AIAA News

Panelists: Moderator Rubén Del Rosario, NASA’s Glenn Research Center; Michael Armstrong, Rolls-Royce; Marty Bradley, Boeing Co.; Andrew Gibson, Empirical Systems Aerospace Inc.; Charles Lents, United Technologies Research Center; Johannes Stuhlberger, Airbus by Ben Iannotta, Editor-in-Chief, Aerospace America Creating an electric passenger plane capable of carrying more than 100 people will require persistence and an unprecedented cross-domain

Panelists: Moderator Mitchell Walker, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jonny Dyer, Skybox Imaging; Mark Lewis, Science and Technology Policy Institute, Institute of Defense Analyses; Peter Lord, Space Systems Loral; Roger Myers, Aerojet Rocketdyne; Jeff Sheehy, NASA By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) “Competition in the global space-propulsion market continues to increase as industry continues to invest in

Speaker: Christopher “Chris” Lorence, GE Aviation By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Christopher “Chris” Lorence, general manager of engineering technologies with GE Aviation, kicked off the 2015 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum in Orlando, Florida, with a talk on the future of propulsion and energy systems. Lorence believes that eventually propulsion and energy systems on aircraft

NASA has released a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) entitled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System”, which solicits ground-based research proposals using an open science method to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system. This online database provides investigators access to the raw and processed

Panelists: Moderator Doug Cline, Lockheed Martin Corporation; William Gropp, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Brian Mitchell,senior principl engineer, GE Global Research; and Mark Seager, chief technology officer, High Performance Computing Ecosystem by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA web editor Supercomputing has made significant contributions in aerospace engineering in recent decades, including advances in computational fluid dynamics that has fundamentally altered the way aircraft are designed. And

by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA web editor Kurt Erbacher, vice president for the G650 Aircraft Program at Gulfstream, in remarks Friday morning at the 2015 AIAA AVIATION Forum, lauded the breakthroughs offered by this fast-flying business jet. There are “well over 100 airplanes [now] in service,” Erbacher said in his keynote address. “Customers love the airplane” in

by Hannah Godofsky, AIAA communications Touching on everything from bug residue on aircraft to the economic impacts of aviation, NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden said NASA is anxious to continue its research with the industry, and he singled out environmentally friendly flight as a special priority. “Any conversation about the future of aviation has to begin

Panelists: moderator Christoppher Stonehouse, senior vice president, customer service; Jack Arehart, president, MRO Services, Delta TechOps; William “Bill” Meehan, chief operating officer, Frontier Airlines Inc.; Bart Roberts, vice president, flight operations, JetBlue Airways; David Seymour, senior vice president, technical operations, American Airlines by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA web editor Airlines, manufacturers and maintenance providers must welcome

Nominating Period for 2015–2016 AIAA Board of Directors Now Open The 2015–2016 AIAA Nominating Committee will meet in early September to review nominees and select candidates to partici­pate in the Board of Directors (BoD) Election to fill the following vacancies by election in 2016: Vice President-Elect, Member Services Vice President-Elect, Technical Activities Director–Technical, Information Systems

AIAA has created a new committee on Materials (Materials CoS) that will develop industry-wide standards for component, subsystem, and system test with respect to RF breakdown risk mitigation in RF/microwave components.  This includes multipactor and ionization breakdown.  An industry-wide committee of experts in RF/microwave breakdown in spacecraft components is required to review and maintain standards. 

Special Issue on “Federated and Fractionated Satellite Systems (FSS)” The Journal of Aerospace Information Systems is devoted to the applied science and engineering of aerospace computing, information, and communication. Original archival research papers are sought that include significant scientific and technical knowledge and concepts. In particular, articles are sought which demonstrate the application of recent

Special Issue on “Computational Guidance and Control” A clear trend in the field of aerospace guidance and control has emerged in recent years in what we call “Computational Guidance and Control” (CG&C). In contrast to traditional guidance and control, CG&C has the following identifying trademarks: Guidance and control laws and controllers of fixed structures are

National Volunteer Week, taking place 12–18 April 2015, is a time of celebration and inspiration, as non-profit organizations nationwide honor the thousands of individuals who take action throughout the year to help strengthen their communities. AIAA is grateful for the contributions you make to the Institute and the global aerospace community. Whether you are active

by Hannah Godofsky, AIAA Communications The 19th annual Design, Build, Fly competition was held 10-12 April 2015 at TIMPA Airfield near Tucson, Arizona.  Sponsored in conjunction with Raytheon Missile Systems and Cessna Aircraft, the annual contest is held by AIAA in either Tucson or Wichita during alternating years.  This year’s contest welcomed over 650 students from

By Steve Sidorek, AIAA Public Policy Director This year’s California Aerospace Week, held 23–24 March in Sacramento, was co-hosted by AIAA and the Aerospace States Association, California Chapter. Elections in November 2014 brought a new wave of legislators to Sacramento and also triggered the formation of two new select committees on aerospace. These developments created an

