SUMMER 2024

2

CHASINGTHE GREATAMERICANECLIPSE10

SUSTAINABLE
MOBILITYMARATHON

18

SwRI
STEM
SUPPORT

24

RECORDRADIATION
ON MARSSCIENCE

D025747_2195

High school students (from right) Lucy Xie
and Kathy Le learned about a wide range ofscience, technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM) occupations during
the 13-day Young Engineers and Scientists(YES) program that Southwest ResearchInstitute has hosted for more than 30 years.
They then spent a year working with their
mentor, Lead Scientist Ed Patrick, on
projects that included how a golf-ballshaped, smartphone-controlled educational
mini-robot might be used to roll aroundregolith to release gases from the lunar
surface for easier detection. Patrick
designed a test setup to demonstrate therobot under vacuum. The project showed
the potential for adapting low-cost
technology for the Moon or Mars while
exciting these students about the out-ofthis-world possibilities of a STEM career.

SUMMER 2024 • VOLUME 45, NO. 2

ON THE COVER

2 C hasing the Great American
Eclipse 2024
10 SwRI Supports Sustainable
Mobility Marathon
18 S wRI STEM Support
20 H ot Times in Cool Places

21 Techbytes
23 Preparing for Europa Mission24 RAD Measures Record Radiation
on Mars
25 Techbytes
28 Awards & Achievements

D024089_2653

Southwest Research Institute’s founder issometimes called “the most interesting man you’ve
never heard of.” The son of a wealthy oilman, Tom
Slick was passionate about many things — art,architecture, philanthropy — as well as having
more esoteric interests such as searching for the
Yeti and the Loch Ness monster. But as evidenced
by his creation of SwRI and what is now Texas
Biomedical Research Institute, he was probably
most passionate about science and technology andtheir ability to solve some of the world’s mostchallenging problems.

IN THISISSUEOver the last 76 years, SwRI has maintainedthat zeal, creating technical solutions from deep
sea to deep space. As an organization, SwRI
concentrates its outreach efforts on boostingscience, technology, engineering and mathematics,
or STEM, in the community. This takes many forms,
including scholarships, science fair prizes, tours,
mentoring and many more programs.
This issue of Technology Today features a few
of those programs, including its 30 years of hosting
the Young Engineers and Scientists program
featured on the opposite page.
We also included a feature about utilizing acorps of over 200 citizen scientists to conduct solar

100641

CONTENTSSwRI supports worldwide Shell
Eco-Marathon (SEM) events,
where novel student-built vehicles
compete with sustainability insteadof speed as the goal. The coverdepicts the entries in the 2024 SEM
Americas event held at the famous
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in April.
IMAGE COURTESY SHELL
ECO-MARATHON/AJ MAST

science during the recent eclipse. These volunteers
from across the country were outfitted withspecialized telescopes to collect data. This sort ofhands-on experience can change the path ofsomeone’s life.
The cover story is about SwRI’s decade of
support for Shell Eco-Marathons (SEMs), anotherseminal student STEM experience, allowing highschool and college teams to build vehicles where
the goal is not speed, but efficiency. SwRI serves asa sponsor, providing SEM teams support to gettheir vehicles across the finish line and selecting
the Technical Innovation Award-winning team.
All this is part of Tom Slick’s legacy, fostering apassion for STEM in the next generation. And if you
want to learn more about SwRI’s founder, tune intoa scripted podcast about his life, “Tom Slick:
Mystery Hunter,” with the title role played by actor
Owen Wilson.
Sincerely,

Walter D. Downing, P.E.
Executive Vice President/COO

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 1

100105

What could be the next generation ofsolar scientists get their first taste of
totality from the SwRI-led Citizen
Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse(CATE) 2024 site in Attica, Ohio.

2

Summer 2024

Chasing

the Great American

Eclipse 2024
SwRI conducts experiments by land & air
By Amir Caspi, Ph.D., andDan Seaton, Ph.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Dr. Amir Caspi (right) is anexperimental solar astrophysicist specializing in high-energy
solar events and the solar corona. He is the principal
investigator of the CATE 2024 experiment and observationsof the solar corona from aboard NASA’s WB-57 aircraft for the
recent total solar eclipse. Dr. Dan Seaton is a solar physicist
who specializes in observing and modeling the inner andmiddle solar corona. He serves as the science lead on the two
projects above and is the deputy principal investigator of a
proposed solar mission observing the middle corona inextreme ultraviolet wavelengths. Caspi and Seaton
demonstrated CATE 2024 telescopes during the October
2023 annular eclipse from Loveland Pass in Colorado.
100090TECHNOLOGY TODAY 3

100343

On April 8, 2024, a total solar
eclipse cast its shadow from Eagle
Pass, Texas, to Houlton, Maine,
likely becoming the country’s mostviewed celestial event ever.
During the total solar eclipse, the Moon covered thedisc of the Sun, creating a few minutes of shade across a
115-mile-wide swath of the United States. This solar
eclipse passed over the homes of around 32 million people,
including three of the top 10 most populous U.S. cities— San Antonio, Austin and Dallas — as well as Indianapolis,
Cleveland and Buffalo. Millions more trekked to the trailof totality, while the Moon blocked at least half of theSun’s face across most of the rest of the country.
It was an exciting day, because the odds of seeing a
total solar eclipse if you cannot travel to one are actuallyquite small. This eclipse traveled from Mexico to Maine,
allowing Southwest Research Institute the unique and rareopportunity to conduct two nearly simultaneous projects
to study the solar corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
Teams led by SwRI successfully executed two groundbreaking experiments — by land and air — collecting
unique solar data from the total eclipse.
ECLIPSE EXPERIMENTS
COURTESY SwRI / CITIZEN CATE 2024 / RITESH PATEL / DAN SEATON
1001124 SUMMER 2024

The Citizen Continental-America Telescopic
Eclipse (CATE) 2024 experiment engaged morethan 200 community participants in a broad,approachable and inclusive attempt to make acontinuous 60-minute high-resolution movie of
this exciting event. A nearly simultaneous investigation
used unique equipment installed in NASA’s WB-57F
research aircraft to chase the eclipse shadow, making
observations accessible only from a bird’s-eye view.

This high-res processed image of
the April 8 eclipse shows the Sun’scorona, its outermost atmosphere,
in artificial colors that indicate thepolarization or orientation of thelight. Citizen scientists in Dallas
collected these data through the
SwRI-led CATE 2024 experiment.

Total solar eclipses offer unique opportunities for scientists tostudy the hot atmosphere above the Sun’s visible surface. When theMoon covers the disc of the Sun, complex and dynamic features of
the Sun’s outer atmosphere are made visible in ways not possible orpractical by any other means, opening new windows into theunderstanding of the solar corona. The faint light from the corona isusually overpowered by the intense brightness of the Sun itself, andsome wavelengths of light are blocked by Earth’s atmosphere.

100099COURTESY NASA/KEEGAN BARBER

The Sun is a ball of hot ionized gas. It has many different layers,
but the most visible is the photosphere, or the surface of the Sun,
which is about 10,000 F (or 6,000 C). Above that is the Sun’s tenuous
outer atmosphere, including the outermost layer, the corona, which
extends from just above the solar surface all the way to the edge of
our solar system.
The corona is millions of degrees, hundreds of times hotter thanthe visible surface below, a curious paradox that is a longstanding
scientific mystery. The corona is also one of the major sources of
eruptions that cause geomagnetic storms around Earth. Thesephenomena damage satellites, cause power grid blackouts anddisrupt communication and GPS signals, so it’s important to better
understand them as the world becomes increasingly dependent onsuch systems.

The Site 24 team set up their CATE
2024 telescope in Cleveland andwaited for totality.
100103The Skycenter and Observatory hosted a large public event at Tupper Lake,
New York. The Site 30 team from P-TECH schools shared information about the
CATE 2024 program with visitors as they prepared to image the eclipse.

Both experiments address two very important solar physics
questions: why the corona gets so hot and where the solar windoriginates. This constant stream of high-energy particles emitted by
the Sun all the time and spreading out into interplanetary spacetravels faster than it seemingly should. These experiments arelooking for where the solar wind is born and where its energy
comes from as it propagates through the solar system.

