Student theses

The next generation of human space exploration missions will take crews farther away from Earth than ever before. These missions will necessitate increasingly sophisticated Life Support Systems (LSSs) to ensure astronauts stay alive, healthy and happy. Mission scenarios of this kind therefore require greater autonomy, relying on simulations as well as laboratory setups to recreate the nominal behaviour of the LSS during all mission phases.
In order to be able to simulate these complex LSSs at the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), a small-scale LSS is going to be constructed. Apart from a central chamber the setup consists of various subsystems. Two key elements are the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) and the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), which are both currently being used onboard the ISS to control the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.
The aim of this thesis is to improve the working principle of the CCAA and design the hardware for the IRS LSS. The CCAA is modelled in the MATLAB tool V HAB. The physical hardware shall be derived from the virtual model. Research should therefore include the working of the CCAA, its hardware implementation and the setup for the IRS laboratory.

The Artemis program marked the beginning of a new generation of lunar exploration in human spaceflight. The exploration of the Moon and potential sites for permanent human habitats is a key research focus and serves as a foundation for future exploration of Mars. Similar to the Apollo missions, this will be achieved through extravehicular activities (EVAs). However, these missions present engineers and astronauts with a number of challenges, such as the development of new tools and suits. The LUNA analog facility in Cologne provides the necessary capabilities for testing and evaluating different demonstrators in a realistic lunar environment.
A current focus for EVA suits is to increase autonomy, which includes advanced control of the portable life support system and internal parameters such as cooling and airflow. This in turn requires insights into the current workload and metabolic stress experienced by astronauts. To gain a better understanding and provide a foundation for future research, a sensor suite is required that monitors all relevant parameters of the human body during an EVA.

The goal of this work is to develop a sensor suite within the analog suit that allows measuring metabolic loads and tracking activity levels. Initial research should focus on non-invasive methods and provide an overview of relevant measurement parameters that will provide a comprehensive insight into the activity level of the astronaut. The thesis shall develop a concept for the sensor suite in an operational setting and provide a recommendation for individual components, including a trade-off analysis between COTS components and custom developments.

As humanity expands to explore beyond Earth’s orbit, and aims to build permanent bases on other celestial bodies, self-sufficiency of space habitats becomes more critical. Every kilogram launched into space carries a high cost and sustaining human life requires complex Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSSs). To make these missions viable, resupply must be reduced to a minimum.
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) offers the capability to extract local resources, such as from lunar regolith or the Martian atmosphere. However, since ISRU and ECLSSs are currently developed with different design requirements, a targeted interface analysis is necessary for seamless integration.
This thesis shall investigate how ECLSSs can interface with ISRU facilities. It shall analyze which resources can be provided through ISRU and which specific requirements need to be met to use the extracted substances or materials within an ECLSS, also considering the chemical composition and purity achieved through the proposed ISRU technologies. The research shall focus on identifying the requirements set by ECLSS and uncover potential interface mismatches, and provide potential technologies to bridge the gaps. The impact of ISRU on mass and power budgets of ECLSSs for future missions to celestial bodies, especially to Moon and Mars, shall be estimated.

Task Description:
• Familiarization with current and future ECLSS technologies
• Identification of potential ISRU possibilities on celestial bodies of interest to human exploration
• Analysis of ISRU technologies and their outputs
• Development of interface requirements and technologies
• Analysis of impact on mass and power budgets for specific mission scenarios
• Documentation

The next generation of human space exploration missions will take crews farther away from Earth than ever before. These missions will necessitate increasingly sophisticated Life Support Systems (LSSs) to ensure astronauts stay alive, healthy and happy. Mission scenarios of this kind therefore require greater autonomy, relying on simulations as well as laboratory setups to recreate the nominal behaviour of the LSS during all mission phases.
In order to be able to simulate these complex LSSs at the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), a small-scale LSS is going to be constructed. Apart from a central chamber the setup consists of various subsystems. Two key elements are the Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) and the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), which are both currently being used onboard the ISS to control the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.
The aim of this thesis is to improve the working principle of the CCAA and design the hardware for the IRS LSS. The CCAA is modelled in the MATLAB tool V HAB. The physical hardware shall be derived from the virtual model. Research should therefore include the working of the CCAA, its hardware implementation and the setup for the IRS laboratory.

