Bøger af Patrick Stakem

There have been spacefarers from over 40 countries, taken along on shared missions by the craft of the major spacefaring nations, China, Russia, and the U. S. The International Space Station is truly an International effort. But these were all professional Astronauts or Cosmonnauts. That was their job.At this time, there have been seven "space toruists," who paid their own way, and five "spaceflgiht participants," who flew on the Shuttle, or to the ISS. Can you fly to space now? The U.S. currently doesn't have a crewed transportation system.The Russians will charge you $76 million for a flight up on the Soyuz-M, if they have a seat available. You also receive training, and a couple of rides on the Vomit-Comet airplane, so you'll know what to expect in zero G. The Space Tourism Industry is ready to begin. Like all new markets, it will evolve, become better and cheaper. It's expensive now, but a few have done it.NASA is not going to do this. They are in the science and technology business, and are a government agency, A cadre of entrepreneurs, space geeks, and crafty businessmen have better, less expensive options in the works. Stay tuned. Keep in touch. This is going to get exciting. The book discusses options ranging from a quick trip above 100 km to earn the title "astronaut." to month long vacations at a lunar resort, where you can fly, with wings, every day. This is the new hospitality frontier.

This book gives an overview of Multicore architectures, how they derive from multiprocessors, and illustrates the new applications they enable. A multicore processor has multiple cpu and memory elements in a single chip. Being on a single chip reduces the communications times between elements, and allows for multiprocessing. Advances in microelectronics fabrication techniques lead to the implementation of multicores for desktop and server machines around 2007. It was becoming increasingly difficult to increase clock speeds, so the obvious approach was to turn to parallelism. Currently, in this market, quad-core, 6-core, and 8-core chips are available. Besides additional cpu's, additional on-chip memory must be added, usually in the form of memory caches, to keep the processors fed with instructions and data. There is no inherent difference in multicore architectures and multiprocessing with single core chips, except in the speed of communications. The standard interconnect technologies used in multiprocessing and clustering are applied to inter-core communications. Multicore technology is mainstream, and enables a vast application space.

This book will help you understand the fundamentals of robotics and telerobotics for the space environment. It will point out what the robotic systems can and can't do. Examples of systems and case study's and design examples will be presented.We will review the basics and definitions of robotic and telerobotic systems, as well as the unique characteristics of the space environment to determine where the trade-offs lie. We will compare and contrast with underwater, military, commercial, hazmat and other terrestrial systems. We will not discuss CAD/CAM or manufacturing, which probably makes up 90% of the applications of robotics on Earth. We will review system level components, and discuss sensors, power sources, actuators, and computation and communication systems. Actuators will include tools and grippers. Necessarily, we will discuss simulation, task planning, guided autonomy, and autonomous systems, as well as system models. Today's robot systems are deaf, blind and stupid. And, we expect them to operate in an unstructured environment. But, they are getting better, as technology advances. Robotics are handicapped. in terms of mobility and manipulation, sensory input, cognitive processing, learning and the application of experience. However, they have better computational capability, better communications capability, fewer environmental constraints, and, certainly, fewer ethical issues. (Leaving aside the issue of military armed robots). Over 150 references are included

This book covers the topic of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G), a renaming and restructuring of the Deep Space Gateway, a joint Russian-US effort, and associated missions. This is a step beyond the International Space Station, which will be beyond its useful lifetime in a few years, and will be decommissioned, with some parts being reused, and some re-entered. This will result in a new era of human space exploration, further from Earth. Whether we refer to the emerging facility as a Gateway, a Colony, a settlement, or a habitat, we are talking of a permanently occupied facility. We can consider the habitat to be in orbit (about something), or on the surface of another body, other than Earth. These projects will differ in detail, but will all consist of self-sufficient structures somewhere other than Earth, with an associated logistics train. The Gateway would be continuously crewed, and serves as an outpost form which to explore the lunar and Martian surfaces.

Pronounced RISK-Five, RISC-V is the latest implementation of the MIPS architecture, in an open source configuration. The project kicked off in 2018 at the University of California, Berkeley.It was announced in 1996. Multiple companies now offer 32 and 64-bit RISC-V chips. The RISC-V architecture is making inroads on the popular ARM embedded architecture.

