Tag: 2022

NASA Prepares for Wednesday SLS Fueling Test

Spaceflight Now reported that engineers “are ready to reload NASA’s Artemis moon rocket with supercold fuel Wednesday to make sure a repaired liquid hydrogen quick-disconnect fitting is leak free, one of two requirements that must be met before the agency can make a third attempt to launch the huge booster September 27 on the program’s maiden moonshot.” NASA is awaiting a waiver from the Space Force Eastern Range “allowing the unpiloted launch to proceed without first double-checking the health of batteries in the rocket’s self-destruct system.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

 Watch the Artemis I launch live on NASA TV

The next anticipated launch window will take place in late September 2022.

SpaceX Scrubs Starlink Launch Attempt a Third Time

Spaceflight Now reports that for “the third day running, bad weather forced SpaceX to scrub a Falcon 9 launch attempt at Cape Canaveral Thursday night. The Falcon 9 is now scheduled to lift off Friday, weather permitting, to carry the next 54 Starlink internet satellites into orbit.” The launch is planned to take place Friday at 9:05 p.m. EDT, “when forecasters predict a 50-50 chance of acceptable weather conditions. The persistent threat of evening thunderstorms remains in the outlook Friday night, but with a slightly lower chance of violating weather constraints.” Friday’s launch, “designated Starlink 4-34, will carry 54 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Artemis I Launch Delayed to at Least September 27

SPACE reports that NASA announced Monday it is now targeting September 27 for the Artemis I launch. NASA is planning to conduct an SLS fueling test for September 21. NASA officials wrote Monday, “The updated dates represent careful consideration of multiple logistical topics, including the additional value of having more time to prepare for the cryogenic demonstration test, and subsequently more time to prepare for the launch.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

 Watch the Artemis I launch live on NASA TV

The next anticipated launch window will take place in late September 2022.

DOD May Allow F-35 Deliveries to Resume Within Weeks

Aviation Week reported that the “U.S. Defense Department may allow Lockheed Martin F-35 deliveries to resume within weeks, pending the outcome of legal, security and airworthiness reviews launched after the discovery of a Chinese supplier of a metal alloy in one component.” The Hill reported that Under Secretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment William LaPlante “said an investigation is underway and ‘moving quickly’ to look into how an alloy made in China ended up in magnets in the turbomachine pumps of the Lockheed Martin-produced F-35.” According to The Hill, “both the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed have insisted that the Chinese-sourced alloy was magnetized in the United States and does not give any other country access to sensitive information, adding that there are no safety issues.” LaPlante told reporters, “They’re looking at two things – one, impact on security, if any, and impact on air worthiness or safety, if any. … Right now, so far it doesn’t appear to be either of them.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Full Story (The Hill)

SpaceX Launches BlueWalker 3 Communications Satellite

SPACE reported that SpaceX “launched a novel – and colossal – commercial communications satellite into orbit late Saturday and set a new launch record for its Falcon 9 rocket at the same time.” The Falcon 9 “launched into orbit from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying 34 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites and BlueWalker 3, a prototype satellite built by AST SpaceMobile that’s billed as the largest commercial communications array ever flown in space.” The BlueWalker 3 satellite “is the largest commercial antenna array launched into space. Its mission: to test new technology designed to provide global cellular phone service directly to users from space. The goal is to fill in coverage gaps and provide seamless high-speed phone and data service in underserved areas.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

 Video

SpaceX launches 34 Starlink satellites and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite to orbit from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Saturday, 10 Sept. 2022 at 9:20 p.m. EDT.
(SpaceX; YouTube)

SpaceX Sets New Record with 40th Mission of the Year

USA Today reports that SpaceX on Sunday “launched 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC, an orbital transfer vehicle, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its 40th mission of the year set a record for the number of rockets launched in a calendar year.”
Full Story (USA Today)
 
 
 

 

 Video

SpaceX launches 51 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 4 September 2022, at 10:09 p.m. ET.
(SpaceX; YouTube)

SpaceX Launches 46 More Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX “launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 46 more Starlink internet satellites overnight Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, completing a quartet of rapid-fire polar orbit Starlink missions from the West Coast spaceport since mid-July.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

 Video

SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, 31 August 2022 at 10:40 p.m. PT.
(SpaceX; YouTube)

AIAA Announces 2022 Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation has announced the 25 winners of its 2022 undergraduate scholarships and graduate awards. Through its Foundation and supported by nearly 30,000 members, AIAA awards over $100,000 in academic scholarships and STEM educational grants to support the next generation of aerospace professionals.