Motivation:
Space exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit requires a high propulsion demand. This leads to high system masses when using electric and chemical propulsion systems, reducing the effective payload mass. The concept of a Momentum Exchange Tether transfers the propulsion system to an external system. A rotating tether connects two bodies – a grappling mechanism and a counterweight - in Low Earth Orbit. The grappling mechanism catches the spacecraft in the upper atmosphere and the Momentum Exchange Tether accelerates the spacecraft into a new orbit by rotation. With this principle, spacecraft can carry heavier payloads and only have to reach upper atmosphere or Very Low Earth Orbits with conventional launcher systems.
The task of this thesis is to analyse the impact of space debris and other objects in Low Earth Orbit. Momentum Exchange Tether are large structure with a high risk of collision with these objects. An assessment of the general feasibility of Momentum Exchange Tether systems and mitigation methods for collisions in these orbit regions are to be conducted.

Task Description:
• Familiarisation with the Momentum Exchange Tether topic
• Analysis of the space debris and object environment in Low Earth Orbit
• Assessment of the impact of the environment on a Momentum Exchange Tether system
• Development and evaluation of mitigation methods
• Documentation

The LunarCobot project is investigating the deployment of heterogeneous robot teams on the lunar surface. Multi-robot operations and autonomous system networks enable complex mission profiles to be carried out through the use of multiple specialised robotic systems, which is particularly relevant for exploring challenging environments on the lunar surface. A key research focus of the project is on increasing the technology readiness level of various robotic technologies and modular exploration systems through further development of hardware and software, as well as the evaluation of these technologies in an analogue environment.

The aim of this work is to further develop the transceiver circuits of the Nanokhod microrover, which perform key functions relating to the rover’s communication and power supply. In order to prepare the existing laboratory setup of the transmission link for subsequent integration into the overall system, new PCB designs for the transceiver circuits must be developed and power-optimised components selected. Furthermore, the development is to be experimentally validated through precise measurements and integrated into the existing laboratory setup. In preparation for the integration of the rover into compact payload modules, the constraints of the analogue mission are to be taken into account, and innovative concepts for implementing the required transceiver electronics are to be developed and evaluated.

Tasks:
• Further development of the central interface for simultaneous data communication and power supply to the rover
• Design of a customised transceiver circuit to enable the transfer of laboratory set-ups into payload modules
• Detailed development and implementation of the new PCB design
• Measurement and characterisation of the developed electronics and test setup

Motivation:
Space exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit requires a high propulsion demand. This leads to high system masses when using electric and chemical propulsion systems, reducing the effective payload mass. The concept of a Momentum Exchange Tether transfers the propulsion system to an external system. A rotating tether connects two bodies – a grappling mechanism and a counterweight - in Low Earth Orbit. The grappling mechanism catches the spacecraft in the upper atmosphere and the Momentum Exchange Tether accelerates the spacecraft into a new orbit by rotation. With this principle, spacecraft can carry heavier payloads and only have to reach upper atmosphere or Very Low Earth Orbits with conventional launcher systems.
The task of this thesis is to analyse the impact of space debris and other objects in Low Earth Orbit. Momentum Exchange Tether are large structure with a high risk of collision with these objects. An assessment of the general feasibility of Momentum Exchange Tether systems and mitigation methods for collisions in these orbit regions are to be conducted.

Task Description:
• Familiarisation with the Momentum Exchange Tether topic
• Analysis of the space debris and object environment in Low Earth Orbit
• Assessment of the impact of the environment on a Momentum Exchange Tether system
• Development and evaluation of mitigation methods
• Documentation

The LunarCobot project is investigating the deployment of heterogeneous robot teams on the lunar surface. Multi-robot operations and autonomous system networks enable complex mission profiles to be carried out through the use of multiple specialised robotic systems, which is particularly relevant for exploring challenging environments on the lunar surface. A key research focus of the project is on increasing the technology readiness level of various robotic technologies and modular exploration systems through further development of hardware and software, as well as the evaluation of these technologies in an analogue environment.

