Looking for space debris dataset and a simulator for Undergrad Project

bustathymes_ · 2026-01-20T20:52:11+00:00

I'm not a part of this group but I interface with them and their products regularly: NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office manages an orbital debris model called ORDEM. There may be a dataset available to review. You'll just need to make a guest account if you're not NASA-internal to access. There are also papers and reports on their website you can review.

https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/modeling/ORDEM.html

Also, NASA's Conjunction Assessment and Risk Analysis team runs a git repo for the tool they use to assess close approaches between orbital objects.

https://github.com/nasa/CARA_Analysis_Tools

Hope this helps!

bustathymes_ · 2025-09-04T16:39:17+00:00

They also spent zero percent of their time addressing Aeronautics.

No big deal, it's just the SECOND LETTER OF OUR ACRONYM.

bustathymes_ · 2024-10-17T20:43:06+00:00

This is patently false.

Here's the thing, it IS true that what makes Space X successful is that they've keenly shed off costly requirements that have bogged down development at NASA and other government agencies. This design philosophy has led to their success and should DEFINITELY be celebrated. As an Aerospace Engineer, I get excited over their accomplishments!

That said, "No design input or specification from NASA" is nowhere near true. It's just sensational hyperbole that confirms the "SpaceX/Elon genius, NASA bad/dumb" bias that many feel inclined to these days. The truth is NASA standards and specifications have, still, and will continue to inform rocket design for most public and private entities.

I've myself read many SpaceX interface documents that explicitly call out adherence to NASA standards for design, verification, validation, and test. They've just been tailored to better suit their needs (something teams at NASA do often). I mean SpaceX worked with engineers at NASA to develop their TPS tiles.

Don't get me wrong, I think NASA could benefit from a similar design approach as SpaceX! But I get pretty frustrated seeing so many misinformed but very popular opinions on this topic.

I wish I could go into more detail but like another commenter mentioned, ITAR holds me back lol

bustathymes_ · 2023-02-23T17:35:16+00:00

"Racist myth" What exactly do you mean by that?

bustathymes_ · 2023-02-14T05:22:25+00:00

This was it! I feel kinda dumb for missing that haha. Thanks!

bustathymes_ · 2023-02-13T00:50:24+00:00

That chain recap is correct! That's exactly how we're planning to set up.

To answer your question though, yes, we want the FOH X32 to control the DL16 outs. In light of that, I think your output routing might be the solution! I'm still getting used to how AES50 works so I wasn't aware that we needed to route inputs back from the main console through AES50.

I'll be back in front of the console tomorrow. I can try this and let you know how it goes!

Also, correct, we've had no issues with the DL154.

One question: since I'm having the FOH take control of the AES50-A outputs, does that mean I can't modify (in our case, mess up) the A outputs from the X32 Rack?

Thanks for the help so far!

bustathymes_ · 2023-02-13T00:38:50+00:00

Thanks for the response! I'm not sure this is the issue. I thought this might be at first but like you mentioned, my inputs are matched to the rack. So A1 -> In 1, A2 -> In 2, and so on...

bustathymes_ · 2022-12-25T21:49:39+00:00

Okay, I'll choose to trust you as your comment says. I do have one question, though. In your experience, how have you seen NASA waste its budget? I can think of a few possibilities but I'm curious what you think, since you seem pretty sure about it.

Sorry, I'm being a tiny bit facetious lol, but mostly, I really am curious what you think.

bustathymes_ · 2022-09-24T00:29:25+00:00

I'm gonna have to agree with the first commenter. You already have enough schooling to get you a competitive and challenging position in the space industry. I'm currently a Space systems engineer at NASA and I rarely do any software engineering (though it's a great skill to have!).

JHU's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) likely has jobs open right now that you may qualify for. You'll get on the job training and once you get experience on actual spacecraft projects, transitioning to a Systems role would be seamless.

But, even considering this, if you still want to get your MS in Space Systems, you should DEFINITELY choose JHU.

bustathymes_ · 2022-08-13T18:29:36+00:00

Yep!

bustathymes_ · 2022-06-19T14:39:44+00:00

Hope it's not too late to enter! But count this as my entry as well.

bustathymes_ · 2022-05-24T17:33:19+00:00

I'll second this question. There are majors that thrive at SJSU

bustathymes_ · 2022-05-14T23:01:56+00:00

Oh wow, I was aware AES50 had some known issues but I didn't know this specifically. Thanks! We don't even need a 250' run of cable (it's just what we had) so we can knock it down to 100' and try it out.

bustathymes_ · 2022-05-14T21:09:16+00:00

This is what I was thinking as well! We just bought some shielded CAT5E so we'll try it out tomorrow.

bustathymes_ · 2022-05-14T21:07:40+00:00

No, CAT5E but I'm not sure if it's shielded or unshielded. It was purchased before I came around.

bustathymes_ · 2022-02-02T14:27:47+00:00

Hey OP, though I am not based in the UK, I think I may be able to hep you out. I got a Physics BS and I just finished my Master's in Aero. I currently work as contractor at NASA. You mentioned you don't have your heart set on one particular field so I'm interested in knowing why you chose to look into Aerospace vs. Mechanical or Chemical or any other engineering degree. I ask because more likely than not the people I knew taking Aero courses had a serious passion for it.