“Congratulations to these exemplary students on receiving scholarships and awards to further their education. Preparing the next generation of aerospace innovators is part of our commitment to the aerospace community,” said Basil Hassan, chair, AIAA Foundation. “The students recognized here are some of our industry’s next leaders and problem-solvers. We are proud to call them AIAA student members and we look forward to seeing how they shape the future of aerospace.”

Applications for the 2023 scholarships and awards are being accepted from 1 October 2022 to 31 January 2023.

The 2022 undergraduate scholarship winners are:

    • The AIAA Foundation, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, is pleased to present the inaugural AIAA Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson Scholarship to the following two students. This $10,000 scholarship is a needs-based award presented to one female high school graduate and one female enrolled university student each year.
      • Julianna Schneider, accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
      • Penelope Nieves, currently enrolled at University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico)
    • The $10,000 Daedalus 88 Scholarship, endowed by former AIAA President John Langford, founder and CEO Emeritus of Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, and founder and CEO of Electra.aero, was presented to Rebecca Gilligan, University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio).
    • The $10,000 David and Catherine Thompson Space Technology Scholarship, named for and endowed by former AIAA President David Thompson, retired chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Orbital ATK, Dulles, Virginia, and his wife Catherine, was presented to Kaila Coimbra, California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California).
    • The $5,000 Vicki and George Muellner Scholarship for Aerospace Engineering, named for and endowed by the late Lt. Gen. George Muellner, U.S. Air Force, former AIAA president, and president of advanced systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and his wife Vicki, was presented to Michael Esry, Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana).
    • The $5,000 Wernher von Braun Scholarship, named in honor of the German rocketeer and founder of the U.S. space program, was presented to Satvik Kumar, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia).
  • The $1,250 Leatrice Gregory Pendray Scholarship, named in honor of Mrs. Leatrice Pendray, an accomplished rocketry researcher and co-founder of the American Interplanetary Society in 1930 was presented to Eszter Anna Varga, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Blacksburg, Virginia).

Six AIAA Foundation scholarships were presented by AIAA technical committees (TC) to students performing research in the TC’s area:

    • The Space Transportation TC presented a $1,500 scholarship to Rebecca Zurek, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Florida).
    • The Digital Avionics TC presented five scholarships of $3,000 each:
    • The Dr. James Rankin Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Patrick Bailey, University of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina).
    • The Dr. Amy R. Pritchett Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Adam Hale, Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah).
    • The Ellis F. Hitt Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Justin Self, California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, California).
    • The Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Jesus Delgado, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida).
    • The Denise Ponchak Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Sanjay Kuruchanvalasu Jambulingam, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

The 2022 graduate award winners are:

    • Michelle Lin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, Massachusetts, received the Neil Armstrong Graduate Award. This $5,000 award honors the character and achievements of the late astronaut, military pilot, and educator, Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon.
    • Brigid Donohue and John Parrish, both from North Carolina State University (NCSU), are the recipients of the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Graduate Award in Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Hassan established the award shortly before his death in January 2019 to entice top NCSU aerospace engineering seniors, who also are AIAA members, to earn their graduate degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in aerospace engineering at NCSU. Two $5,000 awards are presented each year.
    • Javier Viana, University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio), received the John Leland Atwood Graduate Award. Established in 1999, the $1,250 award, sponsored by endowments from Rockwell and what is now The Boeing Company and named in memory of John Leland “Lee” Atwood, former chief executive officer of Rockwell, North America, recognizes a student actively engaged in research in the areas covered by the technical committees of AIAA.
  • Shashank Maurya, University of Maryland – College Park (College Park, Maryland), and Abinash Sahoo, North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina), each received the Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award. These $5,000 awards, given in memory of the Wright brothers’ contributions to the evolution of flight, recognize two full-time graduate students.

Six AIAA TCs also presented graduate awards:

    • Damien Guého, Pennsylvania State University (State College, Pennsylvania), received the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) TC’s $2,500 Guidance, Navigation and Control Graduate Award.
    • Tengjie Gao, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida), received the Liquid Propulsion TC’s $2,500 Liquid Propulsion Graduate Award.
    • Aashutosh Mishra, Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama), received the Modeling and Simulation TC’s $3,500 Luis de Florez Graduate Award.
  • Hongyuan Zhang, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota), received the Propellants and Combustion TC’s $1,250 Martin Summerfield Propellants and Combustion Graduate Award.
    • Rishi Roy, University of Maryland – College Park (College Park, Maryland) received the Air Breathing Propulsion TC’s $1,000 Gordon C. Oates Air Breathing Propulsion Graduate Award.
  • Michael Harwin, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida) received the General Aviation TC’s $1,000 William T. Piper Sr. Graduate Award.