But CATE 2024 also provided a tremendous transformative
experience, connecting communities with scientists to document oneof the most awe-inspiring cosmic phenomena humans can encounter.
It was the ultimate science, technology, engineering and mathematics,
or STEM, outreach event, attracting teams of volunteers who thenshared what they were doing with their wider community.
CATE 2024
CATE 2024 deployed a network of 35 teams of community
participants, or “citizen scientists,” representing local communities
along the eclipse path. Hundreds of CATE participants deployed a“bucket brigade” of small telescopes following the eclipse’s
cross-country path from the Mexican to the Canadian borders.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 5

NEAR-IR

SHORT-IR

MID-IR

100119This experiment follows the Citizen CATE
2017 experiment, which imaged the Aug. 21,
2017, event from coast to coast, using more than
60 teams of academics, school children andother volunteers. CATE 2017 was led by Dr. Matt
Penn, who was then an astronomer with the
National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona.
The project collected over 1 terabyte of whitelight images of the inner solar corona, creating a
90-minute, cross-country movie of the event.

From left, Bob Benedict,
Theresa Costilow andCarlyn Rocazella celebrate
getting their telescope,camera and computerequipment set to film themoments of totality from
Site 25, a campgroundalong Lake Eriein Kingsville, Ohio.
100104

When Hazel Wilkins,
the CATE 24 northeast
regional trainer, slipped
off her eclipse glasses
and the solar filter fromthe telescope, she wasovercome with thesight of the total solar
eclipse from the shore
of Lake Champlain,near the New YorkVermont border.

6 SUMMER 2024

This experiment and the eclipse offered abonding experience between scientists andcommunities along the path as the public
donned and doffed eclipse glasses to experiencea phenomenon that peoples throughout time
have used to study the Sun and its mysteries.

CATE 2024’s next-generation scientificobjectives required measuring the polarizationof light, or the orientation of oscillating lightwaves, in the corona. Light behaves as a wave,
like a string or the battle ropes in Crossfit thatwave in a particular direction. Most people
understand polarization based on the filtersthat block out light coming from a certain
direction. Polarized sunglasses filter out lightfrom a direction typically associated with glare.

The Citizen CATE 2024 cameras have apolarizing filter — little sunglasses — baked
onto every pixel of the sensor, allowing them tomeasure four different angles of polarization
everywhere in the corona, providing much
more information than just measuring thebrightness of the light.

The 2024 experiments are studying complex
motion in the solar corona, at new wavelengths
and with new polarization measurements, tohelp scientists understand why it is so hot.		
Each team received a telescope, camera,computer and training to document the eclipse.
The equipment is relatively new and only

100130

These preliminary images from a new suite of sensitive, high-speed, visible-light and infrared imagers aboard one of NASA’s WB-57 jets show the corona and prominences visible
during the April 8 eclipse in four wavelength ranges. Moving forward, SwRI scientists will significantly improve the images through processing and analysis of the rich and complex data.

COURTESY SwRI / NASA / DAN SEATON /MATTHEW WESTVISIBLE

100101

100118National Solar Observatory Astronomer Emeritus David Elmore and his son Chris used a CATE 2024
setup to gather eclipse data from first landfall of the total eclipse at Mazatlan, Mexico.

recently affordable, allowing CATE to create this distributed
network across the U.S. The team beta tested the experiment taking
the equipment and community volunteer leaders to Australia toobserve an April 2023 total solar eclipse. They collected excellent
data and demonstrated the ability to collect high dynamic range(HDR) images, where short exposures imaged the very brightelements and longer exposures collected dimmer light. The scientists
then combined the data into one amazing image. They assigned acolor to each of the polarization angles to create a rainbow image ofthe polarized light as well as the more intense white light solar
prominences erupting from the surface of the Sun.

COURTESY CITIZEN CATE PROJECT

100085The images from these experiments are not just stunning but
scientifically dense with data the scientists are still investigating.
However, that is just one facet of the CATE experiment. By donating
the equipment and training the citizen scientist volunteers, CATE

Students from the University of Indianapolis, or UINDY, collected
CATE 2024 data from a site near Waynesfield, Ohio.

invested in the communities along the path of totality, including many
areas that are historically underrepresented or overburdened interms of science education. Having the opportunity to engage in ascientific experiment like this provided transformative new experiences.
For instance, SwRI’s project manager for CATE 2024, Sarah Kovac,

started out on the CATE 2017 experiment as one of the community

leaders. That inspired her to go into solar physics, get her graduate
degree and then help lead the next-generation experiment with thenext generation of citizen scientists. It shows the power of thecommunity to do high-quality science, to observe one of the mostamazing cosmic phenomena that can be seen with the naked eye.
Once the experiments were done, these communities kept thetelescopes and auxiliary equipment to support future educational
opportunities and community events.

With 35 teams of local
community participants,
or “citizen scientists,” theCitizen Continental-America
Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024
project collected next-generation
polarized observations during
the 2024 total solar eclipse
from Texas to Maine. The
network of 35 telescopes may
provide 60 continuous minutesof totality images. The CATE
2024 experiment addresses
compelling open science
questions that require thenovel dataset provided bymulti-point observations acrossthe entire eclipse path.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 7

A new suite of sensitive, high-speed,
visible-light and infrared imagers,
built by the SCIFLI team at NASA’s
Langley Research Center, were
installed in the nose cone of one ofNASA’s highflying WB-57 jets toobserve the solar eclipse. SwRI will use
the multispectral data to understandthe physics behind the hot glow ofvarious solar features.

This followed a 2017 experiment SwRI led using these uniqueaircraft, which have a wingspan of 122 feet. The aircraft havecomparatively small bodies, allowing them to glide at high altitudes
above 90% of the Earth’s atmosphere. In 2017, two NASA WB-57F
research aircraft successfully tracked the solar eclipse to study thesolar corona in the midwave infrared or thermal infrared. The
stabilized telescopes used sensitive, high-speed, visible-light andinfrared cameras to collect spectacular images, showing clear
images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere.

The Site 31 team took a group shot, capturing a particularly
awe-inspiring view of the eclipse.

Kemp, Texas, a town of 1,200 less than 50 miles southeast of
Dallas, assembled one of a few high school CATE 2024 teams,
with seven students and two teachers. Just 90 seconds before
totality, co-captain Katy Kiser followed her hunch to make final
camera adjustments, as her teachers Billy House (left) and Kyle
Rimler let her take the lead. And CATE 2024 Site 7 collected
perfectly centered, focused images.
100081

8 SUMMER 2024

100129SwRI also led a 2024 airborne project to observe the corona
during the eclipse from 50,000 feet. These high-altitude observations
both provide measurements that can’t be made from the groundand avoid any weather-related risks. The team deployed a new suiteof sensitive, high-speed, visible-light and infrared imagers, built by
the SCIFLI team at NASA’s Langley Research Center, installed in thenose cone of a WB-57 jet.

COURTESY NASA/JAMES BLAIR

100089AIRBORNE EXPERIMENTS

The experiment discovered that various structures on the Sun
glow in essentially equal brightness in this wavelength. However, thesestructures can differ in temperature by 100 times. For instance, solar
prominences are only tens of thousands of degrees, but structures
known as active regions are billions of degrees, so the physics of
why they glow in infrared is different, but they glow equally bright.

The 2024 experiment flew a new instrument package that uses
four cameras equipped with an array of filters, to measure a range of
wavelengths to get information across the color spectrum. The flightcollected data from ultraviolet to visible light as well as near-infrared,
short infrared and four different ranges of mid-infrared light to try andunderstand the physics of various types of brightly glowing structures.
The SwRI-led airborne team includes scientists from the National

Center for Atmospheric Research High Altitude Observatory, NASA
Langley Research Center, and Predictive Sciences Inc., with collaborators at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The SwRI-led

CATE 2024 project, funded by NSF and NASA, includes scientists
from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National
Solar Observatory, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space
Physics at the University of Colorado, and the Space Science

Institute, with collaborators at New Mexico State University and theLivelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, community leaders at

Rice University, Indiana University Bloomington, the University ofMaine, and over 200 community participants in 35 communities
along the eclipse path.

