The studies on satellites have progressed over the years, following technological advancements. As a result, the concept of small satellites, known as CubeSats, emerged, initially intended for academic purposes. However, these satellites gained prominence by assuming functions previously performed only by larger satellites. Despite this, CubeSats face significant challenges, such as low reliability in their missions, due to financial constraints, time limitations, and lack of experience among their developers, especially in academic projects. Faced with these challenges, there is a need for methods and tools that facilitate development and improve the reliability of these missions, considering their difficulties. The objective of this work is to present an adaptation of traditional failure analysis tools, FMEA and FTA, as a more agile alternative for project failure analysis, with a case study in the development of a CubeSat, aiming to simplify implementation and make the techniques more practical for teams with limited resources. The FCA has proven to be fully functional, as demonstrated in the case study, being as effective as traditional tools and providing a reduction of approximately 50% in the development stages and processes, thanks to its more objective and direct approach. In addition to the benefits obtained, the FCA has proven to be a tool of generic use, applicable to any project requiring an easy-to-use tool, with reduced application time and producing solid results, especially in teams with limited resources, thus promoting their success.

In this work, a conceptual study of an airbreathing propulsion system based on supersonic combustion (scramjet technology) of an aerospace vehicle flying at hypersonic speed of 2050 m/s at an altitude of 30 km was developed. The objective was to study a symmetrical internal configuration with three ramps in the compression section and compare it with the mixed external and internal configuration with three ramps and same turning angles. An analytical theoretical methodology (engineering approach) was applied using the oblique shock wave theory in the compression section, the Rayleigh theory of heat addition in one-dimensional flow, with constant area cross section, no considering fuel mass, in the combustion chamber, and the area ratio theory coupled with the Prandtl-Meyer expansion theory in the expansion section. The flow properties without fuel injection at the combustion chamber (power-off) and with hydrogen fuel injection, burning atmospheric air-hydrogen fuel, in the flow at supersonic speed (power-on), were analyzed. The atmospheric air captured by the inlet of the scramjet vehicle is compressed and decelerated to a condition of supersonic speed and a temperature higher than the spontaneous ignition temperature of the fuel. Considering power-off condition, the flow at the expansion section obtained a velocity lower than the flight speed, due to the increase in entropy. However, in the power-on condition, the combustion products of the atmospheric air-hydrogen fuel mixture provide an increase in the scramjet's flight speed, producing uninstalled thrust of 402.64N and specific impulse of 4164.02s. Finally, a performance analysis of the scramjet developed was carried out considering parameters such as propulsive efficiency, thermal efficiency and global efficiency.

The world has undergone economic, political and social changes in a more intense and accelerated way since the beginning of the globalization of communications, with the advent of artificial satellites. These changes directly reflected on the dynamism of education despite the class model still being quite prescriptive and dogmatic, not encouraging students to become protagonists in the learning process. Interest in Science and Technology, as well as space exploration, is often related to subcultures that adopt specific entertainment media rather than actual scientific research as a vocational incentive. With few young people pursuing careers in math and science, there is a shortage of qualified professionals working in aerospace S&T. However, there are strong indications that it is possible to reverse this situation through innovative educational initiatives, some of which are already being implemented around the world. Believing that betting on young people is creating alternatives for a different world, various entities, public or private, in different countries, turned to the search for motivational and low-cost projects. Ludic activities and the STEAM methodology (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) present an interesting tool to help reverse the current situation and bring these students closer to Exact and Earth Sciences courses, as well as space activities. This dissertation presents, at first, the analysis of interesting models used worldwide. The STEAM model, with an operational focus, addresses activities aimed at stimulating curiosity, based on a new learning approach, which value multidisciplinarity in the classroom, as well as use practices in workshops aimed at the focus of “hands-on” activity. ”. The MANAGEMENT models, as an essential tool after the 1988 Constitution, are presented as beacons for a more efficient administrative-financial management. In a second moment, we sought, in the available literature, successful vocational-educational initiatives that could add positively to improving the model chosen by the Brazilian initiative. Some historical spending data on S&T and formal-informal education was also shown, with the aim of comparing some priorities around the world and, mainly, in Brazil. As a result, actions were proposed to boost the Brazilian space vocational project, with short, medium and long-term activities that arouse students' interest in space science and related technologies, focused on astronomy and space exploration.

