Dissertations / Theses: 'Aeronautical Systems Division'

1

Bador, Damien (Damien Pierre Marcellin Dominique). "Improving commonality implementation in the cockpits of commercial aircraft." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/40895.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-154).
Product development is a major source of competitive advantage in the commercial aircraft business. Judiciously implementing commonality across a range of products yields important benefits in this area. Thus, measuring the quality of commonality implementation is extremely beneficial for aircraft manufacturers. This thesis analyses the concept of commonality and divides it into three constructs that can help understand all of its aspects: standardization, reusability and modularity. This work then presents a set of metrics measuring each of these aspects, from the point of view of the manufacturer and of the customer. The appropriateness of this set of metrics is then tested in a case study analyzing the efficiency of commonality implementation in the cockpit of two well-known commercial aircraft families: the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737 family. This thesis further describes what additional analysis should be performed to validate the set of metrics for broader applications. After documenting the efficiency of the set of metrics, this thesis analyses the current practices of commonality management in commercial aviation. It finally explores some of the limitations of the concept of commonality and sketches solutions to overcome them.
by Damien Bador.
S.M.

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2

Ricci, Nicola S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Dynamic system perspective for design : ility-driving elements as responses to uncertainty." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/90789.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2014.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-218).
This thesis is concerned with the design of complex artificial systems. For such systems, there is a growing need to deliver value to stakeholders beyond the initial functional requirements and to cope with rapidly changing outer environments. This thesis presents a conceptual framework and a structured approach for thinking about and designing systems that can exhibit the emergence of desirable lifecycle properties (i.e., ilities). To set the ground for the research contributions, a literature overview on (1) complex sociotechnical systems, (2) uncertainty in such systems, and (3) ways to cope with such uncertainty is given. Furthermore, the larger research effort concerning a method for architecting Systems of Systems with ilities is discussed to frame the remainder of the thesis. The dynamic system perspective for design is discussed, as well as a formal way of modeling the space of possibilities for designers of complex systems (i.e., what the system can be, as well as what its outer environment and expectations can be). In this perspective, uncertainty is modeled as perturbations, which are operators on these spaces of possibilities. Similarly, ility-driving elements (IDEs) are introduced and modeled as operators on such spaces as well. Two main types of ility-driving elements are discussed and formally defined: change options and resistance properties. The former, akin to real options in business, enable the system to change over time so as to cope with perturbations and sustain (or enhance) value delivery. The latter, on the other hand, impede undesired changes in system value delivery. Lastly, IDE Analysis - a structured approach for generating, evaluating and selecting ility-driving elements - is introduced, and demonstrated on a running case application to a Maritime Security System of Systems. This approach requires an initial baseline design concept, and considers a set of relevant perturbations as a starting point. The thesis ends with general discussions around applicability of research and possible areas for future research, as well as conclusions regarding key contributions.
by Nicola Ricci.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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3

Deonandan, Indira D. (Indira Devi). "A cost model for testing unmanned and autonomous systems of systems." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/63037.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2011.
Vita. Page 124 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-114).
The evolutionary nature of Unmanned and Autonomous Systems of Systems (UASoS) acquisition needs to be matched by equally evolutionary test capabilities in the future. There is currently no standard method to determine what is required to make programs safe for deployment, nor is there the ability to make effective contingency plans should testing requirements change. Spending too much effort designing goals when causal understandings are still in flux is inefficient. As such, policy making and enforcing policies on the deployment of UASoS becomes very problematic. Testing is required especially for UASoS to identify risk, improve capabilities and minimize unpleasant surprises. It needs to be effective and focused, determining the issues and working towards ensuring the risks of the UASoS are known. It is important to have adequate feedback loops, a culture of information sharing and learning from best practices, as well as the development of metrics and/or performance indicators that adequately reflect the effectiveness of the test process. This thesis describes a model that is part of a larger Prescriptive and Adaptive Testing Framework (PATFrame), which uses knowledge acquisition to minimize risk through a decision support system. This work presents the cost and risk considerations for UASoS T&E and provides the preliminary parameters to conduct trade-off analyses for T&E. It also provides guidance on how the DoD can adopt such tools to transform the DoD T&E enterprise. The model is a combination of information collected from various normative and descriptive views of testing based on literature review, surveys, and interviews with members of the Department of Defense (DoD) T&E community A cost estimation model can have significant impacts on how the DoD currently does testing and would help maximize the use of the resources available. It is a model based method for calculating effort for test and evaluation and forms a baseline for strategic decision making in DoD acquisition programs. The intent is to predict within a certain probability that a test program can be completed within a certain budget given the assumptions used in characterizing the UASoS and the T&E process.
by Indira D. Deonandan.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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4

Karlow, Brandon (Brandon James). "Modernizing systems engineering : cognitive systems and model-based approaches for spacecraft architecture development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/95582.

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Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2014.
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 230-239).
Systems engineering exists as a discipline to enable organizations to control and manage the development of complex hardware and software. These methods are particularly essential in the development of space systems, which feature extremely challenging demands for engineering performance, coupled with extremely limited resources for accomplishing them. Success requires careful attention to the relationships between various components as well as the organizations constructing them. Unfortunately, aerospace organizations routinely struggle with the traditional systems engineering process, and as a result, program managers experience pressure to conclude, curtail or ignore critical elements. The consequence is that cost overruns, slipped schedules and outright failures are a regular feature of the industry. Recent advances in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools and methods provide an opportunity to rectify these issues by better integrating systems engineering capabilities into the engineering development process. By directly networking the engineering models used in the development process to each other and the systems diagrams which describe them, MBSE has the potential to make the development process more responsive to design evolutions and account for changes across the entire space system. In this way, systems engineering could become a more integrated part of the development process and better contribute to successful space systems. Unfortunately, current-generation MBSE tools and methods have yet to fully realize this potential. Critical capability gaps have deterred adoption and relegated their use to academic endeavors. This thesis argues that many of the difficulties encountered in current systems engineering practice - as well as attempts to reform that practice - can be explained with reference to distributed cognition, control theory and the wider field of cognitive systems engineering. Existing tools and techniques, while nominally fulfilling the purposes assigned to them, generally fail to adequately support systems engineers in the cognitive tasks associated with the control and management of development processes. As a result, systems engineers are frequently overburdened in their roles and are unable to fully address the myriad of concerns relevant to the design of good system solutions. A cognitive analysis of the software and hardware devices situated in practical instantiations of development activities can reveal opportunities to improve performance and enhance effectiveness. Such changes would make systems engineering tools easier to use and better tailored to the needs of the system engineering task, encouraging adoption and accomplishing the goals of the MBSE community. A cognitively-informed MBSE approach, in addition to better linking the elements of the engineering effort, can also be used to link the engineering effort to the higher-level needs which drive the engineering process in the first place. One of the biggest challenges any engineering organization faces is managing the "how," "why," and "what" of system development, that is, the engineering logic which determines "how" a given program or system will be built and the business, political or policy logic which determines "why" and "what" system will come into being. Often, these latter concerns are poorly addressed by the space system development process, which can lead to sub-optimal outcomes for the wider organizations involved in the engineering project. Methods which better systematize, quantify and direct the process of stakeholder analysis, concept generation and architecture exploration can aid in the selection of system architectures that better meet the strategic objectives of the organizations which develop and operate space systems. Such methods are demonstrated with respect to an evaluation of possible architectures for a notional large, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) optical space telescope to succeed Hubble in the late 2020s to early 2030s timeframe. This research draws on MBSE concepts and the legacy of tradespace modeling for system design to extend tradespace modeling to the realm of architectural exploration. Its particular interest is the quantitative treatment of "programmatic factors": the business, policy and political considerations which govern high-level decision-making. Through modeling, these considerations can be directly associated with engineering performance factors, enabling better selection decisions and reinforcing linkages and understanding between the engineering and management levels within an organization. It is intended to leverage existing work in stakeholder modeling, real options, strategic evolution and tradespace exploration to bridge existing divisions between systems engineering and programmatic decision-making processes which can lead to poorly optimized architectures. It is geared towards systems engineers and program managers seeking to account for organizational and higher-level stakeholder needs during the tradespace exploration process and more efficiently and practically integrate these decision frameworks in real-world engineering environments.
by Brandon Karlow.
S.M. in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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5