“The AIAA community is excited about the upcoming one year mission to the ISS and look forward to following the adventures of Scott and Mikhail as they expand the boundaries of human knowledge and experience,” said Sandra Magnus, AIAA executive director and former astronaut. “Step by step we continue to move closer to extending the

by Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008–2017) Purdue University has created the Center for Integrated Thermal Management of Aerospace Vehicles (CITMAV). The consortium is comprised of The Boeing Company, Rolls-Royce Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., and Lockheed Martin Corporation, along with academic partners from the University of Illinois, Wright State University, the University of Dayton, and the

by Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008–2017) From 10 April through 27 April, 193 teams from 44 countries will launch high altitude balloons as they take part in the Global Space Balloon Challenge. Each team will be vying to have their balloon soar the highest, take the best pictures of Earth, have the best on-board science

AIAA is pleased to announce its support for the Humans to Mars Summit (H2M), 5-7 May 2015, at George Washington University in Washington, DC.  As a member of AIAA, you will receive a special discount code to attend this important conference.  To learn more about H2M, and to register, please visit the H2M website at

AIAA SciTech 2015 Plenary Program Set George Whitesides, CEO, Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company, will share his thoughts and experiences on entrepreneurial aerospace; James N. Miller, President of Adaptive Strategies, LLC and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, will address international sales, cooperation, export control, and more; Richard Christiansen, Vice President, Sierra Lobo, Inc.,

by Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Satya N. Atluri, AIAA Fellow, and distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Henry Samueli School Engineering, and director of the Center for Aerospace Research and Education at the University of California – Irvine, has been selected to receive the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA)

by Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Pumpkins can fly! Who Knew? The members of Team AIAA Greater Huntsville, that’s who. Composed of intrepid aerospace professionals from AIAA’s Greater Huntsville Section, the team took to the fields of Tate Farms in Meridianville, Alabama, to represent the section, and AIAA, in the farm’s “Pumpkin Blast 2014” competition,

By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2007-2018) On Tuesday, 30 September, the legacy – both personal and technical – of Yvonne C. Brill, AIAA Honorary Fellow, pioneer of satellite propulsion technology, inventor of the Hydrazine Resistojet, and champion of female engineers the world over, was honored by numerous speakers taking part in the opening segment of

By Duane Hyland, AAIA Communications (2008-2017) On Tuesday, 30 September, Adam Steltzner, Research and Design Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, delivered the inaugural Yvonne C. Brill Lecture to a standing-room-only crowd in the lecture hall of the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, DC. Established by AIAA and the National Academy of

By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) The frequent complaints given in classrooms across our nation for a lack of interest in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics is “they’re boring.” “They’re boring” is soon followed by “and complicated.” VSI Aerospace hopes that its brand new creation, the DAVinCI Flight Game will change all of that. “DAVinCI

By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Recently, I sat down with George Lesieutre, Professor and Head of the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, and General Chair of the AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (AIAA SciTech 2015) to discuss the upcoming event that takes place 5–9 January 2015, at the Gaylord Palms

MARRIOTT WAIKOLOA SOUTH KOHALA – ISLAND OF HAWAII 9–13 November 2014 Early Bird Deadline: 10 October 2015 The State of Hawaii will be hosting a multinational conference on the Big Island of Hawaii to explore options for developing sustainable pathways to space, with an emphasis on leveraging our Moon’s strategic assets (e.g., near-Earth location, diverse

In Memoriam: Steven Nagel, AIAA Associate Fellow By Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Former astronaut and professor of mechanical engineering Steven Nagel passed away on 21 August. He was 67. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Nagel received a commission in the United States Air Force through the universities Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)

by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA Web Editor One of the primary missions of the Institute is to support and help foster the next generation of leaders who will shape the aerospace industry, as well as the future of their organizations, for decades to come. For this reason the Institute recognizes and celebrates four extraordinary AIAA young professionals

Tuesday, August 19th, the anniversary of the birth of Orville Wright, is National Aviation Day. The day honors all who work in aviation and aerospace, and commemorates the sacrifices of the early aviation pioneers who first dared to prove that powered flight was possible. “Aviation has transformed our world – from bringing people closer together,

In an effort to share the highlights of our Forums with the public, and to increase the Institute’s visibility via social media, AIAA sponsored Twitter contests at both our Propulsion and Energy Forum in Cleveland, and at the SPACE 2014 Forum in San Diego, this past July and August, respectively. Anyone attending the conference who

Five AIAA student members have been named Tau Beta Pi scholars. The awards, given by the national engineering honorary fraternity, recognize the recipients’ “high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession.” The AIAA Student Members who received the awards are: Craig C. Babiarz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,

by Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) Tau Beta Pi (TBΠ) national engineering honorary fraternity has named Asad M. Madni, a Distinguished Alumni. Madni, an AIAA Lifetime Fellow, is Executive Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer at Crocker Capital; Corporate Director and “Distinguished Professor” at TCI College of Technology in New York, New York; and an

