Abstract
My STS project analyzes the differing viewpoints of satellites between China and the United States (US), the two countries that currently launch the most space objects per year. I assess if it is realistic for these two countries to reach a policy strategy that prevents catastrophes such as Kessler’s Syndrome from occurring in the midst of the obvious economic, social, and political benefits of satellites. I explain the history of American and Chinese satellites, the attitudes of the US and China on satellites, modern changes in satellites, problems that may arise from satellites, and possible solutions in the attempt to answer the question: How can China and the United States find a balance between the scientific benefits of collaborating on satellites and the political and economic benefits of competing on satellites to prevent catastrophes such as Kessler’s Syndrome from occurring? I argue that while it seems unlikely for the US and China to interact on space policy anytime soon, they both recognize that space debris is an issue, and I think that knowledge will potentially change how satellites are made in the future.
For my technical project, I worked with a team called IMPatient to build a device that can navigate a patient to their appointment at a hospital. Our goal was to keep it simple and user friendly. Although a smartphone could perform the functions we needed, we opted against creating a phone based system because many patients at a hospital may not have access to a smartphone or may struggle to use one. Therefore, we created a device that, from the user perspective, is just an arrow on a screen. Behind the scenes, we used Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons as breadcrumbs throughout the route. Once the Bluetooth receiver is in range of these beacons, it changes the direction of the arrow to face the next beacon on the route. The arrow is displayed on a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen and kept facing the desired direction using the relative heading found with the magnetometer of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Our device also features a rechargable battery. We created a device that successfully allows a user to navigate from the NI Lab in the C Wing of Thornton Hall to our advisor Keith William’s office in the E Wing of Thornton Hall. This could be easily adapted for other routes. Our goal is to pass this project on to a future group to make further improvements and potentially pilot the device in the UVA hospital.
While at face value my projects do not have a lot in common, a broad theme that they both share is the use and development of technology for social good. Satellites are very beneficial for society, and that is part of why they became so prominent. They help with navigation, weather, communication, and military pursuits. As they grew to a dangerous level, though, they had to develop advanced manuevering capabilities and the ability to quickly leave orbit after end of life. Technology like that proposed by ClearSpace, as I talk about in my report, is another future development of satellites for the societal good of removing satellites from space. As a parallel, the complex nature of the hospital is the result of a lot of technological development that serves a lot of good. It is only because of the many different medical advancements that hospitals have become so hard to navigate, just as the advancements of satellites made space so crowded. My hospital naviation project expands on the social good that hospitals bring by allowing it to reach more efficiently. These two projects serve as a good reminder that even things that seem obviously good for society have room for innovation.