This monograph presents a conceptual study, under development at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), of a supersonic combustion demonstrator (scramjet technology), during atmospheric flight, in constant hypersonic velocity of 1950 m/s in the altitudes of 21 km, 26 km and 31 km. The analytical theories of the oblique shock wave, the heat addition in one-dimensional flow in the cross section with constant area and the area ratio were applied in the compression, combustion chamber and expansion, respectively, considering air as a perfect gas and without considering viscous effects. The compression section angles were determined by ensuring that the temperature (higher than the fuel ignition temperature) and the supersonic velocity of the atmospheric airflow provided the stoichiometric burning of atmospheric air and hydrogen fuel in the combustion chamber. Also, it was considered that the incident shock waves have the same intensity providing on-lip and on-corner shock conditions. The expansion section has been optimized considering the combustion products have the same pressure at the scramjet flight altitude. Finally, it was observed the combustion products, in the expansion section, were at a hypersonic velocity greater than the flight velocity of 1950 m/s, allowing the generation the not installed thrust.

Helicopters used in public safety operations go through several risk situations involving ballistic projectiles, one of the safest solutions is armor, offering maximum protection combined with technology.

The present work aims to project an armoring system for the AS-350 helicopter, using as material the polymer matrix composite reinforced with para-aramid fiber and glass fiber. Considering the airworthiness requirements and the restrictions determined by the manufacturer, an analytical method was used to study the effects of armor on the weight and balance of the aircraft. The project used the Aerospace Design Methodology in conducting the work.

To verify the efficiency of the ballistic composite, the experimental tests were carried out in an open outdoor environment where the composite was exposed to the impact of projectiles with a caliber of 5.56x45 mm. The performance of the material was analyzed by the results obtained in the tests and, this provided the determination of the protection reliability of the ballistic system. 

The armor design for the AS-350 proved to be safe to be installed on aircraft of this model, as a level III ballistic protection tool, without impairing its mobility.

In order to access the space through the application of hypersonic airbreathing propulsion technology, this work proposes the development of a scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet). The aerospace vehicle proposed in this work will have three stages, two stages of rocket engines with solid propulsion and a stage composed by a scramjet with four combustion chambers. The scramjet of this vehicle will operate in vertical flight in the Earth’s atmosphere, from 20 km to 60 km of altitude with hypersonic speed corresponding to approximately Mach number 5.8. Bearing in mind that the scramjet has no moving parts and needs a system that accelerates it, up to supersonic combustion conditions, it will be necessary to use the accelerator vehicle that is responsible for propelling the scramjet to the ideal operating conditions (Mach number, position, dynamic pressure). This aerospace vehicle will have the utility of accessing space and conducting drilling experiments, injecting CubeSat into orbit and training the specialized labor responsible for aerospace operations. For the preliminary development of this work, it is necessary to use the theories referring to the formation of shock waves and expansion waves, in addition to the theories related to the addition of heat and the formation of a boundary layer in flow with hypersonic velocity. Therefore, for this development the analytical theoretical methodology was applied and then with the results obtained it was possible to carry out, in the near future, the preliminary mechanical design that determines the necessary basic measures, in addition to the possible materials to be used in the vehicle. The preliminary results of this work indicate that the scramjet will be able to generate thrust and that when considering the existence of the boundary layer, a change in the geometry of the vehicle's inlet is necessary, so that it is possible to maintain the formation of shock-on-lip and shock-on -corner in the scramjet structure.

Within Systems Engineering, risk management processes are mandatory requirements in satellite missions, being used on a large scale for large satellites. However, traditional approaches need adaptations to be applied, in a viable way, to missions with small satellites due to the costs and deadlines involved. This work aims to design, implement, and disseminate a risk management methodology adapted to small satellites. To this end, it is proposed to create an application to perform this management, using the necessary adaptations for application to this type of mission. The bibliographic research methodology was used to characterize small satellites, mostly the CubeSat platform, and the description of methods and risk management tools used worldwide, as well as their applications to small satellite projects. For the design of the application, the Java language will be used. The application’s functionalities were chosen to provide agility, ease, and integration with the risk management processes. The work is divided into five chapters. The first one consists of an introduction. The second presents a historical reinterpretation of small satellites, definitions of them, and their importance. The third chapter deals with systems engineering and risk management. The fourth chapter presents examples of risk management adapted for nanosatellites. And the fifth chapter presents the proposed solution to the problem raised.

This master’s thesis presents a test plan, the automation system for carrying out the
experiments and the results obtained from the Environmental Data Collector (EDC), UHF
receiver for collecting data from satellite sensors. The parameters tested were: bandwidth,
linearity, spurious, noise figure and performance of the decoding the received signals.
The EDC will act in the space segment of the Brazilian Environmental Data Collection
System (SBCDA), a forwarding system for satellite message. For over twenty years, the
SBCDA has provided data for various surveys. sas, however, the SBDCA needs an update
to its space segment. The Institute National Space Research Institute is developing a
constellation of nanosatellites from the CubeSat standard to replace the current SBCDA
satellites. The EDC will be the payload of the new SBCDA nanosatellites. To validate
the EDC, a test plan was prepared which aims to assess whether the prototype built is in
accordance with the desired specifications. To carry out the tests, a bench equipped with a
computer was built, equipped with testing software, a signal generator, a voltage source
and a Arduino. A spectral analysis, from the digitized signal, was used for the tests. of the
RF-Front-End and the Frame Error Rate calculation was used to validate the capacity of
the EDC to decode incoming messages. The EDC prototype was approved with based on
the results obtained, however, some corrections were suggested.