Wu, Marcus Shihong. "Design for affordability in defense and aerospace systems using tradespace-based methods." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89937.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2014.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 262-270).
Program failures have plagued the defense and aerospace industry for decades, as unanticipated cost and schedule overruns have rendered the development of systems ineffective in terms of time and cost considerations. This raises the need to holistically include performance, cost and schedule considerations during the early-phase design of systems to perform valuable tradeoffs that derive more feasible and affordable solutions. This paradigm is the design for affordability. This design for affordability conundrum is targeted at defense and aerospace systems, which have complex mission requirements and stakeholder involvement that are susceptible to changes and perturbations over time. Without a systematic framework, the design for affordability process can potentially become cognitively challenging to system architects and lead to unsatisfactory results. To resolve affordability, it can first be defined as the property of becoming or remaining feasible relative to resource needs and resource constraints over time. Affordability can then be treated as an ility that drives the design of more affordable yet technically sound architectures. Tradespace-based methods are introduced to drive affordability and incorporate these holistic considerations into the design process. They facilitate the systematic and disciplined search for affordable solutions to the system, program and portfolio of interest. Multi-Attribute Tradespace Exploration (MATE), Epoch-Era Analysis (EEA) and the Multi-Attribute Expense (MAE) function were modified for affordability analysis. Their feasibility was demonstrated through application to two design case studies. Results from both case studies demonstrated the dynamic tradeoffs among performance, cost and schedule parameters. Tradespace-based methods can thus be applied to the progressive design of systems, programs and portfolios using either a bottom-up or top-down approach to deliver affordable solutions in these cases. Affordability is not only an engineering problem; it is also a policy and management problem. Therefore, affordability can be approached through perspectives beyond engineering design. New policies and refined management practices can be used alongside tradespace-based methods for affordability analysis to ensure the continued delivery of affordable systems for the future.
by Marcus Shihong Wu.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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6

Wolfe, Philip J. (Philip James). "Aviation environmental policy effects on national- and regional-scale air quality, noise, and climate impacts." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71505.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, February 2012.
"February 2012." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-140).
The continued growth of the aviation industry poses a challenge to policy-makers and industry stakeholders as each decision represents a trade-off on efficiency, equity, and environmental impact. The Aviation environmental Portfolio Management Tool - Impacts (APMT-Impacts) module has been developed to calculate physical damages from aviation's impact on ambient noise, local air quality, and climate change. The main objective of this thesis is the continued development of a framework for examining aviation environmental policy by expanding the current modeling capability and addressing key shortcomings in decision-making practices. First, climate modeling assumptions, particularly those related to background emissions scenarios and short-lived radiative forcing agents, are examined, and a temperature-response model based on a two-box ocean model with advective flux and diffusion is developed. Second, a cost-benefit analysis of a proposed NOx Stringency policy is performed. The analysis shows that increased engine stringency is not cost-beneficial under several traditional lenses and discount rates. However, lenses accounting for conservative assumptions in air quality and uncertainty in technology cost estimates show benefits for a range of stringency increases highlighting the need for flexibility in the analysis approach, the use of engineering judgment, and open communication between decision-makers and analysts. This cost-benefit analysis is compared to a traditional cost-effectiveness approach. Finally, this thesis lays out the need for supplemental analyses on a regional scale to address who bears the cost and gains the benefits of a given policy.
by Philip J. Wolfe.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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7

Blackburn, Craig D. (Craig David) S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Metrics for enterprise transformation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54657.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-161).
The objective of this thesis is to depict the role of metrics in the evolving journey of enterprise transformation. To this end, three propositions are explored: (i) metrics and measurement systems drive transformation, (ii) employee engagement is a proxy to gauge transformation progress; and (iii) metric considerations enable enterprise transformation when systematically executed as part of a transformation roadmap. To explore this problem, the aerospace measurement community was consulted to help grasp a better understanding of the context in which transformation is currently defined and measured. Once the problem space was defined, the environment of doing research with the enterprise as the unit of analysis was described with the intent of exploring the role of metrics and transformation. In particular, the performance measurement literature helped identify tools and methods used to select metrics to enable decision making at the enterprise level. After this review, two case studies were performed, considering: (1) the implementation of a bottom-up measurement system to drive transformation and (2) the effect of a top-down corporate measurement system on the enterprise. The first case study revealed insights regarding the benefits and challenges of implementing measurement systems and highlighted the use of employee engagement as a proxy to measure enterprise transformation. In the second case study, contemporary measurement issues were discussed and mapped to an Eight Views of the Enterprise analysis to identify critical enterprise interactions.
(cont.) Ultimately, the Lean Advancement Initiative's Enterprise Transformation Roadmap was used as a method for depicting how performance measurement can help enable enterprise transformation. The implications of research in metrics for enterprise transformation span across thee areas: (1) the extensive literature reviews provide an academic contribution for performing enterprise and measurement research; (2) a common language and framework for exploring measurement problems is depicted for practitioners through the case study analysis; and (3) a connection between enterprise measurement and enterprise transformation is established to drive future transformation success.
by Craig D. Blackburn.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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8

Pasqual, Michael C. "Multilayer network modeling of change propagation for engineering change management." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62481.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-143).
Engineering change management is a critical and challenging process within product development. One pervasive source of difficulty for this process is the phenomenon of change propagation, by which a change to one part or element of a design requires additional changes throughout the product. Research efforts to understand and manage change propagation have largely drawn on network analysis. This thesis builds upon past research by introducing a multilayer network model that incorporates three proposed layers, or domains, that contribute to change propagation: namely, the product layer, change layer, and social layer. Each layer contains a distinct network of nodes and intralayer edges, but also connects to the other two layers through inter-layer dependencies. The model facilitates extensive quantitative analysis of change propagation using a repository of single-layer, double-layer, and triple-layer tools and metrics. A case study of a large technical program, which managed over 41,000 change requests in eight years, is employed to demonstrate the practical utility of the model. Most significantly, the case study explores the program's social layer and discovers a real-world correspondence between an engineer's organizational role and the propagation effects of his or her work, as measured by the newly proposed Engineer Change Propagation Index (Engineer-CPI). The case study also reveals that parent-child propagation often spanned more than one, but never more than three, system interfaces, thus confirming the possibility of indirect propagation. Finally, the study finds that propagation always stopped after five, and rarely more than four, generations of descendants. In all, the multilayer network model's holistic approach has significant policy implications for engineering change management in industry.
by Michael C. Pasqual.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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9

