#cryobots

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA ocean world explorers have to swim before they can fly

When NASA's Europa Clipper reaches its destination in 2030, the spacecraft will prepare to aim an array of powerful science instruments toward Jupiter's moon Europa during 49 flybys, looking for signs that the ocean beneath the moon's icy crust could sustain life.

While the spacecraft, which launched Oct. 14, carries the most advanced science hardware NASA has ever sent to the outer solar system, teams are already developing the next generation of robotic concepts that could potentially plunge into the watery depths of Europa and other ocean worlds, taking the science even further.

This is where an ocean-exploration mission concept called SWIM comes in. Short for Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers, the project envisions a swarm of dozens of self-propelled, cellphone-size swimming robots that—once delivered to a subsurface ocean by an ice-melting cryobot—would zoom off, looking for chemical and temperature signals that could indicate life.

"People might ask, why is NASA developing an underwater robot for space exploration? It's because there are places we want to go in the solar system to look for life, and we think life needs water. So we need robots that can explore those environments—autonomously, hundreds of millions of miles from home," said Ethan Schaler, principal investigator for SWIM at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Under development at JPL, a series of prototypes for the SWIM concept recently braved the waters of a 25-yard (23-meter) competition swimming pool at Caltech in Pasadena for testing. The results were encouraging.

SWIM practice

The SWIM team's latest iteration is a 3D-printed plastic prototype that relies on low-cost, commercially made motors and electronics. Pushed along by two propellers, with four flaps for steering, the prototype demonstrated controlled maneuvering, the ability to stay on and correct its course, and a back-and-forth "lawn mower" exploration pattern. It managed all of this autonomously, without the team's direct intervention. The robot even spelled out "J-P-L."

Just in case the robot needed rescuing, it was attached to a fishing line, and an engineer toting a fishing rod trotted alongside the pool during each test. Nearby, a colleague reviewed the robot's actions and sensor data on a laptop. The team completed more than 20 rounds of testing various prototypes at the pool and in a pair of tanks at JPL.

"It's awesome to build a robot from scratch and see it successfully operate in a relevant environment," Schaler said. "Underwater robots in general are very hard, and this is just the first in a series of designs we'd have to work through to prepare for a trip to an ocean world. But it's proof that we can build these robots with the necessary capabilities and begin to understand what challenges they would face on a subsurface mission."

Swarm science

The wedge-shaped prototype used in most of the pool tests was about 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) long, weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms). As conceived for spaceflight, the robots would have dimensions about three times smaller—tiny compared to existing remotely operated and autonomous underwater scientific vehicles. The palm-size swimmers would feature miniaturized, purpose-built parts and employ a novel wireless underwater acoustic communication system for transmitting data and triangulating their positions.

Digital versions of these little robots got their own test, not in a pool but in a computer simulation. In an environment with the same pressure and gravity they would likely encounter on Europa, a virtual swarm of 5-inch-long (12-centimeter-long) robots repeatedly went looking for potential signs of life. The computer simulations helped determine the limits of the robots' abilities to collect science data in an unknown environment, and they led to the development of algorithms that would enable the swarm to explore more efficiently.

The simulations also helped the team better understand how to maximize science return while accounting for tradeoffs between battery life (up to two hours), the volume of water the swimmers could explore (about 3 million cubic feet, or 86,000 cubic meters), and the number of robots in a single swarm (a dozen, sent in four to five waves).

In addition, a team of collaborators at Georgia Tech in Atlanta fabricated and tested an ocean composition sensor that would enable each robot to simultaneously measure temperature, pressure, acidity or alkalinity, conductivity, and chemical makeup. Just a few millimeters square, the chip is the first to combine all those sensors in one tiny package.

Of course, such an advanced concept would require several more years of work, among other things, to be ready for a possible future flight mission to an icy moon. In the meantime, Schaler imagines SWIM robots potentially being further developed to do science work right here at home: supporting oceanographic research or taking critical measurements underneath polar ice.

