IAP 2016 Activities by Sponsor - Aeronautics and Astronautics

Brian Nield (Boeing Commercial Airplane)

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/07
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: Spreadsheet Skills (Excel); Some Familiarity with Aviation

Commercial aviation is extremely safe, in part due to knowledge gained from studying accidents. The investigation process and some of the most significant accidents are discussed. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to work with their peers in a small, self-directed, investigative team to solve a realistic (but fictional) aircraft accident mystery. New information on the crash will be given out at each session as you piece together the facts to determine what caused the accident and build recommendations for improving flying safety.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Liz Zotos, 37-219, x3-7805, zotos@mit.edu

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Aviation Accident Investigation

Jan/12	Tue	02:00PM-03:00PM	33-319
Jan/13	Wed	02:00PM-03:00PM	33-319
Jan/14	Thu	02:00PM-04:00PM	33-319

Mischa Shattuck, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff, Brice MacLaren, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/03
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None

There are many opportunities to improve the quality of life of those involved in humanitarian crises and disasters through technical advancements.  However, it is common for these technical systems to fail due to lack of consideration for the complicated context of the humanitarian space.  In this course, an introduction will be provided to the organizations and cultural issues involved in the humanitarian space and the socio-political considerations involved in developing systems in this arena.  Attendees will participate in a conceptual design exercise that will bring to light some of the complexities of HADR design.  Design concepts will be presented and discussed with evaluators who have had humanitarian field experience. 

Sponsor(s): Lincoln Laboratory, Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Hayley Reynolds, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 781 981-3309, HAYLEY@LL.MIT.EDU

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Hum. Assist. & Disaster Relief

Jan/04	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class
Jan/11	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	33-319
Jan/20	Wed	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class
Jan/25	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks class, Bring laptop for presentations

Mischa Shattuck - MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff, Brice MacLaren - MIT Lincoln Laboratory Staff

Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds, Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/28
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

There are many opportunities to improve the quality of life of those involved in humanitarian crises and disasters through technical advancements.  However, it is common for these technical systems to fail due to lack of consideration for the complicated context of the humanitarian space.  In this course, an introduction will be provided to the organizations and cultural issues involved in the humanitarian space and the socio-political considerations involved in developing systems in this arena.  Attendees will participate in a conceptual design exercise that will bring to light some of the complexities of HADR design.  Design concepts will be presented and discussed with evaluators who have had humanitarian field experience. 

 
 

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Lincoln Laboratory
Contact: Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds, hayley@ll.mit.edu

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Humanitarian Assistance+Disaster Relief

Jan/04	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks
Jan/11	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	33-319
Jan/20	Wed	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks
Jan/25	Mon	10:00AM-12:00PM	Beaverworks

Mischa Shattuck, MPH, and Dr. Brice MacLaren - Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys, Dr. Hayley Davison Reynolds - Lincoln Lab Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief Sys

Prof. Leia Stirling, Morrisa Brenner

Enrollment: Most sessions not limited. Advance sign-up requested but not required.
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Ever wanted to build a plane, rocket, or satellite? Interested in programming unmanned robots? Excited about learning and presenting new ideas? Come explore the fun side of AeroAstro by jumping right in! Hands-On Aerospace is a workshop designed to show how diverse AeroAstro can be through practical, hands-on activities and demos. In this course, you will interact with awesome professors, tour research labs and facilities, and design/build real systems in hands-on activities with Rocket Team and Design/Build/Fly. Not only will this workshop show you the practical applications of AeroAstro, you will help pass knowledge on to future generations by creating a presentation that can be used as instructional material for outreach activities at high schools and middle schools.

Hands-on Aerospace runs January 11-15. Participation in the full program is recommended, but attendees are also welcome at individual sessions. Please contact hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu to sign up.

* See individual listings for the details about each session *

A for-credit (3 unit P/F) version will be offered to undergraduates under subject # 16.680. Check the IAP for-credit listings. Freshmen are particularly encouraged to participate.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/11

Mon

01:00PM-04:00PM

33-419

Enrollment: Advance sign-up requested; some walk-in spots may be available.
Sign-up by 01/06

Learn from the MIT Design/Build/Fly (DBF) team about basic aerodynamics, weight and balance, and modeling techniques. Then apply them in a competition to design and build the best balsa wood glider. May the best glider win! (MIT DBF competes in the international AIAA/Cessna/Raytheon DBF Competition, using state-of-the-art techniques to design and build high-performance remote-controlled aircraft.)