Calandrelli, Emily Dawn. "An evaluation of short innovation contest implementation in the federal context." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82503.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.
This thesis was scanned as part of an electronic thesis pilot project.
Title as it appears in MIT Commencement Exercises program, June 2013: Analysis of short Innovation contests as a strategy for technology procurement in government. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-88).
Technologies over the past three decades have democratized the tools of knowledge creation, thus creating increasing communities of innovators outside traditional organizations' boundaries. Cost effective ways of leveraging these innovative crowds can be imperative to creating and maintaining value. One specific way for organizations to tap into this diverse audience is through the use of short innovation contests. The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the application of this strategy as a tool for technology procurement in the context of government. Through a contest, participants approach a well-defined challenge independently, conducting different experiments to find a solution. The combination of these various "trials" leads to an increased probability for a government agency to find one particularly good, extreme-value solution. Contests can also allow government agencies to engage individuals who are normally unable or unwilling to compete in traditional government contracts, thus alleviating certain imperfections in the competitive market of government contracting. This open design strategy for procurement is fundamentally different than traditional procurement methods. For this reason, there is inherent uncertainty in the organizational implications contest implementation will have in government agencies which has made program managers hesitant to employ this strategy in their programs. This thesis sheds light on the cost structure, program management implications, and policy considerations for short innovation contests. An empirical analysis is presented for four short innovation contests used for technology procurement in different government agencies. For each case study, the cost of the contest was compared to traditional procurement and key program management considerations were identified. Additionally, recent policy initiatives passed for prize-based contests were analyzed for their applicability to short innovation contests. It was found that three of the four contests procured technology solutions for estimated costs of less than half that of traditional procurement methods. It was also found that recent contest policy initiatives were unsuitable for short innovation contests. This thesis provides recommendations for policies appropriate for short innovation contests and considerations that must be made to expand the use of this strategy as a tool for technology procurement in government agencies.
by Emily Dawn Calandrelli.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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10

Grindle, Abraham T. "A technical, financial, and policy analysis of the RAMSES RFID inventory management system for NASA's International Space Station: prospects for SBIR/STTR technology infusion." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57793.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-76).
Engineering, management, and social science methodologies have been employed to analyze a new asset tracking and management system for human spaceflight applications. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Aurora Flight Sciences developed Rule-based analytic Asset Management for Space Exploration System (RAMSES) via NASA Small- Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I and Phase II contracts. RAMSES leverages Generation II passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to automate the tracking the tens of thousands of small, portable cargo assets that are currently stored onboard the International Space Station (ISS). A Monte Carlo Net Present Value analysis found that RAMSES is likely to have significant positive value for NASA when ISS inventory transactions are concentrated in a subset of the total cargo transfer bag (CTB) population, and/or if ISS Operations are continued into 2018/2020. The volume, mass, and accuracy of the RAMSES system have a significant impact upon the estimated NPV. Testing of the prototype hardware in reduced-gravity conditions reaffirmed the viability of the system. Metals cargo objects were detected with up to 100% accuracy, paper with 96%, and water with roughly 93%. Finally, a comparative analysis of RAMSES and five other NASA Small-Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small-Business Technology Transfer (STTR) projects identified three non-technical characteristics and/or informal processes that might be unique to SBIR/STTR technologies that are successfully infused into the mainstream NASA innovation system. These included pre-proposal knowledge exchanges between companies and NASA, strong matching of a project with a relevant NASA COTR, and the availability of an infusion opportunity
by Abraham T. Grindle.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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11

Fornés, Martinez Hèctor. "Analysis of potential implementations of pushback control at LaGuardia Airport." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97944.

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Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015.
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2015.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 138-141).
Implementations of surface traffic management strategies at congested airports have the potential to yield significant benefits, but must account for the constraints and objectives of multiple stakeholders. This thesis considers the implementation of pushback control policies at LaGuardia Airport in New York. This class of control policies regulate departure pushback rates by holding aircraft at their gates during congested periods, in a manner that maintains the departure throughput of the airport while reducing the taxi-out time. Such a time reduction leads to reductions in fuel burn and emissions. The main contribution of this thesis is the consideration of gate-holding limits at the gate which aim at including operational benefit-cost analysis in addition to the pushback control. The main consequence of those gate holds are gate conflicts and take-off order swaps, which are analyzed in detail throughout this thesis. The results show that taxi-out savings are a nonlinear and increasing function of gate-holding limit, and thus, more benefits are expected from longer gate conflict limits. However, the non-linear component creates opportunities for additional benefits with marginal cost increases. On the cost side, gate-holding times are the biggest component, but are commensurate with the benefits. One held minute translates to one saved minute in taxi-out; this finding holds true regardless of the gate-holding limit. Departure order swaps and gate conflicts increase as stricter limits are imposed on the gate-holding times, but not significantly. The benefits and costs are shown to be approximately equivalent to the share of the airlines departures at LaGuardia, demonstrating a fair allocation strategy.
by Hector Fornes Martinez.
S.M. in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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12

Lanford, Ephraim Robert. "Unique abilities of hopper spacecraft to enable national objectives for solar system exploration." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62889.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2011.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-136).
In comparison with conventional and other conceived approaches, hopper spacecraft offer unique advantages in exploring Solar System objects beyond Earth. The present work began with a survey - based on documents from the White House, Congress, NASA, and the international planetary science community - of exploration plans and objectives in the United States. The results are presented, and lead into a representative description of goals that might be enabled by hoppers. Relevant hopper attributes are then described in comparison to other vehicle types, and these vehicle characteristics are mapped to the exploration goals to show how hoppers can facilitate achievement of policy and science objectives. Specific examples are examined by formulating and analyzing a demonstrative and timely variety of model missions on Earth's Moon, Mars, and Saturn's moon Titan. These analyses use models for both hovering and ballistic hops to produce realistic values for hopper performance including mass, fuel consumption, trajectory characteristics, and basic spacecraft subsystem characteristics. In sum, planetary hopper technology is not for every mission, but generally offers paradigm-changing mobility and flexibility for small additional mass or development costs. Mission planners should evaluate hoppers for suitability to their exploration goals. Policy recommendations are offered toward this purpose.
by Ephraim Robert Lanford.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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13

Anderson, Allison P. (Allison Paige). "Addressing design challenges in mechanical counterpressure spacesuit design and space-inspired informal education policy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/63033.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-161).
Extravehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalks allows astronauts to accomplish some of the most important endeavors in space history. The importance of EVA will continue to increase as people venture further into our solar system. The spacesuit, used to protect the astronaut during EVA, is an anthropomorphic spacecraft that provides the physical environment a person needs to survive in the harsh environment of space. Although the suits are safe and effective, the pressurized suit becomes rigid in the vacuum of space, causing the astronaut to waste energy. Mechanical counterpressure (MCP) suits offer an alternative to gas pressurized suits by using elastic garments to provide pressure against the skin. Despite their many advantages, MCP suits are very difficult to put on, or don, making them infeasible for use today. A network of gas pressurized tubes is proposed as a solution to the donning problem. When pressurized, the tubes expand to become rigid, opening the MCP garment in the process. The system was modeled and a functional prototype was developed using a novel construction process. The model can be used as a design tool for future designs and the prototype serves as a proof-of-concept for this solution to the donning problem. The spectacular feats accomplish through spacewalks and space exploration inspire students to pursue an interest and career in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Since its inception, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been dedicated to educating the public about its compelling mission, fascinating discoveries, and the complicated technologies it develops. However, as the United States slips in indicators of student performance in STEM subjects, many look toward informal education, or education that occurs outside the classroom, to spur interest in STEM subjects. To maximize educational outcomes, NASA has developed a strategic framework to guide its educational programs. This framework is analyzed in the context of strategic management literature and suggests that the framework could be more easily implemented if NASA were to refine its education structure using the strengths of each of its directorates. The proposed framework was implemented in an informal education project and evaluated to determine if a projects implemented under the framework achieves the intended learning objectives. Students showed an increased understanding of NASA's mission and the complicated nature of space exploration. Suggestions to improve future projects are also given.
by Allison P. Anderson.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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14