A first study used the hidden Markov model in this dissertation to describe the daily rainfall occurrence and intensity at four meteorological stations in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza in the Northern Northeast Brazil (NNB) and the teleconnection patterns that influence precipitation regime during the rainy season (February, March, April, and May) from 1975 to 2013. A model with four hidden states was associated with climatic conditions: very rainy (1), rainy (2), less rainy (3), and dry (4), satisfactorily agreeing with the interannual variability of the rainy season in this region. State 2 was the only one that showed a statistical trend, indicating a probable decrease in the occurrence of precipitation in the rainy season. It was also shown that the meteorology associated with states 2 and 4 is strongly related to the El Niño-South Oscillation and the North Atlantic tripole and is intrinsically conditioned by the large-scale atmospheric patterns of the Northern Hemisphere. All of these mechanisms modulated the displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) southward (state 2) or northward (state 4), affecting the occurrence of precipitation in the NNB. State 1 was distinguished by the influence of the Atlantic Meridional Mode and the ITCZ displacement further south, while state 3 was identified by the absence of teleconnection patterns. A second study investigated the homogeneity and trend of eleven extreme precipitation indices from a daily data set of 84 rain gauges in the state of Ceará, located in the NNB, from 1974 to 2018, on the annual and seasonal time scales. The data were initially submitted to the gap-filling and quality control processes. Most precipitation series were classified as "useful," and dry day precipitation indices were more susceptible to breaks than rainy day variables for homogeneity. The significant break years in the series agreed well with the El Niño and La Niña events, suggesting a further investigation of this possible connection. The precipitation indices for rainy and dry days presented mostly decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, indicating a decline in the rainfall regime in Ceará, mainly in the central-eastern, northwestern, and southern regions, in the annual and rainy seasons. The LOWESS curve showed changes in almost all series during the 1980s and 1990s, coinciding with the homogeneity breaks and the years of severe droughts in the region. The correlation coefficients were strong and significant between all precipitation indices and the other variables, seeming to induce changes in total rainfall.

Current rocket engines have a low specific thrust compared to the airbreathing propulsion technologies. Airbreathing supersonic combustion engines/vehicles are an alternative to improve the efficiency of access to space in a flight through the dense Earth’s atmosphere, below 60 km of geometric altitude. In this work, aerodynamic analysis of the conceptual model of supersonic combustion engine/vehicle (scramjet) was carried out to operate as a second-stage propulsion engine of a nanoSats launch vehicle. Two engineering approaches, analytical and computational numerical methodology, were used to perform the preliminary analysis of the proposed scramjet model, coupled to the third propulsion stage, at an altitude of 20 km with flight speed equivalent to Mach 5.8. Atmospheric air was considered a calorically perfect gas, and the viscous effects were neglect in a preliminary analysis. Supersonic combustion was modeled as heat adding to the supersonic flow without fuel injection. Then, numerical simulations were carried out considering the effects of the boundary layer development to verify the aerodynamic feasibility of the model. Optimization of the compression angles at the scramjet compression section was used to minimize the entropy generation and increase the vehicle’s compression efficiency, aiming to reach the temperature and Mach number at the combustion chamber entrance. The temperature required at the combustion chamber entrance is estimated to self-ignite the air-fuel mixture. Korkegi limit was evaluated through oblique shock waves in the compression section and in the heat addition process. Using the Korkegi limit, in the preliminary analytical design, as an indication of unstart due to the separation of the boundary layer caused by the adverse pressure gradient, we investigated to identify in numerical simulations considering the viscous effects whether the unstart phenomenon would occur. Numerical simulations were performed using commercial software, ANSYS Fluent, using the turbulence model known as transition SST. We also performed mesh convergence tests, numerical experiment validation on top of numerical data validated by HyShot flight data. Both meshes used in the validation and the analysis of the present work have equivalent levels of refinement in the direction of the wall, satisfying the condition of the turbulence model (𝑦+ < 1). The analytical calculations showed good quantitative and qualitative consistency with the numerical simulation results considering the same simplifications adopted in the analytical. An adaptation of the analytical method is proposed to take into account the effects of the interaction of the expansion fan with the oblique shock wave incident on the compression section of the scramjet. The results of the viscous simulations indicated that should be made improvements in the geometry due to the low temperature at the combustion chamber entrance, as well as reduced mass flow captured by the combustor, as a consequence of solution used to prevent unstart.