Abstract
In Vol. 3, No. 3 of the New Space journal, the publishers, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., and the New Space editors announced the establishment of a competition to award an annual purse of US$1,500 as part of a new program entitled the “Best Paper by an Early Career Researcher” (BP) prize. The intent of the prize is to encourage New Space submissions by researchers who are 35 years old or younger, and who have never before published in a peer-reviewed journal. The BP prize recognizes their exemplary effort, as judged by the New Space reviewers and editorial board. Complete details of the evaluation criteria, weights, and scoring were given in that original article, but a brief summary of the rules is given below:
Eligibility: The competition is open to anyone who has never published in a peer-reviewed journal before, and is aged 35 years or younger at any time during the entirety of the calendar year for which the award is submitted. Submission: The paper must be submitted to New Space via normal manuscript submission processes and must meet all submission requirements. Content: The paper must include original, unpublished content and research. Papers presented at conferences but not published in any other journal are eligible to compete in this competition. Judging: Judging in the competition will be performed using the following criteria: scientific content and detail, originality, and description of concept.
The 2018 calendar year was the third year of the competition, and included four candidate papers for the prize. A brief description of each is given below:
“MAFSA: Mars Autonomous and Foldable Solar Array” by Glascock, Huber, Cantrall, Evonosky, Robinson, Dharmadasa, and Baker, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado. The purpose of the paper, as quoted from the abstract, is to explain “the design for a low-mass, autonomously deployable solar array that generates the required power for scientific, habitat, and in situ resource utilization functions necessary for humans to exist on Mars.” As was so concisely stated in the Conclusion section of the paper: “The MAFSA is a solution for the power production demands to support human activity on Mars. MAFSA is a low-mass, mechanically simple design, with the structural stability to withstand the dynamic Martian surface … The folded nature of the array substrate is a crucial aspect of the design that provides structural rigidity in the deployed state, allows for guided, predictable deployment and retraction, and provides a natural dust mitigation mechanism. MAFSA is a self-contained unit that can be scaled and integrated on a variety of lander platforms, and produces the large total photovoltaic surface area necessary to support humans on Mars.”
“Developing Innovative Business Models for Small Space Programs Spin-Outs, ‘DIT Space’ Start-Up Experience in Costa Rica” by Monge and Aguilar, respectively from the Universidad Nacional (UNA), Heredia, Costa Rica, and the Central American Association of Aeronautics and Space (ACAE), San Jose, Costa Rica. The “Design, Innovation, and Technology” (DIT) Space initiative “aims to develop applications based on satellite images.” Conclusions of the paper included “it was possible to create an innovative business model proposal for geospatial technology commercialization in an emerging economy,” “the process allowed to generate sales in its earliest iteration,” and “high level scientific research, in this case space related, following the right methodology, can easily pivot toward a profitable business model that allows for self-funding of future research.”
“Economic Benefits of Reusable Launch Vehicles for Space Debris Removal” by Richardson and Hardy, respectively from the University of Tokyo and Unearthed Solutions, in Perth, Australia. The paper performs an “analysis of cost savings that could be realized on active debris removal (ADR) missions through the use of reusable launch vehicles.” Their conclusions include “RLV technology could significantly reduce ADR mission costs” although “factors other than price, such as availability, target orbit, and geopolitical concerns, can also affect the launch vehicle selection process.”
“Rocket Nozzle Thrust and Flow Field Measurements Using Particle Image Velocimetry” by Vemula, Gustavsson, and Kumar, all from Florida State University, in Tallahassee, Florida. In this research, “a comparison of steady axial thrust measurements is carried out between a conventional load cell and a flow survey by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and pressure probes to validate that the latter method can be used for thrust measurements as well as to investigate the flow field.” The results of the work “demonstrate that flow field measurements can accurately measure the thrust generated as well as explore flow features of the exhaust plume.”
All four papers were evaluated by four independent judges, who rated the papers according to the evaluation criteria of scientific content and detail, originality, and description of concept. The aggregated scores from all judges for all four papers were all very high, but there was a winner among the four. Congratulations go to the team of Rohit Chandra Vemula, the 2018 recipient of the Mary Ann Liebert Publisher's New Space “Best Paper by an Early Career Researcher” prize! Special thanks and recognition are due to all the other authors and judges as well. Congratulations and thank you for your contributions!