Any info on these "pathfinder" payloads?They must be far along in the process if they will be launched some time this year.
Steven H. CollicottResearch AreasLow-gravity fluid dynamics and capillary fluid physics are the focus of two-phase fluids research. A collaborative aero-elastic study of failures of High-Mast Lighting Towers is underway, led by Professor Connor in Purdue’s School of Civil Engineering. Sprays and internal flows in spray systems plus oil-air flows in turbine engines remain of interest too.Capillary effects dominate liquid positioning in the weightless portions of spaceflight and in small-scale two-phase fluids systems on Earth. Beginning with work in support of the Gravity Probe-B satellite in 1993, Professor Collicott has become the leading expert in the use of the capillary fluids statics code, Surface Evolver, for both research and real-world engineering in two-phase fluids problems. Research includes designing the “Vane-Gap” experiments for the Capillary Fluids Experiment (CFE) presently in the second set of tests in orbit in the International Space Station, exploring the existence and stability of water droplets in lung passages, designing and building a three-dimensional critical wetting experiment - one of the first experiments to fly on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, and many others. Engineering solutions that have grown from research include the best on-orbit propellant-gauging service available for satellites and presently available for owners and operators of satellites.
Joshua ColwellAssistant Director...He was selected as one of three Principal Investigators in Blue Origin’s Pathfinder Program to fly the Microgravity Experiment on Dust in Astrophysical Environments on their New Shepard launch vehicle.
EXPERIMENTSBlue Origin is currently working with several universities on a Phase 1 Research Flight Demonstration Program. The purpose of this program is to serve as a pathfinder, demonstrating the integration and operation of scientific experiments during unmanned test flights of the New Shepard system to high altitudes. The selected experiments are:- Three-Dimensional Critical Wetting Experiment in Microgravity. The principal investigator of this effort is Dr. Steven Collicott, of Purdue University.- Microgravity Experiment on Dust Environments in Astrophysics (MEDEA). The principal investigator of this effort is Dr. Joshua Colwell, of the University of Central Florida. The Southwest Research Institute is also contributing to this experiment.- Effective lnterfacial Tension lnduced Convection (EITIC). The principal investigator of this effort is Dr. John Pojman, of Louisiana State University. Professor Patrick Bunton of William Jewell College is also contributing to this experiment.
Might there be an intrest at universities and High schools for Nanolab payloads on Blue Origin Zero gravity flights? How difficult would it be to design the Payload that can accommodate this?
Erika Wagner, Blue Origin: fly student payloads on New Shepard suborbital vehicle for a cost starting at $5,300. #DPSS17
It’s the price for a specific package for educational payloads.
Thomas Driebe, DLR: platforms we use for µg research include Blue Origin’s New Shepard; flying experiments on it in 2nd half 2017. #ISSRDC
FAA has now issued a revised New Shepherd launch license that permits carrying of passive or active payloads.
Solstar plans give Blue Origin payloads access to the internetby Debra Werner — October 10, 2017SAN FRANCISCO — Early next year, Solstar Space plans to demonstrate the first commercial internet link in space by connecting experimental payloads traveling in Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital capsules with researchers on the ground.
ASU student payloads selected to fly on Blue Origin space vehicleJanuary 25, 2018Three Arizona State University student-led payload projects have been selected to launch into space on Blue Origin’s "New Shepard" space vehicle later this year.The projects were selected during a competitive pitching competition Monday night at the School of Earth and Space Exploration. To earn a spot on "New Shepard," students were challenged to do one of three things for their payload project: answer a science question, test technology development, or engage the five senses (smell, taste, sight, touch, sound) in space.The pitching competition was organized by ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative, a pan-university effort to build the future of humans in space, and ASU’s NewSpace, which is leading the integration of academic and commercial space enterprises using ASU’s strengths in space science, engineering, and education. A major partner in the event and the project is Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.One team from each of the three categories was selected for a prize spot on "New Shepard." The winning teams, comprised of students from both the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the School of Earth and Space Exploration, will be designing and building the payloads at ASU.The three teams selected for launch are, by category: Particle Interactions in Microgravity (science category), Remote Acoustic Sensor (technology category), and Space Devils (five senses in space category).“This competition provides ASU students the unique opportunity to design their own payloads from the ground up and actually fly them into space on a state-of-the-art reusable rocket,” said Interplanetary Initiative’s Tanya Harrison, who is a post-doctoral scholar at the School of Earth and Space Exploration.“We wanted to see what they came up with on their own from there, and we were thrilled to see the results of their ingenuity and imagination,” said Harrison, who is also the project lead for the Blue Origin/ASU payload project and the director of research for NewSpace. The competition's judges, which included space industry representatives, academic professionals and local venture capitalists, were Erika Wagner from Blue Origin, Robert Anchondo from Honeywell Aerospace, Fred von Graf from Web3Mavens, Shawn Linham from Qwaltec and Dean Bacalzo, ASU assistant professor of industrial design.The payloads are expected to launch in late 2018 from the Blue Origin Facility in west Texas, approximately two hours east of El Paso. The "New Shepard" vertical takeoff and landing vehicle is capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of payload per flight and is ultimately expected to carry six astronauts to altitudes beyond 100 kilometers, the internationally recognized boundary of space. “This competition shows that the opportunity exists for ASU students to design, build and fly in space,” said Pete Swan, Interplanetary Initiative team member and space industry expert. “In the past it’s been rare, but now it can be a part of the experience of being a student at ASU.”