 

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

2022 ASCEND to Kick Off with NASA, The Aerospace Corporation, SpaceX, U.S. Space Force

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Broad, Bold Perspectives from Inspired Visionaries Lead the Three-Day Event in Las Vegas

August 30, 2022 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the world’s premier outcomes-focused, interdisciplinary space event designed to accelerate building our off-world future faster, today announced its agenda for the 2022 ASCEND apex event, 24-26 October at Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, and online. Details are available at ascend.events. Early-bird registration rates are available through midnight, Friday, 9 September; space is limited. Journalists around the world are invited to cover 2022 ASCEND; press passes are available for credentialed media by request.

Powered by AIAA, 2022 ASCEND will open on Monday, 24 October, with perspectives from:

  • Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, Director of Staff, U.S. Space Force
  • James Free, Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Development, NASA
  • Pam Melroy, Deputy Administrator, NASA
  • Todd Nygren, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology Group, The Aerospace Corporation
  • Ellen Ochoa, Astronaut; former Director, NASA Johnson Space Center
  • Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX
  • Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA

The three-day program is packed with speakers from leading space organizations and adjacent industries including Axiom Space, Barclays Capital, Maxar Technologies, MIT, NASA, and SpaceX, among others. During the more than 147 sessions across 16 space domain topics, speakers and attendees will tackle important issues and explore exciting opportunities in low Earth orbit and beyond, including:

  • Space Traffic Management and Coordination
  • Sustainable Space Exploration
  • Outpacing the Space Threat
  • Using Space to Protect Our Planet
  • A Competitive and Burgeoning Space Economy
  • Developing the Space Workforce of Tomorrow
  • The Future of Cislunar and Lunar Exploration

2022 ASCEND attendees will experience the energy of presentations by our planet’s off-world pioneers, including Fortune 500 executives, established space agency leaders, government and military officials, professional and citizen astronauts, “new space” companies, international organizations, university professors and students, and start-up CEOs. In addition to the opening speakers, 2022 ASCEND will feature over 250 speakers, including:

  • Bill Beckman, Director, NASA Programs, The Boeing Company
  • Steve “Bucky” Butow, Director, Space Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
  • Mark Daley, Deputy Director, Office of Space Commerce, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.
  • Paula Grisanti, CEO, National Stem Cell Foundation
  • John Guiney, Vice President, Fleet Operations Management, OneWeb
  • Fiona Harrison, Harold A. Rosen Professor of Physics; Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair, Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology
  • Amy Hopkins, President, Capella Space Federal
  • Kathleen Howell, Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University
  • Moriba Jah, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Privateer Space
  • Lt. Gen. Larry D. James, USAF (Ret.), Deputy Director, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Steve Jurczyk, Co-Founder and CEO, Quantum Space LLC
  • Bhavya Lal, Associate Administrator, Technology, Policy, and Strategy, NASA
  • Joe Landon, Vice President, Advanced Programs Development, Lockheed Martin
  • Mark Mozena, Vice President, Government Affairs, Planet
  • Kursten O’Neill, Vice President, Dream Chaser Crew Program, Sierra Space
  • Jim Reuter, Associate Administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
  • Andrew Rush, President and COO, Redwire Space
  • Janice Starzyk, Vice President, Government Operations, Virgin Orbit
  • Erika Wagner, Senior Director, Emerging Market Development, Blue Origin
  • Vanessa Wyche, Director, NASA Johnson Space Center

The 2022 ASCEND program also includes unique features to engage attendees, including:

  • The Diverse Dozen returns. This year’s cadre of young people from 10 countries will shape the dialogue around space safety, security, and sustainability under the leadership of astrodynamicist Moriba Jah, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Privateer Space.
  • The Cyber Star Wargame will explore the implications of cybersecurity on the projection of space power.
  • The MICRO session tabletop exercise, “Defending Earth! What Can We Do to Stop an Asteroid Threat?” will walk through an asteroid threat scenario, following the META session, “Asteroids: Time Capsules and Terror.” It’s based in part on the Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise conducted earlier in 2022.
  • Breakout workshop sessions will collect feedback to help NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate identify gaps and plan future investments.

