Monthly Archives: August 2021

After a summer of billionaires in space, many people have begun to wonder when they will get their turn. The cost of entering space is currently too high for the average citizen, but the work of PhD candidate Martin Nisser may help change that. His work on self-assembling robots could be key to reducing the costs that help determine the price of a ticket.

Nissers fascination with engineering has been a consistent theme throughout a life filled with change. Born to Swedish parents, he spent a decade in Greece before moving to the UAE, and eventually to Scotland for his undergraduate degree. No matter what new school he attended, his favorite subjects remained the same. The idea of using math and physics to build something tangible always clicked with me, says Nisser. As a kid, I had always wanted to be an inventor.

By the time he completed his undergraduate degree, Nisser knew what he aspired to invent. His senior capstone project had drawn upon multiple disciplines and provided the perfect introduction to robotics. We had to sift through all of the different things we learned in college and combine them to do something interesting. Multidisciplinarity is often essential in robotics and part of what makes it so alluring to me, he says.

Designing robots prepared for space

After discovering his love for robotics, Nisser enrolled in a masters program in robotics, systems, and control at ETH Zurich, during which time he met a Harvard professor who directed the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory and invited Nisser to write his thesis there. His thesis involved building robots that could fold to assemble themselves. We used layers of materials including shape memory polymers, which are smart materials that can be programmed to changed their shape under different temperature conditions, says Nisser. This allowed us to program 2D multilayer sheets to fold in particular ways in order to acquire targeted 3D configurations.

The experience brought Nisser to his current interest in exporing how robots can be automatically fabricated using both top-down processes like 3D printing and bottom-up processes like self-assembly. He notes that this engineering goal opens a wide door of academic questions. The multidisciplinarity required to build these engineering systems from mechanical and electrical engineering to computer science means youre always learning something new. Every once in a while, you get to apply a technique youve learned in one discipline to another, in a way it hasnt been used before, he says. Thats usually when something interesting happens.

Prior to beginning his PhD, Nisser also researched reconfigurable robots at the European Space Agency. This project helped him realize he could combine his passion for robotics with his interest in space. Because every system launched into space has to fit within the confines of a rocket firing, space agencies are interested in structures that can self-reconfigure between smaller and larger shapes, he says. I saw a great opportunity to build on what Id learned about self-folding robotics. I developed algorithms that would allow large numbers of spacecraft modules to move together, attach to one another, and then reconfigure together into a target shape.

Now a PhD student in the HCI Engineering Group at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Nisser has partnered with the MIT Space Exploration Initiative to continue studying self-assembly in space. His team is developing a new kind of 3D printing technique adapted to the space environment, allowing them to create novel structures without the constraints of gravity. He recently tested his work on a parabolic flight, which allowed him to experience weightlessness for several intervals of 20 seconds. This December, the project will be launched to the International Space Station with SpaceX for a 30-day science mission.

Making hardware more accessible

To Nisser, studying self-configuration and self-assembly is also key to addressing important social issues. He is particularly interested in how his research can improve sustainability and make advanced technology more affordable. We typically build systems to perform a specific task, like a chair or a car. However the long-term vision is to be able to create systems from modular, smart components that let the system reconfigure and adjust its functionality to diverse needs, Nisser says. By addressing core challenges along the way, we aim to develop technology for the short term too.

Nisser has already begun to address this challenge by constructing LaserFactory, an add-on device for only $150 that connects to laser cutters and produces custom-designed devices ranging from electronic wearables to functional drones. The fabrication process requires no further instructions to operate finished drones can fly straight off the assembly line. The device has already been featured by the BBC and other outlets for its ingenuity. The ability to print fully functional robots is also important for space, where creating on-demand electromechanical devices without any human intervention is paramount to enabling long-duration missions, he adds.

In his free time, Nisser furthers his goal of democratizing technology by teaching introductory programming to incarcerated women. His lessons are through Brave Behind Bars, a program he and grad student Marisa Gaetz created last year after learning about the U.S. mass incarceration rate. Almost one in a hundred people in the U.S. today are incarcerated, and more than 80 percent of those will return to prison within a few years of release he says. Providing incarcerated people with educational opportunities that promote success in todays digital world is one of the most effective ways to help reduce this recidivism.

