Welcome
Welcome to wolfstu.ca . The site has settled into a parking orbit, and will stay in this form for a while. If you're looking around, feel free to check out:The Introduction, a guide to this place
The FAQ, which answers the usual questions
The Gallery, which shows a glimpse of things to come, and
Single LGM seeks same, the first article from the old site to be restored and posted online.
News
Mars Science LaboratoryWhile I was in Arizona for the analogue mission (see below), selections for the Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientist Proposals were announced. A team led by John Moores was selected to do atmospheric studies. I'm part of that team -- my job is to develop image-processsing algorithms to determine wind speeds by tracking clouds in photos taken by the rover. The work will contribute to my PhD thesis in autonomous image processing for planetary exploration. You can read about the team here, and see a video about how the MSL ("Curiosity") rover works, here.
30 November 02011
BLAM 2011
CPSX ran another lunar exploration analogue mission last week at the Barringer (Meteor) crater in Arizona. I was once again assigned as an astronaut, and we ran a three-day simulation, this time with improved real-time communications. You can see photos from the deployment here.
30 November 02011
KRASH 2011
The KRASH 2011 lunar exploration analogue mission begins operations 29 August. The third in the CSA-sponsored and UWO/CPSX-led Impacts Lunar Sample Return program, it will simulate the joint human and robotic exploration of the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Earth's moon. After two deployments in Mission Control as an Operations Engineer, Tactical Science Planner/Integrator, and Rover Traverse Planner, I'll this time join the field team as one of two 'astronauts' in our mission simulation.
My colleague in that duo is a field geologist by training, while I'm an engineer and pilot. Together, and supported by a large field expedition team and the Mission Control group at UWO/CPSX, our job will be to explore two areas in the Mistastin Lake impact structure, searching for geological evidence of the formation and history of the crater. I'll lead some of the EVA excursions, work by satellite voice link with Mission Control, assist my colleague in her geological investigations, and operate the robotic field assistant, a rover provided by an engineering group at UTIAS. Overall, the mission will test the human and robotic techniques and technologies needed to for future exploration missions to the moon and other planetary bodies.
You can follow the progress of the mission on the CPSX Analogue Mission Blog. Operations run from 29 August to 2 September, and 5-9 September, 02011.
15 August 02011
SLAM 2011
The Sudbury Lunar Analogue Mission 2011 (SLAM 2011) is now complete. It was a two-week simulation of a robotic sample return mission to the far side of the Earth's moon. My role was in Mission Control, as Tactical Science Planner/Integrator and Rover Traverse Planner.
You can read about the mission on the CPSX website and at Western News.
29 June 02011
GeoFlow-2
The GeoFlow II experiment launched this week aboard ATV-2 Johannes Kepler. It's an investigation of geophysical fluid flows, to model the convection inside planets. The experiment first launched three years ago aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, together with the Columbus module and the Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) in which the experiment ran. That time it focused on modeling the Earth's outer core; for the second flight, the parameters have been changed to focus on the mantle.
You can read about GeoFlow on the contractor's website and in an interview with the lead scientist.
Verification and validation activities for this experiment (the GeoFlow Experiment Container for FSL) were among my first tasks during my time at ESTEC. I also got a little bit of involvement in planning for the second flight.
19 February 02011
PSERF
PSERF: A perspective on space programs beyond North America. A video of the lecture, given as part of the Planetary Science and Exploration Research Forum on 28 January, is available here.
1 February 02011
CPSX Digest
CPSX Digest: Mercury orbiter passes thermal tests
21 January 02011
ADS-B at CSS 02010
If you're curious what I do for a living, there's a summary of some recent research of mine that might give you some idea. The work is about the potential to improve the air traffic control system using satellites to track aircraft from orbit, and was presented at the 2010 Canadian Space Summit, 19-21 November. Drawn from work done for my master's thesis, it's two pages long, and titled Air traffic surveillance in remote and oceanic airspace using orbital detection of Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) signals. Don't worry, it's not as technical as it sounds, and long titles like that are just traditional for these sorts of things.
3 December 02010
Young Graduate Traineeship
Hope, ambition, and the luckiest boy on Earth is about the Young Graduate Trainee program of the European Space Agency.
21 November 02010
Space and major disasters
A new article has been posted: Space for Living Safely
14 January 02010
More to come in the future, but for the moment, enjoy the view:
