Aerospace Engineering Brown Bag Lecture Series, Featuring Adrienne Dorr and Paul Carter

The July 23 Aerospace Engineering Brown Bag Series, featured AE undergraduates Adrienne Dorr and Paul Carter.
Adrienne Dorr presented
"Improving Human Interaction in the Rotorcraft Simulation Lab"
The Rotorcraft Simulation Lab on campus focuses primarily on pilot-in-the-loop testing which allows for rapid evaluation of various control systems and provides a stress-free environment for pilots to conduct potentially hazardous testing. One of the more difficult procedures performed by a rotorcraft is a shipboard landing due to the high levels of pilot workload associated with the complex operation. The current simulator queueing system lacks key sensory factors such as sounds, vibrations, and visual details which could significantly enhance the accuracy of the data recorded. Microsoft Flight Simulation software and associated modeling-based programs were evaluated in an effort to improve the visual details. Additionally, testing was conducted with the current simulation software, Unigen, to introduce sounds and vibrations into the simulator. This presentation will discuss several of the difficulties in providing an accurate simulation environment and steps that can be taken to improve the human factors aspect of the Rotorcraft Simulation Lab.
Paul Carter presented
"GPS Receiver Module Acceptance Testing for the GT-2 CubeSat Mission"
GT-2 is a CubeSat currently being developed by an undergraduate-led team in the Space Systems Design Laboratory. The goal of the GT-2 mission is to improve on the design of its predecessor and thus provide more capability to future missions utilizing the GT-X series satellite bus. One key improvement will come through the addition of a GPS receiver to the spacecraft. The GPS receiver will provide valuable positioning information to the satellite's developing ADC subsystem and potentially to future payloads. This presentation will focus on the acceptance testing process for GT-2’s Pumpkin GPS Receiver Module. Receiver testing was performed using a GNSS constellation simulator, which enabled verification of the receiver’s ability to make accurate position solutions at orbital speeds and altitudes in a lab setting. Additional testing was performed to ensure that the receiver was compatible with the CubeSat’s space-grade L1 band antenna and that position fixes could be achieved from non-simulated GPS signals. The presentation will also detail lessons learned from this testing process as well as future work involving the GT-2 GPS receiver module.
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About the Series:
The Brown Bag Lecture Series is a tradition that gives select AE undergrads and grad students a unique opportunity to share their research before an audience that includes both their peers and their academic mentors and advisors.
www.ae.gatech.edu/brown-bag-l...