A prototype of a robot designed to explore subsurface oceans of icy moons is reflected in the water’s surface during a pool test at Caltech in September. Conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the testing showed the feasibility of a mission concept for a swarm of mini swimming robots. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A model of the final envisioned SWIM robot, right, sits beside a capsule holding an ocean-composition sensor. The sensor was tested on an Alaskan glacier in July 2023 through a JPL-led project called ORCAA (Ocean Worlds Reconnaissance and Characterization of Astrobiological Analogs). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[cryobotart]

~CryoBot

[awaisdilshadme-blog]

NASA plans to send robots to drill into icy moons of other planets

NASA has developed a roadmap to address key challenges in developing robotic systems that can explore icy moons with oceans of water, crack open their thick icy shells, and explore underground oceans in search of life. The space agency recently announced the results of a NASA-sponsored workshop held in February that brought together scientists and engineers to discuss the possibility of a "cryobot" mission. Scientists aim to break through the icy exteriors of the solar system's moons, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa, and drop probes there to analyze the liquid oceans beneath. The cryobot concept that scientists are seeking to explore is similar to drilling a world and involves the use of a cylindrical device that is sent to the surface of an icy ocean world. The device is expected to melt the ice and slowly slide down as water flows around it and refreezes. These probes, which use "thermal drilling" technology, are often used to study glaciers and ice sheets on Earth. However, the ice shells of Europa and Enceladus are colder and thicker, making behavioral patterns in these locations less predictable.

Read more:

[sunaleisocial]

NASA Ocean World Explorers Have to Swim Before They Can Fly - NASA

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/nasa-ocean-world-explorers-have-to-swim-before-they-can-fly-nasa/

NASA Ocean World Explorers Have to Swim Before They Can Fly - NASA

In a competition swimming pool, engineers tested prototypes for a futuristic mission concept: a swarm of underwater robots that could look for signs of life on ocean worlds.

When NASA’s Europa Clipper reaches its destination in 2030, the spacecraft will prepare to aim an array of powerful science instruments toward Jupiter’s moon Europa during 49 flybys, looking for signs that the ocean beneath the moon’s icy crust could sustain life. While the spacecraft, which launched Oct. 14, carries the most advanced science hardware NASA has ever sent to the outer solar system, teams are already developing the next generation of robotic concepts that could potentially plunge into the watery depths of Europa and other ocean worlds, taking the science even further.

This is where an ocean-exploration mission concept called SWIM comes in. Short for Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers, the project envisions a swarm of dozens of self-propelled, cellphone-size swimming robots that, once delivered to a subsurface ocean by an ice-melting cryobot, would zoom off, looking for chemical and temperature signals that could indicate life.

[embedded content]

Dive into underwater robotics testing with NASA’s futuristic SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers) concept for a swarm of miniature robots to explore subsurface oceans on icy worlds, and see a JPL team testing a prototype at a pool at Caltech in Pasadena, California, in September 2024. NASA/JPL-Caltech

“People might ask, why is NASA developing an underwater robot for space exploration? It’s because there are places we want to go in the solar system to look for life, and we think life needs water. So we need robots that can explore those environments — autonomously, hundreds of millions of miles from home,” said Ethan Schaler, principal investigator for SWIM at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Under development at JPL, a series of prototypes for the SWIM concept recently braved the waters of a 25-yard (23-meter) competition swimming pool at Caltech in Pasadena for testing. The results were encouraging.

SWIM Practice

The SWIM team’s latest iteration is a 3D-printed plastic prototype that relies on low-cost, commercially made motors and electronics. Pushed along by two propellers, with four flaps for steering, the prototype demonstrated controlled maneuvering, the ability to stay on and correct its course, and a back-and-forth “lawnmower” exploration pattern. It managed all of this autonomously, without the team’s direct intervention. The robot even spelled out “J-P-L.”

Just in case the robot needed rescuing, it was attached to a fishing line, and an engineer toting a fishing rod trotted alongside the pool during each test. Nearby, a colleague reviewed the robot’s actions and sensor data on a laptop. The team completed more than 20 rounds of testing various prototypes at the pool and in a pair of tanks at JPL.

