Page 51: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2020)

Coast Guard rEsEarCH & dEvElopmEnt CEntEr dence. A series of tests was conducted to validate survivability CubeSat research. CubeSats are a type of miniaturized satellite and functionality for both surface and air assets. for space research and typically have a mass of no more than

One test was conducted in New London, Connecticut; to sim- three pounds per unit. ulate dropping the unit from a helicopter, they were dropped They are commonly put in orbit by private deployment com- from the Gold Star Memorial Bridge. The Auxiliary supported panies as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. More than this test evolution with two boats and crews. They provided 1,200 CubeSats have been launched as of January 2020. As critical standoff/security zone management and recovery of the part of the DHS Science & Technology Polar Scout CubeSat devices in the water. In addition, photography support was pro- project, the RDC constructed a satellite ground station in Fair- vided for all of the testing operations for public affairs releases banks, Alaska. This labor-intensive effort required the con- and test documentation. struction of an 18-foot radome structure. The successful com-

The lessons learned in this early MOTT testing have been pletion on this ground station provided a valuable resource for incorporated into a technology solicitation released by the DHS the Coast Guard and DHS while testing CubeSat technology in

Science and Technology Silicon Valley Innovation Program on support of Arctic search and rescue. behalf of the Coast Guard. The Auxiliary support consisted of fve members from the local Fairbanks area with construction experience. They were ready fOr reScUe technOlOgy challenge quickly mobilized and worked for three days assisting the on-

The goal of this public prize competition was to research af- site RDC team and providing skilled labor. fordable and effective enhancements to basic personal foata- tion devices. Unique ideas for improving the conspicuity of a in-SitU bUrn (iSb) reSearch person in the water were solicited. Concepts, ideas, prototypes This past summer, the RDC conducted testing on Little Sand and commercially-off-the-shelf (COTS) products were all con- Island in Mobile Bay, Alabama, to provide critical new infor- sidered. RDC provided guidance and technical contributions mation for dealing with diffcult oil spills. Testing occurred in a to the inventors to successfully improve the prototypes. This large tank to evaluate in-situ burning (ISB) as a countermeasure prize competition, sponsored by DHS Science and Technology, to spills in fresh water, such as the Great Lakes. awarded over $250,000 in prize funding directly to the inventors. This testing protocol included two full-scale ISB tests of fow-

Coast Guard Auxiliary support was wide-ranging, from judg- ing crude oil in fresh water, with and without marshland veg- ing the concepts to test planning and on-water evaluations. Two etation, which occurred over fve days and had been preceded experienced Auxiliary boat crew members were part of the on- by weeks of preparation. The testing captured important data for the-water test planning team. They advised on commercial ves- researchers to use to best inform methods available to federal on- sel traffc during test area selection and provided a safety plan scene commanders. for RDC personnel functioning as test observers and statisti- Auxiliary members recorded the event, creating a documen- cians. Underway support included four boats and 12 boat crew tary-style video for the research team similar to a report one members during the eight-hour feld event which assessed fnal would fnd on 60 Minutes or Dateline. The fnal 15-minute vid- prototypes in open water day/night test events. The manpower eo with narration documented two major burns for the project and expertise provided by the Auxiliary teams contributed to team and included interviews with onsite technical experts.

the success of the testing and armed industry participants with These four examples capture a very small number of all the knowledge to improve their innovations. research events that Coast Guard Auxiliary members have been a part of at the RDC in the past two years. Eighty researchers com-

UScg cUbeSat grOUnd StatiOn bined with the bench strength of skills and resources of 22,000

Another project with exceptional Auxiliary support involved Auxiliary members is a powerful win for Coast Guard research!

All Photos Courtesy USCG RDC www.marinelink.com 51