A view of a transparent FLUIDICS sphere aboard space station. The 

FLUIDICS investigation studies the dynamics of liquid sloshing to better 

A preflight view of JAXA’s CubeSat WARP-01. The satellite, developed by the University of Tsukuba 

and Warpspace, was deployed during the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-16 (J-SSOD-16) 

micro-satellite deployment mission. NASA ID: jsc2020e049613.
Publication Highlights

Technology Development and Demonstration

Future exploration — the return to the Moon and human exploration of Mars — presents many technological 

challenges. Studies on the space station can test a variety of technologies, systems, and materials that 

are needed for future exploration missions. Some technology development investigations have been so 

successful that the test hardware has been transitioned to operational status. Other results feed new 

technology development. From the beginning of station to date, more than 600 articles have been published in 

the area of Technology Development and Demonstration. 

Guatemala’s Quetzal-1 

CubeSat satellite (Figure 

21) was successfully 

deployed from the JEM Small 

Satellite Orbital Deployer-13 

(J-SSOD-13) on space 

station. This investigation 

demonstrated passive magnetic attitude control 

capabilities using the Earth’s magnetic field to 

nullify rotations in six degrees of freedom and 

accurately control attitude and pointing. The 

passive Attitude Determination and Control 

System (ADCS) was used to allow ground 

target imagery over the mission’s geographical 

zone of interest, Guatemala. In order to 

reduce the size required for the hardware, the 

Quetzal-1 Satellite used two hysteresis rods 

and a 0.74 ampere-meter squared permanent 

magnet. 

The Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) 

method was implemented for attitude 

determination together with a three-axis 

magnetometer and two photodiodes on each 

of the satellite’s six sides with only the Z axis 

showing effects by other magnetic components 

within the satellite hardware. Attitude control 

was successfully accomplished after ± 25 

degrees per second rotations on each axis 

immediately after deployment. Anomalies 

included the magnetometer occasionally 

transmitting zero data when the temperature 

dropped below 10 degrees Celsius and 

changes to the magnet torque and oscillation 

amplitude values during South Atlantic 

Anomaly (SAA) passes. 

Figure 21. Photo of Quetzal-1 prior to spaceflight. Image obtained from Quetzal-1 

research team. 

The capability to control satellite attitude 

stabilization and pointing with minimal 

hardware is a critical factor for future orbiting 

satellite designs where weight and volume are 

limiting factors. 

The NASA investigation 

Spacecraft Fire 

Experiment-IV (SaffireIV) examines fire spread 

in different materials and 

under different conditions 

using the Cignus resupply 

vehicle after it leaves station. 

The danger of uncontrolled fire on a 

spacecraft can have devastating if not fatal 

consequences. Materials that fly on station 

go through a rigorous screening process to 

characterize their fire hazard. However, since 

there is no way to properly simulate those 

characteristics on the ground, it is necessary 

to observe and study actual flame conditions 

Alvarez D, Aguilar-Nadalini A, Bagur JA, Ayerdi V, Zea L. Design and on-orbit performance of the attitude determination and passive control 

system for the Quetzal-1 CubeSat. Journal of Small Satellites. 2023 May/June; 12(2): 1231-1247. Webpage. 

29 
Publication Highlights

Technology Development and Demonstration

in a microgravity environment. 

The Saffire-IV experiment 

provides the means to perform 

large scale studies of flames 

in microgravity conditions. 

The work published in 

the Proceedings of the 

Combustion Institute shows 

a methodology developed 

to determine the average 

temperature of flames 

spreading over a thin solid 

surface in microgravity using 

a testbed aboard a re-entering 

Cygnus spacecraft. 

The testbed is safely ignited 

while the Cygnus spacecraft 

is undocked and safely away 

from the space station as it 

enters the Earth’s atmosphere 

prior to burning up during reentry. The burn sample was 40.64 centimeter 

wide by 50 centimeter long and was mounted 

on a metal frame in the center of the flow 

tunnel and consisted of a thin fabric made of 

cotton and fiberglass called Sibal. Images of 

the testbed burning were taken along with 

data from four thermocouple and radiometers. 

The raw imagery was analyzed using twocolor broadband emission pyrometry (B2CP) 

as a method to measure high temperatures. 

The results from imagery analysis showed an 

average temperature of 1300 Kelvin, which 

remained constant during the flame spread 

(Figure 22).

This study provides a better understanding 

of flame properties in microgravity essential 

to validate numerical models and develop 

methods to prevent and respond to the 

occurrence of fire accidents that could 

endanger the success of a mission and the 

safety of the crew. 

Figure 22. Camera snapshots at different times in the experiment and corresponding temperatures using 

broadband emissions pyrometry. Image adopted from Thomsen, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute. 

The NASA investigation 

Astrobee Maneuvering 

by Robotic Manipulator 

Hopping (Astrobatics) aims 

to develop robotic hopping 

capabilities in an orbital 

environment (i.e., space 

station or artificial satellites). While robotic 

hopping has already been demonstrated on an 

asteroid surface, robotic hopping in challenging 

environments where the surfaces are made of 

different materials or there are obstacles such 

as tools and wiring had not been tested until 

now. 

In a recent study published in Acta Astronatica, 

researchers tested motion theory and 

methodology previously developed. In the 

applied study on station, the robots self-tossed 

from a grasped handrail or a free-floating 

condition to another distal or proximal surface 

using a mechanical arm that opens and closes 

the robot’s gripper (Figure 23).

Thomsen M, Cruz JJ, Escudero F, Fuentes A, Fernandez-Pello AC, et al. Determining flame temperature by broadband two color pyrometry 

in a flame spreading over a thin solid in microgravity. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute. 2023 June 7; 39(3): 3909-3918. DOI: 

10.1016/j.proci.2022.07.237. 

30 
Publication Highlights

Technology Development and Demonstration

Results showed that proximal selftoss maneuvers on the space station 

had a greater range of motion, and 

displacement compared favorably to 

simulation models. However, tests 

on station showed a greater value of 

angular displacement, causing the 

robots to tumble off-axis compared to 

the simulation. While improvements 

in hardware and modeling are 

needed to fix this discrepancy, the 

results of this study demonstrate, for 

the first time, the successful self-toss 

locomotion of robots in a spacecraft. 

Self-toss or hopping maneuvers 

allow robots to go across a 

spacecraft or celestial body surface 

to reach a work site without the 

need for propellant. These hopping 

maneuvers in microgravity represent a major 

step toward developing autonomous robots 

that can perform important and potentially 

dangerous tasks in space, reducing the risks to 

astronauts. 

Figure 23. Test of Robot’s gripper at NASA Ames Research Center. Image adopted from 

Kwok-Choon, Acta Astronautica. 

Kwok Choon ST, Romano M, Hudson J. Orbital hopping maneuvers with Astrobee on-board the International Space Station. Acta 

Astronautica. 2023 June; 207: 62-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.02.034. 

31