New Space Catalysts International
technology and partnerships for the new space age
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
T.S. Eliot
photo by Joel Filipe
About
NSC International (NSCI) represents private commercial and academic institutional clients in the United States and abroad. NSCI specializes in strategic business development and program management for teams advancing human and science goals in Earth’s orbit and beyond.
What is strategic business development?
Business development is the creation of long-term value for an organization from customers, markets, and relationships; it is strategic partnering and project management of the opportunities that precede investment and go-to-market methodologies; it is sales, often times before anything has been sold; it is branding and marketing derived directly from engineering to keep continuity with the ever-changing landscape of the market and customer; it is hustling, guided by instinct and insight, with an unrelenting focus on the highest possible value outcome for all parties involved.
Projects
NSC International is dedicated to advancing the adoption of pioneering space tech innovations with comprehensive business development and project management activities. Following are projects and teams that have been supported.
Next Gen energy and transportation- in space and on earth
Ad Astra Rocket Company is developing VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) for efficient and sustainable in-space propulsion. Uses range from solar-electric cislunar cargo tugs to nuclear-electric safe human transport to Mars. Meet Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz and learn about the future of space transportation in three short videos: Crossing the Space Frontier.
Reduced gravity experimentation
Texas A&M University's Dept of Construction Science, together with US Air Force Academy Astronautical Engineering and Crow Industries flew prototypes of an FalconSAT new retractable solar array design and an experiment that simulated and evaluated regolith propagation during drilling in low-gravity on a Zero-G research flight. Nicole led the team through Research Program Package submittals, Test Readiness Reviews, and flew as part of the regolith experiment team.
Dust to Structures
“Dust to Structures” is a research Initiative that combines computational modeling and physical testing to advance the utilization of in-situ base materials, new types of binders and structural reinforcement while also designing for the emerging automated construction processes, which are robot-assisted or robot-led.
This research is motivated by the goals of improving efficiency, minimizing waste and environmental impact, taking humans out of harm’s way, and fundamentally enabling construction in remote, extreme, and austere environments. Such innovations are relevant to industrial, DoD and NASA missions alike. In her role at A&M, Nicole serves as Initiative Lead for Dust to Structures.
Collaborative Autonomous Navigation and Operations
This technology integration concept merges the capabilities of surface rovers with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for monitoring and operations that are hazardous or impractical for humans. This solution could be particularly useful in GPS-denied environments. The aerial mapping provides guidance to the rover to navigate complex scenes, identify and locate targets, create action plans. The rover can then carry out the ground operations and monitoring while the UAS observes and records progress from overhead context. In her role at A&M, Nicole ties together experts from various team to develop this technology integration for on- and off-planet applications.
Reinforcement learning for robotic grasping in reduced gravity
This proposed experiment will provide a test environment for the robotic arm to do real practice grasping various free-floating objects in lunar, Martian and micro-gravity. The training data acquired will be used to make the reinforcement learning algorithms more effective at training the software to control robotic manipulation in reduced gravity. In her role at A&M, Nicole served as proposal manager and will also be the project manager should the project be funded.
CLIENTS & PArtners
Our clients and partners are leaders in Academia, Industry and Military who are innovating technology and policy to establish a sustained human presence in space.
Meet Nicole
NICOLE SHUMAKER
PRINCIPAL
Nicole is on a mission to bring game-changing space-industry innovations out of the laboratory and in to real-world application where their intended potential can be realized. She has a passion and penchant for learning from pioneers throughout the industry and developing business and research opportunities by building relationships with disparate stakeholders and then spearheading programs to mature breakthrough solutions from pilot to market-readiness.
Nicole combines formative training in experimental atmospheric research (at Georgia Tech) and nearly 20 years initiating technology demonstration projects in the high-tech industry to drive new tech into emerging markets. She has led strategy, business development, sales and marketing as Co-Founder at a start-up, Director at mature, mid-sized firms, as well as Intrapreneur at a global, publicly-traded company in the fields of sustainable design & construction technology and civil engineering.
In her free time, she can be found traversing trails and beach with her amphibious wonder-mutt, and first (office) mate, Vela.
Books
Recommended recent reads
podcast
Recommended podcast for space enthusiasts
The Orbital Mechanics Podcast
David Fourman and Ben Etherington
Every week we cover the latest spaceflight news, discuss past, current and future exploration efforts, and take a look at upcoming events. Tune in to hear about how humans get to space, how they stay in space and how unmanned craft reach farther and farther into the universe around us.
videos
Recommended videos for space enthusiasts
To inquire about NSC International projects or services, send an email to nicole at nsc-international.com or fill out this form and we will respond promptly.