Questions about this story? Contact Caspi at amir.caspi@swri.org or(303) 546-6351 or Seaton at daniel.seaton@swri.org or (720) 240-0109.
The authors would like to acknowledge the leadership of Sarah Kovac, whoplayed a key role in CATE 2024’s success, as well as the assistance of Willow
Reed and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The authors
also thank the Citizen CATE 2024 site teams for sharing their photographs.
100100100088

Just south of the Canadian border in Pittsburg, Vermont, Site 32
enjoyed a full day of eclipse viewing activities. After setting up
their CATE 2024 equipment, they used PUNCH pinhole projectors
to view the eclipse indirectly as well as PUNCH sunglasses that show
the polarized coronal light. A complementary SwRI-led mission,
the Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH)
mission will launch four suitcase-sized satellites into polar orbit in
2025 to study the solar corona with the goal of understanding theorigin of the solar wind.

In support of the Kemp high school CATE 2024 team, the school district
organized a “Solar Bowl” flag football game including drill, cheer and band
performances in addition to observing the eclipse.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 9The EcoVolt team from Instituto
Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores
de Monterrey (Tec) was one of 70
teams from across the Americas.
Incidentally, SwRI recently entered intoa collaborative agreement with Tec tojointly fund research and development
initiatives to advance sustainable
manufacturing and technology inthe United States and Mexico.
100091

10 SUMMER 2021

SwRI supports

sustainablemobility
marathon

Providing STEM outreachto the next generationof engineers & scientists
By Steve Dellenback, Ph.D,
and Steven MartyTECHNOLOGY TODAY 11

100115

As

Teams queue up at the
Indianapolis Motor
Speedway track entrance inanticipation of the first dayof the Shell Eco-Marathon
Americas competition.

t he U.S. and other countries
around the world aim for netzero greenhouse gas (GHG)
economies by 2050, decarbonizing
the transportation sector will playa critical role in addressing
climate change and protecting
human health and the environment. Transportation is thelargest source of GHG emissions
in the U.S., which are 97%
carbon dioxide.

The transportation sector needs to eliminate nearly all GHG
emissions using a holistic strategy to create a clean, safe, secure,accessible and affordable mobility system with sustainable transportation options for people and goods.1
For a little over 10 years, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
has served as a Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) sponsor, providing
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach aswell as evaluation of the latest efficient and automated driving
technologies. These annual engineering competitions challenge
hundreds of student teams from around the globe to design,build, test and drive ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. SwRI staff
provide technical and engineering support and present one
student team with an award recognizing innovation.
SEM shares many of the same sustainability goals and has asimilar philanthropic mission as SwRI, which focuses its
1

https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/us-national-blueprint-transportation-decarbonization

12 Summer 2024

outreach activities on STEM programs. SEM events provide the next
generation of engineers and scientists around the world with theopportunity to collaborate as teams and explore current and future
vehicles and energy that will shape a lower carbon future for all.
As one of the largest independent engine, fuel and lubricant
research and development organizations in the world, SwRI is
well-positioned to provide the SEM teams with the support theyneed to compete. Plus, using more than 20 years of experiencedeveloping automated driving solutions, the Institute isdeveloping techniques to reduce vehicular energy
consumption using next-generation connected
and automated driving technology.
SwRI staff recently participatedin the 2024 SEM Americas,
held in April at the
Indianapolis Motor
Speedway (IMS),

Teams from across North and South America developed urban concept
vehicles (typically four-wheeled) and prototype ultra-efficient lightweightvehicles (usually three-wheeled) powered by three engine categories
for the SEM Americas competition. These vehicles include internal combustion
engines (ICEs) — powered by gasoline, diesel, ethanol or compressed naturalgas — as well as hydrogen fuel cells and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).
100097

and the 2024 SEM Europe-Africa competition in Nogaro,
France, held in May. Thousands of students participate in
SEM events each year gaining valuable STEM knowledge andhands-on experience. This year SEM is also featuring regional
events for students from the Asia-Pacific and Middle East,
Brazil and China, along with an Autonomous Urban Concept
Competition that took place concurrently with the Europe
and Africa event. SwRI has a presence at nearly every
eco-marathon in some way.

We’ve seen a lot of first-time competitors and a lotof first-time designs. Seeing the students’ excitement
when their hard work has paid off, they have passed
their tech and safety inspections, and they realize
their vehicle will make it to the track. Even if they
don’t win, just passing and getting out there brings
the teams immense joy. Experiencing that alongside
the students has been tremendously rewarding.
Jose Starling, senior research engineer in SwRI’s
Fuels and Lubricants Research Division, who focusedon pre-competition inspections

100098From left, SwRI staff member Logan Elliottand consultant Joe Redfield check Kankakee
Valley High School’s urban concept internal
combustion engine vehicle before an
attempted run.

The competition recognizes two different car types— urban concept vehicles, which are typically four-wheeled,and prototype ultra-efficient lightweight vehicles, which areusually three-wheeled. Teams can choose between three
engine categories, including internal combustion engines(ICEs) powered by gasoline, diesel, ethanol or compressed
natural gas. The other platforms are battery-electric vehicles(BEVs), powered by hydrogen or lithium, and hydrogen fuelcell vehicles. 2024 SEMs will host three big regional events.
These “supermileage” events allow experienced teams topush new boundaries, encouraging innovation and novel
approaches to achieving energy efficiency.
SEM AMERICAS
On a cold, wet and windy April morning, hundreds of highschool and college students from across North and SouthAmerica bundled up in heavy jackets, scarves and beanies at the
famous Indianapolis venue to begin the multiday competition.
In dozens of paddocks just off the track, teams of up to 15
student engineers work rapidly and intently, preparing theultra-energy-efficient vehicles transported from across theWestern Hemisphere. Some of the vehicles resemble a singlerider coupe, while other, more experimental designs evoke
submarines or jet cockpits. The teams have painstakingly
designed and built their vehicles for the opportunity tocomplete the 2.5-mile-long track and prove their design is the

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 13

most energy-efficient vehicle in Indianapolis this year.

Before their car can even make it onto the track, it must
pass rigorous technical and safety evaluations conductedby SwRI and Shell.
SwRI staff from the Fuels and Lubricants Researchand Intelligent Systems divisions work alongside Shell
staff to ensure the proceedings run safely and smoothly.
In a row of garages adjacent to the famous IMS track,
SwRI and Shell staff members mentor students, testingeach vehicle and evaluating everything from electricaland fuel systems to brakes and seat belts. The requirements
are so rigorous that teams that have spent months
working on their vehicles may falter at the inspections.
Many teams have the simple goal of passing the inspection.
100095

SwRI’s Jared Cavaliere (second from left) collaborates with a Shell employee, reviewing
the Escudería EcoVolt team’s prototype BEV.

For instance, safety feature and vehicle design
inspections verified that drivers could exit the vehicles
easily and safely and that seatbelts are properly

It’s been hard. During travel, part of our frame
cracked, and it’s not a spot fix. It’s a take-everythingapart-and-fix-that-one-thing problem to put it back
together. We were working all the 12 hours we wereallowed to be in the paddock and trying to get it
ready for the inspection to just pass with two minutes
left in the inspection … but we’re a strong team with a
lot of determination and perseverance.
Siobhan Scott, team manager from the Universityof Manitoba, Canada, racing a BEV prototype
installed. Students would be prompted to complete
mock-emergency evacuations of their vehicles withina certain time limit. Interiors were examined forpotential hazards.

In 2024, more than 70 teams including 750 students
from five countries participated in the SEM Americas
regional event, competing in on-track categories
representing different fuel and design philosophies.
The goal of the competition is to inspire students toexperiment with different energy solutions, challenging
them to travel the longest distance using as little energy
as possible. Each vehicle and engine category has its own
requirements that must be met to attempt a run aroundthe track.
100109SwRI’s Michael Moneer (left) and Jose Starling (right) conduct an interior safety check of
the University of Manitoba’s EcoMotion prototype BEV.

14 Summer 2024

Over the course of each competition day, students
pull their vehicles from the paddock to the inspection
garages, lining up for evaluation. Then they either moveonto the track to attempt a run or haul them back to theirpaddock for last-minute improvements. Teams have up

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience... How many kids can say theydrove a vehicle around IMS or
Sonoma? I don’t think we’ve had
any negative feedback. It’s very
reassuring to the students who’ve
put all their time, blood, sweat andtears into it. It’s been an exciting,transformative experience.