Sutherland, Timothy A. (Timothy Alan). "Stakeholder value network analysis for space-based earth observations." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/63181.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-238).
The Earth Science and Applications decadal survey released by the National Research Council in 2007 presents both an ambitious engineering challenge and a challenge for the entire Earth science community to come together to reach a consensus on priorities that cross conventional disciplinary boundaries. The vision established by the decadal survey requires a paradigm shift for Earth system science: Societal benefits must be considered equally with purely scientific benefits to guide the development of the future NASA and NOAA Earth Observations Program. The decadal survey focused heavily on the needs and objectives of the Earth science community, while providing much less thorough treatment of the other relevant stakeholders. To address this, I conducted a stakeholder value network analysis for the Earth Observations Program that includes the development of a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative stakeholder model. The qualitative model includes a rigorous articulation of the needs and objectives of 13 major stakeholders; the development of a three-level stakeholder map including a baseline map, higher-level map, and lower-level map; and a complete stakeholder value network model with 190 individual value flows that capture the interactions between all the stakeholders. The quantitative model includes a method for assigning numeric scores to each value flow; the calculation of 1880 unique and valid "value loops" within the stakeholder value network; and an analysis of the value loops that yields useful insights about the Earth Observations Program. The value loop analysis reveals the most important stakeholders, value flows, and value loops within the stakeholder value network; as well as the most important outputs from and inputs to NASA and NOAA. The analysis also reveals the relative important of each of the six science categories representing the six science-themed panels of the decadal survey. The results from the stakeholder value network analysis provide insights regarding the value produced by the Earth Observations Program, as well as the value-added roles of each stakeholder within the network. The most important value loops and Program outputs are used to derive a set of high-level program goals, including goals that suggest what NASA and NOAA should do, as well as how they should conduct business. Finally, the insights and results from the analysis provide the foundation for a set of recommendations for the Earth Observations Program, which complement the recommendations put forth in the decadal survey.
by Timothy A. Sutherland.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Lowenthal, Caroline (Caroline S. ). "Evaluation of sleepiness in space robotics task performance and discussing sleep with high school students in a museum." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71274.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2012.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-50).
Sleepiness impacts performance in all aspects of life. This thesis addresses the impact of sleepiness on astronauts and adolescents in their everyday tasks. The first part describes the results of an experiment assessing the effect of sleepiness and workload on performance in simulated space telerobotics tasks. The second part describes the results of a forum discussion with high school students about school start time based on information about adolescent sleep biology and various stakeholder perspectives. Astronauts must maintain a high level of performance during space robotics operations, despite sleep schedules that hinder their cognitive function, response time, and attention. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of secondary tasks to assess sleepiness and workload during simulated space robotics performance. 13 naive subjects were trained to perform two types of robotics tasks and two types of secondary tasks measuring response time. Subjects completed two 2-hour robotics sessions, one at midday after approximately 4 hours awake, and one at night after 18 hours awake. Comparing 18 hours awake versus 4, Karolinska Sleepiness Scale scores increased by at least 2 points. Subjects maintained primary robotics task performance at the night session, but secondary task measures such as inverse response time showed significant changes, with moderate Hedges' g (0.35 to 0.74) effect sizes. For a passive monitoring of arm movement primary task, a simple response secondary task metric proved more sensitive to time awake than a two choice response secondary task, but the converse was found when the primary task involved track and capture manual control. Our visual secondary task was sensitive to changes in primary task workload and sleepiness. Secondary task workload measures are a potentially useful adjunct to primary task drowsiness metrics like PVT and deserve further investigation. In Part II, we hypothesized that informed high school students can make strong recommendations about school start time after learning about the biology of their sleep needs and participating in a discussion forum to consider various stakeholder perspectives. 26 high school students from Fenway High School participated in a forum at the Museum of Science. Before the forum, they completed a survey about their sleep habits. During the forum, they participated in a role play exercise, taking on the roles of parent, sleep researcher, administrator, student, and teacher and negotiating tradeoffs about school start time. In the post-forum survey, students showed learning about sleep and made good recommendations to share with their peers. They value sleep and think that getting enough sleep is important, yet by their self-reported actions they seem to value other activities more.
"Part I of this research was supported by the NSBRI through NASA Contract NCC 9-58"--PDF p. 3
by Caroline Lowenthal.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Hess, John (John Thomas). "Deployment related mental health care seeking behaviors in the U.S. military and the use of telehealth to mitigate their impacts on access to care." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76102.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)-- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-193).
Interviewees report that groups of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan often require substantial amounts of mental health care, causing surges in demand at military hospitals. These hospitals have difficulty keeping up with demand during the busiest periods. The exact patterns of demand during surges are difficult to measure because the military records utilization, but not actual need for services. This thesis analyzes the care seeking behaviors of service members and their families across the deployment cycle using historical data. This analysis shows that service members and their families seek more care after each deployment. More importantly, it shows that service members seek care at higher rates in predictable intervals following their deployments. New patient arrival rates are projected for several installations by multiplying actual installation populations by newly calculated care seeking rates. These projections show deployment related care seeking behaviors generate surges in demand and thereby validate qualitative findings from field work. A simulation of the military's system of care uses these demand projections to specify patient arrival patterns. Comparison of several simulated scenarios shows that surges make it very difficult for individual military hospitals to offer access to care using only their own mental health care providers. Allowing hospitals to share their providers with one another offers little improvement. As hypothesized, using a group of dedicated telehealth providers to support the most overburdened installations can offer a substantial improvement in access to care. This insight leads to four policy recommendations. First, a service wide or joint scheduling system should be created. Second, telehealth can best support overburdened hospitals when some providers are dedicated solely to surge support. Third, the services should take responsibility for meeting access to care goals instead of delegating the burden to installations. Lastly, hiring actions should be tied directly to an accurate measurement of excess demand.
by John Hess.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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17