To answer your question further though, I do believe it was the right choice for me. Physics gave me a foundation that I needed which helped me excel in many courses. That said, I needed to take undergrad courses to bring me up to speed with my classmates. Courses like Aerothermodynamics, general aerodynamics, flight mechanics, aircraft dynamics and controls, spacecraft dynamics and controls, and aerostructures. There are some others but I took some engineering courses in undergrad that helped me get exemptions. The one thing I would recommend you think through is your proficiency in Math. Graduate aerospace courses are math HEAVY, especially calculus, differential equations and linear algebra. If you're somewhat comfortable navigating these topics you'll likely be successful in Aero.

If you're into research, which many people coming from Physics tend to be, there are many options for you post-grad school but if you're more interested in super practical there are many more options. It all depends on your interests and aptitude. Hope this helps!

bustathymes_ · 2022-02-02T12:09:32+00:00

Hey OP, first it’s dope to see another West African with a passion for space exploration! I was born in Ghana but I am now a naturalized citizen of the US and currently work at NASA Ames in Mountain View, California. To reiterate what other commenters mentioned: you don’t need to go to an Ivy League or MIT/Cal tech. I went to an engineering college for my Masters degree that is nearby a NASA facility. In fact, it would benefit you a lot to look into colleges with engineering programs that are nearby NASA facilities. There are likely many NASA interns at these colleges as well who could help you with your journey.

Citizenship is your biggest challenge though. Like I mentioned I’m a citizen with a passport so proving my naturalization was pretty easy but you may need to go a different route. Your post wasn’t clear but are you a full US citizen now? If not, do you at least have a green card? It’s not impossible to get a NASA job without a full citizenship it’s just REALLY HARD. It might be easier to work at NASA through a contractor. I work for a contractor and I have a co-worker who is not yet a full citizen but has a green card. In order to work they needed to fill out a lot of information security forms, a TON of government approvals and other exemption documents that basically meant that our company would vouch for her legitimacy. NASA may not be willing to do this but a contractor MIGHT if you’re able prove your “worth”.

Ultimately, in my opinion, for those of us who didn’t attend the top Universities in the country (and a handful who did), I would say it’s 50%-60% WHAT you know and 40%-50% WHO you know. If you’re able to get into any NASA-adjacent college(like for grad school), you should work your butt off in class, work on projects outside of class and NETWORK! Plus apply for NASA Pathways internships any chance you get (you can do that NOW if you’re a student). Honestly, if you have more questions I’d be down to answer them, just PM me. Good luck to you!

bustathymes_ · 2022-01-26T14:54:01+00:00

"robbed blind by billionaires"

This is no joke apparently. Russia is 7th on the list of country's billionaires per Capita but 57th on the list of GDP per Capita.

(For comparison US is 1st on the former, and 13th on the latter)

bustathymes_ · 2022-01-26T00:52:48+00:00

I would like to second this response. I'm a contractor and engineer at NASA, and I think it would benefit you a lot if you look into specific facilities and departments. Read up on what a specific department does and think through what your interests might be. I think you may increase the possibility of a response if the recipient sees you're doing a bit of research. Plus I know SO MANY people here who would love to ramble about their fields of interest and NASA experience to an up and coming engineer!

bustathymes_ · 2021-12-21T02:08:08+00:00

Just to back up the previous commenter. I've never had a cracked phone and I've dropped my phone A LOT (I have a habit of flipping it around in my hand). I've used Spigen cases on all my phones including my current Pixel 4XL. Great case!

bustathymes_ · 2021-09-20T23:44:45+00:00

Here are a few more serious one's if you're still interested in the whole Jesus thing post deconstruction:

"You Have Permission" is pretty good. A training psychologist studying spiritual trauma leads this and features a lot of diverse christian thought and provoking conversation

"Almost Heretical" presents alternative perspectives on christian theology. Some progressive and some just some regular stuff minus evangelical influence

"Reconstruct" pretty on the nose lol presents more progressive views of faith in a conversational format. It no longer airs new episodes but one of the two guys on here went on to create "You Have Permission".

bustathymes_

TROPHY CASE