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions; priority may be given to registered class members and undergraduates.  See the Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/14

Thu

11:00AM-12:00PM

Bldg 37 ground floor, please be prompt.

Enrollment: Unlimited enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

The Interactive Robotics Group (IRG) focuses on integrating robots and autonomous systems to work alongside people in time critical and safety critical applications. We work on the development of algorithms and technologies that allow humans and robots to work together safely and efficiently. From fast scheduling algorithms that enable humans and robots to share workspaces with dynamically changing temporal and spatial constraints, to the study of multi-agent interaction and problem solving, to the analysis of the effects of motion-level robot adaptation on human-robot team fluency, the Interactive Robotics Group's research deals with many aspects of human-robot interaction. The tour of the IRG will feature a live demonstration of our safety system running on an industrial robot, a demo of human-aware motion planning, and an interactive demo of consensus-based control with two mobile robots.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates. See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/12

Tue

10:00AM-11:00AM

33-419

Enrollment: Unlimited Enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

Come learn about Aerodynamics in this introduction by Professor Mark Drela. Professor Drela may also share about some of his research in the Aerospace Computational Design Laboratory.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates. See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

 

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/13

Wed

11:30AM-12:00PM

33-419

Enrollment: Unlimited enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

Intro to Flight Testing
Jan/13 Wed 11:30AM-12:00PM; 33-419
Enrollment: Unlimited Enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

Come learn about flight testing in this introduction by Professor John Hansman.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates. See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/14

Thu

10:00AM-11:00AM

33-419, will walk indoors to MVL.

Enrollment: Unlimited Enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

Learn about humans in aerospace -- human factors in engineering, air traffic control, human-robot interaction, and more.  Then join us for a tour of the MIT Man Vehicle Lab (MVL).  Founded in 1962, MVL's goal is to better define the physiological and cognitive limitations of pilots and passengers of aircraft and spacecraft, and to optimize overall human-vehicle system effectiveness and safety.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15.  Participants welcome at individual sessions; priority may be given to registered class members and undergraduates.  See the Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Hands-On Aerospace

Jan/11

Mon

10:00AM-12:00PM

33-419

Enrollment: Enrollment may be limited. Advance sign-up requested.
Sign-up by 01/06

Come learn about Materials and Structures, and their application in Aero/Astro, in this introduction by Professor Brian Wardle.  The introduction will be followed by a hands-on activity making composite sandwich panels with the MIT Design/Build/Fly team that demonstrates the strength of related techniques.

Note: as the first activity of the series, this activity will start with a brief introduction to the 16.680 Hands-On Aerospace course. The lecture will begin at approximately 10:30AM.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates.  See the Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Naomi Schurr, (310)561-0286, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/12

Tue

11:00AM-12:00PM

33-419

Enrollment: Unlimited Enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

Come learn about Thermodynamics and Propulsion in this introduction by Professor Paulo Lozano. Professor Lozano may also share about some of his research in the Space Propulsion Lab.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates.  See the Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/15

Fri

10:00AM-10:30AM

33-419

Enrollment: Unlimited enrollment. Advance sign-up requested but not required.

 

Come learn about Air Traffic Control in this introduction by Professor Hamsa Balakrishnan. Professor Balakrishnan may also discuss some of her research related to air transportation.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates. See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

 

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner, Dr. Herman Marshall

Jan/14

Thu

02:30PM-04:00PM

Meet at 2 in 33-419, or 2:25 at 1 Hampshire St, North Lobby, Cambridge

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/10
Prereq: None

Come explore the NASA Chandra Observatory. See the Operations and Control Center, an affiliated laboratory, and learn about the science behind the telescope. Chandra is an X-ray telescope used by astrophysicists around the world to observe diverse objects such as black holes, pulsars, star forming regions, and planets using the best imaging optics currently available. The active research laboratory was originally used to test and verify performance of parts for Chandra but was recently adapted for research in X-ray polarimetry.