Szajnfarber, Zoe. "What drives spacecraft innovation? : a quantitative analysis of communication satellite history." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57700.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).
The overall goal of this research is to develop a better understanding of how innovation can, and should, happen in the space sector. Part A: Towards an Empirical Measure of Spacecraft Innovation, frames the discussion of innovation in the space sector and creates a platform for future analysis. To accomplish this, it addresses three aspects of the task of measurement. First, it surveys several distinct literatures to establish precedence for defining a spacecraft innovation metric. Second, the conceptual trade-offs associated with adopting this principle in the context of communication satellites are elucidated and treated. By defining product boundaries along the dimensions of product scope and market transactions, three paradigms for measurement are proposed; namely, 1) the communication satellite enterprise; 2) the physical satellite; and 3) communication service. Third, under the constraints of historical data collection realities, next-best estimators are put forward as surrogates for the parameters required in implementing the proposed metrics. Based on these surrogates, the relative merits of each measurement paradigm are illustrated through sample analyses.
(cont.) Part B: Lessons from Communication Satellite History (1964-2006), captures the first detailed attempt to quantitatively analyze innovation in the space sector. Building on the communication satellite innovation metric (developed in Part A) and a spacecraft innovation framework (developed as part of ongoing work) Part B presents a preliminary model of communication satellite innovation. In addition to innovation being a function of the rate of performance normalized by price, spacecraft innovation is shown to be strongly influenced by characteristics of the customer-contractor contractual relationship. Specifically, DoD contracts tend to result in a lower level of innovation on average as compared to other customers and particular customer-contractor pairs perform differently and exhibit a second order relationship in time. No pair was observed to sustain better than average innovation in the long run.
by Zoe Szajnfarber.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Leybovich, Michael Elliot. "A technoregulatory analysis of government regulation and oversight in the United States for the protection of passenger safety in commercial human spaceflight." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57522.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2009.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis. Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-91).
Commercial human spaceflight looks ready to take off as an industry, with "space tourism" as its first application. Paying passengers are likely to begin taking suborbital spaceflights within the next several years, both despite and because of the risks and hazards inherent in human spaceflight. As this activity poses dangers to passengers, there will be an increasing degree of government regulation and oversight to protect participant safety. Though human spaceflight is not a new endeavour, commercial human spaceflight poses a new set of challenges for regulators to grapple with. As is the case with many emerging technological industries, the regulatory challenge is to protect the safety of both participants and the uninvolved without regulating to a degree that stifles industry innovation and growth. This thesis examines the history and regulation of commercial human spaceflight to date. The technical background, systems engineering, and risk management of human spaceflight are explored, to determine which particular subsystem-mission phase combinations warrant closer regulatory attention. Finally, this paper gives recommendations on how future regulation of this nascent industry ought to be approached by the federal government and its regulatory agencies.
by Michael Elliot Leybovich.
S.M.
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Simaiakis, Ioannis. "Modeling and control of airport departure processes for emissions reduction." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58289.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-141).
Taxiing aircraft contribute significantly to the fuel burn and emissions at airports. This thesis investigates the possibility of reducing fuel burn and emissions from surface operations through a reduction of the taxi times of departing aircraft. Data analysis of the departing traffic in four major US airports provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact of surface congestion on taxi times, fuel burn and emissions. For this analysis two metrics are introduced: one that compares the taxi times to the unimpeded ones and another that evaluates them in terms of their contribution to the airport's throughput. A novel approach is proposed that models the aircraft departure process as a queuing system. The departure taxi (taxi-out) time of an aircraft is represented as a sum of three components: the unimpeded taxi-out time, the time spent in the departure queue, and the congestion delay due to ramp and taxiway interactions. The dependence of the taxi-out time on these factors is analyzed and modeled. The performance of the model is validated through a comparison of its predictions with observed data at Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS). A reduction in taxi times may be achieved through the queue management strategy known as N-Control, which controls the push back process so as to keep the number of departing aircraft on the surface of the airport below a specified threshold. The developed model is used to quantify the impact of N-Control on taxi times, delays, fuel burn and emissions at BOS. Finally, the benefits and implications of N-Control are compared to the ones theoretically achievable from a scheme that controls the takeoff queue of each departing aircraft.
by Ioannis Simaiakis.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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20

