Lonnie LaBonte of University of Maine

On a spacecraft, leaking air, fluids or gases can cause stability problems and jeopardize crew member safety. A spacecraft can spring a leak from a variety of causes, from micrometeoroids and orbital debris to material being degraded by radiation and extreme temperature changes. Air leaks can cause ultrasonic noise that humans cannot hear, but detecting the sound is a useful way to monitor for leaks and pinpoint their location. This talk presents a novel Joint Leak Detection and Localization Based on Fast Bayesian Inference from Network of Ultrasonic Sensor Arrays in Microgravity Environment (Wireless Leak Detection). Any pressurized environment can become hazardous in the case of a leak, including submarines, airplanes, pipelines and fuel tanks. The technology developed for this investigation can be used to monitor for leaks in pressurized systems on Earth, safeguarding the environment and protecting human lives. This NASA funded research project enabled participation of  several graduate students in  research and development of a stand-alone wireless leak detection system. Once onboard the International Space Station (ISS), crew members install each of the three identical sensor boxes at predetermined locations and allow them to collect data. The stored signals are then downloaded and sent to the UMaine researchers for analysis and processing.

Biography:

Lonnie Labonte was born and raised in western Maine.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 2013 from the University of Maine. The following school year Lonnie started research on wireless control systems for his Ph. D thesis in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In the summer of 2012 he worked for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center as an intern on a solar sail project.  During the next summer he worked as an intern on a Star Tracker at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center where his work led to the refunding of an IRAD project and allowed him to be hired as a civil servant at Goddard where he worked for the next two summers.

Lonnie LaBonte of University of Maine

Biography:

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