The winning payloads and teamsFive senses category project winner: Space DevilsThe Space Devils “Five Senses” payload will focus on measuring and collecting data on sight, smell, taste, touch and sound in space. It has, as its centerpiece, an ASU Sparky figure attached to a spring. During ascent and decent, Sparky will be pushed up and down, creating the illusion that Sparky is doing push-ups, which will be measured by an accelerometer. A camera will record the push-ups, a microphone will capture the sounds of the spaceflight, and air will be pulled into the payload and passed through scent paper to capture the smell of space. Members of the team include Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (mechanical engineering) undergrads: Cody Bisbing, Gabby Bovaird, Clint Farnsworth, Josh Fixel, Peter Marple and Landon Wiltbank. The lead faculty mentor for this team is Abdelraham Shuaib of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.Technology category project winner: Remote Acoustic SensorFor humans to live in space, agricultural development will be necessary, and bees, as master pollinators, will likely be an essential part of successful crops. But how do bees react in space? This project will use the emerging technology of remote acoustic sensing to capture acoustic data from the bees, as well as to record the vibrations, pressures, and orientation in space.Members of the team include Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (electrical engineering) undergrads Bryan Trinidad, David Bates, Roland Lizana and Logan Sisca. The lead faculty mentors for this team are Michael Goryll of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Danny Jacobs with the School of Earth and Space Exploration. This student team consists entirely of online students spread across the country, as well as one student, Trinidad, who is working aboard a naval vessel in the Persian Gulf. While team communication can be done online, the team also ships the payload around the world to work on it. Science category project winner: Particle Interactions in MicrogravityThis project seeks to test the agglomeration of small particles, ranging from millimeter to centimeter in size, as they make collisions in microgravity, helping us to understand how planets form. Members of the team include School of Earth and Space Exploration undergraduates Pat Jackson (exploration systems design), Jason Pickering (astrophysics), Chris Huglin (exploration systems design), Jin Kim (astrophysics), Kevin White (astrobiology), Kanishka Nirmale (astrophysics) and Mitchell Drake (explorations systems design). The lead faculty mentor for this team is Chris Groppi, with the School of Earth and Space Exploration.
students were challenged to do one of three things ... or engage the five senses (smell, taste, sight, touch, sound) in space.
NanoRacks is now offering integration, payload development and customer services to Blue Origin’s New Shepard space vehicle.The New Shepard space vehicle is ideal for microgravity physics, gravitational biology, technology demonstrations, and educational programs. You’ll also have the opportunity to research Earth, atmospheric, and space sciences, land use, technology development and demonstration/space systems development.NanoRacks offers complete in-house capabilities for the New Shepard space vehicle integration, payload design and development, interfacing with Blue Origin’s technical team. Everything necessary for a successful suborbital launch is taken care of by our team.Primary Capabilities Include: -Ability to frequently launch your payloads, and ultimately payload operators, to space on a suborbital trajectory -A high volume cabin able to accommodate multiple experiments and ultimately, researchers -Standard interfaces to mount experiments and provide power, cooling, command and control, and video/data recording -Rapid post-landing access by ground personnel to time-sensitive payloadsMission Highlights: -Multiple flights per year -As human flights begin, you’ll also be able to fly with your payload for hands-on experimentation -You own full rights to your data from Blue Origin’s private platform -Accommodates payloads from a few ounces up to 50 lbs
Researchers at Langley have successfully completed the optical head vibration testing for Navigation Doppler Lidar, a key #Artemis lunar landing technology. It's now ready for integration on to @blueorigin's New Shepard launch vehicle for a flight demo.https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/langley-researchers-are-shaking-up-lunar-landing-technology
Technology can provide spacecraft with the "eyes" and analytical capability to find a landing area, identify hazards & adjust course to the safest touchdown site. @NASA will test a new lunar landing system with @BlueOrigin on an upcoming suborbital flight: https://go.nasa.gov/3c9DH5S
Very cool flight tests coming…we look forward to #NewShepard flying these lunar landing technologies soon.
Three of SPLICE’s four main subsystems will have their first integrated test flight on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket during an upcoming mission