This book covers the topic of Astronomy in the context of STEM Education. Astronomy is the branch of Science that deals with other objects in the Universe. At night, we can see other stars, sometimes planets, and, if we are lucky, comets. Astronomy dates back far in the history of mankind, starting with observations of the sky, and the development of theories of what it all meant, and how it all worked. The initial assumption was that the Earth was the center of the Universe, and everything traveled around it. But, by observations, some "heavenly bodies" wander about in the sky, and increasingly complex theories were developed to address this. Later, when the Earth was dethroned as the center of the universe, it was understood that other planets and the Earth were in orbit around the Sun. And, the Sun was just another star, like those that could be seen in the night sky. Some suggested projects are included to get student interest going.

The Nineteenth Century saw a period of rapid technology development, as steam power was applied to many aspects of manufacturing and transportation. People's lives became better, old things could be done more cheaply or faster, and new things were enabled. At the same time, machinery displaced jobs and switched the economy from a focus on agriculture to a new focus on manufacturing. A new age was being born, and birth involves pain, disruption, and change. Steam technology relied on the extractive industries for coal, iron ore, and other materials. There was a seemingly limitless demand for the raw materials and finished products of the steam age. A huge number of jobs were created, and fewer farmers were needed to feed the population. Vast patterns of migration brought Europeans to the America to share the Dream. Britain was the first to go through the disruption of the Industrial Revolution, and British Technology was the model for the United States. The U.S. looked to Britain for "lessons learned" on canal, railroad, and factory technology. All over the country, enclaves of technology sprang up, centered around the abundance of raw materials, or the availability of cheap power and transportation, enabled by streams and rivers. The elements required for a successful technology venture in the Industrial Revolution were: raw materials, labor, capital, technological expertise, and transportation. The cost of transportation touches all the other aspects. In England, a good canal network allowed raw materials to be shipped for processing, or product such as pig iron to be shipped to users from an area where the material was abundant. Capital began to accumulate when manufacturing of goods on a large scale became possible. Capitalism, with wages, attracted large numbers of laborers to factory's and mines. Finally, a small cadre of engineers and practitioners made continuous improvements in processes and machinery. A master ironsmith was worth his weight in gold, because he could apply the processes and co-ordinate the labor to produce the desired products. Wales became the major supplier of iron making expertise. England became the major supplier of Capital. Europe became the major supplier of cheap labor. In New England, the Manufacturing centers such as Lowell in Massachusetts were built near streams. Facilities in New York used water powered hammers and blowing engines to produce machine parts from iron ore. The technology fed on itself. These machines were shipped by ocean-going sailing ships, shallow draft riverboats, and canal boats to remote locations where raw materials were plentiful. The Industrial Revolution pulled itself up by its own bootstraps - It enabled the cheaper transportation and more widespread distribution of not only capital goods, but also the means to produce capital goods. The earliest industrial activities in Maryland occurred in the East, and near water. In colonial times, raw materials were exported to England. Maryland exported pig iron. After Independence, the States controlled the manufacturing ventures, providing them with charters, the right to exclusive use of a stream of water, and the right to build roads across others' property. The artery for commerce was water. Massive amounts of trees were cut to keep the furnaces going. Since the finished product, pigs of iron, were heavy, the need for proximity to water transportation was obvious. The industry's developed where the raw materials were in close proximity to port facility's. In the Western end of the State, vast beds of coal and iron lay waiting to be exploited. The iron furnace facility at Lonaconing used coke from coal), not charcoal as an advance in technology. But Lonaconing suffered from a transportation problem, which would be solved too late to matter. The coke furnace technology made its way to Mount Savage, where the first iron rail in the US was made. Later 100 locomotives would roll out of the Shops.

This book is an introduction to Cubesats, those popular and relatively inexpensive modular spacecraft that are upending the aerospace world. They have been built and deployed by colleges and Universities around the world, as well as high schools and elementary schools, even individuals. This is because Cubesats are modular, standard, and relatively low cost. The expensive part is the launch, but that is addressed by launch fixtures compatible with essentially ever launch on the planet. Although you may not have much of a choice in the orbit.Student Cubesat Projects are usually open source, may be world-wide in scope, and collaborative.At the same time, professionals in aerospace have not failed to consider the Cubesat architecture as an alternative for small-sat missions. This can reduce costs by one or two orders of magnitude. There are Cubesats on the International Space Station, and these can be returned to Earth on a resupply mission. There is a large "cottage industry' developed around the Cubesat architecture, addressing "professional" projects with space-rated hardware. NASA itself has developed Cubesat hardware (Pi-Sat) and Software (cfs).Cubesats are modular, built to a standard, and mostly open-source. The downside is, approximately 50% of Cubesat missions fail. We hope to point out some approaches to improve this. If you define and implement your own Cubesat mission, or work as a team member on a larger project, this book presents and points to information that will be valuable. Even if you never get your own Cubesat to orbit, you can be a valuable addition to a Cubesat or larger aerospace project. Shortly, two NASA Cubesats will be heading to Mars. The unique Cubesat architecture introduces a new Paradigm for exploring the many elements of our Solar System. Best of luck on your mission.

