Aeronautical and astronautical engineering

3 Questions: John Hansman on the Qantas A380 engine blowoutMIT aviation expert discusses why the engine failure could have resulted in a more serious outcome.

A greener way to grow carbon nanotubesStudy suggests new way for manufacturers to minimize environmental impact of carbon nanotube production

Aerospace engineer Joseph Gavin ‘41, SM ‘42 dies at 90Former president of Grumman Aircraft led Lunar Module development for NASA, aided in the rescue of Apollo 13

Lending a handMIT researchers may be closer to understanding why spacesuit gloves hurt astronauts’ hands.

‘Express lanes’ for ionsBy aligning carbon nanotubes in electrodes, researchers boost performance.

MIT-led team’s eco-aircraft receives Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovator AwardUnique plane offers significant reduction in emissions, noise and fuel use.

A link between air travel and deaths on the groundStudy suggests pollution from airplanes flying at ‘cruise’ altitudes contributes to 8,000 deaths per year globally.

Robert J. Butler, former design research engineer at MIT, dies at 89An MIT engineer for 25 years, he helped design instruments for NASA’s Voyager spacecraft.

Scientist-astronaut and former MIT professor William B. Lenoir dies at 71An MIT junior faculty member in the 1960s, he later flew on the space shuttle and became a NASA associate administrator.

Personal cushion of airInspired by seeds, proposed air-bag system would surround astronauts and protect them during bumpy landings

A hop, skip and a jump on the moon — and beyondTeam envisions robotic spacecraft that can explore hard-to-reach areas on the moon and other planetary bodies by hopping.

3 Questions: Nicholas Roy on deploying drones in U.S. skiesMIT robotics expert discusses the logistical hurdles of regulating unmanned aircraft for civilian use.

Liebeck to receive Guggenheim MedalAeroAstro professor's award one of aerospace's highest

Fly the eco-friendly skiesMIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.

NASA chief defends Obama’s space planIn MIT visit, Charles Bolden touts proposed expansion in R&D funding

Sheila Widnall named to Toyota North American Quality Advisory PanelInstitute Professor will advise Japanese carmaker as it seeks to address quality and safety issues.

The pull of artificial gravityMIT researchers say a centrifuge on the International Space Station — hinted at in Obama’s NASA proposal — would be a boon for physiological research

In Profile: Missy CummingsFormer U.S. Naval fighter pilot aims to improve how humans and computers interact.

Covert to receive AIAA highest awardAeroAstro professor emeritus named recipient of the Reed Aeronautics Award.

Professor Emeritus Norman D. Ham, helicopter rotor design expert, dies at age 80

The 2010 Kambourides Fellow: Chad LiebermanThe third-year AeroAstro graduate student has been awarded the Kambourides Fellowship in Computational Engineering

Unraveling black hole spinRetrograde spin of supermassive black holes may create jets that control galaxy evolution

3 Questions: David Mindell on Obama’s NASA proposalMIT space researcher predicts that if adopted, Obama’s proposed budget and policy will lead to more joint human-robotic space exploration

Powering cube satellitesAn electric propulsion technology for miniature satellites aims to give them more mobility — and may eventually allow them to take on deep-space missions.

Mass High Tech names Newman among "Women to Watch"

Professor Young gives Portuguese students a glimpse into future Mars missionsMIT Professor and former astronaut Laurence R. Young recently traveled to Lisbon to describe possible future Mars missions to an overflow crowd at a Lisbon high school, on behalf of an MIT Portugal Program outreach project.

Team predicts satellite could locate hundreds of Earth-sized planetsResearchers say proposed satellite could represent astronomy’s ‘next big leap’ — one that may help find signs of life elsewhere in the universe.

Three AeroAstro faculty honored by AIAAProfessor Widnall and Liebeck are two of three elected as 2010 AIAA Honorary Fellows. Professor Dugundji named AIAA Fellow.