The purpose of this project was to develop a system capable of launching projectiles at a curved trajectory. This system effectively imparts spin on projectiles, enabling controlled indirect fire for the intended use of military operations. Through this proof of concept, it was determined whether a scaled system would be a viable solution to the issue of controlled indirect fire in dense urban areas. Using a series of coaxial motors with independently controlled speeds, it was possible to alter the horizontal and vertical displacement of objects in flight.

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

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

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

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

This study investigated how mindset intervention in freshman engineering courses influenced students’ implicit intelligence and self-efficacy beliefs. An intervention which bolsters students’ beliefs that they possess the cognitive tools to perform well in their classes can be the deciding factor in their decision to continue in their engineering major. Treatment was administered across four sections of an introductory engineering course where two professors taught two sections. Across three survey points, one course of each professor received the intervention while the other remained neutral, but the second time point switched this condition, so all students received intervention. Robust efficacy and mindset scales quantitatively measured the strength of their beliefs in their abilities, general and engineering, and if they believed they could change their intelligence and abilities. Repeated measures ANOVA and linear regressions revealed that students who embody a growth mindset tended to have stronger and higher self-efficacy beliefs. With the introduction of intervention, the relationship between mindset and self-efficacy grew stronger and more positive over time.

This thesis will cover the basics of 2-dimensional motion of a parafoil system to determine and
design an altitude controller that will result in the parafoil starting at a location and landing within the
accepted bounds of a target location. It will go over the equations of motion, picking out the key
formulas that map out how a parafoil moves, and determine the key inputs in order to get the desired
outcome of a controlled trajectory. The physics found in the equations of motion will be turned into
state space representations that organize it into differential equations that coding software can make
use of to make trajectory calculations. MATLAB is the software used throughout the paper, and all code
used in the thesis paper will be written out for others to check and modify to their desires. Important
aspects of parafoil gliding motion will be discussed and tested with variables such as the natural glide
angle and velocity and the utilization of checkpoints in trajectory controller design. Lastly, the region of
attraction for the controller designed in this thesis paper will be discussed and plotted in order to show
the relationship between the four input variables, x position, y position, velocity, and theta.
The controller utilized in this thesis paper was able to plot a successful flight trajectory from
10m in the air to a target location 50m away. This plot is found in figure 18. The parafoil undershot the
target location by about 9 centimeters (0.18% error). This is an acceptable amount of error and shows
that the controller was a success in controlling the system to reach its target destination. When
compared to the uncontrolled flight in figure 17, the target will only be reached when a controller is
applied to the system.

This thesis describes a longitudinal dynamic analysis of a large, twin-fuselage aircraft that is connected solely by the main wing with two tails unattached by a horizontal stabilizer. The goal of the analysis is to predict the aircraft’s behavior in various flight conditions. Starting with simple force diagrams of the longitudinal directions, six equations of motion are derived: three equations defining the left fuselage’s motion and three equations defining the right fuselage’s motion. The derivation uses a state-vector approach. Linearization of the system utilizes a Taylor series expansion about different trim points to analyze the aircraft for small disturbances about the equilibrium. The state transition matrix shows that there is a coupling effect from the reactionary moments caused by the two empennages through the connection of the main wing. By analyzing the system in multiple flight conditions: take-off, climb, cruise, and post-separation of payload, a general flight envelope can be developed which will give insight as to how the aircraft will behave and the overall controllability of the aircraft. The four flight conditions are tested with published Boeing 747 data confirmed from multiple sources. All four flight conditions contain unstable phugoid modes that imply instability increases with decreasing torsional spring stiffness of the wing or as the structural damping drops below 4%.