100082David Hass, an advisor for the
Kankakee Valley High School
team, which placed second
overall in their category

Students from the Alérion supermileage team with Université Laval in Canada haul their prototype BEV to the test
track for inspection. Their team placed third in their category with a best attempt of 197.28 mi/kWh.

to six run attempts with their energy use (mi/kWh) recorded onscoreboard monitors around IMS. Their best completed attempt
determines their place in the competition. Countless factors canmake or break a run, from the weather to a miscalculated turn tooverzealous acceleration. At SEM, efficiency, not speed, is the mostimportant factor in the race.

For the teams, every second, every move, every mechanicalfunction, and every bit of expended energy on the track could be
the difference between leaving IMS with a win or not. During runs,

students often dress in team uniforms, peering through binoculars
from the stands and offering drivers potential efficiency hints via
walkie talkie. At times, cars on the track stall out and are towed totheir paddocks. Then the work begins anew to troubleshoot and fix
the cause of a failed run before trying again. Difficulties can crop up
during any stage of the competition, and students are challenged tofind solutions.
By the third day of SEM Americas, teams have settled into agroove. Teams can work and race up to 12 hours a day. In the100096

SwRI’s Jose Starling (in white) checks the urban concept BEV designed and built by Team RUDI from Mater Dei High School. Team RUDI placed first in their category reaching anefficiency of 120.38 mi/kWh.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 15

100126

Six vehicles, designed by high schools in Minnesota and Indiana as well as the University of Ottawa, competed in the SEM Americas urban concept vehicle race on Sunday, April 7.

evening, many teams camp out at IMS. Several teams have been
here before and are already planning to come back in 2025, but forothers, this is one of the few opportunities that they have as students
to get this kind of hands-on STEM experience.
SEM Americas ends with a regional championship race
between the top-scoring urban concept vehicles from each energy
category. This year, six teams — five high school teams, including
Kankakee Valley High School, and one university team, theUniversity of Ottawa, competed in the finals, with the challenge tocomplete four laps on a set amount of fuel/energy. The combinationof starting position and energy usage efficiency determines thewinner of the race.

The Gold Warriors Team from Wawasee High School in Syracuse,Ind., and their gasoline internal combustion engine vehicle finishedwith the gold this year. All but one team completed the four laps tocross the finish line.

SwRI vice presidents Steve Marty, Dr. Steve Dellenback andTony Magaro participated in the event to share information about
SwRI with interested students and select the winning team for
the SwRI-sponsored award. Marty and Dellenback interviewed
10 teams, including a team that focused on increasing engine
performance and reducing emissions immediately after engine
start-up addressing these high transient emissions associated withcold starts.

In the process of selecting the Technical Innovation Awardwinner, SwRI saw first-hand the students’ ingenuity and problemsolving skills at work. Transient-based emissions are extremely
relevant for current low-emissions goals with real-world applicability
for solving today’s problems, and students were applying this for arace/mileage advantage.

SwRI presented the Off-Track Technical Innovation Award to thesupermileage entry from Brigham Young University.

Dr. David Anthony, a lead engineer in SwRI’s Intelligent
Systems Division, who took part in vehicle inspections
as well as the automated driving competition

SwRI Vice President Steve Marty (right) presents the Technical Innovation
Award to the leaders of the Brigham Young University team.

100086Students in this year’s autonomous urban concept
competition made significant strides in their cars. For
the first time, a team completed all stages of the test
track and did so using only cameras and lidar,
without any GPS guidance at all. All the teams madeit much farther in the course than they had in theprevious years, demonstrating sophisticated autonomy
and machine learning algorithms. SwRI staff had agreat time judging the contest and talking with thestudents about their hard work.

SEM EUROPE/AFRICA

In addition to providing technical team support for thehigh-mileage competition similar to the SEM Americas,
SwRI provided technical support and guidance for the
automated system competition held prior to the superhigh-mileage challenge. Of the six teams that submitted
entries, five teams successfully passed their technicalinspections and moved onto the track for competition.

100107The SEM Europe/Africa competition was held May
19–24 in Nogaro, France, home of Circuit Paul Armagnac,
a motorsport racetrack in southwestern France. Over 300
student teams participated in the vehicle efficiency
marathon. The Europe-Africa event also included anautonomous urban concept competition.

A team from Yildiz Technical University (YTU) in Instanbul, Turkey, prepares their automated driving
entry for three challenges that must be completed without driver intervention, including track
driving, an obstacle course and parking. From right, SwRI’s Dan Engstrom, David Anthony, Shell’s
Melle de Wit and SwRI’s Logan Elliott advise the YTU team.

Taking part in SEM is just one facet of SwRI’s
commitment to STEM outreach. The Institute alsocollaborates with Shell in providing an eco-marathon
internship program for junior and senior university
engineering students. Interns work alongside SwRI
engineers on projects tackling current and future mobility
technologies. SwRI also has STEM outreach programs inengineering and robotics that it has supported for morethan 30 years.
Challenging the next generation of engineers andscientists — who will tackle the problems where thecurrent generation leaves off — is crucial. For instance,
SwRI’s automated driving system program was inspired,in part, by new staff members who took part in DARPA’s
automated driving challenges as students. Inspiring andequipping the next generation is critical to meeting
net-zero emissions goals.
For more information about the SwRI and Shell Eco-Marathon
Internship, visit: www.swri.org/swri-and-shell-eco-marathoninternship100127The competition consisted of three automation
challenges that must be completed without driverintervention. First, vehicles must traverse multiple
corners of the F-1 track over a distance of approximately
1 kilometer. Then entries must complete an obstacle
course, which requires vehicles to take a circuitous route
to complete the challenge. And finally, each vehicle must
identify which of the three parking places is vacant andpark itself within the lines. After the driving competition,
each team made a business presentation and was judged
on its technical approach to solving the challenges. SwRI’s
Intelligent Systems Division provided Shell with input
and planning assistance based on almost 20 years ofexperience in developing automated driving solutions.

In the background, from left, SwRI’s Dan Engstrom, David Anthony and (right) Logan Elliott worked
alongside Shell’s Melle de Wit (second from right) to certify that this automated driving concept
car was cleared to compete. A team from the Technical University of Munich, one of Germany’s
leading universities for research and teaching in natural sciences and engineering, developed thisnovel vehicle.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Steven Marty (right), vice presidentof SwRI’s Fuels and Lubricants
Research Division, brings automotive
specialists to support the safety andtechnical evaluations of the studentdeveloped ultra-energy-efficient
vehicles participating in the Shell
Eco-Marathon. Dr. Steve Dellenback,vice president of the Intelligent
Systems Division, brings connected
and automated vehicle specialists
to lend their expertise to the
pre-race inspections as well as theautomated driving competition
held in France.

100084TECHNOLOGY TODAY 17

Young Engineers &Scientists (YES)• 30 years• 13-dayYES program• 1-year mentoring• 23 students in 2024
D019123_7897

S

PORT
P
U

I STE
R
w
S
M

Southwest
Research Institute focuses its
community outreach efforts to
support science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM)
education, particularly for underrepresented
populations. SwRI has collaborated with
Community of Churches for Social Activism toprovide renewable scholarships and internships
to students who live in underserved
communities. Other STEM support includes
tours, judging science fairs, participatingin career days, developing STEM
curriculum and mentoring
students and teachers.

Great American eclipse outreach• >25 events• >20 staff involved• >13,000 eclipse glasses supplied• 100,000 mission-themed
pinhole projectors distributed•C ATE 2024 outreach(see story p. 2)
10010218 Summer 2024

Student tours/presentations•H igh schools•U ndergrads•G raduate students•S tudent engineering societies•C ommunity organizations
D026360_8526

100125Internships• 181 student hires
in 2024, including:n3
 8 graduate
studentsn6
 NASA MUREP(Minority University
Research and
Education
Project) internsn19 SA WORX internsn10 NASA Europa
ICONS (Inspiring
Clipper: Opportunities
for Next-generation
Scientists) interns•9 postdoctoral researchers•S hell Eco-Marathon internship (see story p. 10)
D025466_5445

Robotics competitions•S A BEST (Boosting Engineering,
Science and Technology)n> 30 yearsnS wRI-charteredn 15 staff/retiree volunteersnB oard representatives•F IRST (For Inspiration and Recognitionof Science and Technology) RoboticsnS taff mentors

Mentoring•B ig Brothers,
Big Sisters program• Individual matches•S upporting girls
in STEM• Teacher mentoring• NSITE high school
100131

100116TECHNOLOGY TODAY 19

100093

HOT TIMES IN COOL PLACES
A team co-led by SwRI found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic
activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, located in the
Kuiper Belt. Methane detected on their surfaces has the tell-tale signs ofwarm or even hot geochemistry in their rocky cores. This is markedly
different than the signature of methane from a comet, which is what theteam was expecting to find.
“We see some interesting signs of hot times in cool places,” said SwRI’s
Dr. Christopher Glein, an expert in planetary geochemistry and lead author ofa paper about this discovery. “I came into this project thinking that large
Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) should have ancient surfaces populated bymaterials inherited from the primordial solar nebula, as their cold surfaces canpreserve volatiles like methane. Instead, the James Webb Space Telescope(JWST) gave us a surprise! We found evidence pointing to thermal processes
producing methane from within Eris and Makemake.”
The Kuiper Belt is a vast donut-shaped region of icy bodies beyond theorbit of Neptune at the edge of the solar system. Eris and Makemake arecomparable in size to Pluto and its moon Charon. These bodies likely formed
early in the history of our solar system, about 4.5 billion years ago. Far fromthe heat of our Sun, KBOs were believed to be cold, inert objects — until now.