Holschuh, Bradley Thomas. "Space exploration challenges : characterization and enhancement of space suit mobility and planetary protection policy analysis." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62036.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2010.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-193).
This thesis addresses two challenges associated with advanced space and planetary exploration: characterizing and improving the mobility of current and future gas pressurized space suits; and developing effective domestic Planetary Protection policies for the emerging private space industry. Gas-pressurized space suits are known to be highly resistive to astronaut movement. As NASA seeks to return to planetary exploration, there is a critical need to improve full body space suit mobility for planetary exploration. Volume effects (the torque required to displace gas due to internal volume change during movement) and structural effects (the additional torque required to bend the suit materials in their pressurized state) are cited as the primary contributors to suit rigidity. Constant volume soft joints have become the design goal of space suit engineers, and simple joints like the elbow are believed to have nearly achieved such performance. However, more complex joints like the shoulder and waist have not yet achieved comparable optimization. As a result, it is hypothesized that joints like the shoulder and waist introduce a third, and not well studied, contributor to space suit rigidity: pressure effects (the additional work required to compress gas in the closed operating volume of the suit during movement). This thesis quantifies the individual contributors to space suit rigidity through modeling and experimentation. An Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit arm was mounted in a -30kPa hypobaric chamber, and both volume and torque measurements were taken versus elbow angle. The arm was tested with both open and closed operating volumes to determine the contribution of pressure effects to total elbow rigidity. These tests were then repeated using a full EMU volume to determine the actual impact of elbow pressure effects on rigidity when connected to the full suit. In both cases, structural and volume effects were found to be primary contributors to elbow joint rigidity, with structural effects dominating at low flexion angles and volume effects dominating at high flexion angles; pressure effects were detected in the tests that used only the volume of the arm, but were found to be a secondary contributor to total rigidity (on average < 5%). These pressure effects were not detected in the tests that used the volume representative of a full EMU. Unexpected structural effects behavior was also measured at high (> 75°) flexion angles, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms of these effects are not yet fully understood, and that current models predicting structural effects behavior do not fully represent the actual mechanisms at work. The detection of pressure effects in the well-optimized elbow joint, even if only in a limited volume, suggests that these effects may prove significant for sub-optimized, larger, multi-axis space suit joints. A novel, fast-acting pressure control system, developed in response to these findings, was found to be capable of mitigating pressure spikes due to volume change (and thus, pressure effects). Implementation of a similar system in future space suit designs could lead to improvements in overall suit mobility. A second study, which focused on the implications of the development of the US private space industry on domestic Planetary Protection policy, is also presented. As signatories of the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (commonly known as the Outer Space Treaty), the United States is responsible for implementing Planetary Protection procedures designed to prevent biological contamination of the Solar System, as well as contamination of the Earth by any samples returned from extra-terrestrial bodies. NASA has established policies and procedures to comply with this treaty, and has successfully policed itself independently and autonomously since the signing of the treaty. However, for the first time in the history of the American space program, private entities outside of NASA have developed the capability and interest to send objects into space and beyond Earth orbit, and no current protocol exists to guarantee these profit-minded entities comply with US Planetary Protection obligations (a costly and time-consuming process). This thesis presents a review of US Planetary Protection obligations, including NASA's procedures and infrastructure related to Planetary Protection, and based on these current protocols provides policy architecture recommendations for the emerging commercial spaceflight industry. It was determined that the most effective policy architecture for ensuring public and private compliance with Planetary Protection places NASA in control of all domestic Planetary Protection matters, and in this role NASA is charged with overseeing, supporting, and regulating the private spaceflight industry. The underlying analysis and architecture tradeoffs that led to this recommendation are presented and discussed.
by Bradley Thomas Holschuh.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Opperman, Roedolph A. (Roedolph Adriaan). "Astronaut Extravehicular Activity : safety, injury & countermeasures; &, Orbital collisions & space debris : incidence, impact & international policy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62498.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and, (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-161).
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits are a key enabling technology which allow astronauts to survive and work in the harsh environment of space. Of the entire spacesuit, the gloves may perhaps be considered the most difficult engineering design issue. A significant number of astronauts sustain hand and shoulder injuries during extravehicular activity (EVA) training and operations. In extreme cases these injuries lead to fingernail delamination (onycholysis) or rotator cuff tears and require medical or surgical intervention. In an effort to better understand the causal mechanisms of injury, a study consisting of modeling, statistical and experimental analyses was performed in section I of this thesis. A cursory musculoskeletal modeling tool was developed for use in comparing various spacesuit hard upper torso designs. The modeling effort focuses on optimizing comfort and range of motion of the shoulder joint within the suit. The statistical analysis investigated correlations between the anthropometrics of the hand and susceptibility to injury. A database of 192 male crewmembers' injury records and anthropometrics was sourced from NASA's Johnson Space Center. Hand circumference and width of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint were found to be significantly associated with injuries by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Experimental testing was conducted to characterize skin blood flow and contact pressure inside the glove. This was done as part of NASA's effort to evaluate a hypothesis that fingernail delamination is caused by decreasing blood flow in the finger tips due to compression of the skin inside the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) glove. The initial investigation consisted of a series of skin blood flow and contact pressure tests of the bare finger, and showed that blood flow decreased to approximately 60% of baseline value with increasing force, however, this occurred more rapidly for finger pads (4N) than for finger tips (ION). A gripping test of a pressure bulb using the bare hand was also performed at a moderate pressure of 13.33kPa (100mmHg) and at a high pressure of 26.66kPa (200mmHg), and showed that blood flow decreased 50% and 45%, respectively. Excessive hyperperfusion was observed for all tests following contact force or pressure, which may also contribute to the onset of delamination. Preliminary data from gripping tests inside the EMU glove in a hypobaric chamber at NASA's Johnson Space Center show that skin blood flow decreased by 45% and 40% when gripping at 3 moderate and high pressures, respectively. These tests show that finger skin blood flow is significantly altered by contact force/pressure, and that occlusion is more sensitive when it is applied to the finger pad than the finger tip. Our results indicate that the pressure on the finger pads required to articulate stiff gloves is more likely to impact blood flow than the pressure on the fingertips associated with tight or ill-fitting gloves. Improving the flexibility of the gloves will therefore not only benefit operational performance, but may also be an effective approach in reducing the incidence of finger injury. Space Policy Abstract EVA injury is only one of many dangers astronauts face in the extreme environment of space. Orbital debris presents a significant threat to astronaut safety and is a growing cause of concern. Since the dawn of satellites in the early 1950's, space debris from intentionally exploded spacecraft, dead satellites, and on-orbit collisions has significantly increased and currently outnumbers operational space hardware. Adding to this phenomenon, the advent of commercial spaceflight and the recent space activities in China and India to establish themselves as spacefairing nations are bound to accelerate the rate of space debris accumulating in low Earth orbit, thus, exacerbating the problem. The policies regulating orbital debris were drafted in the 1960s and 1970s and fail to effectively address the dynamic nature of the debris problem. These policies are not legally enforced under international law and implementation is entirely voluntary. Space debris is a relevant issue in international space cooperation. Unless regulated, some projections indicate space debris will reach a point of critical density, after which the debris will grow exponentially, as more fragments are generated by collisions than are removed by atmospheric drag. Space debris proliferation negatively impacts human spaceflight safety, presents a hazard to orbiting space assets, and may lead to portions of near-Earth orbit becoming inaccessible, thus limiting mission operations. The aim of this research effort was to review current international space policy, legislation and mitigation strategies in light of two recent orbital collision episodes. The first is the February 2009 collision between a defunct Russian Cosmos spacecraft and a commercial Iridium satellite. The second is China's display of technological prowess during the January 2007 intentional demolition of its inactive Fengyun-IC weather satellite using a SC-19 antisatellite (ASAT) missile. In each case the stakeholders, politics, policies, and consequences of the collision are analyzed. The results of this analysis as well as recommendations for alternative mitigation and regulatory strategies are presented.
by Roedolph A. Opperman.
S.M.in Technology and Policy
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Tugores-García, Antonio S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Analysis of global airline alliances as a strategy for international network development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75853.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2012.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-126).
Since the late 1990s, network airlines worldwide have being enrolling in one of the three current Global Airline Alliances (GALs), oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam. By 2011, airlines belonging to the three GALs transported over two-thirds of all international traffic. This thesis studies the reasons that cause an increasing number of airlines to join this collaborative scheme as a way to develop a wider network and to increase profitability by serving international connecting traffic. The evolution of GALs is characterized here by the analysis of the size of these alliances, as well as by the volume of partnerships and code share agreements between alliance partners during the period 2006-2011. The results of this study illustrate the differences between each of the GALs and the degree of dependence of airlines on alliances to develop their international networks. By most indicators, the largest alliance, Star Alliance, is the GAL in which member airlines rely more on their alliance partners when developing code share agreements with foreign airlines. In all three GALs, code share agreements between alliance partners are much less likely to be broken than with nonpartner airlines. Airlines operating in the transatlantic markets appear to be the most advanced firms in the marketing of code shared itineraries. The empirical analysis is complemented with a review of the theoretical benefits of GALs to airlines, alternative network models for international growth, the impact of alliances on customers' welfare, their potential anti-competitive effects on independent carriers, and the current regulatory framework affecting alliances on both sides of the North Atlantic. Overall, this work provides a holistic view of the GALs as a model for network development, to describe their policy implications, and to suggest key drivers in the future of airlines' network development strategies.
by Antonio Tugores-García.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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Guérin, Laurent S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Impact of alternative nuclear fuel cycle options on infrastructure and fuel requirements, actinide and waste inventories, and economics." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/57689.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 222-223).
The nuclear fuel once-through cycle (OTC) scheme currently practiced in the U.S. leads to accumulation of uranium, transuranic (TRU) and fission product inventories in the spent nuclear fuel. Various separation and recycling options can be envisioned in order to reduce these inventories while extracting additional energy and sending the ultimate waste to a repository. Choosing one of these options has direct implications for the infrastructure requirements, natural uranium consumption, actinide inventories in the system, waste repository needs and costs. In order to account for the complexity of the nuclear enterprise, a fuel cycle simulation code has been developed using system dynamics (CAFCA). An economic module was added using spreadsheets. Four main advanced fuel cycle schemes are assessed here within the context of the US market: 1) the twice-through cycle scheme (TTC): single-pass plutonium recycling in thermal spectrum LWRs using Mixed OXide (MOX) fuel; 2) Multi-recycling of TRU in sodium-cooled fast spectrum burner cores, characterized by a fissile conversion ratio lower than 1 (FBu); 3) Multi-recycling of TRU in sodium-cooled fast breeders with a conversion ratio of 1.23 (FBr); and 4) A two-tier scenario: a TTC scheme is practiced as a transition scheme to fast reactors. The base case scenario assumes annual nuclear energy demand growth rate of 2.5% from 2020 on. The technologies for plutonium separation as well as MOX fuel fabrication are assumed to be available in 2025 while the first commercial fast reactors, as well as the possibility to recycle their spent fuel, are assumed to be available in 2040.
(cont.) For fast reactors, the cores are assumed to be TRU fueled, and the technology to separate the minor actinides is supposed to be available at the latest 5 years before deployment of fast reactors. Limits are applied on the building rate of reprocessing plants, which are also subject to a 80% minimum life-time loading factor requirement. It is found that, despite its higher cost, at the end of the century, the TTC scheme (single Pu-MOX recycle) does not lead to large improvements in terms of natural uranium consumption (16%), repository needs (considering both fission products and MA from reprocessing facilities, and spent MOX fuel) and TRU inventory reduction (although some shifting of TRU from storage to reactors occurs). This is especially significant because it is the only advanced fuel cycle option that can be deployed in large scale in the next few decades. However, if the primary reason for introduction of the more expensive fast reactors is resource enhancement and/or control of TRU in the nuclear waste, thermal reactor recycling allows the introduction of fast reactors to be delayed by 20-25 years. Moreover, once fast reactors are introduced, their deployment is accelerated compared to a 1-tier FR scenario. However, the two-tier scheme is the most expensive scheme as it combines the requirements of both the MOX technology and the FR technology. Sensitivity analyses were performed in order to assess the impact of secondary parameters. It is found that whatever the growth rate assumed, LWRs remain a significant part of the system at the end of the century, decades after fast breeders are introduced.
(cont.) The reason is the fissile materials required for fabrication of start-up cores considerably affect the rate at which fast reactors can be deployed. As a result, the choice of the core design (compact core vs. large core) may be as significant as the choice of the conversion ratio. For example, the breeder scenario (CR=1.23) may lead to the same cumulative natural uranium consumption reduction (by 2100) as the self-sustaining reactors (CR=1.0) while leading to larger TRU inventory in the system and requiring greater fast reactor fuel reprocessing capacity. Allowing fast reactors to start with uranium only cores was not considered, as it will likely limit resource enhancement benefits of fast reactors. Still, in general, the higher the conversion ratio, the greater the fast reactor installed capacity, hence the greater the savings in natural uranium. Conversely, the best reduction in TRU from the OTC amount is obtained by the lower conversion ratio (45% for a pure burner with conversion ratio 0.0 by 2100). Doubling the minimum cooling time before reprocessing for all fuel types from 5 years to 10 years slows down the deployment of the fast reactors and therefore reduces their share in the total installed capacity. This is almost equivalent to replacing breeders with fast reactors with a conversion ratio of 0.75. Finally, the results show that starting the separation of the TRU 10 years prior to introduction of the fast reactors instead of 5 years provides a mid-term advantage (faster initial deployment) that vanishes within 25 years. In the long term, the fast reactor penetration results are insensitive to the assumed industrial capacity to build reprocessing facilities for the base case or at lower nuclear energy growth rates.
(cont.) However, the assumed industrial capacity can be a real constraint if the nuclear energy growth rates are 4% or higher.
by Laurent Guérin.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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Nag, Sreeja. "Collaborative competition for crowdsourcing spaceflight software and STEM education using SPHERES Zero Robotics." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78499.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-236).
Crowdsourcing is being researched as a technique to develop small-scale spaceflight software by issuing open calls for solutions to large crowds of people with the incentive of prizes. There is widespread investment of resources in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education to improve STEM interests and skills. This thesis tackles the dual objectives of building crowdsourcing cluster flight software and educating students using collaborative gaming and competition, both in virtual simulation environments and on real hardware in space. The concept is demonstrated using the SPHERES Zero Robotics Program which is a robotics programming competition. The robots are nanosatellites called SPHERES - an experimental testbed to test navigation, formation flight and control algorithms - onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Zero Robotics allows students to access SPHERES through a web-based interface and the robust programs run on the hardware in microgravity, supervised by astronauts. The apparatus to investigate the influence of collaboration was developed by (1) building new web infrastructure and an Integrated Development Environment where intensive interparticipant collaboration is possible, (2) designing and programming a game to solve a relevant formation flight problem, collaborative in nature - and (3) structuring a tournament such that inter-team collaboration is mandated. The web infrastructure was built using crowdsourcing competitions too, to demonstrate feasibility of building software end-to-end through crowdsourcing. The multi-objective design of experiments had three types of collaborations as variables - within matches (to achieve game objectives), inter-team alliances and unstructured communication on online forums. The data used to evaluate objective achievement were simulation competition scores, website usage statistics, post-competition surveys and satellite telemetry from ISS hardware demonstrations. All types of collaboration showed positive influence on the quality of solutions achieved. Educationally, they showed mixed results and lessons on improving their process of implementation for more impact have been documented. Overall, this thesis ratifies the applicability of the developed framework for crowdsourcing spaceflight software and educating students and maps the utility of collaboration in this framework. A systems dynamics model for generalizing the framework into other programs for simultaneous crowdsourcing and education outreach has been proposed and management policy concerns highlighted.
by Sreeja Nag.
S.M.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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Vascik, Parker D. (Parker Denys Neff). "Systems-level analysis of On Demand Mobility for aviation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/109058.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2017.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2017.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-256).
On Demand Mobility (ODM) is an emerging transportation concept that leverages pervasive telecommunication connectivity to enable the real-time matching of consumers with transportation service providers. Having experienced rapid adoption in ground transportation markets, numerous entities are now investigating opportunities to provide aircraft-based ODM within metropolitan areas. Previous research efforts have focused primarily on the technical capabilities of novel electric propulsion aircraft and sought to characterize the market potential for these vehicles. This thesis complements these initial efforts by adopting a broad view of anticipated aircraft-based ODM services to identify operational constraints and evaluate near and far-term mitigation opportunities. A systems-level analysis was used to capture interdisciplinary influence factors such as limitations placed on ODM networks as a result of air traffic control, ground infrastructure integration, network load balancing, unmanned aircraft interaction and community noise, among others. The holistic considerations of this analysis extend beyond the traditional conceptual design disciplines of engineering and business to include evaluative perspective from the legal, policy, urban planning and sustainability domains. The first order, systems-level analysis approach for early-phase conceptual design developed in this thesis was applied to a case study in Los Angeles. Promising markets were identified based upon current commuting and wealth patterns. A notional concept of operations was then applied to twelve reference missions within these markets. Scrutiny of these missions revealed a variety of operational challenges from which five preeminent constraints were derived. These constraints may limit or prohibit ODM aircraft operations and include ground infrastructure availability, aircraft noise emissions and air traffic control scalability. Furthermore, significant legal and policy challenges were identified related to low altitude flight, environmental impacts and community acceptance. Findings from this thesis may support the ODM community to develop a system architecting plan that directs technology investments, stakeholder negotiations and network implementation so as to overcome the identified constraints and avoid or internalize negative externalities.
by Parker D. Vascik.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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26

