Aero-Astro

Aero-Astro, Aeronautics and Astronautics' annual publication, chronicles and celebrates the Department's recent innovations in technology and engineering education. Packed with interesting articles, reports, and photographs, each glossy issue includes articles on specific research projects, educational initiatives, profiles of faculty and alumni, and reports from each of our research labs.

You can download PDF copies of Aero Astro here. If you'd like a hard copy of the publication, please send an email request to wlitant@mit.edu. Be sure to indicate which issue you want and include your complete mailing address.

Aero-Astro No. 4, 2006-2007

• The Silent Aircraft, Ann Dowling, Edward Greitzer, Thomas Hynes, Edward Greitzer, James Hileman, and Zoltan Spakovszky
• CDIO in Aero-Astro and beyond, Edward Crawley CDIO is an innovative framework for engineering education, created at MIT Aero-Astro
• Raven: Testbed for autonomous UAVs, Jonathan How
• Hand and mind ... and heart, Three Aero-Astro students combine engineering skills and social conscience to better the world.
• Blending passions for planes and teaching, Bob Sales. Faculty member Robert Liebeck profile
• Brad Parkinson, Bob Sales. Alumni profile of the father of the global positioning system
• Lab report. News from Aero-Astro research labs
• Appreciation: Earll Murman, Wesley Harris

Download Aero-Astro No. 4 (pdf, 1.8mb)

Aero-Astro No. 3, 2005-2006

• MIT tackles interplanetary transportation of supplies, equipment, and humans, Olivier de Weck. MIT is developing supply chain architecture and hardware design for next-generation Moon and Mars missions.
• Small teams make experimental project lab a unique, popular place, Jennifer Craig and Edward Greitzer. Subject 16.62X students choose their topic and advisor, define their experimental problem, develop a hypothesis, create objective statement, identify goals, propose conclusions.
• A global balance: Aviation and the environment, Ian A. Waitz. An Aero-Astro lead research collaborative plays a leading role in developing means to balance society's needs for air transportation and environmental quality.
• Transition: This personal vehicle's future is in the air - and on the road, Carl Dietrich. A team of graduate students is designing what may be the first practical combination automobile and airplane.
• Computational engineering is growing, and Aero-Astro is in the thick of it, David Darmofal, et al. A look at educational activities in Aero-Astro in applying computational methods to engineering challenges.
• Mark Drela's research - and his teaching - offer beauty and functionality, Lauren Clark. Faculty profile of Professor Mark Drela.
• Sci-fi turns high-fly for astronaut-alumna Janet Voss, Matthew Silver. Alumna profile of Aero-Astro graduate Janet Voss.
• Lab report. News from Aero-Astro research labs.
• Appreciation: Gene Covert and the Guggenheim Medal, William T.G. Litant

Download Aero-Astro No. 3 (pdf, 2.5mb)

Aero-Astro No. 2, 2004-2005

• Distributed satellite systems offer vision for exploration and education, David Miller. Meeting the challenge to engineer a highly-accurate telescope effectively the size of a football field, operating 10 million miles from earth in a near absolute zero environment.
• MIT-designed aspirated compressors = shorter, lighter engines, Jack Kerrebrock. Research in the Gas Turbine Lab could be a boon for supercruising jet aircraft.
• Learning in a Landmark Laboratory, William Litant. Aero-Astro's unique Learning Laboratory encourages students to conceive, discover, and build.
• Students react to more effective teaching: Changing the pedagogy, David Darmofal. Educational research has led to the recognition of principles of effective teaching that are Aero-Astro has brought to the classroom.
• Confidence in the Code, Nancy Leveson. Software reliability is as nuts and bolts critical to safe and successful vehicle operation.
• Multipath wireless at the threshold of robust, low-cost communication, Moe Win. Industrial, scientific, and military challenges are prompting exploration of larger bands of the spectrum
• Of mice and Mars, Paul Wooster and Erika Wagner. An Aero-Astro student team is designing, managing, building, testing, and planning to launch a world-class spacecraft.
• A one-on-one with Widnall, Lauren Clark. Faculty profile of Professor Sheila Widnall.
• Lab report. News from Aero-Astro research labs.

Download Aero-Astro No. 2 (pdf, 1mb)

Aero-Astro No. 1, 2003-2004

• An innovation in airport noise reduction, J-P Clarke. Controlled-descent landing approaches reduce noise, lower operating costs.
• A paradigm shift in communications satellite design, Eytan Modiano. emerging types of data traffic require dramatic shifts in comsat technology.
• Space electric propulsion. it's been a long time coming, Manuel Martinez-Sanchez. with today's restrained budgets, mission proposals that don't include electric propulsion can be at a disadvantage.
• Lean Aerospace Initiative. innovating transformation. Lean principles that create value and eliminate waste for aerospace organizations.
• Teaching by questioning, Steven Hall. Aero-Astro finds learning is enhanced when taught by questioning rather than just "telling."
• From sailboats to spacesuits, engineering with a passion, Lauren Clark. Faculty profile of Professor Dava Newman.
• From flight of fancy to fancy flying, Dick Dahl. Alumni profile of Boeing Chief Research Pilot Tom Imrich.
• Lab report. News from Aero-Astro research labs.

Download Aero-Astro No. 1 (pdf, 2.1mb)