AIAA Communications The national engineering honorary fraternity, Tau Beta Pi (TBΠ), recently installed AIAA Student Member John P. Mayo of College Station, Texas, as a Fife Fellow. Mayo, graduated from Texas A&M University in May, and now attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where is pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with an area

On July 20, the world will pause to celebrate the 45th anniversary of man’s first landing on the moon, rightfully saluting Neil Armstrong (AIAA Honorary Fellow); Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (AIAA Fellow); and Michael Collins (AIAA Fellow), hailing them for their bravery and courage in twice traversing the wine-dark sea of space to successfully complete the

By Ben Iannotta, Aerospace America editor-in-chief In a world of few easy solutions, a senior official from the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization said there’s a straightforward answer to the question of how to track aircraft as they cross the world’s oceans. Most airliners – including the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that disappeared in March – are

This summer, let AIAA Continuing Education courses pave the way to your continuing and future success! Co-located with the AIAA SPACE Forum: Decision Analysis, 3–4 August 2014, This course will be of interest to engineers, program/project managers, software engineers, Information Technology Specialist, educators and other professionals that need to learn how to make accurate decisions.

The 2014–2015 AIAA Nominating Committee will meet in August 2014 to review nominees and select candidates to participate in the 2015 Board of Directors election to fill the following vacancies: President-Elect (1-year term followed by 2 years as President) Vice President-Elect, Education (1-year term followed by 3 years as Vice President, Education) Vice President-Elect, Public

Honored for Over 50 Years of Outstanding Contributions to America’s Manned Space Program Glynn S. Lunney, AIAA Fellow, and vice president and program manager, United Space Alliance (retired), Houston, Texas, has won the AIAA 2014 Goddard Astronautics Award. Lunney will receive the award on 30 April, during the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala at the

In addition to the AIAA 2014 Reed Aeronautics Award and the AIAA 2014 Goddard Astronautics Award, the 2014 AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala, taking place 30 April at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, will also confer the following honors: Dr. Michael I. Yarymovych to Receive AIAA 2014 Distinguished Service Award Honored for

Members Advocate for Aerospace The 17th annual Congressional Visits Day program took place on 12 March, drawing 119 AIAA members from 34 sections, representing 21 states and the District of Columbia, to Washington DC, to meet with their Congressional decision makers to discuss matters of vital importance to America’s aerospace community. Team MidAtlantic with staff

The 2014 AIAA regional student conferences kicked off in March with the Region VI Student Paper Conference. This conference was hosted by the California State University – Sacramento, 1-2 March. There were twenty-three presentations and eighty-eight attendees at the conference. RJ Wichert and Evangelina Dubinetsky were the primary organizers of the conference and both serve

The AIAA Solar Cells and Solar Panels Committee on Standards has revised the standard Qualification and Quality Requirements for Space Solar Cells and it is now available for public review and comment. The original standard was published in 2005. Key revisions include the option of using displacement damage dose methodology to define radiation effects, qualification

17 March 2014 By: Duane Hyland, AIAA Communications (2008-2017) To better serve our members and to enhance the value of our new forum lineup, AIAA recently debuted its new forum website for the AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum (AVIATION), occurring 16–20 June 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. Gone are the days when AIAA event websites revolved

Mary Kate Smith — AIAA Student Member Senior in Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University Contestant on TBS’s “King of the Nerds,” Season 2 Interview conducted by AIAA Communications AIAA: How did you find yourself applying to be on King of the Nerds (KOTN)? Mary Kate (MK): It’s a really funny story actually. I was familiar

Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), issued a 20 February memo discussing the DoD participation in technical and industry conferences. In his memo, addressed to the Research and Development and Science and Technology departments of the DoD, he highlights that science and technology conferences and symposia are crucial for

AIAA Executive Director Sandra Magnus testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology today at 10:00 a.m. EST, as part of the Committee’s hearing on “Mars Flyby 2012: The First Deep Space Mission for the Orion and Space Launch System?” Magnus’ statement is available at Testimony and Speeches.

Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia “The variety of information presented, from the higher-level plenaries down through the technical sessions; there was something for everyone.” – AVIATION 2013 attendee Aviation’s Global Promise – Challenges & Opportunities Aviation is an essential component of the U.S. and global economy and of our national security. The foundations of aviation

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, DC. AIAA ignites and celebrates ingenuity and collaboration and ensures aerospace professionals are recognized for their contributions to making the world safer, more connected, more prosperous—from the major missions that reinvent our national uses of air and space, to the inventive new applications that enhance everyday living.

Kingsmill, Williamsburg, Virginia, 5 June 2014 Since 1989, this symposium has provided a forum for executive discussions on how the aerospace industry is progressing from both government and corporate perspectives. This event, with anticipated attendance of approximately 100 aerospace executives, and no media, will allow for information exchange between aerospace executives in a casual atmosphere.