The Aerospace Corporation

Lunar magnetic field investigation connects the interior, the surface, and the space environment of the Moon. Measuring and understanding the lunar magnetic field at different length-scales and time-scales is of critical importance to understand the bulk water content and temperature profile in the lunar mantle, the existence and properties of a partial melt layer above the lunar core, the size of the lunar core, the origin of volatiles on the lunar surface, and the origin and properties of the past lunar dynamo, all of which are intimately connected to the origin of the Earth-Moon system and the subsequent thermal-chemical-environmental evolution of the Moon. The surface of the Moon, however, is a challenging environment, including contrasting temperatures between lunar day and lunar night, dust, and surface charging. Here we report our progress in the designing, building, and testing of a temperature-stabilized fluxgate magnetometer (FGM) system for long-term operations on the surface of the Moon. We refer to this FGM system configuration as L-MAG. The sensor design draws heritage from those onboard the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, InSight Mars Lander, the Europa Clipper mission, and most recently the TRACERS mission. One of the key improvements is a magnetically clean AC heater that directly surrounds the FGM sensor, improving power efficiency and responsiveness compared to Europa Clipper Magnetometer’s distant heater pod. Thermal losses are reduced with a low-emissivity enclosure and lightweight Kapton flex harness. The heater system is designed to yield a temperature stability of ± 0.1 degrees °C around two set-point temperatures (day and night) to further reduce long-term drift, allowing the inference of lunar induction responses at periods of 105 seconds and longer, necessary to probe the lower lunar mantle and core. This power efficient FGM design will be compatible with installation onto a lunar lander or placed on the surface of the moon by an astronaut. Our L-MAG system will significantly improve measurement capabilities for upcoming lunar science missions including those via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and via Artemis astronaut deployments.

This paper presents an extension of the analytical model for steady, incompressible, laminar flow through a finite-length channel with one porous wall to account for spatially banded screen configurations. Traditional Liquid Acquisition Devices (LADs) designs assume uniform porous media along the channel length; however, emerging fabrication techniques now enable the integration of multiple screen types with distinct flow-through-screen (FTS) characteristics within a single channel. To capture the effects of such banded configurations, the original model is reformulated to incorporate continuous or piecewise-continuous FTS resistance terms, allowing the laminar and inertial pressure drop coefficients to vary with longitudinal position. A modified momentum-integral approach is employed to derive a coupled set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations governing the longitudinal velocity and pressure fields. The model is used to explore how screen banding influences the distribution of injection velocity, pressure drop, and flow acceleration along the channel. Results indicate that the hydrodynamic behavior is highly dependent on the permeability gradient between screen bands. While fine-to-coarse configurations can reduce the localized pressure spike at the outlet, this benefit must be weighed against the lower bubble-point pressure associated with coarser screens. This work provides a theoretical foundation for the design and optimization of banded-screen LADs, offering insights into how spatial tailoring of porous media can enhance fluid acquisition in microgravity environments.

The key foundational capabilities of In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) have been rapidly evolving in the last decade. There has been a surge in investments across the space industry to develop and advance the state of the art in the ISAM arena. The unique ISAM capabilities that will be derived from the results of these investments will support new unique missions, such as autonomous manufacturing of spacecraft and repair of spacecraft. The Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities (COSMIC) is a nationwide coalition working to invigorate a domestic ISAM capability and was established in 2023 as a result of the National ISAM Implementation Plan. COSMIC is driving the transition of ISAM to utilization, so that it becomes a routine part of space architectures and mission lifecycles. One of COSMIC’s goals is to inspire a diverse future workforce as a potential outcome of ISAM innovation; especially, to bolster the ISAM talent pipeline and ensure technical proficiency within the space industry. To achieve this objective, the COSMIC Capstone Challenge was created and implemented at more than 20 universities nationwide, backed by a dedicated team of mentors, advisors, and judges. This competition prompts student teams to create the conceptual design for a payload, to be hosted about the BCT X-Sat Venus Class bus, that would demonstrate a chain of three or more operations that provide an on-orbit, autonomous ISAM capability. This paper describes key concepts from the 2024-25 competition and the plans for 2025-26 academic year which has been expanded into four tracks.

Accurate prediction of failure loads in composite structures is an involved process due to the initiation and progression of complex failure mechanisms leading up to ultimate load. The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and partners that make up The Technical Cooperative program (TTCP) performed coupon testing to characterize lamina-level properties of composite materials and then asked for participants to use the provided information to predict part-level ultimate load levels for six configurations with and without bondline defects as part of a blind failure prediction challenge. This paper focuses on quantifying the differences between predictions from ply-level linear elastic analysis methods used in the spaceflight industry and the AFRL-provided part-level ultimate load test measurements. Load predictions for damage initiation in composite laminate regions were assembled using the maximum stress criterion, the Tsai-Wu criterion, a Christensen lamina-level criterion, and Puck’s 2-D strength criterion. Nonlinear behavior and progressive failure mechanisms were purposefully not included in predictions to be consistent with practical analysis methods used in the space industry. Predictions for damage initiation in the adhesive bondline were assembled using a strength criterion from Tong, while the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) was also used to evaluate configurations that contained a flaw. While not unexpected, many of the conclusions from the study reinforced that it can be challenging to evaluate all the possible failure modes that can initiate and propagate failure with high degree of certainty. Observations from the comparisons included: strength criteria need to account for interlaminar contributions, fracture-based failure criteria were more consistent with test than strength-based approaches when configurations had flaws, and load levels corresponding to lamina-level strength predictions for damage initiation in matrix and bondline regions were conservative relative to the test-measured ultimate loads in the six part-level configurations examined.

Abstract For additively manufactured parts, different printing conditions, print orientation, and post-processing steps can result in substantially different surface roughness. Fatigue test data collected using coupons with one surface roughness condition can be difficult to apply to parts with another roughness condition. A method to scale fatigue S-N curves based on surface roughness characteristics is proposed in this paper. The ratio of fatigue life between two surface roughness conditions is calculated using fracture mechanics equations based on the largest pit area on the surface. A numerical example of scaling S-N curves from one surface condition to another is provided. Last, the method is evaluated against S-N curves from fatigue tests of coupons with varying levels of surface roughness.

Abstract The rapid global adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), combined with the ongoing trend toward device miniaturization, has marked the emergence of compact, connected technologies. However, as device dimensions continue to decrease, power sources remain a critical bottleneck. Micropower sources (<1 cm 2 ) must balance the inherent trade‐off between physical size and achievable energy and power densities. Although advances in materials and design are steadily improving performance within small form factors, a comprehensive assessment of how well current micropower technologies meet the energy and power requirements of modern IoT devices is still lacking. This Perspective aims to: 1) define the opportunity space for miniaturized energy storage systems within IoT technologies, 2) survey the commercial and research landscape of micropower sources, and 3) critically evaluate whether current micropower solutions fulfill the demands of existing and emerging IoT applications.

This paper outlines the science and basic design choices associated with a mission concept study known as the LaboratOry for the Behavior of the SloT Region (LOBSTR). This mission concept focuses on energetic particles, both electrons and protons, as they impinge upon the slot region in the Van Allen radiation belts around Earth. In particular, it emphasizes the drift dynamics of particles that were not captured by Van Allen Probes. We conceptualize a mission, utilizing state-of-the-art instruments and components, and calculate the mission’s orbit, thrust, and radiation requirements using industry-standard methods. The concept uses two SmallSats in a near-equatorial orbit, with precise orbital timing to capture the desired dynamics. The total radiation dose and the details of the orbital dynamics are examined and found to be within the capabilities of current technology.