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MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department
enews Vol 4, #1
October 2007

In this issue:

  1. Comings and Goings
  2. Honorable Mention for Interplanetary Logistics Paper
  3. Space Logistics: The Movie
  4. Hoffman Tells Shuttle Experiences in New Scientist
  5. Nolet Wins Research Paper Prize
  6. HAL Featured in Naval Publication
  7. MIT Vehicle on its way to DARPA Challenge
  8. Staff, Faculty Holiday Party Date Set

1. COMINGS AND GOINGS

With the retirement of Aero-Astro Librarian, Eileen Dorschner, there have been some staff changes in the Library.
- Cheryl Miller is the new permanent library assistant, replacing Mat Willmott. Cheryl has an undergraduate degree in math and classics form Oberlin, and she spent a year working at University College London in the Science Library. She is working towards her MS in Library and Information Science.
- Carol Robinson, collections manager in the Engineering Library and one of the librarians who works with the Mechanical Engineering Department, will spend most afternoons in the Aero-Astro Library
- Tracy Gabridge will handle most of the library's administrative work, and she will back up Carol Robinson until a new librarian is hired. Tracy is the associate head of the Engineering Library and liaison to the EE Department. A Course VI grad, Tracy worked in the Aero-Astro Library when she was a student. Tracy is also heading the search committee for the new Aero-Astro Librarian, and she is working with Wes and Ed Greitzer to ensure Aero Department input in the hiring of the new Librarian.

As to Eileen, she is off to Aruba for some R&R, and plans "more trips, more time with family and granddaughter on the West Coast, taking courses in fun stuff, and spending more time with friends."

Prof. Alan Epstein, long-time head of Aero-Astro's Gas Turbine Lab, is taking leave to serve as Pratt & Whitney's vice president, Technology and Environment. Epstein will lead Pratt & Whitney's strategy and technology development programs aimed at improving environmental performance and reducing environmental impact. More information is available at http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070808/new048.html?.v=17 Prof. Zoltan Spakovszky will be the Gas Turbine Lab's acting head.

Prof. Mark Drela is the new co-head of the Aero-Astro Vehicles Sector, a title he shares with Prof. Ian Waitz. For a complete list of Vehicles Sector faculty, as well as faculty associated with the department's Systems and Information sectors, visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/faculty/facultybysector.html .

Anne Maynard has provided enews with a list of new postdoctoral associates and their supervisors: Tan Thanh Bui (Raul Radovitzky, Krzysztof Fidkowski (Karen Willcox), Roberto Guzman (Brian Wardle), Antoine Jerusalem (Raul Radovitzky), Theresa Robinson (Karen Willcox), James Waldie (Dava Newman), Simon Nolet (Dave Miller), Moshe Laifenfeld (Eytan Modiano). In other personnel news provided by Anne, Dr. Ryan Kilgore is teaching 16.400 during the fall term; Dr. Erica Wagner is the new Mars Gravity Program Manager, Mr. Tomoki Kawakubo is a new Visiting Engineer working with Choon Tan.

After almost nine years at MIT, Paul Wooster departed this summer. He would like all to know, “I've started a new job at SpaceX. For those who aren't familiar with SpaceX, it’s a new, relatively small aerospace company that is aiming to make a big difference in the space arena, in particular towards lowering the cost of access to space (see http://www.spacex.com/). I'll be working primarily on their Dragon vehicle, which will carry both cargo and crew to destinations in low Earth orbit (such as the International Space Station). Needless to say, I am very excited about this opportunity. I have greatly appreciated interacting with all of you during my time at MIT, and I look forward to keeping in touch in the future.”