Advance sign-up required by Jan 10 by emailing hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu with name and nationality. This information must be submitted to the observatory in advance and is a requirement for admission to the tour.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15. Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates. See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/12

Tue

01:00PM-04:00PM

Meet in 33-419

Enrollment: Limited. Advance sign-up requested. Some walk-in spots may be available.
Sign-up by 01/06

Rockets!

In this 3-hour lab you will get to build your own Estes rocket with the guidance of MIT's Rocket Team! Students will learn about the anatomy of rockets and how they work.  Launch is not included in this workshop, though interested students may have the opportunity to launch the rockets on a separate date (tba).  Enrollment for this workshop is limited.  Please pre-register to ensure that you will be able to participate.

(The MIT Rocket Team is a well established independent student group focused on rocket-related projects ranging from designing and building a custom centrifugal liquid engine, to development of lighter stronger composite airframes. In the past, the team has competed in NASA's University Student Launch Initiative in addition to providing our members with the tools and knowledge to earn amateur rocketry certifications through the National Association of Rocketry.) 

 

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15.  Participants welcome at individual sessions, but priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates.  See Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Morrisa Brenner

Jan/14

Thu

01:00PM-02:00PM

Bldg 37, 3rd Floor, meet by the elevator.

Enrollment: Enrollment may be limited, advance sign-up requested
Sign-up by 01/10

Come learn about projects in the MIT Space Systems Lab, including satellite projects and a demonstration of the MIT SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite) system.

[This activity is part of the Hands-On Aerospace series sponsored by Aero/Astro running Jan 11-15.  Participants welcome at individual sessions, priority may be given to registered 16.680 class members and undergraduates.  See the Hands-On Aerospace listing for full schedule.]

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Morrisa Brenner, hands-on-aerospace@mit.edu

Prof. Sertac Karaman, Dr. Michael Boulet, Owen Guldner, Ken Gregson, Dr. Luca Carlone, Postdoctoral Associate, Aero/Astro

Jan/04	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/06	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/08	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/11	Mon	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/13	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/15	Fri	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081
Jan/20	Wed	01:00PM-05:00PM	32-081

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/01
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: See description.

Modern robots tend to operate at slow speeds in complex environments, limiting their utility in high-tempo applications. In this course you will push the boundaries of unmanned vehicle speed. Teams of 4-5 will develop dynamic autonomy software to race an RC car equipped with LIDAR, cameras, inertial sensors, and embedded processing around a large-scale, “real-world” course. Working from a baseline autonomy stack, teams will modify the software to increase platform velocity to the limits of stability. The course culminates with a timed competition to navigate the MIT tunnels. Classes will provide lectures on algorithms and lab time with instructor-assisted development. Must attend every class and plan on 6-10 hr/week of self-directed development.

Prereqs: Advanced undergraduates and graduates with some background in controls or robotics. Majors include AeroAstro, Mechanical, Ocean, and EECS. Students with a background in computer science with interest in robotics and controls may also effectively participate. Must have experience with software development. Past exposure to robotics algorithms and/or embedded programming will be useful. Email racecar-iap-course-subscribe@mit.edu with a brief description of your programming/robotics experience.

*This work is sponsored by the Dept. of the Air Force under Contract FA8721-05-C-0002.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Government.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Lincoln Laboratory, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Owen Guldner, racecar-iap-course-subscribe@mit.edu

Prof. Paulo Lozano, Iulia Jivanescu, Cassidy Chan, (Modeling & Simulation Engineer, Draper Lab)

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/07
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Time Capsule to Mars is a student led CubeSat project with professional industry support that will send a spacecraft from Earth to Mars in order to land a time capsule in 2017.  This mission is being led out of multiple universities with faculty support and MIT is working on the Guidance, Navigation, and Control subsystems and the Propulsion subsystem.  This IAP is to do a trade study on the benefits of Laser communications in interplanetary and cislunar space and how it affects the propulsion budget.  The study is to develop a link budget for the TC2M mission that will be applicable in cislunar and interplanetary travel.  The study will then evaluate laser communications and RF communications into how it could be used for the mission.

This work is supported by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory.

 

 

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Cassidy Chan, cchan@draper.com