“It’s awesome to build a robot from scratch and see it successfully operate in a relevant environment,” Schaler said. “Underwater robots in general are very hard, and this is just the first in a series of designs we’d have to work through to prepare for a trip to an ocean world. But it’s proof that we can build these robots with the necessary capabilities and begin to understand what challenges they would face on a subsurface mission.”

Swarm Science

The wedge-shaped prototype used in most of the pool tests was about 16.5 inches (42 centimeters) long, weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms). As conceived for spaceflight, the robots would have dimensions about three times smaller — tiny compared to existing remotely operated and autonomous underwater scientific vehicles. The palm-size swimmers would feature miniaturized, purpose-built parts and employ a novel wireless underwater acoustic communication system for transmitting data and triangulating their positions.

Digital versions of these little robots got their own test, not in a pool but in a computer simulation. In an environment with the same pressure and gravity they would likely encounter on Europa, a virtual swarm of 5-inch-long (12-centimeter-long) robots repeatedly went looking for potential signs of life. The computer simulations helped determine the limits of the robots’ abilities to collect science data in an unknown environment, and they led to the development of algorithms that would enable the swarm to explore more efficiently.

The simulations also helped the team better understand how to maximize science return while accounting for tradeoffs between battery life (up to two hours), the volume of water the swimmers could explore (about 3 million cubic feet, or 86,000 cubic meters), and the number of robots in a single swarm (a dozen, sent in four to five waves).

In addition, a team of collaborators at Georgia Tech in Atlanta fabricated and tested an ocean composition sensor that would enable each robot to simultaneously measure temperature, pressure, acidity or alkalinity, conductivity, and chemical makeup. Just a few millimeters square, the chip is the first to combine all those sensors in one tiny package.

Of course, such an advanced concept would require several more years of work, among other things, to be ready for a possible future flight mission to an icy moon. In the meantime, Schaler imagines SWIM robots potentially being further developed to do science work right here at home: supporting oceanographic research or taking critical measurements underneath polar ice.

More About SWIM

Caltech manages JPL for NASA. JPL’s SWIM project was supported by Phase I and II funding from NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program under the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The program nurtures visionary ideas for space exploration and aerospace by funding early-stage studies to evaluate technologies that could transform future NASA missions. Researchers across U.S. government, industry, and academia can submit proposals.

News Media Contact

Melissa Pamer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 626-314-4928 melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov

2024-162

[xxxtyty]

Euphoria Class Cryobot Initialization

[michaelgabrill]

Digging Deeper to Find Life on Ocean Worlds

In February 2023, researchers from around the country gathered at a NASA-sponsored workshop to discuss the latest developments and a roadmap for a cryobot mission concept to drill through the icy crusts of Europa and Enceladus and search for life. from NASA https://ift.tt/JrucNO3

[dropsofsciences]

Cryobots

A new generation of robots called 'cryobots' are prepared to explore subsurface ocean worlds in our solar system for signs of extraterrestrial life. The term came from the Keck Institute for Space Studies report in 2017 which examined the possibiity of their exploration with the current technical means. The largest challenge for the cryobot is to operate in very cold temperatures, below 0 C and to then dig to get access to the oceans below the icy surfaces while keeping on communicating with an orbiting satellite. Two of the solar system moons, Europa and Enceladus are the focus of subsurface ocean worlds that the space agencies aim to send cryobots to. There is already a mission in preparation with a lander for Europa that would excavate up to 10 cm through the water icy crust. But recently the moon of Neptune Triton gained renewed interest among the scientific community as a subsurface ocean world. We have not visited Triton since the Voyager 2 mission in 1989. Since then we found that it is geologically active, exhibitting geysers and a crust of Nitrogen. Therefore a potential cryobot for this body would have to dig through not water ice but nitrogen ice. For now and for the coming decade the studies for cryobots are continuing and they are tested in the polar regions of our planet before they meet with our solar system's exotic ices.

Image Credit: Krajewski et al. JPL. AbScicon 2019, ICEE-2 project for a lander on Europa.

