Event Details

AIAA SF and SVSC present a TechTalk on:

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS)

Eric Mueller
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA

It’s been widely reported that the FAA was mandated by Congress to integrate UAS with the national airspace system (NAS) by September 30, 2015. However, the goals the FAA has set for NAS access by that date are out of sync with the aspirations of many UAS operators and hobbyists. The set of safety standards for sense-and-avoid systems and command and control communications links will apply only to large UAS operated by major organizations (e.g. the Department of Defense, NASA, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman) capable of equipping their aircraft with cutting edge technologies. Integration of the smaller, inexpensive UAS that promise to revolutionize the NAS will take many more years according to the current plan. In this talk NASA lead researcher Eric Mueller will outline the major challenges related to integrating UAS with the NAS, focusing in particular on the sense-and-avoid system that is a critical contributor to ensuring safe separation between aircraft. He will also describe the approach NASA is taking to develop solutions to these challenges in partnership with industry and other government organizations. Eric will conclude with a discussion of the remaining challenges to “full UAS integration” that would enable entirely new airborne applications and industries, and will invite audience discussion on technologies that may contribute to solving these problems.

About the speaker

Eric Mueller has worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center since 2000 in the Aviation Systems Division. He received his BSe from Princeton University and Masters from Stanford, both in aerospace engineering. His research has included air traffic management modeling and simulation, hybrid rocket propulsion, UAV access to the air traffic system, spacecraft handling qualities, and simulation analysis related to the use of datalink and trajectory automation to improve air traffic operations. He is currently the Project Engineer for the Separation Assurance – Sense-and-Avoid Interoperability element of NASA’s UAS-NAS Integration project, leading a team of a dozen engineers researching methods for ensuring UAS remain safely separated from other users of the National Airspace System.

More Info

Main door to building is in the parking lot, not Scott Blvd.  The door has a large Sandbox Suites logo on it.

The event is free, but we appreciate donations to the on-site TechTalks Food Fund to keep the neurons firing.

Reserve on: EventBrite

Event Details

Ambient data, collected through sensor networks and mobile devices, is transforming our physical environment into a ubiquitous experience which is personalized, context-aware, and responsive to the presence of people and vice versa.

With Google’s recent acquisition of smart thermostat maker, Nest, for $3.2B dollars, and venture capital firms including Greylock, Highland Capital and Box group investing nearly $468 million in automation startups, we will see more and more knowledge-based enterprises integrating this technology into their businesses.

Cisco estimates that there will be 50 billion networked devices by 2020. This network of intuitive devices is expected to help individuals carry out their day-to-day activities more seamlessly and with greater efficiency. Will this be the inflection point where we enter a new era of the smart environment? Join us on Tuesday, March 18th as we discover the possibilities and feature ambient intelligent startups who are redesigning our everyday experiences.

** Follow (@VLAB) on Twitter and Event Hashtag #VLABambI

Event Details

Please join Silicon Valley Space Center as we welcome Joe Weichman, from Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies(CACT) as he outlines economic development of the NewSpace industry in California. Commercial spaceflight is a fast-growing industry that will have a profound impact on California’s economy for many decades to come. Fueling this growth is a substantial demand for people to access space.

Joe Weichman works directly for the Statewide Initiative Director at the Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies. In this capacity, Mr. Weichman performs several functions, including identifying emerging industries and determining what steps California can take to maximize its economic share of these emerging industries. Prior to this, Mr. Weichman worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the Optical Communications Group, first as an intern and then under contract. Mr. Weichman has a M.S. in Space Education from ERAU and a B.A. from USC. About the CACT
The Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) is an advanced manufacturing initiative out of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Economic & Workforce Development program. The CACT helps manufacturers compete successfully in changing markets and the global economy. Through technology education, manufacturing training and services that contribute to continuous workforce development, the CACT provides expertise in technology deployment and business development. Services include onsite training, low-or-no cost technical assistance, and educational workshops, as well as information on how to qualify for state funds to assist with retraining employees and upgrading equipment.

The CACT also provides industry-specific reports on manufacturing & emerging industries, promotes STEM education through the development of recruitment tools & educational partnerships, and many other resources to help industry, educators, and students succeed in California.

 http://www.eventbrite.com/e/california-the-commercial-spaceflight-industry-tickets-10826998845

For more information, visit: www.makingitincalifornia.com
Event hosted by Silicon Valley Space Center at Sandbox Suites

Food and drinks provided

Event Details

Originally known as Satellite Tool Kit (STK), System Tool Kit began as a tool for orbit analysis and mission planning, and is perhaps the most widely used tool for these purposes. It has since expanded into physics-based modeling for a variety of space, air, and ground scenarios.

With STK, AGI now provides a comprehensive integrated analysis environment for engineering and to support concept-to-operational management of military and civilian manned and unmanned aircraft.

Acquisition of aircraft systems is an extended process and mission requirements must be factored early on into design. Similar to spacecraft, aircraft sensitivity to weight and form requires accurate modeling especially with the increase in on-station time requirements and increased operating costs for military and civilian air fleets.

As unmanned aircraft evolve to support multiple aircraft coordination, loner range and greater persistence, small factors in early design from airframe to sensor payloads require entirely new breakthroughs if mission capabilities are to be achieved.  Integration of manned and unmanned aircraft requires an overall system analysis to validate safety of flight plans. Radically new aircraft require analytical and “what if” modeling and analysis tools or they risk being employed in old ways

Roger Martinez, a senior systems engineer at Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), has been with the company for nearly two decades, supporting its use by NASA, Air Force, and other customers.  He will give an overview  of STK, including a demonstration of its application to some recent space missions.

This is the first of two sessions on STK. The next session, in April, will focus on UAV and aircraft missions.

Agenda:

6:30 – Check-in, networking
6:50 – Welcome – SVSC and AIAA SF
7:00 – STK: UAV and Aircraft Missions – Roger Martinez, AGI
8:00 – Networking, extended Q&A
8:30 – Wrap-up

This meeting is part of the TechTalks series, jointly organized by SVSC and the AIAA San Francisco Section.  More info and sign-up is coming for this event.