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270

About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND promotes the collaborative, interdisciplinary, outcomes-driven community of professionals, students, and enthusiasts around the world who are accelerating humanity’s progress toward our off-world future! For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.orgg, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2021–2022 Section Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Awards Honor Outstanding Section Programming in a Variety of Categories

Updated 8 September 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its 2021–2022 section awards winners. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by member sections in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission of shaping the future of aerospace. Each of the 56 local sections throughout the U.S. and overseas offer technical programs and activities tailored to local aerospace professionals, students, and educators.

Section awards are given annually in five categories based on the size of each section’s membership. Each winning section receives a certificate and a cash award. The award period covered is 1 June 2021–31 May 2022. The Institute believes that vital, active sections are essential to its success.

“Across AIAA, local sections are where the action begins. We believe that vital, active sections are essential to the Institute’s success. Congratulations to these sections for their noteworthy achievements!” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director.

The Outstanding Section Award is presented to sections based upon their overall activities and contributions through the year. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Central Coast of California, Michelle Itzel-Montoya (U.S. Space Force), section chair
  • Second Place: Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill, section chair
  • Second Place: Palm Beach, Randy Parsley (Pratt & Whitney), section chair
  • Third Place: Wichita, Atri Dutta (Wichita State University), section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place, Tucson, Teresa Clement (Raytheon Corporation), section chair
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Illinois, Harry Hilton and Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), section chairs

LARGE

  • First Place: San Diego, Joel Perez (Ursa Major Technologies), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Joseph Connolly (NASA Glenn Research Center), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): St. Louis, Sanjay Jayaram (Saint Louis University), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Jeffery Puschell (Raytheon Intelligence and Space), section chair
  • Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Theresa Jehle, section chair
  • Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Alexandra Dukes (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), section chair

The Communications Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding communications outreach program. Winning criteria include level of complexity, timeliness, and variety of methods of communications, as well as frequency, format, and content of the communication outreach. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Central Coast of California, Steven Boelhouwer (ManTech International), communications officer
  • Second Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair
  • Third Place: Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Sydney, Daniel Walsh (Qantas Airways), section chair
  • Second Place: Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill, section chair, and Angela Diggs (AFRL), section vice chair
  • Third Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Phoenix, Scott Fouse (Fouse Consulting Services), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): Greater Philadelphia, LizaMarie Kupp (St. John Paul II Academy), section vice chair
  • Second Place (tie): Carolina, John Blanton (Classic Engineering), section chair
  • Third Place: Tucson, Huntington Gazecki (Raytheon Missiles & Defense), communications officer

LARGE

  • First Place: Albuquerque, Robert Malseed, newsletter editor
  • Second Place: San Diego, Stevie Jacobson (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems), section webmaster
  • Third Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Edmond Wong (NASA Glenn Research Center), communications officer
  • Third Place (tie) St. Louis, John Shultz (The Boeing Company), communications officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place (tie): Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Ken Lui (Ken’s Consulting), webmaster
  • First Place (tie): New England, Hiroaki Endo (Schenck USA), section chair
  • Third Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Tracie Prater (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center), section vice chair
  • Third Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Lee Mears (NASA Langley Research Center), newsletter editor

The Membership Award is presented to sections that have supported their membership by planning and implementing effective recruitment and retention campaigns. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Delaware, Christina Larson (Northrop Grumman), communications officer
  • Second Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair
  • Third Place: Southern New Jersey, Scott Doucett (FAA), membership officer

SMALL

  • First Place: Northwest Florida, Philip Thomas (ERC Incorporated), membership officer
  • Second Place: Wichita, Mary Drouin (Spirit Aerosystems), membership officer
  • Third Place: Utah, Michael Miller (Northrop Grumman Corporation), membership officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson, Robert Michalak (Paragon Space Development), membership officer
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jason Boyer (The Boeing Company), membership officer
  • Third Place, Illinois, Ashraf Omran (JHU/APL), membership officer

LARGE

  • First Place: San Diego, Joel Perez (Ursa Major Technologies), section chair
  • Second Place: St. Louis, Alex Friedman (The Boeing Company), membership officer
  • Third Place: Orange County, Robert Welge (Robert’s Engineering Development), membership officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Aldo Martinez Martinez (The Boeing Company), and Sherry Stukes (JPL), membership officers
  • Second Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Richard Winski (NASA Langley Research Center), membership officer
  • Second Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Paul Palies (University of Tennessee Space Institute), membership officer