Sources: https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/02-AbsSciCon-Mission-Overview-13Jun2019-no-BU.pdf https://oceanworlds.space/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/07/Ocean-Worlds-Exploration-and-the-Search-for-Life.pdf https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/neptune-moons/triton/in-depth/ https://d2pn8kiwq2w21t.cloudfront.net/documents/03-ICEE2-Overview-at-AbSciCon-2019-Krajewski.pdf

[cailuongvietnam]

NASA tiết lộ bầy robot "sứ giả" đi gặp sinh vật ngoài hành tinh

NASA tiết lộ bầy robot “sứ giả” đi gặp sinh vật ngoài hành tinh

CafeSo.Net –  Đó là dự án đứng đầu bởi kỹ sư cơ khí Ethan Schaler từ Phòng thí nghiệm sức đẩy phản lực (JPL) của NASA, người có ý tưởng đầu tiên về SWIM – những robot nhỏ bé, biết bơi và mang cảm biến siêu nhạy. Ảnh đồ họa mô tả cryobot đang thả các SWIM xuống đại dương ngoài hành tinh – (Ảnh: JPL-NASA) Theo SciTech Daily, sau giai đoạn I của dự án với khoản tài trợ 125.000 USD từ quỹ Các ý tưởng…

[cryobotart]

CryoBot! (Video Games Edition)

[nailatem]

#craftbeer @laquincebrewwild Cryobot (en Cádiz) https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_lQd4BR0n/?igshid=z5vhzz5xd6m0

[rainydawgradioblog]

Shick’s Cosmic Wasteland - May 1st

Hello and welcome to the third installment of Shick’s Cosmic Blog! As always I hope I can turn your ears towards something you didn’t know you needed.

The first thing that grabbed my attention this week was the EP Shadow Expert by Palm, specifically the opener “Walkie Talkie”. Beginning with a bold clash of syncopated rhythms bombarding both ears back and forth, this opener really sets the tone for your journey with Palm. Their approach to math rock is really something I always look for but very rarely find. It takes the building-beauty-from-dissonance trope of early innovators while applying completely new sounds at breakneck pace. It’s busy music without feeling forced and the arrangement of these bouncing syncopated riffs always creates a hypnotizing groove that just makes you want to get up and dance. Luckily they are a relatively new group, with this EP being released in 2017 and a full length released in 2018, so we should be hearing more from them going forward. Favorite Tracks: “Walkie Talkie” and “Trying”.

Stumbling across Palm had me searching for other music that really tapped into that same energy, and I ended up listening back to the self titled debut by Women. The song “Shaking Hand” provides a similar - if not even better experience. It’s another mathy track focused on the interaction of guitar and vocal melody. What impresses me about arrangements like this is how simpler vocal melodies can sit over twisting guitar lines set atop an odd measure. The vocals keep the flow grounded as the rest of the band races on in the background and it brings a form of cohesion often lost in busier math rock. It is so masterfully written too, with subtle and beautiful variations on the main riff with the occasional drum refrain and closing with a transcendent buildup and concluding riff. The rest of the album is a joy to listen to as well, stretching into noiser, ambient arrangements, and breathing new life into older psychedelic rock tropes. Favorite Tracks: “Cameras”, “Shaking Hand”, and “January 8th”.

Finishing out the week I gave another listen to one of my favorite albums. Ice Shit by Lago Vostok, while boasting a laughably bad title, is still intriguing after every new listen. It attempts to mimic the atmosphere of Antarctica, creating a sound that is both desolate and very, very cold. The songs are again slightly math oriented but now with the dissonance turned up to the max. The drums roll onward in a tribal fashion as the guitars and heavily distorted bass bring you deeper and deeper into the frigid depths. Just before the explosive finale, the song “Antarctic Plateau” will slow you down and provide a contemplative and emotional moment. The entire album is filled with new sounds and unique ideas and my only wish is that it was a little longer. The pacing is strong but it is still only 7 songs clocking in at only 23 minutes. I impatiently wait for more music from Italy’s finest antarctic connoisseurs. Favorite Tracks: “Dome C”, “Antarctic Plateau”, and “Cryobot”.

I’ll leave you with one last track; “Tobacco” by Girl Pusher off of Groceries EP 2. Featuring ferocious vocals and groovy, post-apocalyptic electronics, this track is sure to surprise in the best way possible. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. See you next week!

