed work after review will also be necessary, and I hope to have several new sections of the website complete and published before my time here is finished.

What accomplishments has your project made so far?

Throughout my five weeks at NASA so far this summer, I have accomplished a number of tasks focused on the migration and further development of the public Beginner’s Guide to Aeronautics website maintained by GRC. My project outline focused on three main tasks: the conversion of equations from text / HTML format to LaTeX, the migration of the Guide to Hypersonics page, and the creation and presentation of a new calculator.

While the first two weeks of my internship were spent mainly completing orientation assignments and waiting for admin access to the website, I was still able to view the public side of the site, creating several organized sheets of information for later use. During the third week, I completed several small updates based on user error submission forms, and was granted admin access to both the main site and a training site to use as a personal sandbox. I used the training site a significant amount in the fourth week, during which I completed a number of my original deliverables. I drafted and fully completed the calculator demo early in the week, sending it off for review shortly afterward. I then created over 100 pages of LaTeX equations in the training site to use for comparison to the main site and easy integration once they have been reviewed. This, along with several pages I updated without review, finished almost all of the work toward my first deliverable.

I ended the fifth week by finishing the migration of the Hypersonics page, my final deliverable, and completing reviews of another two sections of the site, making this my most productive week by far. Most recently, during the fifth week, I began work on converting more calculators, which should be completed within the next two weeks.

What impact has this internship had so far?

So far, this internship has been a unique look into the operations that keep large public sites up and running. Web development was one of several topics I was interested in after beginning a computer science minor, and working on the BGA website has given me a much more in-depth guide on using various tools, including site plugins and even methods of team communication. Additionally, much of the information I spend my time converting from one format to another ties directly into content I am currently learning in my aerospace classes in college, making my work feel much more relevant to my current education.

Outside of the actual assigned work I have been completing for the internship, I have also toured several of the other buildings and research facilities on site, giving me a better idea of what exactly I want to pursue in the future. Being able to talk face-to-face with professionals during their everyday work schedules is rare, and being surrounded by experts in their fields makes learning about their everyday work that much more enjoyable. This internship provides a glimpse at what NASA actually accomplishes on a day-to-day basis, and definitely has me looking forward to my future work in the aerospace industry.

Halle Northway- Johnson Space Center

Describe what you did during your internship:

The general attitude at the Johnson Space Center is very intern-focused, so when I wasn’t working, I spent a lot of my time attending intern events, such as guest lectures, tours, and more. I also made sure to network and meet many other people in the organization.

Did you achieve your goals?

Yes, I did achieve my goals! The UPRITE interface, Flywheel middleware, and Flywheel support tool were all developed as planned. There are still discussions being had to continue optimizing the software, fixing any potential bugs, and adding functionality to each, which is pretty typical in the software development lifecycle.

Describe positive lessons learned:

One or the most important lessons I learned is that if you want to make something happen, you absolutely can at NASA. If you’re interested in a project, or you want to pursue a potential opportunity, the only caveat is that you have to take the initiative and ask about those things yourself. Maybe you asked and were turned down – ask again, either to someone else or by discussing an alternative. There’s a good chance that, at the end of the day, it’s possible, and someone will be interested in helping make it happen for you.

Describe negative lessons learned:

The summer term is insanely short. It can be super difficult to manage all of the intern experiences offered to you, on top of the actual work itself, because it felt like there was simply not enough time to take advantage of everything. It was hard having to sacrifice certain opportunities over others in the sake of time, but my time management and decision skills have definitely become more refined as a result.

What was the impact of this internship?

My NASA internship gave me a lot of invaluable technical skills and connections, but the overarching lesson that it taught me was that, with enough enthusiasm and relentlessness, there really is no limit to what you can do and where you can end up. I’m forever grateful to the ISGC for opening the door to this opportunity for me.

Jason McNab – Ames Research Center

What are the current goals of your project?

For the second half of the internship the plan remains to finish the inlet section of RAPTOR and complete the accessory work that was being done in the first five weeks. Work will also begin on the new RAPTOR sections as they get approved. In between doing RAPTOR Wind Tunnel work, assembly of the RAPTOR WATCH system I picked up design work for in the spring will begin. Finally, I am looking forwards to hopping on any new projects I am assigned and hope to see all the projects I did in the spring come to fruition as they begin testing in the summer.

What accomplishments has your project made so far?

Construction work for the RAPTOR Wind Tunnel has been ongoing for multiple years with a variety of interns working on both the tunnel itself and methods for characterizing the flow through the test section. From the start of the summer session a large quantity of my time has been spent continuing RAPTOR construction with another returning RAPTOR intern. With our combined experience of RAPTOR we have been able to design two to three new RAPTOR wind tunnel sections to facilitate the new drive system the tunnel uses, begun work on the tunnel window, completed gasketing for the sections, and begun work on the inlet to allow for smooth flow through the test section. Along with RAPTOR work, many of the projects I started in the spring came to a close as I finished the assembly of a blast shield and completed other smaller projects.

What impact has this internship had so far?

This internship has continued to verify my interest in aerospace engineering. I enjoy my work and the feeling I get from being able to see my projects develop from an idea to a design to a completed product. The passion I have for engineering, design, and problem solving has helped me realize that my primary goals are to get into the field as soon as possible and eventually get a masters as needed. My time at the Rotorcraft Aeromechanics division has been fantastic and a combination of the people I get to work with and the meaningful work I get to contribute to has helped me realize that I am on the right path!

Karthik Prasath- Glenn Research Center

Describe what you did during your internship:

During my internship I migrated all content from the legacy site to GLEW, ensuring seamless integration of interactives and simulations. Additionally, I researched and developed new content focused on emerging aeronautics and aerospace technologies. One of my key projects involved designing and developing a fully autonomous Kwadropus duster arm prototype for cleaning the ISS in microgravity. I also managed inventory and conducted quality testing on legacy equipment to ensure optimal performance.