After graduating, Nisser hopes to continue teaching and conducting robotics research by pursuing a career as a professor. He looks forward to doing more projects related to space and hardware accessibility. The closer we get toward automating assembly, the sooner we can reduce costs and increase accessibility to all kinds of advanced hardware systems, says Nisser.

Initiatives like One Laptop Per Child helped increase awareness of the tremendous benefits of connecting people to the internet by letting people share and create things digitally. The same analogy translates to hardware, he says. By distributing fabrication via inexpensive printers or self-assembling hardware that remove the need for engineering expertise, we create an opportunity for people to share and create things physically. And thats good for everyone.

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Making machines that make robots, and robots that make themselves - MIT News

SEOUL, South Korea From the accumulation of space junk in low Earth orbit to questions concerning the ownership of space resources, the 21st century space race is spawning a slew of issues that can cause conflict among spacefaring nations.

South Koreas vice foreign minister said last week that the most effective way to settle them is through an international diplomatic framework like the Artemis Accords. The vice minister expects the more intense the space race becomes, the more significant the role for diplomacy will be.

The increase in the number of parties and the resulting proliferation of space activities call for a reexamination of global space governance to enable us to better manage potential conflicts and to foster a safe and predictable environment for all those involved, said Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon in an Aug. 12 speech at Space Diplomacy Forum 2021, which was live streamed on YouTube. Such challenges cannot be addressed by any one country alone, which prompts us to think that international cooperation through diplomacy will be of redoubled significance in the coming era.

In the absence of international coordination, Choi said, countries could easily get trapped in a race to the bottom as they strive for competitive advantage. Unregulated space activities could also generate a host of problems, from space debris to legal uncertainties involving issues such as property rights in space, he added.

This was the first international space diplomacy forum in South Korea since the nation signed the Artemis Accords in May. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), a state think tank.

The forum was attended by dozens of space experts and policymakers at home and abroad.

STEPI president Mun Mi-ock underscored the importance of international cooperation on space issues to effectively tackle global challenges, including climate change.

We should break away from the traditional way of space cooperation focusing on trading of space technologies to evolve it in a way strengthening multilateral cooperation from the perspective of space diplomacy, Mun said.

David A Turner, acting director of space affairs at the U.S. State Department, welcomed South Koreas participation in the Artemis Accords, which he said represents Americas efforts to promote responsible behavior in space exploration activities beyond the Earth orbit.

Turner said while the accords are specifically focused on the civil space activities beyond the Earth orbit conducted by governments, the U.S. looks forward to engaging with South Korea and all of our accord partners regarding the authorization in continuing supervision of our respective commercial space sectors in line with the accord principles.

Neal Newman, deputy director of NASAs Office of International and Interagency Relations, called South Korea an ideal partner for NASA in the Artemis [Accords].

When NASA looks at Korea, we see a nation of highly educated, highly talented and very hard-working people that possess a superior technological ability, Newman said. We also see a nation that is very interested in leading in space, more importantly, leading responsibly in space. The Republic of Korea signed the Artemis Accords and has demonstrated that you are interested in being a strong partner with NASA and other responsible space agencies around the world, so the Republic of Korea and Koreans are ideal partners for NASA in Artemis.

Asked what role South Korea is expected to play in the Artemis Program, Newman said its very difficult to be specific for now.

To the question about how the U.S. would react if South Korea makes any form of cooperation with China in space, Newman avoided a direct answer. Instead, he said, We would like the Chinese to sign the Artemis Accords. I dont know if they are interested in doing so. If they do, that would really enable even more collaboration multilaterally.

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South Korea touts Artemis Accords as a way to settle international space issues - SpaceNews

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana is given a tour at the UAE Space Agency in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi by UAE Space Agency executive director Ibrahim Al Qasim.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

The Republic of the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates diplomatic relations are now 47 years old and in efforts to continually fortify this, not only for the benefit of their respective citizens but for the entire humanity as well, a Space Cooperation has been initiated by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The first meeting took place exactly on the 47th anniversary of the diplomatic relations last August 19 (Thursday). Officials and representatives of the two-year-old Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the seven-year-old United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA), led respectively by PhilSA director general Dr. Joel Marciano Jr. and UAESA executive director Ibrahim Al Qasim, met virtually at the UAE Space Agency headquarters in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.