[spdcadetsandcrew]

Two muns in SPD land

@tuggeriisms inspired partially by your mun play threads and partially by my own randomness

“Key?”

“Hm?”

“Weren’t we supposed to be meeting Tsuki-mun at the convention?”

“Yep.”

“Then why are we surrounded by cryobots?”

“Maybe it’s the SPD experience?” Key suggested. “Any minute now, SPD’s gonna come save us.”

“Or they would, if they weren’t dealing with that giant robot over there.”

Key squeaked. “Oh dear.”

“We’re screwed-wait, are there any trash can lids around here?”

“Why trash can lids?”

“Power Rangers 101, you get attacked by something and you’re powerless, you use a trash can.”

“Oh yeah! Nope.”

“I don’t suppose you know martial arts, Key? Hiding an inner badass?”

“’Fraid not.”

“We’re screwed.”

“Yep.”

While the two unfortunate muns were pondering this point, a red and silver blur appeared, pretty much decimating the crybots.

“Well Key, I’d say that was pretty convenient.”

“I’ll say.”

The red and silver figure paused to look at them and murmured, “Power down,” revealing Charlie.”

“We’re saved! It’s Charlie!” Key said.

“I don’t remember her being this ranger though. Do you think it’s my Charlie or the show’s Charlie? Because if it’s the latter we’re screwed...”

“Are you two all right?” Charlie chose to ignore the two’s strange chatter. “You should be more careful. Anybody hurt?”

“No,” both chorused.

“I think this one’s yours,” Key whispered.

“Yes! We’re saved! Key, remind me to write this version of her in if we get out of this.”

“Kay. You think we can meet Bridge and Sky?”

“Oh I hope so. I wanna hug em.”

“Which one?”

“Both! Just not at the same time. We don’t want to overwhelm poor Bridge.”

“That’s true.”

[billiejeannooneslover]

The cadet and the ‘criminal’: SPD Jamie and Kai

Drabble with Jamie and Kai set in SPD verse, featuring Sky.

“Stop thief!”

It wasn’t her job, but Jamie took off after the thieves anyway. “Freeze! SPD!” She  had no badge, and didn’t even have the authority technically-but she doubted anyone would complain unless she failed miserably.

When she caught up to the thieves, they’d toss whatever they were carrying at the member who was lagging the farthest behind. He’d catch it and trip, and let out a little cry of frustration.

“Hey...you okay?” Jamie immediately stopped the chase and paused to help the other up.

“A-a-re you gonna take me in?” He stammered. “I don’t wanna go to jail, they might hurt me and I don’t want to be hurt.” Even with the gloves Bridge had given her it was plain to see he was terrified.

“I have to,” she said quietly. “But if you go in without fighting and admit you’ve done wrong, they’ll go easy on you.”

“I didn’t even steal it,,” He whined. “They made me come as lookout and then blamed me like they always do...I don’t care about a package for SPD.”

“That’s for SPD?”

“Y-y-yeah, but I don’t know what it is.”

“I think if you’re the one to give it back, they’ll go easy on you.”

“But if everyone else finds out I gave it to them they’ll hurt me,” he whined.

“SPD won’t let anyone hurt you,” Jamie soothed. He didn’t seem like a criminal at all; if he was, he was one hell of an actor.

“I dunno-” he started to reply and then screamed. Cryobots had suddenly surrounded them, apparently wanting the package as well.

“Great,” Jamie muttered. “Stay back!”

“I wish I could!”

Thankfully Jamie was a third generation martial artist and paid attention in training-though even in spite of that, it probably helped that there weren’t half as many as the rangers usually faced. Several destroyed bots later, she’d move to help up her cowering charge in the corner.

“A-are they gone?”

“Yeah, they’re gone.”

He’d then proceed to fling himself at Jamie, package in hand, and cling to her. “D-don’t let them get me,” he whined.

“No one’s going to get you,” she said, patting him soothingly. “Come on, let’s go back to SPD.”

They’d end up walking back like that. Jamie didn’t show any signs of feeling rather silly; her dad had told her that her grandmother had had panic attacks sometimes, and that it was nothing to make fun of. By the time they reached SPD headquarters, Jamie’s charge had stopped clinging to her, but he was still hiding behind her.

