planet earth
near space
solar system
deep space
terra firma
HIT-II
NSTX
VaPak
Active TPS
Direct OF
OAO
My initial involvement in science and engineering intended for use on planet Earth has been in the areas of plasma physics and controlled, magnetically confined fusion. I became interested in these topics when I realized that many advanced space transportation system are based on the use of plasmas, with applications ranging from low thrust satellite station keeping, all the way out to very high thrust fission-fusion rockets. I also found that the knowledge of plasmas and their behaviour is very advantageous in understanding the space-environment, where humans will (hopefully) work and live someday.
The second area where I have been very active as of late is in web-application development. After having experienced working in both very small and very large aerospace companies, I concluded that there has to be a better way. The OpenAerospace.Org project is my attempt to improve on the status-quo.
HIT-II
For the topic of my Master's Degree I worked on the magnetic diagnostic devices of the
Helicity Injected Tokamak II (HIT-II) experiment at the
University of Washington'sPlasma
Science Laboratories in theDepartment of Aeronautics &
Astronautics. Some key sections of my thesis are available on this site,
or you download the whole thing as a PDF here.
[back] [more]
NSTX
In the summer of '98, after I completed my master thesis work on HIT-II, I worked on developing
a computer simulation of Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) on the National Spherical
Torus Experiment (NSTX) under a collaboration between the University of Washington and the
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL). Some details of the resulting code
and key results are also available on this site. After I completed the work, it was also published in
the Journal of Fusion Science and Technology (PDF)
and also presented at a conference of the American Physical Society (PDF).
[back] [more]
Vapor Pressurization (VaPak)
While working at AirLauch my main responsibility was the
design and analysis of the VaPak propulsion system for the QuickRech small launch vehicle.
The history of VaPak technology development is interesting (reaching back as far as the 1960's), and
the physical process underlying the VaPak technology is both elegantly simple, and maddinlgy complex.
VaPak technology promises some unique advantages (low-complexity, low-cost, low-weight), but also has
some unique challenges associated with its implementation (handling of saturated fluids, pressure
curve shaping, etc.). VaPak technology holds great promise for enabling both launch systems
and in-space systems. Its unique abilities of long-term propellant storage with high reliability, and
zero-g use without propellant settling are enablers to both conventional and ISRU based exploration
architectures. I wrote a summary/overview paper on VaPak(PDF)
while working at Holder Aerospace (PDF), and numerous
other papers while at AirLaunch.
[back]
Active Thermal Protection System (ATPS)
While working with Gary Hudson at t/Space,
we briefly looked into the possibility of using platelet manufacturing technology to make active
Thermal Protection Systems (TPS). TPS are a key element of all aerospace applications, and we
proposed the use of platelet manufacturing processes to create large, conformal, and low-cost
metallic structures that are cooled by transpiration cooling. If successful, this approach would
enable fully redundant and reusable atmospheric reentry TPS configurations. Another application
is in high Mach number atmospheric flight for both Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) first stage boosters
and super/hyper-sonic aircraft. The idea is described in a white paper I wrote while working with
Holder Aerospace available
here.
[back]
Direct OF Sensing
Something I like to do in my spare time is race and modify touring cars. While doing this, I've learned
many useful things that also apply to the rocket business. The low number of production units and high
development costs of aerospace technology products generally result in very high unit costs when compared
to other industries. There are many opportunities for adaptation of non-aerospace solutions to
aerospace applications that enable significant cost-savings and performance gains. One thing in particular
that I came across is the case of using automotive Oxidizer/Fuel sensing technology in rocket engine
applications. The use of solid state automotive OF sensors for the measurement of rocket engine
OF ratios is discussed in a short paper I wrote while working at Holder Aerospace.
(PDF)
[back]
OpenAerospace.Org (OAO)
Throughout my career, I've enjoyed working in/with companies of many sizes: the very small (Holder Aerospace),
medium size entrepreneurial companies (Andrews Space, AirLaunch, Blue Origin), and the very large (Boeing,
NASA, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin). Each has its advantages, and each brings its very own flavor of
pursuing human space activities. However, they also share a significant weakness: they all need to please
the hand that feeds them.
From that insight, I started OAO as a not-for-profit organization that allows anybody who wants a human space culture to become a reality to roll up their sleeves and contribute. People often cite the lack of funds as the reason why their specific vision of space travel has not been realized yet, but what is required isn't money but resources - and the ultimate resource is (person) time.
There are countless educated and creative people in the world who want to see humanity expand into space. Those same people have their own time to contribute if they so choose - and without the need to justify expenditures to tax payers or corporate board rooms. OAO is a collaborative framework that makes it possible for people all over the world to work together towards a common goal: getting humanity into space. I wrote an AIAA paper on the thinking behind OAO, which was published at the Space 2009 Conference (PDF).[back] [more]
ralph.open-aerospace.org