ERIS

1,445 miles

MAKEMAKE

Newly published work from JWST studies made the first observations ofisotopic molecules on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake. These so-calledisotopologues are molecules that contain atoms having a different number ofneutrons, useful in understanding planetary geology.

889 miles
100092The JWST team measured the composition of the dwarf planets’ surfaces,
particularly the deuterium (heavy hydrogen, D) to hydrogen (H) ratio inmethane. Deuterium is believed to have formed in the Big Bang, andhydrogen is the most abundant nucleus in the universe.
“The moderate D/H ratio we observed with JWST belies the presence ofprimordial methane on an ancient surface. Primordial methane would havea much higher D/H ratio,” Glein said. “Instead, the D/H ratio points togeochemical origins for methane produced in the deep interior.
“The D/H ratio is like a window. We can use it in a sense to peer into thesubsurface,” Glein added. “Our data suggest elevated temperatures in the
rocky cores of these worlds and hot cores could also point to potential
sources of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces.”
Over the past two decades, scientists have learned that icy worlds can bemuch more internally evolved than once believed. Evidence for subsurface
oceans has been found at several icy moons such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus
and Jupiter’s moon Europa. Liquid water is one of the key ingredients indetermining potential planetary habitability.
The possibility of water oceans inside Eris and Makemake is somethingthat scientists are going to study in the years ahead. If either of them ishabitable, then it would become the most distant world in the solar systemthat could possibly support life. Finding chemical indicators of internallydriven processes takes them a step in this direction.

20 Summer 2024

Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, SwRI modeled thesubsurface geothermal processes that could explain how methane
ended up on the surfaces of Eris and Makemake, two dwarf planets inthe distant Kuiper Belt. The illustration points to three possibilities,
including the potential that liquid water exists within these icy bodies
at the edge of the solar system, far from the heat of the Sun.

TECHBYTES
Off-Road Automated Driving Tools Offer Stealth, Agility
IMAGE COURTESY NASA/GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER-CONCEPTUAL IMAGE LABSwRI has developed off-road autonomous driving tools using avision-based system pairing stereo cameras with novel algorithms,
eliminating the need for lidar and active sensors. The system provides
stealth for military deployments and compact agility for space andagriculture applications.

Through internal research, SwRI engineers developed a suite of tools
known as Vision for Off-Road Autonomy (VORA). The passive system canperceive objects, model environments and simultaneously localize andmap while navigating off-road environments.
The VORA team envisioned a camera system as a passive sensing
alternative to lidar, a light detection and ranging sensor, that emits active
lasers to probe objects and calculate depth and distance. Though highly
reliable, lidar sensors produce light that can be detected by hostile forces.
Radar, which emits radio waves, is also detectable. GPS navigation can bejammed, and signals are often blocked in canyons and mountains.
“For our defense clients, we wanted to develop better passive
sensing capabilities but discovered that these new computer vision tools
could benefit agriculture and space research,” said Assistant Program
Manager Meera Towler, who led the project.
In space, autonomous robots are limited by power, payload capacity
and intermittent connectivity. Cameras make more sense than powerhungry lidar systems to explore planetary surfaces.
To overcome various challenges, the team developed new software
to use stereo camera data for high-precision tasks traditionallyaccomplished using lidar. These tasks include localization, perception,
mapping and world modeling.

100094“We apply our autonomy research to military and commercial
vehicles, agriculture applications and so much more,” Towler said.

SwRI developed a stealthy
vision-based system toperceive objects, model
environments and simultaneously localize and map
while navigating off-road
environments.

100108“We reflected on the toughest machine vision challenges and thenfocused on achieving dense, robust modeling for off-road navigation,”
said Abe Garza, a research engineer in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division.

This illustration shows magnetic field lines around the Earth reconnecting in
the magnetotail, usually one of the first signs of a substorm.

SwRI STUDIES EARTH’S MAGNETOTAIL
SwRI is investigating an unusual event in the Earth’s magnetotail, theelongated portion of the planet’s magnetosphere trailing away from theSun. Using data from the SwRI-led Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS)
mission, SwRI scientists are examining the nature of substorms,
fleeting disturbances in the magnetotail that release energy and oftencause aurorae.
Since their launch in 2015, NASA’s four MMS spacecraft have beensurveying the magnetopause, the boundary between the magnetosphereand surrounding plasma, for signs of magnetic reconnection. Thesephenomena occur when magnetic field lines converge, break apart andreconnect, explosively converting magnetic energy into thermal andkinetic energy. In 2017, MMS observed signs of magnetic reconnection in
the magnetotail but not the normal signs of a substorm that accompany
reconnection, such as strong electrical currents and perturbations in themagnetic field.
“We want to see how the local physics observed by MMS affects
the entire global magnetosphere,” said SwRI’s Dr. Andy Marshall, a
postdoctoral researcher. “By comparing that event to more typicalsubstorms, we are striving to improve our understanding of what causes
a substorm and the relationship between substorms and reconnection.”
During the one-year project, SwRI will compare in situ MMS measurements of reconnection affecting local fields and particles to global
magnetosphere reconstructions hosted by the Community Coordinated
Modeling Center at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center using the
University of Michigan’s Space Weather Modeling Framework.
“It’s possible that significant differences exist between the global
magnetotail convection patterns for substorms and non-substorm tailreconnection,” Marshall said. “We have not looked at the movement of
the magnetic field lines on a global scale, so it could be that this unusual
substorm was a very localized occurrence that MMS happened toobserve. If not, it could reshape our understanding of the relationshipbetween tail-side reconnection and substorms.”

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 21

TECHBYTESSwRI is simplifying robotics programming with a new toolkit that
integrates robotics motion planning, modeling and execution tools into
a computer-aided design (CAD) application. The SwRI Workbench for
Offline Robotics Development™ (SWORD™) features a user-friendly
graphical interface to demystify the fundamental coding required inrobot operating system (ROS) application development.

Aboard a parabolic flight, SwRI Research Engineer Dr. Eugene Hoffman floats in partial
gravity while conducting a fluids engineering experiment to better understand how
liquids boil in low gravity.

Boiling liquids in low gravity
To study how liquids boil in partial gravity, SwRI conducted experiments aboard two parabolic flights in April. The internally funded
project, conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University, is
exploring how different surfaces affect the boiling process in low gravity.

Informed by feedback from the ROS-Industrial community, engineersdeveloped SWORD so manufacturing engineers can leverage advanced
ROS capabilities in a familiar CAD environment. SwRI manages the
ROS-Industrial Americas consortium and supports ROS-I software
repositories, executing training and developer events.
“The traditional ROS workflow is programming-intense, requiring
developers to be deeply familiar with available ROS libraries and tools.
Even experienced ROS developers can spend significant time on initial
setup and configuration,” said Matt Robinson, an SwRI engineer who
manages the ROS-Industrial Americas consortium. “We listened to ROS
experts and consortium members to develop SWORD and provide easieraccess to the ROS motion-planning tools, while sticking to a CAD-based
environment familiar to non-developers.”

Future extended space missions to the Moon or Mars will likely
need to boil liquids for power generation, life support, cryogenic fuelproduction and in situ resource utilization, which uses local materials
to support human exploration. On Earth, gravity helps separate
liquids and gases through buoyancy. On the lunar or Martian surface,
the lower buoyancy will affect boiling behavior, but simulating these
conditions on Earth is challenging. Parabolic flights offer researchers
brief periods of partial gravity to gain more insight into efficient andsafe heat transfer processes at low gravity.