The first person she spotted was Sky. It probably would have been better for her charge’s sake if it had been Bridge, but it would have to do. “Sir,” she said.

“Yes, cadet?”

“I’ve apprehended a thief. He was part of a gang trying to steal this package meant for SPD.”

Jamie’s charge would step forward cautiously, and offer the package in question. “I’m s-s-sorry,” he said. “I didn’t want to; the others made me help.”

“No one makes you steal,” Sky said. “That’s something you decide on your own.” He’d take out his judgment device. “You’re under arrest.”

Before he could open it, however, Jamie said, “Wait sir; I don’t think he’s the true culprit here. Besides, he’s really sorry.”

“Cadet, they’re all sorry when we catch them, and they’re all afraid of being caught,” Sky explained, as if talking to a small child.

“Sir, do you know what fear is?”

“Of course I know what fear is.”

“You said that they’re all afraid of being caught. I assume that includes being afraid of being judged, correct?”

“Correct. Is there a point to this discussion, cadet?”

“There is, sir. Would you say there’s a difference between fear of being caught and, say, sheer terror? Something that makes you so afraid that you panic or want to run away screaming?”

Sky thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. “I’d say so, yes, but one doesn’t see terror from criminals.”

“The world isn’t black and white sir,” Jamie replied. She’d hold up a gloved hand. “Has Bridge made you aware that he and I have something in common?”

“He did mention it, yes.”

“I’m not as skilled as he is,” Jamie replied, “and I imagine I never will be. But I can feel when someone’s really afraid or angry. Now watch.” She’d take off a glove and just lightly touch her charge on the shoulder.

It was a good thing she couldn’t see images; the fear alone radiated off him in waves. Jamie wanted to jerk her hand away but couldn’t; it was frozen. She’d let out a strangled cry and moan, and finally it would be Sky that jerked her back.

“Terror,” she gasped out. “He’s...terrified. “Not just of us...of everything. “ And then she’d faint.

[aiaalalv]

Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion by Joseph A Sholtis Jr, LtCol,USAF(Ret)