According to the press release given to Gulf Today on late Thursday evening, Marciano and Al Qasim lauded the Embassys efforts to bring together the two space agencies and discussed practical ways the Philippines and the UAE can move forward with Space Cooperation.

Specifically discussed at the initial meeting, with Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana in attendance, were cooperation on space technology applications primarily concentrating on food security, hazard management and climate studies. Both sides considered exchange of experiences in the respective space programmes between Filipino and Emirati scientists. The parties expressed commitment to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during the October 2021 72nd International Congress to be hosted by the UAE and held in Dubai.

In her speech on Thursday, Quintana, the eighth Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, after the diplomatic relations were established on August 19, 1974 said: Let us make this 47th year anniversary a milestone in our relations. By forging the path of space cooperation, the Philippines and the UAE are charting a new frontier in our bilateral relations, which like space, will be of limitless possibilities.

She early on stated: Even in the midst of the pandemic, the last two years have been groundbreaking for both the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as far as space science and technology is concerned.

In 2019, the Philippine Space Agency was born on August 8 to be exact. The UAE on the other hand, made history when its Mars Mission Al Amal or Hope Probe was launched on July 19, 2020 and reached Mars on February 9, 2021 making the UAE the first Arab country and the fifth country to reach Mars. Truly a spectacular feat for the UAE Space Agency that is only seven years old.

The Philippines and the UAE may be new in the field of space exploration but there is no doubting and underestimating their enthusiasm and eagerness to jump-starting science and succeed in exploring the great beyond. Their efforts, individually, have shown so much promise and future.

Quintana mentioned the ejection into space of the two PhilSA micro and nano satellites coded as DIWATA (Filipino for fairy)-1 and DIWATA-2 as well as the cube satellite Maya (a small passerine Philippine bird)-2: The DIWATA-2 was launched along with the UAEs KhalifaSAT from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on October 29, 2018, even before the formal creation of the PhilSA. A cube satellite, Maya-2 was also released to space this year, on March 14, which is the Philippines fourth successful attempt to send a satellite to space. Japanese experts cited the Philippines as one of the best examples of a success story saying that none is more serious about developing in-country human resources than the Philippines. As they say, before you can make a spacecraft, you have to train engineers who know how to make them. With these microsatellites for space research, the Philippines can do applications in remote sensing and communications. They can also be used for climate monitoring to disaster response and other applications that can help in economic recovery and national growth.

Quintana praised the dedication of the UAE in engaging in international collaboration and aptly referenced to the statement of UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology Sarah Al Amiri at the June 8, 2021 signing of the Artemis Accords, relative to the USA-led programme and the political commitment of governments to send man back to the moon by 2024.

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Space cooperation between UAE and Philippines thrives - Gulf Today

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is presently aboard the ISS, recently showed a few beautiful images of Italys floating city Venice..(Image Credit: thomo_astro/Instagram)

Space exploration has not only given us insights into the vast universe surrounding us but has also mesmerised us with thousands of images of the celestial world and our planet as well. From time-to-time various images of our planet captured by space agencies, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have often amazed us all. Many astronauts using social media platforms often give us the opportunity to see the images of the various beautiful places on the Earth taken from space.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is presently aboard the ISS, recently showed a few beautiful images of Italys floating city Venice. Pesquet often shares mesmerising snaps of Earth taken from space. In his recent post the European Space Agency astronaut posted several photographs of the historic city after the Italian authorities placed a ban on cruise ships entering Venices historic centre.

Supporting the ban in his post, the French aerospace engineer in a detailed Instagram post wrote the unsung heroes of this iconic city are the thick wooden planks. Most of us know it for its watery canals, bridges and melodic gondoliers but the unsung heroes of Venice are actually thick wooden planks. The 43-year-old further elaborated on the challenges including climate change and human movement among others the city is currently facing.

See them here:

Ever since being shared some 19 hours ago, Pesquets post has gone viral on social media. His latest images have garnered more than 86,000 likes on the photo-video sharing platform. Meanwhile, netizens used a slew of emojis and appreciative words while reacting to the post.

Italy recently banned large cruise ships from entering into the historic city in order to protect its ecosystem and heritage. Italian authorities approved a ban on cruise ships entering the citys Giudecca canal after years of protests from residents and others to protect the floating city from the downsides of mass tourism, BBC reported.

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French Astronaut Shares Images of Venice from Space and they are Mesmerizing - News18