Tag: Science and Technology

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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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.

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  • 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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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.

Robert D. Braun Awarded 2022 Yvonne C. Brill Lecture in Aerospace Engineering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Address on “Are We Alone? Grand Challenges in Solar System Exploration” Scheduled for October 4

August 10, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are pleased to announce that Dr. Robert D. Braun, Space Exploration Sector Head at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has been selected as the distinguished recipient of the 2022 Yvonne C. Brill Lecture in Aerospace Engineering.

Braun will present his lecture, “Are We Alone? Grand Challenges in Solar System Exploration,” on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 2 p.m., in conjunction with the NAE Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Registration for this lecture is free and open to the public.

This lecture will discuss the search for signs of past or present life beyond Earth, a profound human endeavor that has occupied a place in our consciousness since humans first looked skyward. This quest requires an advance in space exploration capabilities, technologies, and knowledge that also informs our future on our home planet and the pace of human exploration beyond it. After decades of hard work, and through an interconnected set of missions, NASA stands poised to address this timeless question along multiple arcs. Braun will describe the scientific opportunities, locales, technologies, and missions from which we may advance our understanding of the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. The goals and present status of multiple astrobiology missions planned for the next decade will be highlighted.

Braun has more than 35 years of experience as a space systems engineer, technologist, and organizational leader. He has contributed to the formulation, development, and operation of multiple space flight missions and is a recognized authority in hypersonics technology and the development of entry, descent, and landing systems.

Braun previously served as Director for Planetary Science at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2020–2022), Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder (2017–2020), a faculty member of the Georgia Institute of Technology (2003–2016) and a member of the technical staff of NASA Langley Research Center (1989–2003). He has served as a tenured professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, and California Institute of Technology.

From 2010 to 2011, Braun served as the first NASA Chief Technologist in more than a decade. In this capacity, he was responsible for development of the agency’s technology and innovation policy and programs. He created and led the initial implementation of a spectrum of NASA technology programs designed to build the capabilities required for our nation’s future space missions. This activity spanned all ten NASA centers, industry and academia, and fostered partnerships between NASA and other government agencies.

Braun is a member of the NAE as well as a Fellow of AIAA and the American Astronomical Society. He is the author or co-author of over 300 technical publications.

AIAA, with the participation and support of NAE, created the Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering to honor the memory of the late, pioneering rocket scientist, AIAA Honorary Fellow and NAE Member, Yvonne C. Brill. Brill was best known for developing a revolutionary propulsion system that remains the industry standard for geostationary satellite station-keeping.

The lecture emphasizes research or engineering issues for space travel and exploration, aerospace education of students and the public, and other aerospace issues such as ensuring a diverse and robust engineering community.

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, AIAA, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
NAE Media Contact:L. Eileen Erickson, NAE, [email protected], 703-400-4401 (cell)

Partners

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
NAE

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.

About NAE
Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The mission of the NAE is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering. Follow NAE on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful NS-22 Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATED: August 8, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the Blue Origin team on its successful NS-22 mission.

This mission is especially meaningful to AIAA because several of our first Trailblazing STEM Educator Award winners attended in person. We were pleased to present this new award with Challenger Center earlier this year, celebrating K-12 teachers going above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators. Today, Jackie Blumer, Jennifer Cheesman, Cedric Turner, and Katrina Harden Williams witnessed an incredible step toward seeing millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We can’t wait to see how they use their experience to spark their students’ curiosity about STEM subjects, as they help shape the future of aerospace.

AIAA is also honored to be one of Blue Origin’s Club for the Future partner organizations to help develop and inspire the next generation of space professionals.”

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, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Statement on White House Summit on Advanced Air Mobility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we applaud the Biden Administration for holding the White House Advanced Air Mobility Summit (#WHAAMSummit) today. We were pleased to be part of this important event, joining other key stakeholders from the advanced air mobility (AAM) community.

AAM could embody the single greatest transformation for aviation business, science, and policy – and public perceptions – since the emergence of mainstream commercial aviation in the mid-20th century. With clear operational guidelines, regulations, and standards for accommodating and incorporating autonomy, we see a thriving integrated urban and regional airspace in the next decade. The benefits of autonomy will enhance safety for everyone and enable capabilities we are only just imagining.

The Institute is committed to bringing the aerospace technical community together – including industry executives, researchers, academicians, and government officials – to facilitate the needed technology development and to objectively address business and policy issues in AAM. It’s one of our priority Domain topics and our new AAM Task Force is already working on such matters.

AIAA encourages the executive branch to continue its leadership on AAM, working closely with our elected officials, so we all can realize the potential of this emerging industry sector.”

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, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

NASA Purchases Five More Dragon Missions from SpaceX

Spaceflight Now reported that NASA “says it plans to buy five more crew rotation missions on SpaceX’s fleet of Dragon spaceships, bringing SpaceX’s contract with the space agency to 14 operational astronaut launches, likely enough to keep the International Space Station staffed through 2030.” SpaceX and The Boeing Company are to alternate NASA astronaut missions “every six months once the agency certifies Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the job.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

NASA to Launch Rockets from Australia’s Northern Territory

Bloomberg reports that NASA “will launch three sounding rockets from a facility in Australia’s Northern Territory from June 26, the first time the space agency has used a commercial launchpad outside of the US in its more than 50-year history.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “announced the historic event in a statement on Tuesday night, saying it will be the first NASA launch in the country since 1995.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)

USAF’s Sixth Generation Fighter Officially Enters Development

Defense News reports that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said during an event at the Heritage Foundation that the service’s “secretive and highly classified Next Generation Air Dominance fighter program has started its crucial engineering and manufacturing development phase.” Kendall said that the service “began early experimental prototyping on NGAD in 2015, when he was the Pentagon’s top acquisition official. This was essentially an X-plane program, he said, designed to reduce risk and develop key technologies needed for the production program.” Kendall said that the technology has continued to progress and the “NGAD effort is now envisioned as a ‘family of systems’ incorporating several elements, including a handful of autonomous drone aircraft accompanying the manned aircraft in formation.” Kendall said, “The clock really didn’t start in 2015; it’s starting roughly now. … We think we’ll have capability by the end of the decade.”
Full Story (Defense News)

SpaceX Launches Transporter-5 Mission from Cape Canaveral

Florida Today reports that SpaceX launched its Transporter-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 at 2:35 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The Transporter-5 mission was carried out by a Falcon 9 rocket carrying around 59 satellite payloads. SpaceX’s launch “came just one minute before Boeing undocked its high-profile Starliner capsule mission from the International Space Station.”
Full Story (Florida Today)
 
 
 

 

 Video

Launch of the Transporter-5 Mission (SpaceX via YouTube)