This book discusses the application of Cubesats in the exploration of our solar systems. Including the Sun, the eight primary planets and Pluto, many moons, the asteroid belt, comets, and the ring systems of the four gas giants, there is a lot to explore. Although the planets (and Pluto) have been visited by spacecraft, Earth's moon has been somewhat explored, and many of the other planets' moons have been imaged, there is a lot of "filling in the blanks" to be done. Here we examine the application of swarms of small independent spacecraft to take on this role. Some of the enabling technology's for cooperating swarms is examined. Almost every Cubesat sent into space to this point has gone into Earth orbit, and is either there still, or has reentered the atmosphere. It's a big solar system, and there's a lot we don't know about it. Additionally, all Cubesats have launched as ride-along payloads. There are two approaches for using Cubesats for exploration away from Earth. One uses the demonstrated technology of solar sailing, and missions using this approach are being implemented. Another uses a large carrier-mothership, loaded with hundreds or Cubesats. This is sent to a destination. achieves orbit, and dispenses the Cubesats, providing a communications link with Earth. JPL is postulating this type of mission in the 2020's. They baseline a dormant cruise duration of 100-2200 days, followed by a Cubesat life of 1-7 days. Prior to that, the most likely scenario is a traditional exploration mission with some tag-along Cubesats. The next step beyond that is to make a swarm of Cubesats the primary payload.

This book is an introduction to Cubesats, those popular and relatively inexpensive modular spacecraft that are upending the aerospace world. They have been built and deployed by colleges and Universities around the world, as well as high schools and elementary schools, even individuals. This is because Cubesats are modular, standard, and relatively low cost. The expensive part is the launch, but that is addressed by launch fixtures compatible with essentially ever launch on the planet. Although you may not have much of a choice in the orbit.At Capitol Technology University, where the author teaches, there is an ongoing Cubesat Project that will receive a free launch from NASA in late 2017, based on an open competition.Student Cubesat Projects are usually open source, may be world-wide in scope, and collaborative.At the same time, professionals in aerospace have not failed to consider the Cubesat architecture as an alternative for small-sat missions. This can reduce costs by one or two orders of magnitude. There are Cubesats on the International Space Station, and these can be returned to Earth on a resupply mission. There is a large "cottage industry' developed around the Cubesat architecture, addressing "professional" projects with space-rated hardware. NASA itself has developed Cubesat hardware (Pi-Sat) and Software (cfs).Cubesats are modular, built to a standard, and mostly open-source. The downside is, approximately 50% of Cubesat missions fail. We hope to point out some approaches to improve this. If you define and implement your own Cubesat mission, or work as a team member on a larger project, this book presents and points to information that will be valuable. Even if you never get your own Cubesat to orbit, you can be a valuable addition to a Cubesat or larger aerospace project. Shortly, two NASA Cubesats will be heading to Mars. The unique Cubesat architecture introduces a new Paradigm for exploring the many elements of our Solar System. Best of luck on your mission.

At the moment, it is easy to get money to search for exoplanets. Congress has mandated NASA to do just that. They are to: "acquire an improved understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve, including better descriptions of planetary system architectures, compositions, and environments. Second, they need to learn enough about exoplanets to make informed predictions about habitability, and to make meaningful searches of alien life in distant star systems." Key questions are, is life unique to Earth or is it pervasive throughout the Universe? Are all the forms of life basically the same, or do they differ? Did life on Earth get started from non-biological sources, or were we "contaminated" from space.

This is a book on energy storage. Most electrical energy is AC, and is used when generated. Direct current is stored in battery, but there is no such things as an AC battery. There are other ways to store the energy, tho. Solar cells only produce electricity during the day, and we might need there energy at night. Hydro power system generate power when there is a sufficient amount of water flow. Nuclear plants generate power as needed. Power from geothermal wells is generally available 24x7.