Did you achieve your goals?

I was able to achieve my overall goals of this internship. Not only did I migrate all the contents, but in addition, I was able to develop my own content and publish them on the GLEW pages. I was also able to contribute to additional projects where I learned so many new things.

Describe positive lessons learned:

It’s okay to say “I don’t know.” People are generally willing to teach and support me without judgment. In networking and presentations, this mindset allows for open learning and growth, fostering a more collaborative and understanding environment.

What was the impact of this internship?

My experience at NASA Glenn taught me the power of collaboration. Working alongside experts from diverse fields showed me that the best solutions are often born from collective ingenuity.

Jacob Wheaton – Iowa State University

My research focuses on the synthesis and development of glassy solid-state electrolytes for use in solid-state lithium-ion batteries. I am working to develop novel glass compositions that exhibit high ionic conductivities, excellent electrochemical stability, and easy low-temperature processing.  These novel compositions are being made in large-scale batches to generate a rectangular preform, which I then reheat and pull into a thin film less than 100 microns in thickness, through the glass redraw process.  Concurrently, I am working to develop a composite cathode, utilizing sulfur, glassy solid-state electrolytes, and conductive carbon to generate a highly energy dense sulfur cathode to be paired with a lithium metal anode for superior volumetric and gravimetric energy density compared to current lithium-ion batteries utilizing intercalation cathodes.  I hope to generate several successful full-cell all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries utilizing my composite sulfur cathode, a drawn thin film glassy solid-state electrolyte, and a lithium metal anode.  This project relates to the NASA mission for the Space Technology Directorate through the need for highly energy dense, long-lasting batteries for use in nearly all space missions.

Alexander Perruci – Iowa State University

My current work is concerned with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensing for spacecraft rendezvous maneuvers. Although LiDAR has been used in spacecraft relative navigation for decades, existing methods require target-mounted reflectors to identify and track the target. In many cases, such as spacecraft debris removal, on-orbit servicing, and asteroid rendezvous, navigational aids may be unavailable. An improved image processing algorithm is needed to enable LiDAR-based navigation in these situations. Extended target tracking (ETT), defined as the estimation of the extent and kinematics of one or more objects in a surveillance region based on sparse sets of sensor measurements collected over time, has the potential to supply navigational information for spacecraft. Multiple researchers have developed ETT algorithms for autonomous driving, but cars are constrained to 3 degrees of freedom. This project seeks to develop a novel 6-degree-of-freedom ETT algorithm for spacecraft relative navigation. The resulting technology will extract more navigational information from on-orbit LiDAR measurements than previously possible by tracking the shape, pose, and kinematics of target satellites in 3D.

The first step of this project was to generate synthetic LiDAR data by simulating a spacecraft rendezvous scenario. Currently, I am adapting an established ETT algorithm to track the simulated spacecraft. This research is in response to NASA Technology Area 5.4.3: Sensors and Vision Processing Systems. It is directly applicable to the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate, enhancing rendezvous maneuvers in space transportation and making exploration safer with detailed space debris information. This work will also contribute to the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate, as it applies to navigation in orbit around the Moon or Mars.

Kristie Nault – University of Iowa

My research focuses on the symbiotic star system AG Draconis (AG Dra), which consists of a red giant star and white dwarf. Most stars are low-mass and will go through each of these evolutionary phases at the ends of their lives, and stars are also commonly born in binaries. However, despite supposedly being common, high-quality observations of these stars in the high energy part of the electromagnetic spectrum remain a rarity, since soft X-ray spectra are easily absorbed by interstellar material. With the lack of observations and data, fundamental questions regarding these stars remain unanswered, including the origin and variation of the soft X-rays and the final outcome for these systems. Better knowledge of symbiotic stars may be the key to understanding the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae and the last stage in evolution for the majority of binary star systems. Under the guidance of Dr. Casey DeRoo, my research seeks to directly address these major open questions. I am analyzing high-resolution spectral data for AG Dra by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, utilizing two of NASA’s great observatories in tandem for a deeper understanding of these types of stars. This research relates to the mission of NASA’s Astrophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate because my work seeks to understand this common stellar system and the progenitor systems for Type Ia supernovae, which are an important cosmological distance marker.

Sarah Henderson – University of Iowa

This research project focuses on how the solar wind interacts with the Martian atmosphere. As solar wind protons propagate towards Mars, they can interact with Mars’s extensive hydrogen corona through a process of charge exchange. These solar wind protons can obtain an electron from neutral atomic hydrogen in the corona, becoming fast energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) that maintain upstream solar wind velocity. These ENAs can bypass electromagnetic boundaries around the planet and penetrate to altitudes of ~130 km in the Martian atmosphere. Along their path of propagation, ENAs can undergo multiple charge-changing collisions as they interact with atmospheric neutrals (primarily CO2), resulting in observable beams of H+ and H– in the collisional atmosphere of Mars.  The goal of this project is to characterize the properties of H– and H+ energy spectra in order to better understand charge exchange processes in the Martian atmosphere.

Thus far, we have implemented electron and ion data collected over seven years by the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) and Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft and have found some interesting behaviors.  We have observed seasonal increases in the H+ and H– fluxes congruent with perihelion and Mars’s dust season, in addition to a turnover in the ratio of the H+ and H– fluxes at a particular point within Mars’s atmosphere.  We have also found that this seasonal enhancement is stronger for H+ and are seeking to better understand the underlying cause of this behavior by examining hydrogen column densities, solar radiation input, and bow shock position.