SWORD features a graphical toolkit for setting up motion planningenvironments and collision geometries. It can also test advanced robotic
motion-planning applications and provides a graphical interface tomany powerful motion-planning libraries. The goal is to adapt ROS to be
more approachable for manufacturing and industrial audiences in a
familiar environment.

“We have so little data about how boiling works in reduced
gravity,” said SwRI’s Kevin Supak, who leads the project. “Ourexperiment studies boiling in conditions that simulate lunar andMartian gravity levels using four different surfaces to examine how
bubbles initiate and detach.”

SWORD contains environmental modeling tools that allow a user tofully describe the robot, fixtures, and end-of-arm tooling, using either
imported geometry or locally created CAD features. SWORD generates
motion plans using a selection of advanced planning libraries, creating
custom pipelines for application-specific behavior while predicting andavoiding collisions.

22

Summer 2024

100122The experiments will demonstrate whether engineered surfaces
could improve boiling and bubble detachment in reduced gravity. At
the microscopic level, rougher surfaces tend to form smaller bubbles
and initiate boiling faster than smoother ones. SwRI’s Materials
Engineering Department modified surface characteristics to study
their effect on bubble sizes and distribution at different temperatures.
The payload includes one plastic and three stainless-steel surfaces
submerged in a specialized fluid that boils at the relatively low
temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

“SWORD is designed for both robotics developers and manufacturing
engineers familiar with CAD processes and programs on process-oriented
systems,” said SwRI’s Jeremy Zoss, who helped to develop the software.

IMAGE COURTESY ZERO-G

100113

SWORD: Robotics Programming, Simplified

PREPARING FOR EUROPA MISSIONSwRI is leading two teams to understand critical topics in advance ofNASA’s Europa Clipper mission to the Jupiter moon. Both Precursor
Science Investigations for Europa (PSIE) projects are investigating theconnection between Europa’s icy surface and its subsurface, which isthought to contain a potentially habitable ocean.
Scheduled to launch in October 2024 and arrive in the Jupiter system
in 2030, NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will place a spacecraft in orbit
around Jupiter to perform a detailed investigation of Europa, one of thelargest of Jupiter’s 90 moons. This precursor work will provide criticalcontext to enable more efficient scientific analysis of Europa Clipper
data, driving new discoveries. The projects may influence mission
planning for the latter half of the prime mission and for any potential
extended mission.
“Europa is considered one of the most likely sites in our solar system
to potentially find life,” said SwRI’s Dr. Kelly Miller, who is leading one of
the teams. “The most habitable environments at Europa are underneaththe surface where there is liquid water. We need to measure andunderstand the relationship between the properties we measure andobserve at the surface, and the properties in those interior environments.”

IMAGE COURTESY NASA/JPL/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

100106

The availability of chemical energy sources depends on the history of
the interior ocean and the abundance of organic and inorganic compounds it contains. The team will look at the evolution of chemicalsignatures from Europa’s interior to understand how we can distinguishbetween different possible interior environments without measuring
those environments directly.

“We will combine models, observations, experiments and data
science methods with the ultimate goal of improving the interpretationof Europa Clipper datasets,” Miller said. “The last steps of the research will
use machine learning to process laboratory data collected from related
chemical mixtures by the MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration,or MASPEX, engineering model located at SwRI.”
The second SwRI-led team will specifically track ice shell evolution
and material exchange between the surface and subsurface to predict
the features likely to provide the best information and context forinterpreting Europa Clipper data.
“Ahead of Europa Clipper, what we really need to know is how muchthe surface can tell us about Europa’s interior and ocean, and that’s theprimary motivation of our project,” said Dr. Alyssa Rhoden, a principal
scientist with SwRI and leader of the second team. “The breadth of thisproject lets us go after complex problems in our understanding ofEuropa — where surface geology, interiors and orbital dynamics aretightly coupled.”
The team will also incorporate recent laboratory experiments andEarth-based radar observations to reinterpret data collected by NASA’s
Galileo mission to Jupiter (in orbit 1995–2003). Improving the understanding of Europa’s ice shell and its spectral properties will allow more
rapid and accurate interpretation of Europa Clipper spectrometer data,characterizing Europa’s surface composition in detail, and provide a basis
for identifying changes in Europa’s surface since Galileo.
SwRI is leading two
Precursor Science
Investigations for Europa
teams to understandcritical topics in advance ofNASA’s Europa Clipper
mission to the Jupitermoon. Both projects areinvestigating theconnection between
Europa’s icy surface and its
subsurface, which isthought to contain apotentially habitable ocean.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 23

RAD MEASURES RECORD RADIATION ON MARSAs principal investigator of the Radiation Assessment Detector(RAD) aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover, SwRI’s Dr. Don Hassler has been
anticipating how epic events associated with solar maximum mightplay out on the surface of Mars.

micrograys — equivalent to 30 chest X-rays,” Hassler said. “While not

Solar maximum, the regular period of high activity during theSun’s 11-year solar cycle, is associated with large numbers of sunspots
and solar storms. The resulting solar flares and coronal mass ejections
produce solar energetic particles, high-energy protons that canpenetrate planetary atmospheres. RAD is a coffee-can-sized instrument
designed to ascertain the radiation exposure astronauts could encounteren route to and on the surface of Mars.

particles. Only the most energetic can reach the surface to be measured“RAD primarily measures two types of radiation on the surface ofMars, solar energetic particles produced by solar storms and galactic
cosmic rays (GCRs), a continuous influx of high-energy particles thatoriginate outside of the solar system, likely from explosive events likesupernovae,” Hassler said.

deadly, it was the biggest surge measured by RAD so far, producing a
spike of radiation eight times higher than normal.”During solar events, the Sun releases a wide range of energetic
by RAD. RAD’s data will help scientists plan for the highest level ofradiation exposure that might be encountered by astronauts, who could
use the Martian landscape for protection.
“Cliffsides or lava tubes would provide additional shielding for an
astronaut from such an event. In Mars orbit or deep space, the dose ratewould be significantly more,” said Hassler.
During the May 20 event, energy from the storm caused black-andwhite images from Curiosity’s navigation cameras to dance with “snow”— white streaks and specks caused by charged particles hitting thecameras. Similarly, the star camera on NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter

The most significant event in the 12 years RAD has been roving the
Red Planet occurred on May 20 when a solar flare expelled X-rays andgamma rays toward Mars, while a subsequent coronal mass ejection
launched high-energy charged particles. Moving at the speed of light,
the X-rays and gamma rays from the flare arrived first, while the charged
particles trailed slightly behind, reaching the planet in just tens of minutes.

was inundated with energy from solar particles, momentarily going out.

“If astronauts had been standing next to NASA’s Curiosity Marsrover at the time, they would have received a radiation dose of 8,100

May, but the solar maximum ’season’ is just beginning. It will be exciting

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter
captured global glowing auroras over the planet.
“This active region on the Sun continued to erupt,” Hassler said. “We
saw more solar storms at both Earth and Mars in the following weeks, as
the Sun rotated back around. These storms weren’t quite as large as in

IMAGE COURTESY SwRI

to see what lies ahead.”

During a May 20 solar storm, the Radiation Assessment Detector, or RAD, saw a spike eight times higher than normal in theradiation dose measured on the surface of Mars. This is the highest dosage RAD has measured in the 12 years it has beenroving the Red Planet aboard Curiosity.
100111/100133

24

Summer 2024

TECHBYTESTECHBYTESProving Pressure Relief Valve Performance
SwRI helped determine the viability of pressure relief valves for liquid
natural gas tanks under train derailment conditions for the Federal Rail
Administration (FRA). The SwRI research demonstrated that the pressure
relief valves work as designed to prevent overpressurization andexplosion in derailment scenarios.
“The pressure relief valves on tanks that transport liquid natural gas
via rail are designed to vent the headspace of the liquid natural gas in theevent of a derailment or a fire,” said SwRI’s Matt Gacek, who led the testing.