The aim of this thesis is to further develop the contactless interface in the tether mechanism of the Nanokhod microrover. The rover is connected to a primary system via a 100 m long tether and uses an inductive coupler within the coil body to avoid the use of slip rings, which are prone to wear. The aim of the work is to adapt the converter and transformer circuit of the Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) module for integration into a rotating measurement setup that reproduces the geometric and dynamic boundary conditions of the coil winding. Subsequently, the simultaneous power and data transmission must be experimentally investigated and quantified. In the measurement setup, the effects of rotation, air gap and other interfering parameters are to be systematically identified, evaluated and documented in the form of measurement data.

Tasks:
• Further development of the transmission link from the primary system to the rover
• Design of a suitable measurement setup and implementation in a laboratory environment
• Adaptation and integration of the converter assembly into the measurement setup
• Characterisation of the measurement link during test operations

Real-time functional satellite simulators play a fundamental role in the development, testing and operation phases of a satellite’s lifetime. In particular at the Institute of Space Systems (IRS), simulators have been previously used for various tasks such as flight software and controller verification as well as operation training. As part of the small satellite mission ROMEO (Research and Observation in Medium Earth Orbit), the functional simulator is further developed to become ROMEO’s Digital Twin (DT) on the ground. By definition, a DT is created when there is bidirectional data exchange between the simulated system and its real counterpart that also interacts with the real satellite. By identifying the desired simulation parameters that can define the real-world behavior of satellite systems and calibrating these parameters using known system information and recorded satellite telemetry, it is possible to simulate a more accurate and realistic system state in real-time, and into any past or future time.

This Master's thesis explores the feasibility of a satellite's status prediction using the existing simulation tools and data at IRS. In particular, data-driven methods of parameter calibration and optimization in simulation and modelling are investigated. Furthermore, the feasibility of the Rust programming language and the NeXosim simulation framework in AI realm is questioned. Consequently, the collected knowledge is used to adjust the EPS model of the satellite to incorporate recorded telemetry data from a previous mission and to test whether the selected approach can effectively predict the status of the EPS into the future.

The LunarCobot project is investigating the deployment of heterogeneous robot teams on the lunar surface. Multi-robot operations and autonomous system networks enable complex mission profiles to be carried out through the use of multiple specialised robotic systems, which is particularly relevant for exploring challenging environments on the lunar surface. A key research focus of the project is on increasing the technology readiness level of various robotic technologies and modular exploration systems through further development of hardware and software, as well as the evaluation of these technologies in an analogue environment.

The aim of this work is to further develop the transceiver circuits of the Nanokhod microrover, which perform key functions relating to the rover’s communication and power supply. In order to prepare the existing laboratory setup of the transmission link for subsequent integration into the overall system, new PCB designs for the transceiver circuits must be developed and power-optimised components selected. Furthermore, the development is to be experimentally validated through precise measurements and integrated into the existing laboratory setup. In preparation for the integration of the rover into compact payload modules, the constraints of the analogue mission are to be taken into account, and innovative concepts for implementing the required transceiver electronics are to be developed and evaluated.

Tasks:
• Further development of the central interface for simultaneous data communication and power supply to the rover
• Design of a customised transceiver circuit to enable the transfer of laboratory set-ups into payload modules
• Detailed development and implementation of the new PCB design
• Measurement and characterisation of the developed electronics and test setup

When communicating with satellites in orbit, the antennas used on ground are mostly
large parabolic dish antennas. Those antennas, depending on their size, need to be
oriented towards the satellite with an accuracy of below 1°. To achieve such accuracies,
the antenna orientation on ground needs to be calibrated.
A common way to do this, is to receive signal from satellites with a known orbit and to
determine the offset between the known orbit and the antenna orientation. A big
disadvantage is, that the antennas can only be calibrated in the directions of known
satellites, that transmit over the antenna location in the same frequency band. And in
addition, the calibration can only be done, when those satellites pass over the ground
station.
To mitigate this disadvantage, a new way for calibration shall be developed. For this
purpose, star images shall be used. Using images of the night sky, the orientation of the
camera used for taken the image can be determined with arc second accuracy using
already existing algorithms. Using this this technique, a method and software for a full
antenna calibration shall be developed within this thesis.

