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Innovation in Spacecraft Engineering Seminar Series

This monthly seminar series brings innovators to talk about new concepts in spacecraft engineering. It is accessible to a broad cross-section of those interested in spacecraft and space science, with a definite focus on the engineering side of space. The subject matter is visionary, appealing to the space explorer in all of us, whether our passion is science, technology, or entrepreneurship.

Talks in the Innovation in Spacecraft Engineering series typically take place on Mondays, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, with refreshments available at 5:00 PM in the Upson Hall first floor lounge.

The Innovation in Spacecraft Engineering Seminar Series is funded by the NASA/New York Space Grant Consortium and the Space Systems Design Studio.

Fall 2008 - Spring 2009

Date Speaker Title Refreshments/Talk Location
Sep 15 Dr. Hanspeter Schaub
University of Colorado at Boulder
Electrostatic Spacecraft Relative Control Applications
"Recently the concept of controlling the relative motion of spacecraft using electrostatic charging (Coulomb forces) has been proposed. ... Applications range from docking maneuvers, circumnavigation of probes about a mother craft, virtual Coulomb tethers, and virtual Coulomb structures, to spinning interferometric systems."
Upson Lounge/Upson B17
Oct 20 Dr. Robert Fiete
ITT Corporation
Image Chain Analysis for Space Imaging Systems
"Space imaging systems are designed to gather information from vantage points not accessible on Earth but this places a strong requirement on mission assurance. By mathematically modeling the image formation process of the entire imaging chain, various space imaging system designs can be studied and analyzed to optimize the image quality."
Upson Lounge/Upson B17
Nov 10 Dr. Glenn Lightsey
University of Texas at Austin
A Review of Options for Autonomous Cislunar Navigation
"During the early days of spaceflight, and especially during the Apollo program, significant advances were made in developing methods for cislunar navigation. However, some of these techniques were astronaut labor intensive and/or not suitable for autonomous operations. Since then, new technologies and data processing methods have been created that enable navigation options that were not available during the Apollo era."
Upson Lounge/Upson B17
Dec TBA TBA
Jan TBA TBA
Feb TBA TBA
Mar TBA TBA
Apr 13 Dr. Rick Fleeter
Aero Astro
TBA