(May 22, 2021) Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion by Joseph A Sholtis Jr, LtCol,USAF(Ret) RSVP and Information: https://conta.cc/3gS7OTJ "Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion" by Joseph A Sholtis Jr, LtCol,USAF(Ret) Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting AIAA LA-LV e-Town Hall Meeting May 22, 2021, 10 AM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)(US & Canada) This presentation will address, using figures, photos & videos, the notable 60-year history of the development & use of nuclear systems for power, heating, and propulsion in space -- principally by the U.S., but also briefly by the former Soviet Union & Russia. U.S. space nuclear systems, as well as nuclear-powered/heated space missions flown, will be illustrated & described, along with major discoveries gleened; and future nuclear systems, along with their potential space applications, will be briefly depicted and addressed. Joseph A. Sholtis, Jr., LtCol, USAF (Ret) Colonel Sholtis is the Owner & Chief Engineer of Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting, providing expert nuclear, aerospace & systems engineering consulting services to government, national laboratories, academia, and private industry since 1993, He founded his company immediately upon retiring from the Air Force after a distinguished 23-year military career. Colonel Sholtis has broad technical & programmatic experience in all life-cycle aspects of advanced nuclear energy technologies & systems for space, missile & unique terrestrial applications. Forty years of his 50-year career to date have involved space nuclear power & propulsion technologies, systems, programs & missions. He is internationally recognized as an expert in space nuclear systems, their safety & reliability, and assessment of the risks associated with their validation testing, launch & in-space use. He also has extensive experience in program & technical project management, to include serving as Program Manager of the $700M joint DoD/DOE/NASA SP-100 space reactor power system development effort at DOE HQ for the Strategic Defense Initiative, as well as leading, conducting & assessing numerous studies, analyses, evaluations & reports, and presenting the results to middle & top management within DoD, NASA, DOE, NRC, EPA, the National Academies, the Administration (White House), Congress & the United Nations. He has been Involved in every U.S. space nuclear system development since 1974, and every U.S. nuclear-powered or heated space mission launched since 1975 -- a total of 15 missions: Viking I & II, Lincoln Experimental Satellites 8 & 9, Voyager I & II, Galileo, Ulysses, Mars Pathfinder "Sojourner" rover, Cassini, Mars Exploration Rovers A & B "Spirit" & "Opportunity" rovers, New Horizons-Pluto, Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" rover & the Mars 2020 "Perseverance" rover. Currently, he is supporting the advancement of radioisotope and fission power systems for future space use; including conceptual design options for a new radioisotope heat source using Pu-238 oxide microsphere particle fuel, for a Jet Propulsion Laboratory cryobot concept (to penetrate the ice sheets of Europa or Enceladus, and explore their liquid oceans beneath in the future). He recently completed participation in a 1-year National Academies' Committee study of 'Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies' for NASA cargo missions and a first crewed mission to Mars in the 2030s. He is a former NRC-licensed Senior Reactor Operator; Reactor Facility Director; Director of the USAF Nuclear Regulatory Authority; and an inventor, who conceived of and advanced Pu-238 oxide coated particle fuel & fuel forms, to improve the design, integration, performance & safety of future radioisotope heat sources & power systems for space and remote terrestrial applications. He received a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State in 1970, an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1977, and completed PhD coursework in Nuclear Engineering, also from UNM, in 1980. He also holds Graduate Certificates in Systems Safety, System Safety Management, Systems Engineering, and Program Management from various institutions. He has received numerous awards from the White House, USAF, DOE, NASA, Sandia National Laboratories, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a biographee in several Who's Who publications, including Who's Who in America. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, a member of the AIAA Aerospace Power Systems Technical Committee & the Albuquerque Section of AIAA. For more info, including his Resumé & List of 120+ Publications, go to: https://www.sites.google.com/site/SholtisEngineering Disclaimer: The views of the speakers do not represent the views of AIAA or the AIAA Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section. Dr. Ken Lui, Events/Program Chair, LA AIAA Los Angeles - Las Vegas Section https://aiaa-lalv.org, events.aiaalalv@gmail.com Read the full article

[billiejeannooneslover]

Frustrations

Continued SPD Jamie drabble from Keep Away. Featuring Kameron and Matt, and comforting leader Sky.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Kameron asked. They were in the middle of a training simulation. He’d lost count of just how many would-be cryobots they’d smashed.

“No one is supposed to use the simulator alone,” Jamie replied. “We’re not breaking the rules.”

“I like bashing heads just as much as the next guy,” Matt insisted, “but even I know we’re technically supposed to have one of the rangers, the commander, or Dr. Manx supervising.”

“Just shut up and fight,” Jamie growled. “Are we the grandchildren of rangers or not?”

“Jamie why don’t we stop this and you tell us what’s really bothering you,” Kameron said. “Does it have something to do with your Bridge gloves being ripped?”

Jamie had, in fact, put the gloves back on after she’d retrieved them. “Just because I got them from Bridge doesn’t make them my fucking-oh, never mind!” She smashed another bot and charged forward again.

“Whoa,” Matt and Kameron said.  Jamie never cursed. She was also never this snappy.

“Um, Jamie? We’ve been at this for a couple of hours now and I was wondering if-” Kameron asked.

“NO!” Jamie snapped. She let out a growl of frustration when the simulation suddenly disappeared.

“Would someone like to tell me,” Sky said, “whose idea it was for you three to use the simulator without permission?” He didn’t look pleased, but Sky Tate rarely did look pleased around cadets.

“Um, we thought we should get some extra training,” Matt said.

“And um, we didn’t want to bother you, what with the rangers being so busy and all,” Kameron added. “Besides, the three of us make a pretty good team.”

“Be that as it may, if I catch the three of you near this without supervision again, I’ll give you something to challenge that desire for training of yours. Hart, Oliver, you’re dismissed.”

“But-” Kameron said. He was worried about Jamie, even if he didn’t know what was going on.

“I said dismissed, cadet!” Sky barked.

Kameron and Matt saluted and hurried off, but not before casting concerned glances Jamie’s way.

“Take a walk with me, cadet,” Sky said once they’d gone. His tone left no room for argument.

