Christine Joseph

Through case study research, the author conducted interviews with industry experts and organizational representatives and reviewed publicly available data about microgravity research platforms. This paper examines the stakeholders, needs, objectives, system functions and forms for the ISS and microgravity research platforms now and in the future. Particular attention is paid towards the market dynamics affecting the administrative and economic barriers to entry for emerging space nations and… Show more

Through case study research, the author conducted interviews with industry experts and organizational representatives and reviewed publicly available data about microgravity research platforms. This paper examines the stakeholders, needs, objectives, system functions and forms for the ISS and microgravity research platforms now and in the future. Particular attention is paid towards the market dynamics affecting the administrative and economic barriers to entry for emerging space nations and non-traditional spaceflight participants. Current and future proposals, operations, and governance structures are investigated and mapped within a new framework measuring dimensions of accessibility. Accessibility is defined based on whether new proposals for microgravity operations increase economic openness or administrative openness. Show less

For decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has operated as a bastion of international cooperation and a unique testbed for microgravity research. Beyond enabling insights into human physiology in space, the ISS has served as a microgravity platform for numerous science experiments. In recent years, private industry has also been affiliating with NASA and international partners to offer transportation, logistics management, and payload demands. The Center for the Advancement of Science… Show more

For decades, the International Space Station (ISS) has operated as a bastion of international cooperation and a unique testbed for microgravity research. Beyond enabling insights into human physiology in space, the ISS has served as a microgravity platform for numerous science experiments. In recent years, private industry has also been affiliating with NASA and international partners to offer transportation, logistics management, and payload demands. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the ISS U.S. National Laboratory, has developed a diverse portfolio of private, public, international, and outreach projects. As the costs of flying projects to the ISS decrease, the barriers limiting non-traditional partners from accessing the ISS as a platform also decrease. However, the ISS in its current form cannot be sustained forever. As NASA looks towards commercialization of the low Earth orbit (LEO) space and the development of a cislunar station, concrete plans for shifting the public-private relationship of the ISS are unclear. With the consistent need to continue microgravity research – from governments and private industry – understanding the socio-technical and policy issues that affect the marketplace for future microgravity platforms is essential to maintaining an accessible and sustainable space economy. How will the U.S. and other governments design public-private partnerships to pursue economic and social goals in the LEO microgravity ecosystem? What governance structures will influence who is eligible to operate platforms for activities including tourism, research, manufacturing and outreach? How will international collaboration occur in the future LEO microgravity ecosystem? This paper presents a review of the current microgravity research ecosystem with a focus on potential future marketplace dynamics. Show less

This paper discusses an on-going study that examines the role of organizational ambidexterity associated with the pursuit of Disruptive Innovation by incumbent organizations in the space sector. The study pursues evidence of the approaches used by organizations to pursue balance between the paradoxical tensions of exploration versus exploitation, and integration versus differentiation. Many authors have theorized how organizations might achieve such balance and some have produced empirical data… Show more

This paper discusses an on-going study that examines the role of organizational ambidexterity associated with the pursuit of Disruptive Innovation by incumbent organizations in the space sector. The study pursues evidence of the approaches used by organizations to pursue balance between the paradoxical tensions of exploration versus exploitation, and integration versus differentiation. Many authors have theorized how organizations might achieve such balance and some have produced empirical data to show how rare firms have survived a disruption. This study analyzes cases from the space sector as an example of a public service sector in which government agencies or regulators play a strong role. It is theorized that the unique interaction between firms and government within public service sectors may lead to different empirical patterns regarding innovation dynamics. Furthermore, well-established organizations may harness ambidexterity to simultaneously explore and exploit or to integrate and differentiate. The research question asks, how do well-established organizations in the space sector harness ambidexterity as part of their innovation strategy? This study reviews literature from organizational studies and innovation theory and proposes a framework by which to analyze the innovation behavior of incumbent organizations in the space sector. Specifically, the framework asks how organizations exercise ambidexterity in the areas of organizational architecture, culture, technology, policies, processes and communication. Show less

Poster presentation of pilot study results analyzing the relationship between the feet and sacrum path trajectories for planned and reactive agility. Subjects completed a five-cone agility task (a waypoint cone and four endpoints) within an indoor motion capture space. Subjects were told the endpoint cone prior to the task for planned agility and a verbal cue was provided prior to the waypoint for reactive agility. Subjects completed 40 trials (5 repetitions for each endpoint for planned and… Show more

Poster presentation of pilot study results analyzing the relationship between the feet and sacrum path trajectories for planned and reactive agility. Subjects completed a five-cone agility task (a waypoint cone and four endpoints) within an indoor motion capture space. Subjects were told the endpoint cone prior to the task for planned agility and a verbal cue was provided prior to the waypoint for reactive agility. Subjects completed 40 trials (5 repetitions for each endpoint for planned and reactive trials). Each trial was evaluated for task completion time, path length for the sacrum and heel trajectories, and integrated curvature (integral of the instantaneous curvature over the trial).

For all endpoints, reactive agility trials had longer completion times and higher integrated curvatures than planned agility trials (p<0.00005). The left and right foot path lengths were larger than sacral path lengths for all endpoint cones (p<0.00005). While subjects were instructed to run around the waypoint cone, the path trajectories support that instructions were applied to foot trajectories, with subjects leaning their bodies over the waypoint creating shorter sacral path lengths. Show less

Abstract: Agility is typically defined as the ability to rapidly change velocity or direction. However, measurement of agility is often experimentally limited to completion time in a planned agility course, which does not reveal the underlying biomechanics contributing to performance. Additional contributing factors to interpreting agility include understanding the trajectory of the path and the technique used to achieve that path. In selecting a motor strategy, previous research has shown that… Show more

Abstract: Agility is typically defined as the ability to rapidly change velocity or direction. However, measurement of agility is often experimentally limited to completion time in a planned agility course, which does not reveal the underlying biomechanics contributing to performance. Additional contributing factors to interpreting agility include understanding the trajectory of the path and the technique used to achieve that path. In selecting a motor strategy, previous research has shown that human motion planning can be a function of kinematic, dynamic, and time criteria. It is unclear how these criteria may affect the trajectory in a planned agility course. In this paper, an agility task is formulated as an optimal control problem and the relationship between estimated path trajectories and the selected objective function is investigated. Here we specifically consider the criterion of minimizing the magnitude of the squared jerk and minimizing final time, with constraints on speed, acceleration, and maximum ground reaction force that can be produced while running without slipping. Since this frictional constraint takes gravity into account, the trajectories are examined for Earth, as well as reduced gravity environments such as the Moon and Mars. The computed optimal trajectories for the agility task are compared to previously collected experimental data. By comparing the experimental and optimal trajectories, insight is gained on participant strategy. Extending to reduced gravity conditions provides quantitative insights on limitations for astronaut locomotion. Show less