Office hours: Tue/Thu 3-4pm     [contact info] [student opportunities]

Thanks for visiting! I am a consulting professor in the Aero/Astro Department at Stanford University codirecting the Space and Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL). I develop novel small satellite systems and robust ground station networks through regular space and near-space flights. I also am PI on magnetometer network deployed in California and performing long-term studies on ultra low frequency (ULF) magnetic oscillations. My primary class at Stanford is AA236, a four quarter series on satellite design.

Below is a list of current and past projects in which I have played a major role. Please contact me if you have any questions or need further information.

Current Projects:

	CalMagNet: The California Magnetometer Network (CalMagNet) consists of ten triaxial search-coil magnetometer systems measuring Ultra Low Frequency (ULF), 0.001 - 16 Hz, magnetic field fluctuations in California. CalMagNet provides data for comprehensive multi-point measurements of specific events in the Pc1-Pc5 range at mid-latitudes as well as a systematic, long-term study of ULF signals in active fault regions in California. CalMagNet is owned and operated by QuakeFinder, LLC.
	BioLaunch: In partnership with a NASA Ames researcher, Lynn Rothschild, we have developed a joint near space educational and science programming called BioLaunch. We combined our two Stanford classes, AA236--Space Craft Design and HUMBIO 183--Astrobiology and Space Exploration, to train both science and engineering students on how to build and perform near space research missions. We have 6-8 flights up to 100K feet scheduled for 2008. Our payloads have been measuring UV radiation as a function of altitude, and component testing of new satellite subsystems. This program also flies payloads for regional K-12 schools. These younger students fill up extra lift capacity with a variety of experiments relevant to their course work.
	Like the Mac and the PC brought computers to everyone, our Katysat Project is bringing space exploration to young students around the world. We are developing an educational satellite program that will enable students around the world to participate and actively task an orbiting satellite. Launch is scheduled for the fall of 2008. Please see Katysat's Katysat for more information.
	MGSN - We are developing a prototype federated ground station network, called the Mercury Ground Station Network, to provided increased reliable coverage for university satellite missions. Our research is developing new technologies for flexible application level support in stations and increased availability through recovery oriented techniques. Mercury has been deployed at three stations in California and Alaska and is currently being deployed in Norway, Germany, and Denmark.
	I currently manage two open-source software projects on Sourceforge. The first project, Mercury, is describe above. The second project, Cube Software, contains software systems for the Cubesat Kit, developed by Pumpkin.

Past Projects:

	ROC - The Recovery-Oriented Computing (ROC) project was a joint Berkeley/Stanford research project that is investigating novel techniques for building highly-dependable Internet services. In a significant divergence from traditional fault-tolerant approaches, ROC emphasized recovery from failures rather than solely on fault avoidance. I developed and applied ROC principles to space systems and focusing on system logging, fault detection, and recovery. This work was funded by NASA, NSF, and industry (IBM and Microsoft).
	Opal - From 1997 to 2002, I was project manager of SSDL's second satellite, Opal. It was launched January 26, 2000 and completed all primary mission objectives during its two and half years of operation. Opal successfully launched the world's smallest satellites; six picosatellites the size of Klondike bars that performed technology demonstration missions of MEMS components and distributed space communication protocols. This work was funded by DARPA.
	Emerald - From 2000 to 2002, I worked on Emerald, a two-satellite system designed to demonstrate enabling technologies for spacecraft formation flying and distributed space system coordination. I developed system hardening techniques for off-the-shelf electronic components and distributed space communication systems. This project was funded by DARPA and AFRL through the University Nanosatellite Program.
	The MERIT Project -- To support the insertion of new technologies in space, several of us at SSDL developed systems to characterize the radiation effects on new technologies in the space environment. The goal of the Merit was to provide low-cost, rapid testing of components in space. This project was funded by Boeing.
	CELSS - From 1990-1995 I was a research assistant at Purdue's NASA Specialized Center for Research and Training (NSCORT) on Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS). We researched bioregenerative and controlled ecological life-support systems for long-duration manned space and terrestrial applications. I performed experiments on plant seedling response to stress and developed self contained growth chambers.

Currently, I do not have any funded research openings for new students. However, I have the following openings for independent study or class work:

• Ground Station Networking - We are working to build a university global ground station network. There are opportunities for software development and networking.
• Magnetometer Studies - We are studying data from a network of ULF search magnetometers operated by Stanford, UC-Berkeley, and Quakefinder. Studies include geomagnetic micropulsations, spectral resonant structures of the ionosphere, and data near earthquakes.
• Software-Defined Radio Development - We are building both space and ground-based software-defined radios.
• Katysat We are developing a small communication satellite for training younger generations. There are opportunities for software development, circuit design, and mission planning.
• Related Work - If you have an idea for interesting, related work, feel free to contact me.

1. CalMagNet - An Array of Search Coil Magnetometers Monitoring ULF Activity in California
   James Cutler, Jacob Bortnik, Clark Dunson, Tom Bleier, and John Doering, to appear in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, expected 2007.
2. An automatic wave detection algorithm applied to Pc1 pulsations
   Bortnik J., J. W. Cutler, C. Dunson, T. E. Bleier (2007), , J. Geophys. Res., 112, A04204, doi:10.1029/2006JA011900. [pdf]
3. A Framework for Robust and Flexible Ground Station Networks
   James Cutler and Armando Fox, Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication 2006 1542-9423 vol.3 no.3 (73-92). [pdf]
4. Improving Availability with Recursive Micro-Reboots: A Soft-State System Case Study,
   James Cutler et al., In Performance Evaluation Journal, Summer 2003. [pdf]
5. Applying the Lessons of Internet Services to Space Systems
   James Cutler, Armando Fox, Kul Bhasin. In Proceedings of the IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 9-16, 2002. [pdf]

• Curriculum vitae: [pdf]
• Research statement: [pdf]
• Teaching statement: [pdf]

Here are a few personal links:

• Family photo album.
• My media archive.
• Notes as I try to stay dusty.
• A rocket blog not really about rockets. The author is a rocket scientist though.