Jamie fell into step beside him. The tears that had gone away while she’d been in the simulator were threatening to come back again, and she turned her head, hoping that Sky, of all people, wouldn’t see. If she had to cry, why couldn’t it be around Bridge?

“You didn’t tell anyone, did you?” he asked. “Why? A team ought not to keep secrets from one another. It’s something I-all the rangers learn.”

“It’s not as if I didn’t try,” she said quietly. “There’s a lot of joking among the cadets, even those of us descended from rangers. We know all the stories, we know what SPD stands for, but there’s a lot of stuff that isn’t taken seriously until it...happens. Every time I tried to bring it up, someone would make a joke.”

“And after a while, they started thinking it was because of Bridge,” Sky finished.

“Yes sir. It’s not a lie; he was the one that gave me the gloves, after all. Anyway, I gave up trying to tell everyone  and just let them think I had a crush on him or something. Bridge is a great guy, so why the hell not?”

“Language, cadet,” Sky chided. But his mouth quirked in a half-smile nonetheless.

“Sorry sir,” she said quietly. “Anyway, once Bridge explained what was going on with me, and how the gloves would help, things got a lot better. No more headaches, no more getting sick when someone got angry, frustrated, or really afraid. It’s not that I mind helping people-I want to-but when the other cadet took off with my gloves-well, I panicked. I didn’t want to go through all that again. The migraines, the sickness-it was awful. I guess...I was scared. Scared and hurt and...”

“Powerless?” he asked. “You know, there are times when even rangers feel that way. But then I guess I don’t have to tell you that, given your family’s history.”

“I get that a lot,” she said. She sighed and paused outside a window. “Your grandfather was a ranger, so you must be..” She shook her head. “I’m proud of who I am. I imagine I got this empathy thing from Gramps..he could always tell when something was bothering his friends, Dad said. Everyone thinks I want to be Red Ranger like my dad and like you. I just want to be me, and maybe....no, it’s stupid.”

“Cadet-er, Jamie,” Sky said, trying to keep that authoritative tone out of his voice. “If it’s important to you, it’s not stupid.” He’d place a hand on her shoulder and glance at her with concern. “Is it something I can help with? It’s part of my job to look out for you.”

It was a standard answer, and the right one. In any other mood Jamie might have teased him about a standard textbook answer. In this mood, however, the tears that had been threatening to fall did, and she’d reluctantly turn her head his way. “I just want to know that I can be vulnerable sometimes,” she said. “After this glove thing, I wanted to find somewhere and cry, but then I thought no, I have to be tough, I’m Jason Scott’s granddaughter, so I dragged Matt and Kameron to the simulator. But at the same time I don’t like being tough all the time because even in this age if I ever want to get really close to someone, I can’t because guys don’t really want to be around a girl who can kick their ass-er, butt, do they?”

Sky blinked. He wasn’t exactly sure where to begin-but in the end, this was all about insecurities; something they all went through. “It’s hard to get close to someone,” he said finally. “There are certain expectations we all have of and for each other, and there’s always that concern that if you open up, someone will take advantage of it. But you shouldn’t be afraid to try. I know that’s easier said than done.”

“Tell me about it,” she snorted.

“You’re still young,” he went on. “I’d like to think I am too-I’m only a couple of years older than you.” He chuckled. “If there’s someone out there who’s so insecure that he’s afraid to get to know you due to your strengths, he’s not worth your time.”

“But sir, what if no one is?”

“I doubt that,” Sky said softly. He turned and moved his hand from her shoulder to her waist in a comforting gesture. It was something that, not long ago, he might not have been able to do for someone. “You just need to find the right one. Or ones. You can be close to someone without romance.”

“What’s that like?” Jamie wondered, tears forgotten for the moment. She’d lean into him, gazing up curiously.

“Why are you asking me?” Sky asked. His lips quirked in that half-smile again.

“You’re the experienced older man after all,” she teased.

“I am not!” Sky retorted. He could feel himself blushing. “I think there’s something in the handbook about teasing a superior officer.”

Jamie just smiled and leaned on his shoulder, momentarily closing her eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”