100114

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, trains derail on
average more than 1,000 times each year, though they rarely result in
fatalities or considerable damage.
“SwRI sought to determine if valves would still properly vent fluid
after a railcar derails and flips over, causing the tank’s cryogenic liquid toflow through the valves,” Gacek said.
For safety reasons, SwRI used liquid nitrogen as a substitute for liquid
natural gas and simulated the conditions the safety pressure valve would
undergo in a train derailment.

SwRI determined the flow rates under various conditions andinstalled sensors measuring pressure, temperature and flow rate to theliquid nitrogen tank’s discharge line.
Then the project evaluated the impact of a potential fire from an
operating pressure relief device. To accomplish this, SwRI created apressurized natural gas flame and measured temperatures and heat
fluxes at several safe distances.
“We discharged the natural gas at a variety of flow rates, ignited it
and characterized the environment around the flame,” said Principal
Engineer Jason Huczek of SwRI’s Fire Technology Department.
The fire testing data will validate computer modeling calculations,allowing future researchers to investigate a variety of accident scenarios.
The project was conducted by the FRA-sponsored team, led by prime
contractor Friedman Research Corporation, over 13 months between
2022 and 2023.

DEVELOPING TOMORROW’S AIRCRAFT PROTECTION TECHNOLOGYIMAGE COURTESY U.S. AIR FORCE/JAKE MELAMPY

100087

The U.S. Air Force is tapping into SwRI’s advanced electronic warfare
expertise with a $6.4 million contract to explore cognitive electronic
warfare (EW) techniques to accurately detect and respond to unknown
enemy radar threats in real time. SwRI engineers are conducting research
to develop a reliable algorithm that will advance the Air Force’s cognitive
EW capabilities to better protect aircrews.
“How do we get to the point where an EW system thinks like ahuman?” said SwRI Staff Engineer David Brown, who is leading the
project. “A pilot can fly into an area and not know what’s there, but by
analyzing the environment and signals, the pilot can choose a proper
response to a threat. We are developing an algorithm that can analyze its
environment the same way. It will sift through information with thereliability of a human but with higher accuracy and faster reaction times.”might encounter and preload that information into aircraft electronic
warfare systems. These systems alert pilots to detected threats andautomatically respond to protect the aircraft.
In the past, the Air Force has relied on matching detected signals to alibrary of recognizable or comparable signals. A cognitive EW andmachine learning approach can instantly identify new signals andrespond with appropriate countermeasures.
SwRI’s cognitive EW work began as a multiyear, multimillion-dollar
internal research and development (IR&D) project. Through its IR&D
program, the Institute invests in tomorrow’s concepts to advancetechnology for government and industry clients.

Traditional EW processes use intelligence gathered before aircraft fly
into an area to provide advance knowledge of the adversaries they

Cognitive EW systems will accurately detect and respond to unknown
enemy radar threats in real time, to disrupt or deceive enemy air attacks
such as surface-to-air missiles or anti-aircraft artillery, as illustrated by
the U.S. Air Force F-16 EW training exercise pictured.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 25

SPARCI Characterizes Lunar Regolith
SwRI has received a three-year, $2,041,000 grant from NASA’s
Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation (DALI)
program to further develop a novel ground-penetrating radar
instrument. The Synthetic Pulse Artemis Radar for Crustal Imaging(SPARCI, pronounced “sparky”) instrument is designed to characterize
the depth of the regolith and upper megaregolith, the upper broken-up
layers of lunar crust associated with impact cratering.
100083

SwRI BUILDING SPACECRAFTFOR IN-SPACE REFUELER“Running low on fuel is a common issue for spacecraft in
Earth orbit,” said SwRI ‘s Michael Epperly, the SwRI project
manager. “When they have expended all of their fuel, their
mission ends — even though the vehicle may be in otherwise
excellent health. A refueling vehicle can extend those missions,
getting additional lifetime out of spacecraft already in orbit.”
The APS-R will operate in geostationary orbit around theEarth. The spacecraft will carry hydrazine propellant from a
depot, also in geostationary orbit, to spacecraft in need of fuel.
The APS-R can service any spacecraft fitted with a compatible
refueling port.
“Recently, other approaches to life extension have emerged,
such as a vehicle that can use its thrusters to push anotherspacecraft where it needs to go after it runs out of fuel,” said
Randy Rose, SwRI’s chief engineer of spacecraft development.
“A refueling vehicle broadens life extension options with aflexible alternative.”
SwRI will construct the host vehicle for the APS-R in theInstitute’s new 74,000-square-foot Space System Spacecraft andPayload Processing Facility, which provides rapid response tocustomers needing to design, assemble and test spacecraft,particularly small satellites.
SwRI will deliver the launch-ready APS-R by 2026.

26

Summer 2024

When astronauts return to the Moon during the second half of thisdecade, their tasks will include deploying lunar instruments and using
new technology to characterize the Moon. SPARCI’s two large transmitting
antennas —172 and 40 meters in length — are designed for astronaut
deployment. A robotic rover with much smaller antennas will thenreceive radar signals that penetrate the Moon’s subsurface. The
ground-penetrating radar will measure the thickness and structure of
the lunar megaregolith. Believed to be between 0.4 and 5 kilometers
deep, the megaregolith formed just after the Moon solidified and likely
experienced heavy bombardment from other objects during the early
formation of the solar system.
“Learning more about the lunar megaregolith will help us gain awider understanding of the Moon’s formation and that of similar bodies
with thin, sparse atmospheres,” said SwRI’s Dr. David Stillman, theproject’s principal investigator. “If we are able to pinpoint exactly where
this layer begins, we can use that to create more accurate formation andevolution models.”

IMAGES COURTESY SwRI/BRYAN PYKE AND ASTROSCALE U.S.
IMAGE100124
COURTESY U.S. AIR FORCE/JAKE MELAMPYSwRI will build, integrate and test a small demonstration
spacecraft as part of a $25.5 million Space Mobility and Logistics(SML) prototyping project funded by the U.S. Space Force andled by prime contractor Astroscale U.S. The spacecraft, called the
Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling (APS-R), will refuelother compatible space vehicles while in geostationary orbit.

SwRI is one of five teams awarded funding by NASA’s DALI program,which supports the development of instruments for future lunar
missions, including Commercial Lunar Payload Services and Artemis.
DALI’s goal is to develop and demonstrate instruments that aretechnically ready to propose for upcoming flight opportunities. These
instruments must significantly improve measurement capabilities forhigh-priority lunar science objectives.

TECHBYTESIMAGE COURTESY PIEPER O’BRIEN HERR ARCHITECTS

100132OXYGEN PRODUCTION ON JUPITER’SMOON EUROPA
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has directly measured charged oxygen andhydrogen molecules from the atmosphere of one of Jupiter’s largest
moons, Europa. According to a new study co-authored by SwRI scientists
and led by Princeton University, these observations provide key
constraints on the potential oxygenation of its subsurface ocean.
“These findings have direct implications on the potential habitabilityof Europa,” said Juno Principal Investigator Dr. Scott Bolton of SwRI, a
co-author of the study. “This study provides the first direct in situ
measurement of water components existing in Europa’s atmosphere,
giving us a narrow range that could support habitability.”
In 2022, Juno completed a flyby of Europa, coming as close as
352 kilometers to the moon. The SwRI-developed Jovian Auroral
Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument aboard Juno detectedsignificant amounts of charged molecular oxygen and hydrogen lostfrom the atmosphere.
“For the first time, we’ve been able to definitively detect hydrogenand oxygen with in-situ measurements and further confirm that Europa’s
atmosphere is made primarily of hydrogen and oxygen molecules,” said
SwRI’s Dr. Robert Ebert, a co-author. The source of these molecules isthought to be water ice on Europa’s surface.
“Europa’s ice shell absorbs radiation, protecting the ocean underneath. This absorption also produces oxygen within the ice, so in a way,
the ice shell acts as Europa’s lung, providing a potential oxygen
source for the ocean,” said Princeton University’s Dr. Jamey Szalay,
the study’s lead author.
“We designed JADE to measure the charged particles
that create Jupiter’s auroras,” said SwRI’s Dr. Frederic
Allegrini, another co-author. “Flybys of Europa were notpart of the primary Juno mission. JADE was designed towork in a high-radiation environment but not necessarily
Europa’s environment, which is constantly bombarded
with high levels of radiation. Nonetheless, the instrument
performed beautifully.”
The SwRI-developed JADE instrument, shown prior to integration
into the Juno spacecraft, detected significant amountsof charged molecular oxygen and hydrogen from Europa’s
atmosphere. These data areimportant to understanding
the potential habitability ofthe subsurface ocean within
the Jupiter moon.
D017636_1692