The Public Policy Award is presented for stimulating public awareness of the needs of aerospace research and development, particularly on the part of government representatives, and for education section members about the value of public policy activities. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Delaware, Di Ena Davis, public policy officer
  • Second Place: Central Coast of California, Michelle Itzel-Montoya (U.S. Space Force), public policy officer and section chair

SMALL

  • First Place (tie): Northwest Florida, Michael Kelton (U.S. Air Force), membership officer
  • First Place (tie): Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons (BLUECUBE Aerospace), public policy officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Greater Philadelphia, Joi Spraggins (Legacy Bridges STEM Academy), public policy officer
  • Second Place: Illinois, Mordechai Levin (Masterflight Foundation) and Mark Wendtland (Eblana Photonics), public policy officers

LARGE

  • First Place: Northern Ohio, Michael Heil (ML Heil Consulting), public policy officer
  • Second Place (tie): Orange County, Kamal Shweyk (Boeing Commercial Airplanes), public policy officer
  • Second Place (tie): San Diego, Mike Curtin, public policy officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Greater Huntsville, Naveen Vetcha (ERC Incorporated), public policy officer
  • Second Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Jordan Chilcott, public policy officer
  • Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Lisa Gregg (Lockheed Martin Space Systems)

The STEM K-12 Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding STEM K-12 outreach program that provides quality education resources for K-12 teachers in the STEM subject areas. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Central Coast of California, Thomas Stevens (U.S. Air Force), STEM K-12 outreach officer
  • Second Place: Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Naval Postgraduate School), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Palm Beach, Shawna Christenson (Aerospace and Innovation Academy), STEM K-12 outreach officer
  • Second Place: Northwest Florida, Judith Sherrill, STEM K-12 outreach officer
  • Third Place, Wichita, Brian Kaplinger (University of Kansas), STEM K-12 officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson, Michelle Rouch (Artwork by Rouch), STEM K-12 officer
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Christopher Reynolds (Lockheed Martin Corporation), STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Antelope Valley, Robert Jensen (Sierra Lobo), STEM K-12 officer

LARGE

  • First Place: St. Louis; Jackie Blumer (Greenville Jr. High School), STEM K-12 outreach officer
  • Second Place: Cape Canaveral, Melissa Sleeper (Storm Grove Middle School/School District of Indian River), STEM K-12 outreach officer
  • Third Place: Northern Ohio, Jonathan Kratz (NASA Glenn Research Center), STEM K-12 officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Rocky Mountain,  Trip Carter (Lockheed Martin Corporation), education officer
  • Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Robin Osborne (ERC), STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Khushbu Patel, and Arpie Ovsepyan (Herbert Hoover High School), STEM K-12 outreach officers

The Section-Student Branch Partnership Award recognizes the most effective and innovative collaboration between the professional section members and student branch members.

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Adelaide, Mahdy Alhameed (University of Adelaide), section secretary
  • Second Place: Central Coast of California, Steven Serniak, (U.S. Space Force), programs officer
  • Third Place: Iowa, Roger Kassebaum (Founders Bootcamp), university liaison

SMALL

  • First Place: Twin Cities, Kristen Gerzina (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair, and Robert Halverson (University of Minnesota)
  • Second Place: Wichita, Linda Kliment (Wichita State University), education officer
  • Third Place: Northwest Florida, John Fay (Torch Technologies), education officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson, Peter Olejnik (University of Arizona), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Illinois, Andrew Strubhar (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), student branch liaison

LARGE

  • First Place: San Diego, Joel Perez (Ursa Major Technologies), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): St. Louis, Charles Svoboda (The Boeing Company), education officer
  • Second Place (tie): San Gabriel Valley; Gregory Davis (JPL), university liaison
  • Third Place, Central Florida, Christopher Stevens (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Khushbu Patel, STEM K-12 officer, and Luis Cuevas (Lockheed Martin Corporation), education officer
  • Second Place: Rocky Mountain, Marshall Lee (BedRock Systems), section vice chair
  • Third Place: New England, Phoenix Robbins (Raytheon Technologies), education officer, and Charlie Wilson, council member

The Young Professional Activity Award is presented for excellence in planning and executing events that encourage the participation of the Institute’s young professional members, and provide opportunities for leadership at the section, regional, or national level. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Delaware, Taylor Coleman, young professional officer
  • Second Place: Adelaide, Samuel Moyes (Flinders University), section vice chair
  • Third Place: Central Coast of California, Steven Serniak (U.S. Space Force), young professional officer

