GALCIT Colloquium

In recognition of Rare Disease Day on February 28, I will first briefly discuss some new findings on the characterization of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH).  I will use this topic to motivate possible techniques for studying and monitoring the space environment.  In particular, I will focus on measurements of the solar wind and of the meteoroid population.  These can pose a coupled threat to spacecraft, as the electrical effect of meteoroid impacts is strongly influenced by spacecraft charging.  In order to study the space environment on a large scale, deployable sensors will be needed.  I will present crease pattern designs used to package a membrane structure, using a curved crease geometry to account for the thickness of the folded membrane.  Finally, I will discuss experiments that characterized the force profiles needed to deploy these structures.  Ultimately the goal of this work is to provide a better awareness of space environmental conditions, and to enable mitigation and prevention of deleterious effects on the health of humans in space.