SwRI Constructing First Facility Outside of Texas
For the first time in its 76-year history, SwRI has purchased
land and is constructing a facility outside of its San Antonio
home base. To support defense and intelligence programs, theInstitute began construction on an $18.5 million, 33,000square-foot facility on more than 8 acres in Warner Robins,
Georgia, about three miles from Robins Air Force Base.
The new single-story building will house more than 50
SwRI staff members and consultants and will include newlaboratory areas for the development of advanced aerospaceand defense technology.
“We currently manage some of our government projects
off-site at Robins Air Force Base,” said Winfield Greene, directorof SwRI’s Advanced Electronic Warfare Department. “The newfacility will allow us to handle this type of work in our own
space to expand our support of the United States Air Force.”
Most SwRI staff members in the Warner Robins office aredeveloping electronic warfare technology, countermeasuresystems to protect aircraft from enemy weapons fire. The staff
currently operates in a 15,000-square-foot, leased building.
SwRI opened a Warner Robins office more than three decades
ago to expand business opportunities and better serve clientsat Robins Air Force Base.
SwRI operates 10 U.S. locations outside of its San Antonio
headquarters as well as an international office in the United
Kingdom. The Institute has a wholly owned subsidiary,
Signature Science LLC, in Austin, Texas. Traditionally, theInstitute leases office and laboratory space away from its homebase, but purchasing property and building was the bestsolution to meet client needs in Warner Robins. The facility is
expected to be complete by mid-2025.
“While we expand our footprint, we’re doing something
good in the Warner Robins community, hiring and growing
the local economy as well as keeping our warfighters safer,”
Greene said.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 27

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
AC HIEVEMENTS

UPCOMING
WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS andTRAINING COURSES HOSTED by SwRI:
Fundamentals of Centrifugal Compressor
Performance Testing, August 07, 2024, virtual.

BY
THE

NUMBERS
Spring–Summer 2024

95

Manufacturing Supervisor Certification Program,
August 15, 2024, in-person, San Antonio.
Rotordynamics Tutorial, August 21, 2024, virtual.
Fatigue Life Modeling for Gas Turbine Applications,
September 04, 2024, virtual.

presentations
given inTurbomachinery Design Training Week,
September 09, 2024, in-person, San Antonio.
Operations and Supply Chain Management,
September 16, 2024, virtual.
Purchasing and Supply Management,
September 17, 2024, virtual.
Field Services: Pulsation and Vibration Problem Solving
for All Applications, September 18, 2024, virtual.
International Human Performance Summit,
September 19, 2024, in-person, San Antonio.
Lean Manufacturing Certification Program,
October 1, 2024, in-person, San Antonio.

TRADESHOWS:
Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) & Wright Dialogue with
Industry (WDI), Dayton, Ohio, July 29, 2024, Booth No.
317/319.
Small Satellite Conference, Logan, UT, August 3, 2024.
American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) Annual
Conference, Madison, WI, August 5, 2024.
National Strength & Conditional Association (NSCA)
Tactical Annual Training, Norfolk, VA, August 5, 2024,
Booth No. 409.
The 15th Waste Conversion Technology Conference &Trade Show, San Diego, CA, August 12, 2024.
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), Novi, MI, August 13, 2024,
Booth No. 523.

29
&
10 5
20 8
statescountries

papers published in

Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia, Houston, TX,
August 20, 2024, Booth Nos. 2735 & 2737.
IEEE AUTOTESTCON, National Harbor, MD, August 26,
2024, Booth No. 127.
IMAGE (DEG/AAPG) International Meeting for Applied
Geosciences & Energy, Houston, August 28, 2023,
Booth No. 306.
For more information on upcoming events
visit newsroom.swri.org.

28 Summer 202414

publications

virtualconferences

patents
awarded100358

Dr. Abdullah Bajwa, a senior research engineer who joined thePowertrain Engineering Division in January, received an SAE
International Award for an Outstanding Student Paper, recognizing apaper he co-authored as a Fulbright scholar at Texas A&M University.

10035510035910035670820

Institute Scientist Dr. David Ferrill won first place in the Gordon
Atwater Best Professional Poster Award category from the Gulf Coast
Association of Geological Societies. The award recognized the“Synsedimentary slump folding in Cretaceous Eagle Ford Formation,
Southwest Texas” poster presented at GeoGulf 2023.

Director of Communications
Maria Stothoff
EditorDeb Schmid

Senior Research Scientist Dr. Rohini Giles has received the NASA
Early Career Achievement Medal. The award recognizes unusual andsignificant performance supporting NASA’s mission during the first
10 years of a scientist’s career. Giles was cited for “significant early
career achievements in the analysis of Juno data to study Jovian
Transient Luminous Events and the distribution of constituents in
Jupiter’s atmosphere.”
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has named Lead
Safety Engineer Matthew Herron its 2024 Safety Professional of theYear. The award is presented annually to an ASSP member who
demonstrates outstanding achievement in the occupational safety
and health (OSH) field while also advancing the profession overall.

Assistant Editor
Mike Thomas
Contributors
Camaron Brooks
Jesús Chávez
Robert Crowe
Lisa Peña
Joanna Quintanilla
DesignJessica Vidal
Illustration
Todd Pruetz
Photography
Jesús Chávez
William Luther
Ian McKinney
Circulation
Cecilia Novak

Institute Engineer Dr. Marc Janssens was named a “DiNenno Prize
Laureate” for his role in the widespread adoption of the cone
calorimeter, a fire-testing tool that accurately measures heat releaseand material flammability. The National Fire Protection Association®
recognized the cone calorimeter, which was developed in 1982, withthe 2024 Philip J. DiNenno Prize for its lasting impact on fire safety.

©2024 Southwest Research Institute. All rights reserved.
Technology Today, Southwest ResearchInstitute, and SwRI are registered marks in the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

swri.org

100350100351

65517

SwRI’s Institute Engineer Dr. Peter Lee, Executive Director Matt
Jackson and Lead Engineer Dr. Carlos Sanchez wrote a chapter onelectric vehicle fluid testing for a recently published book titled“Electric Vehicle Tribology: Challenges and Opportunities for a
Sustainable Transportation Future.”

Address correspondence to the Editor,
Communications Department,
Southwest Research Institute,
6220 Culebra Road
San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166,
or e-mail dschmid@swri.org.
To be placed on the mailing list or to make address changes,
call 210.522.2257 or visit update.swri.org.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 29

Nonprofit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 234
San Antonio, Texas

Southwest Research Institute6220 Culebra Road
San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166
United States

Deep Sea to Deep Space®

ABOUT THE INSTITUTEEMPLOYMENTSouthwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) is a premier independent,
nonprofit research and development organization. With eleventechnical divisions, we offer multidisciplinary services leveraging
advanced science and applied technologies. Since 1947, we haveprovided solutions for some of the world’s most challenging
scientific and engineering problems.

Southwest Research Institute’s staff of more than 3,000 employees
provides client services in the areas of communication systems,
modeling and simulation, software development, electronic design,vehicle and engine systems, automotive fuels and lubricants, avionics,
geosciences, polymer and materials engineering, mechanical design,chemical analyses, environmental sciences, space science, training
systems, industrial engineering and more.

Technology Today® (ISSN 1528-431X) is published three times eachyear and distributed free of charge. The publication discusses someof the more than 4,000 research and development projects under
way at SwRI. The materials in Technology Today may be used for
educational and informational purposes by the public and the
media. Credit should be given to Southwest Research Institute.
This authorization does not extend to property rights such as
patents. Commercial and promotional use of the contents inTechnology Today without the express written consent of SwRI is
prohibited. The information published in Technology Today does notnecessarily reflect the position or policy of SwRI or its clients, and noendorsements should be made or inferred.

210.522.2122

SwRI is always looking for talented technical staff for its San Antonio
facilities and for locations elsewhere in the United States. We welcome
your referrals. Check our employment opportunities at swri.jobs.

An Equal Employment Opportunity/
Affirmative Action Employer
Race/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/
Gender Identity/National Origin/Disabled/VeteranCommitted to Diversity in the Workplaceswri.org

ask@swri.org
Like. Share. Follow. Listen.