Reid, Jack Burnett. "Assessing and mitigating vulnerability chains in model-centric acquisition programs." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117789.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2018.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2018.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged student-submitted from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 143-157).
Acquisition programs increasingly use model-centric approaches, generating and using digital assets throughout the lifecycle. Model-centric practices have matured, yet in spite of sound practices there are uncertainties that may impact programs over time. The emergent uncertainties (policy change, budget cuts, disruptive technologies, threats, changing demographics, etc.) and related programmatic decisions (e.g., staff cuts, reduced training hours) may lead to cascading vulnerabilities within model-centric acquisition programs, potentially jeopardizing program success. Program managers are increasingly faced with novel vulnerabilities. They need to be equipped with the means to identify model-centric program vulnerabilities and determine where interventions can most effectively be taken. In this research, Cause-Effect Mapping (CEM), a vulnerability assessment technique, is employed to examine these vulnerabilities. Using a combination of literature investigation, expert interviews, and usability testing, a CEM is created to represent the novel vulnerabilities posed by model-centric practices in acquisition programs. Particular attention is paid to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which pose a serious threat to the successful implementation of model-centric practices. From this CEM, key gaps in program manager knowledge and organizational policies are identified and potential responses proposed.
Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Programs Grant No. N00244-17-1-0011
by Jack Burnett Reid.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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27

Foreman, Veronica L. (Veronica Lynn). "Emergence of second-generation low earth orbit satellite constellations : a prospective technical, economic, and policy analysis." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119297.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2018.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-145).
Modern proposals for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations underscore the tremendous potential and versatility of distributed spacecraft missions (DSMs), but they have also begun to stress the limits of the existing development paradigm. A new generation of LEO constellations is emerging, and understanding the related technical, economic, and policy landscapes will be critical to fostering their success. The most significant value of this research effort comes from its breadth. LEO constellations are becoming essential tools for a wide range of applications, and this work seeks to examine the diverse set of topics facing modern constellation stakeholders. Through a multidisciplinary, systems engineering evaluation, this thesis synthesizes current knowledge gaps and questions related to second-generation LEO constellations. The investigation begins with a discussion of the historical development of DSMs, and three distinct eras of constellation use are identified. The initial time period, 1959 to 1996, captures the early DSMs that framed the development of modern systems. The first generation spans from 1997 to 2009. It begins with the installation of the first commercial, telecommunications constellations and demonstrates logistic growth for commercial DSM member spacecraft. Growth rates surge again as the second generation begins in 2010, and the data reflect current trends toward commercial, remote-sensing applications of DSM systems. The second generation of LEO constellations coincides with an approximately 189% increase in the annual NGSO satellite launch rate and a 92% increase in the number of constellation systems initialized each year over the first generation. This work continues by underscoring technologies that have enabled this growth through a survey of relevant literature and patent filings. Contemporary issues in constellation technology policy are also examined. Through a series of cost and risk focused case studies, limitations within the existing development and maintenance paradigms are illustrated. The new generation of constellations is challenging the assumptions that have traditionally guided such analyses, and opportunities for further framework development are discussed. This thesis represents a contribution to the advancement of constellation systems by assessing the viability of the existing paradigm and identifying critical areas of future research.
Supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Grant No. 1122374
by Veronica L. Foreman.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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28

Chossière, Guillaume P. (Guillaume Pierre). "Public health impacts of excess NOx̳ emissions from Volkswagen diesel passenger vehicles in Germany." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112416.

