This thesis presents a novel framework for safe online trajectory planning of unmanned vehicles through partially unknown environments. The basic planning problem is formulated as a receding horizon optimization problem ...

There is currently a broad effort underway in the United States and internationally by several organizations to craft regulations enabling the safe operation of UAVs in the NAS. Current federal regulations governing unmanned ...

As the demand for high-performing complex systems has increased, the ability of engineers to meet that demand has not kept pace. The creators of the traditional system engineering processes did not anticipate modern complex ...

This thesis will establish a conceptual approach to the design of constellations for satellite-based mid-course missile defense. The ballistic missile intercept problem leads to a new paradigm of coverage where interceptor ...

Small aircraft engines traditionally have poorer performance compared to larger engines, which until recently, has been a factor that outweighed the aerodynamic benefits of commoditized and distributed propulsion. Improvements ...