MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department
enews Vol 3, #4
December 2006

In this issue:

Awards and Honors
HAL Featured in ONR Publication
BioSuit Shown at Nextfext Convention
IAP Listings Added to Aero-Astro Site
WebTip

1. AWARDS AND HONORS

Space Systems Lab associate director Dr. Raymond Sedwick http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/sedwick.html has been awarded the first Bepi Colombo Prize http://www.bepicolomboprize.org/ for individual research. The 50000 euro prize is sponsored by a consortium of Italian regional, civic, scientific, and educational organizations in honor of the late Dr. Giuseppe Colombo. Dr. Colombo was known for his work in new concepts concerning space transportation, large space structures, and evolution of space technology for space sciences and applications. He was the Aero-Astro Hunsaker Visiting Professor in 1980, and was a prominent researcher at the University of Padova, the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cal Tech, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Sedwick's prize was for a paper on electromagnetic formation flight. According to Aero-Astro Professor Manuel Martinez-Sanchez, who worked with Colombo and was a juror in the competition, "The jury was unanimous in that Ray's paper best represented 'Bepi' Colombo's spirit of innovation and originality, combined with rigor." Pictures of the award ceremony are posted at http://www.bepicolomboprize.org/awarding.html.

Professor Olivier de Weck http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/deweck.html has been named an associate editor of the AIAA's Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=322&lupubid=25. AIAA President Roger L. Simpson said that in his role as associate editor, Professor de Weck "will have a unqiue opportunity to serve (his) fellow engineers and scientists in the field of aerospace." Professor de Weck was recommended for the position by the journal's editor-in-chief, Vince Zoby.

Congratulations to Professor Raul Radovitzky http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/radovitzky.html for capturing a Best Paper Award at the 25th Army Science Conference http://www.asc2006.com/bawards.htm in November. Professor Radovitzky was co-author of the paper "Advanced High Performance Computing in Physical Sciences & Engineering: Lagrangian Simulation of Penetration Environments via Mesh Healing and Adaptive Optimization." The paper may be downloaded from his Web site at http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/radovitzky/publications.html.

Graduate student Finale Doshi, who graduated from MIT in June 2005 with dual bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering and physics, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship for study at the University of Cambridge for 2007. A campus leader with an extensive record of service to the Institute and the world, Doshi is now a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science. Marshall scholarships are awarded by the United Kingdom as a national gesture of thanks to the United States for aid received under the post-World War II Marshall Plan. Winners may attend any British university. Read more at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/marshall.html.

2. HAL FEATURED IN ONR PUBLICATION

Professor Missy Cummings' http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/cummings.html Humans and Automation Lab's http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www/labs/halab/ TRACS visualization tool is examined in a feature article in the Office of Naval Research online publication "NRE Navigator." In a 2D diagram, TRACS (Tracking Resource Allocation Cognitive Strategies) represents the cognitive functions performed by an operator as a function of the type of information used during mission planning tasks. Read the article at http://www.onr.navy.mil/media/nre_navigator/news_articles/shownewsarticletext.asp?NEWSID=139.

3.BIOSUIT SHOWN AT NEXTFEST CONVENTION

Professor Dava Newman http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/newman.html exhibited the Man Vehicle Lab's Biosuit at Wired Magazine's 2006 NextFest http://www.nextfest.net/ in New York this fall. The exhibition features innovations in communication, design, entertainment, exploration, health, transportation, security, and green living. About 20,000 people attended the event. NextFest described the biosuit as follows:
"Bulky pressurized space suits are so 1969! Researchers at MIT are working on a skintight prototype that could put the current "gas bag" design out of commission. The new right stuff? Ultrathin layers of flexible materials that protect astronauts from pressure changes, extreme temperatures, and radiation outside the craft. Created with laser scanners to custom-fit each wearer, the Bio-Suit will allow increased mobility and reduce production costs. And if the next Neil Armstrong happens to stumble over a moon rock, no problem - the suit will be made of interchangeable elements that are easy to maintain and replace. (Early lower-leg designs incorporate elastic and nylon-spandex.) One drawback: the wait. A full-scale working model won't be available for testing until at least 2009."

4. IAP LISTINGS ADDED TO AERO-ASTRO SITE

Learn the history of MIT's participation in Apollo navigation, guidance and control. Or, how aircraft accidents are investigated. Sit behind the controls of a real 767 aircraft, and fly one using flight simulation. Or, design, build, and test a liquid-fueled rocket engine. Each IAP, Aero-Astro presents a unique blend of fun and fascinating special activities, and this year is no exception. So you can key directly in on AA-specific programs, we've created an AA IAP page on the Department Web site. As activities are added, they'll be posted to the page. Visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/academics/iap.html to see what AA has in store for IAP.

5. WEBTIP

If you're a Firefox user, there's a trick you can use to quickly take you to your favorite Web sites without having to pull down a bookmark or Google the site's name. Here's how:
1. Go to the site
2. Add it to your bookmarks
3. Under the "Bookmarks" pulldown menu, select "organize bookmarks"
4. Select the bookmark you just added (or any other bookmark on your list) and then click "Properties" at the top of the window,
5. Make up a keyword for the site and enter it in the "keyword" space.
6. Click "OK"

The next time you want to access the site, just type the keyword (rather than the URL) in your browser window and you'll go right to the site. Note that many MAJOR sites can already be accessed just by typing the organization's name in the Firefox window. For example, type "NASA," "MIT," "White House," "Boston Globe," "The Onion," or "NOAA" in the window and you'll be directed to a home page without having to enter anything else.