Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Piyush M. Mehta
Committee Member
Jason Gross
Committee Member
Andrew Rhodes
Abstract
For satellites in Low Earth Orbit, the drag coefficient is a major area of uncertainty. Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have created a Response Surface Modeling (RSM) toolkit to provide the community with a resource for simulating and modeling satellite drag coefficients in Free Molecular Flow. The toolkit combines the high fidelity of numerical simulation techniques with the speed of regression modeling. Specifically, it uses a training sample of drag coefficients simulated with the Test Particle Monte Carlo method with the robust Gaussian Process Regression approach. The RSM toolkit is the prime process to become a toolkit of other expanded capabilities. In this work, the capabilities are specifically expanded to include uncertainty quantification, utilizing Python, to create a free and open source software, and adapting the toolkit for automatic development of regression models of satellites with rotating components. The new RSM toolkit has been developed to have user friendly installation along with extensive documentation of operation.
Recommended Citation
Sheridan, Phillip Logan, "Updates and Improvements to the Satellite Drag Coefficient Response Surface Modeling Toolkit" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8227.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8227