Task description of the Master thesis work:
- Research of all necessary components
- Develop Calibration Method
- Implementation of the Method
- Verification of the Method
- Documentation

Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEOs) offer benefits such as higher-resolution Earth observation, lower communication latency, and reduced launch costs. Operating in VLEO, however, is challenging due to increased atmospheric drag and the need for sustained propulsion. Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) systems address these challenges by using atmospheric particles for propulsion, reducing onboard propellant needs. In order to better develop these systems, it is essential to advance not only technological developments related to hardware, but also the development of appropriate simulation and design tools. While the focus in this regard has so far been primarily on either an assessment of the orbital mechanics aspects and associated dynamic dependencies (e.g. atmospheric variability, satellite aerodynamics etc.) or on the design of the spacecraft itself, a true evaluation can only be made by taking a holistic view. The objective of this thesis is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive, modular design and dimensioning framework for an ABEP spacecraft, embedding dynamic dependencies into the design process.

Motivation:
The growing use of small satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for purposes such as earth observation, communication and other commercial services presents significant potential for business opportunities and technological advancements. However, it is also accompanied by challenges, such as the need for de-orbiting and disposal of satellites at their end-of-life with a low-risk probability of causing property damage or casualties on the ground. This is ensured during the development of the satellites using numerical tools such as ESA’s SCARAB software, which analyzes demisability. Additionally, plasma wind tunnel (PWT) experiments provide a valuable opportunity to study the demise behavior of materials and structures in plasma environments relevant to re entry. Past studies have revealed that glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRPs) as used in printed circuit boards (PCBs) are resistant to high temperatures and demise worse than expected. In order to improve the understanding of demise processes and calibrate numerical models, experimental PWT studies are performed within the SKALE project. One critical parameter for the description of demise processes is temperature and its spatial distribution on test objects. Therefore, the specimens are to be equipped with thermocouples. The surface temperature can be measured using pyrometers and thermal imaging cameras. The resulting measurement data can then be compared to the numerical simulation results for validation and verification purposes.
Task Description:
• Introduction to uncontrolled re-entry, PWT testing, and the SCARAB simulation software
• Set-up of a test plan for the demise of PCB samples
• Preparing and assisting PWT experiments
• Numerical rebuilding of PWT experiments in SCARAB
• Analysis of measurement data and comparison to simulation results
• Documentation

The Collaborative Research Centre 1667 “Advancing Technologies of Very Low-Altitude Satellites (ATLAS)”, funded by the German Research Foundation DFG, addresses the fundamental scientific and engineering challenges of rendering Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO, about 200 km to 450 km altitude) accessible. ATLAS Project A06 investigates methods of exploiting the aerodynamic forces for orbit control. To deal with the inherent uncertainties in the environmental conditions in VLEO, robust optimization and planning methods are required. This thesis shall contribute to the implementation of a planning routine that is robust to the uncertainties. To investigate different approaches how uncertainties may be considered in the planning processes, a comprehensive literature review is planned. Suitable methods shall be selected and implemented for a simple reference system. Based on this, strengths and weaknesses shall be identified and compared. The most promising approach shall then be used to develop a robust planning routine by subsequently increasing the level of complexity, eventually being able to apply it to satellite orbit control including both aerodynamic drag and lift. The results will contribute to the future realization of practical aerodynamic orbit control for satellites in VLEO.

Pulsed, gas-fed electric propulsion systems such as quasi steady-state magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters are a promising option for future small satellite missions but pose significant challenges for accurate thrust characterization e.g. due to parasitic forces introduced by propellant feed lines. Indirect measurement methods where the thruster plume imparts its impulse on a target that is connected to a thrust balance solve this problem, but introduce new challenges regarding the impulse transfer from the plume to the target. Many approaches that try to avoid this problem exist in literature. Most try to minimize reflection and sputtering via the target design. Some then assume perfect impulse transfer in their thrust model, while others take inelastic processes like phonons into account.

At the Institute of Space Systems, a new model is developed for indirect thrust measurements. It uses a simple planar target and does not rely on minimizing reflection or sputtering via target design. Instead, molecular dynamics simulations are used to determine the impulse transfer efficiency, including reflection, sputtering, and inelastic processes. In this work, the simulation basis of the model shall be expanded. In addition, the indirect measurement approach shall be verified by comparing different target materials.