This book covers the topic of Deep Space Mission, using Cubesats. By Deep Space, we mean Jupiter and beyond, but we will present a case for the Asteroid Belt as well. The core concept here is, there is strength in numbers. Rather than sending one or two explorers, we will suggest sending 1,000.NASA, particularly Jet Propulsion Lab, is defining new approaches to exploration away from Earth's neighborhood, utilizing Cubesat technology. Many missions using solar sails are being considered, and the technology has been demonstrated. Up to this point, the application of Cubesats for interplanetary exploration has been approached by building bigger, more robust Cubesats. Later, we will discuss another approach involving standard launch vehicles, carrying large numbers of Cubesats.

This books describes the history and future of Cubesats, a paradigm shift in space exploration. As of this writing, some 1,200 units have been launched. There are major Cubesat Programs at NASA, ESA, and the Indian Space Research Organization. ISRO set the record for the most Cubesats launched on a single rocket, 104. The STMSat-1 cubesat was launched from the International Space Station in December of 2015. It had been built by students of the Saint Thomas More grade school in Arlington, Va. The three year project went to the ISS in December of 2015, and was deployed to orbit from there. From University defined, low cost satellites, the Cubesat concept is widely having an impact on the way we do exploring in space. The have been to the Moon and Mars. They are small, but mighty, and produce cost savings not only due to their size, but also their modularity. They are, essentially off-the-shelf platforms that can host a wide variety of instruments, and just wait until you see the collection of cooperating units doing science.

In 1736, Peter Studebaker brought his family to the United States. He bought land and settled in Hagerstown, Maryland, and constructed an iron furnace, and wagon works. He had a good working knowledge of iron production, and applied it in his adopted country. He also knew some tricks on wood preservation. In Eastern Pennsylvania, a farmer's wagon industry developed. As farmers moved further west, they needed a good wagon to carry their families and possessions, and then to work the farm. This resulted in the Conestoga wagon, and the Prairie Schooner, two very different designs. The diversity of working trucks today was reflected in the diversity of wagons back then. After gold was discovered in California, a huge migration of American headed west to seek their fortunes. Many farming families went west for cheap farmlands. With the coming off the transcontinental railroad, freight wagons were needed for the "final mile" delivery. Stage coaches carried the mail, and business pass angers. In town, the doctor kept a single horse buggy for patient calls.

This book talks about the coming exploitation of the moon for materials and manufacturing. This has a lot of precedents in things like the California and Alaskan gold rushes. There is a need for infrastructure on the lunar surface, and that is in the design phase. Major challenges remain in who owns what, and conflicts can be expected. All in all, an exciting time is coming. What we learn on the moon, we can mostly apply on Mars. And, why stop there?With Commercial firms involved and interested in mining the moon and asteroids, Earth will have to develop more complex "Space Law" to address who owns what and who benefits. In the past, the new frontiers, America, the Yukon, the "West" were mostly wild and ungoverned, at least at first. Hopefully, we will think this thing through, so no corporation or Nation-state will be able to enrich themselves, at the cost of others. This involves interpretation od the Outer Space Treaty, signed by most nations. Of particular interest are sites on the lunar surface with resources that could be mined, areas of total or no sunlight. Looks like we will need a legal cadre to sort out the details. But, there is some precedent in Antarctica. What is the most valuable thing on the moon? Well, if you want something light weight that is worth bringing back to Earth, that wuld be Helium-3, of use in a new generation of fusion reactors that would be less costly, and much less dangerous. Probably the next thing would be water, and we would use that in-situ both for greenhouses, but also cracked down, with solar power, to its constituent hydrogen and oxygen. That's rocket fuel, good for the return trip, or for going out further. That's rocket fuel that doesn't have to be carried up from Earth by...more rocket fuel. Also, the oxygen supply for lunar bases could come from local sources, until we get the Greenhouses going. There's always a need for spare oxygen.

This book covers the topic of rocket planes that are launched to orbit, and return to a runway landing. The most common examples are the Space Shuttle and the X-15. The work on rocket planes began in Germany before World War-II, and resulted in operation squadrons, too little, too late. In the United States and Russia, research into the trans-sonic and hypersonic regions continued, with a series of rocket plans and their pilots. The most known examples are the Bell X-1 and the X-15. Spaceplanes can provide crew and logistics support to the International Space Station.