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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2017.
Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. In title on title page and in the Abstract, double-underscored "x̳" in "NOx̳" appears as subscript.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-65).
In September 2015, the Volkswagen Group (VW) admitted the use of "defeat devices" designed to lower emissions measured during VW vehicle testing for regulatory purposes. Globally, 11 million cars sold between 2008 and 2015 are affected, including about 2.6 million in Germany. On-road emissions tests have yielded mean on-road NOx̳, emissions for these cars of 0.85 g.km-¹, over four times the applicable European limit of 0.18 g.km-1 . This thesis estimates the human health impacts and costs associated with excess emissions from VW cars driven in Germany. A distribution of on-road emissions factors is derived from existing measurements and combined with sales data and a vehicle fleet model to estimate total excess NOx̳ emissions. These emissions are distributed on a 25 by 28 km grid covering Europe, using the German Environmental Protection Agency's (UBA) estimate of the spatial distribution of NOx emissions from passenger cars in Germany. I use the GEOS-Chem chemistry-transport model to predict the corresponding increase in population exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone in the European Union, Switzerland, and Norway, and a set of concentration-response functions to estimate mortality outcomes in terms of early deaths and of life-years lost. Integrated over the sales period (2008 - 2015), I estimate median premature mortality impacts from VW excess emissions in Germany to be 1,200 premature deaths in Europe, corresponding to 13,000 life-years lost and 1.9 billion EUR in costs associated with life-years lost. Approximately 60 % of mortality costs occur outside Germany. For the current fleet, I estimate that if on-road emissions for all affected VW vehicles in Germany are reduced to the applicable European emission standard by the end of 2017, this would avert 29,000 life-years lost and 4.1 billion 2015 EUR in health costs (median estimates) relative to a counterfactual case with no recall.
by Guillaume P. Chossière.
S.M.
S.M. in Technology and Policy

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29

Bertrand, Pierre J. (Pierre Jean). "Enhancing astronaut mobility through spacesuit kinematics and interactive space outreach." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104013.

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Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2016.
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2016.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 212-225).
Human spaceflight programs are facing new challenges rising from the evolution of the exploration agenda, as well as the changing international panel of actors. Planetary exploration missions will require intensive extravehicular activities (EVA). Simultaneously, the design of such missions will increasingly rely on cooperation between several types of actors: international and public/private. Adapting this paradigm shift requires astronauts, both symbols and key elements of human space exploration, to be fully equipped to explore and share their experiences. Consequently, astronaut mobility during the exploration mission, characterized by spacesuit kinematics, as well as astronaut mobility for space public outreach, characterized by the ability to inspire multiple types of people, are critical for the future of human spaceflight. This thesis focuses on these two elements of astronaut mobility: spacesuit motion and public inspiration for human spaceflight. All of the spacesuits currently in use are gas-pressurized and enable a wide range of astronaut performance. However, the pressurization causes an inherent stiffness, leading to astronauts' fatigue, unnecessary energy expenditure and limited mobility in the spacesuit. Better understanding of spacesuit kinematics is crucial to enable future human space exploration during extreme mobility tasks such as climbing, loping and excavating. Different methods are currently used to assess spacesuit mobility, but they are restricted to laboratory settings and do not measure the interactions between the suit and the person inside the suit. The first objective of this research is to develop a novel method to assess spacesuit kinematics and visualize human-spacesuit interactions. Upper body mobility of different suits was assessed by placing inertial measurement units (IMUs) on the person's body and on the outside of the spacesuit. IMUs incorporate accelerometers and gyroscopes to estimate relative rotation. They are mobile and low power, offering an economical and efficient kinematic tracking capability. A comparison of joint angle amplitude between different pressurization conditions and different motions was performed, and a 3D kinematic visualization tool was developed. While space-based technologies for Earth applications are flourishing, space exploration activities suffer from a lack of public awareness as well as decreasing budgets. Recent robotic exploration missions have positively influenced public perception by utilizing video and social media communication. How can these new communication technologies be used to better serve human spaceflight? How can space agencies and astronauts inspire tax-paying citizens, and thus politicians, to commit to an ambitious, global human spaceflight program based on international collaboration? The second part of the research analyzes how astronauts' use of interactive platforms can increase international public interest in human space exploration. An analysis of the Twitter network related to human spaceflight was performed, measuring how influence and relationships are linked, to better capture the best practices.
by Pierre J. Bertrand.
S.M. in Technology and Policy
S.M.

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30

Lin, Tsai-Feng, and 林彩鳳. "Information seeking behavior of defense technologist- A case study of Aeronautical System Research Division(ASRD) of Chung-Shan Institute of Science Technology(CSIST)." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/36091327243649467926.

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碩士
國立中興大學
圖書資訊學研究所
95
Abstract The research on information seeking behavior has a profound and direct influence on the effectiveness of a library information service system. and a questionnaire survey is one of the methods to understand the user’s information need . In this research focus have been put on defense technologists’ information needs and seeking behaviors so as to figure out specified characteristics in their information needs, how do they utilize those formal and informal channels, their obstacles and solutions during information seeking process. The research results may serve as a reference for libraries of similar nature to improve customer services. In this case study, needed data were collected from the July 2005 and 368 copies of questionnaire were administrated to defense technologists who worked for Aeronautical Systems Research Division (ASRD) of CSIST, 256 returned valid (69.6% return rate). Ten most or least frequent users were selected for in-depth interviews. The major findings were as follows: 1. Defense technologists are largely male. 65% of them worked over 16 years and 60%, never published. Their information need came from research and project implementation, mostly for team works. They were most concerned about access to full-text databases. 2. Technologists relied heavily on internet to iron out problems and gain new technological knowledge. Availability is a main factor that affected information seeking. 3. The internet resource is the most important formal channel. ASRD defense technologists would look for assistance by communicating with their colleagues should all formal channels fail to meet their information need. 4. The most annoying obstacle encountered by the technologists was unable to get badly needed information during their seeking process. If needed information couldn’t be found at ASRD library, technologists will mostly purchase from bookstores. University and research institute libraries are the primary outer-source for external information services. Based on the final results of this study, six suggestions are proposed for improving libraries’ information service quality and offering possible perspectives for follow-on researches：1. Establishing the technology database under knowledge management architecture. 2. Improving library’s inter/intranet services. 3. Utilizing information technology (IT) Optimizing the use of information collecting and filtering techniques for technology-related information. 4. Enhancing personalized information services. 5. Providing training courses such as inter/intranet exploitation, database index familiarizing to educate technologists and familiarize them with information seeking skills. 6. Removing some restrictions to facilitate utilization of inter/intranet resources as well as improving inter/intranet accessibility. Keywords Information Needs, Information Seeking Behavior, Defense Technologists

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