 

2. HONORABLE MENTION FOR INTERPLANETARY LOGISTICS PAPER

A paper titled "A Mathematical Model for Interplanetary Logistics" received an honorable mention (2nd prize) for the 2007 Logistics Spectrum Paper Award. The lead author was Aero-Astro affiliate Dr. Christine Taylor. Co-authors include Miao Song of the MIT Operations Resource Center, Visiting Professor Diego Klabjan, our own Prof. Olivier de Weck and Prof. David Simchi-Levi (ESD and CEE). The article appeared in Vol. 41, No.1 of Logistics Spectrum, which is published by SOLE - The International Society of Logistics. The Logistics Spectrum Prize Paper Award is presented to the author(s) of the paper appearing in the Logistics Spectrum that best improves and increases the body of knowledge of logistics literature.

3. SPACE LOGISTICS: THE MOVIE

Future space exploration will rely on a complex supply-chain network. The MIT Space Logistics Project http://spacelogistics.mit.edu/index.htm has produced a video describing how it is approaching the challenge of getting supplies to space travelers. We've streamed the movie on the Aero-Astro Web site where you can see watch it at http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/news/sp-logisti-mov.html You can also read an article about the project at http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/news/magazine/aeroastro-no3/2006planet.html .

4. HOFFMAN TELLS SHUTTLE EXPERIENCES IN NEW SCIENTIST

Prof. Jeffrey Hoffman is the author of an article in the September 8-14 "Conquest of Space, 50 Years and Counting ..." special issue of the UK publication New Scientist. Jeff's piece, "Ride of a lifetime," is a reminiscence of a Shuttle flight - from liftoff to landing. During his 11 years as an astronaut, he flew on the Shuttle five times, logging more than 1000 hours and 34.5 million kilometers in space. You can see photos of Jeff on his last mission and hear him talk about it on a New Scientist YouTube posting at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkd4KCEz--Y

5. NOLET WINDS RESEARCH PAPER PRIZE

Aero-Astro postdoc Simon Nolet won the first prize for a research paper at the August AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference and Exhibit. His paper was titled “The SPHERES Navigation System: from Early Development to On-Orbit Testing.” Simon and grad student Lucy Cohan had been selected, along with four other individuals, as finalists in competition. Simon says, “The competition consisted of preparing a paper about our research, and presenting it in front of a panel of experts. This conference is world renowned in the GN&C community.” Last year, Umair Ahsun and Soon-Jo Chung, both from the SSL, were among the competition's finalists.

6. HAL FEATURED IN NAVAL PUBLICATION

Prof. Missy Cumming's mobile Humans and Automation Lab was featured in the August issue of NUWSCOPE, the newsletter of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The article discusses use of the lab and a recent demo where experiments were shown related to Tomahawk and UAV mission/missile matching and planning. The article may be downloaded from the HAL Web site at http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/www/labs/halab/press.html

7. MIT VEHICLE ON ITS WAY TO DARPA CHALLENGE

Aero-Astro postdoc Yoshiaki Kuwata says that the MIT DARPA Grand Challenge team, builders of that Land Rover with all the appurtenances that has resided for weeks in the Hangar, is sending their vehicle off to LA this week to continue testing leading up to the DARPA race. The team will first compete in the national qualifying event in late October, and then, with luck and perseverance, compete in the final contest on November 3. The race will take place at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, CA. The DARPA Urban Challenge features autonomous ground vehicles conducting simulated military supply missions in a mock urban area. Safe operation in traffic is essential to U.S. military plans to use autonomous ground vehicles to conduct important missions. You can read more about the MIT Grand Challenge Team at http://grandchallenge.mit.edu/ Aero-Astro Prof. Jon How is the team’s Planning and Control Team Lead. Other department faculty involved are Professors Emilio Frazzoli and Nick Roy.

8. STAFF, FACULTY HOLIDAY PARTY DATE SET

Faculty and staff: mark your calendars for the 2007 Department Holiday Party. Date/time are December 14, 6-10 p.m., and the venue is the Commanders Mansion in Watertown http://www.commandersmansion.com. More information coming soon from Peggy Udden.

If you know of events, honors, activities, or other information you'd like to see in the next issue of Aero-Astro enews, please send to wlitant@mit.edu - we'd be pleased to include it!

 

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