SMALL

  • First Place: Utah, Cliff Rossberg (Northrop Grumman Corporation), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Northwest Florida, Alexandra Straub (U.S. Air Force), young professional officer
  • Third Place: Wichita, Andrew Sklar (Renew Wichita), young professional officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson, Peter Olejnik (University of Arizona), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Antelope Valley, Jason Lechniak (NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center), section chair

LARGE

  • First Place: St. Louis, Stephen Clark (The Boeing Company), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Northern Ohio, Halle Buescher (HXFive), young professional officer
  • Third Place: San Diego, Joel Perez (Ursa Major Technologies), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Hampton Roads, Michelle Lynde (NASA Langley Research Center), Brett Hiller (NASA Langley Research Center), and Morgan Walker (NASA Langley Research Center), young professional section officers
  • Second Place: Rocky Mountain, Marshall Lee (BedRock Systems), section vice chair
  • Third Place: Houston, Josh Kivijarv, young professional officer

The Outstanding Activity Award allows the Institute to acknowledge sections that held an outstanding activity deserving of additional recognition. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman), section chair. The Teen Warehouse Event. The AIAA Delaware Section was invited by The Link Incorporated to showcase the opportunities in aerospace field to The Teen Warehouse. AIAA recruited a group of five individuals from Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Elkton, Md., facility. The diverse panel, all with various backgrounds and positions within Northrop, showcased career opportunities ranging from manufacturing, operations, business, finance, and engineering. Being from a solid rocket world the “Break it Down—Let’s Talk Rocket Science” presentation revolved around the history of propulsion, an exciting a look into solid rocket motors, and was capped with a build-your-own foam rocket activity. The foam rocket activity focused on techniques to build, launch trajectory, and teamwork. There were over 20 teens present and another dozen or more via Zoom.

SMALL

  • Palm Beach, Randy Parsley (Pratt & Whitney), section chair. Preparing Middle and High School Students to Write, Publish, and Present Technical Work at Aerospace Conferences. The AIAA Palm Beach Section council members prepared dozens of local high school students to write and submit papers to several conferences, including the International Astronautical Congress. Last fall, 11 students travelled to Dubai, UAE, where they made six separate presentations on topics ranging from orbital settlements and CubeSat propulsion to the most recent NASA-selected CubeSat they are building. The Palm Beach Section council members also guided ~24 students who had 32 other papers accepted at several different conferences.

MEDIUM

  • Antelope Valley, Jason Lechniak (NASA Ames Flight Research Center), section chair. Engineering Week History Symposium. This four-hour virtual event, with over 50 attendees, put together lessons learned from a distinguished speaker on the X-1, and high-level leadership and engineers in the C-17 and F-16 high angle of attack programs. The final presentation was from the surviving flight test engineer of the B-1 accident where one pilot was killed.

LARGE

  • San Diego, Nick Candrella, (Naval Air Warfare Center), section vice chair. Aerospace Trivia Night, Networking for Scholarships. This event allowed students to network with members so they could search for scholarship sponsors and members could meet students and other members while having a great time.  The trivia setup required at least teams of two, with some fun team names. Each team got one Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares sampler pack, with eight rounds of three questions each (Movie, Event, “Name that Equation!”), giving 30 seconds to guess each answer. The event took place at a local brewery. The section ordered pizza to provide a good intermission with time to network.

VERY LARGE (tie):

  • Greater Huntsville, Robin Osborne, pre-college outreach officer. Rocket City Invitational Quiz Bowl Tournament. The section hosted the first-ever AIAA Rocket City Invitational academic quiz bowl for Alabama. There were 18 teams with 84 students from 15 high schools (many outside of Huntsville) and two middle schools. Awards were presented to the winners of a separate online, pre-tournament Buzzword Challenge open to all section members, and a traditional, in-person quiz bowl tournament for the 18 teams. Through a $3,000 grant that the section won through The Boeing Company, the section commissioned the National Academic Quiz Tournament to write a custom question set for the Buzzword platform covering a wide variety of topics in aerospace and aviation. You can play a sample game at www.naqt.com/buzzword/special/aerospace.jsp.

VERY LARGE (tie):

  • Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Jeffery Puschell (Raytheon Intelligence and Space), section chair. Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section University Student Branches Mini-Conference 2022. This event supported the rising stars of American aerospace. Students discussed their projects and life in the pursuit of their career. The career panel and other sessions offered professional inspirations and guidance as well. The keynote speech by Dr. Henry B. Garrett touched the importance of professionalism with the example of the space weather, solar storm, and recent SpaceX Starlink launch anomaly.

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.