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December 2011

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E A M E R I C A N I N S T I T U T E O F A E R O N A U T I C S A N D A S T R O N A U T I C S

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YEAR IN REVIEW

2011

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Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly, except August, by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Va. 20191-4344[703/264-7500]. Subscription rate is 50% of dues for AIAA members (and is not deductible therefrom). Nonmember subscription price: U.S. and Canada, $163, foreign, $200. Single copies $20 each.Postmaster: Send address changes and subscription orders to address above, attention AIAA Customer Service, 703.264.7500. Periodical postage paid at Herndon, Va. and at additional mailingoffices. Copyright © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., all rights reserved. The name Aerospace America is registered by the AIAA in the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice. 40,000 copies of this issue printed. This is Volume 49, No. 11.

December 2011

Adaptive structures 4Aeroacoustics 12Aerodynamic decelerators 25Aerodynamic measurement

technology 13Aerospace power systems 44Aerospace traffic management 68Air-breathing propulsion systems

integration 45Aircraft design 26Air transportation 24Applied aerodynamics 14Astrodynamics 15Atmospheric and space

environments 16Atmospheric flight mechanics 17Balloon systems 27Communication systems 36Computer systems 37Design engineering 5Digital avionics 38Directed energy systems 69Electric propulsion 46Energetic components 47Energy optimized aircraft

and equipment systems 70Flight testing 28Fluid dynamics 18Gas turbine engines 48General aviation 29Ground testing 19Guidance, navigation, and control 20High-speed air-breathing

propulsion 49Hybrid rockets 50Hypersonic technologies

and aerospace plane 71

Intelligent systems 39Legal aspects 32Life sciences 56Lighter-than-air systems 30Liquid propulsion 51Materials 6Meshing, visualization and

computational environments 21Nondeterministic approaches 7Nuclear and future flight

propulsion 52Plasmadynamics and lasers 22Propellants and combustion 53Sensor systems 40Society and aerospace technology 33Software 41Solid rockets 54Space architecture 57Space automation 58Space colonization 59Space environmental systems 72Space exploration 73Space logistics 60Space operations and support 61Space resources 62Space systems 63Space tethers 64Space transportation 65Structural dynamics 8Structures 9Survivability 10Systems engineering 34Terrestrial energy 55Thermophysics 23Unmanned systems 74V/STOL 31Weapon system effectiveness 66

Cover: 2011 marked the last time the space shuttle would be seen streaking across the sky. Image courtesy NASA.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

EDITORIAL 3

OUT OF THE PAST 76

2011 SUBJECT AND AUTHOR INDEX 78

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 84

BULLETINAIAA Meeting Schedule B2AIAA Courses and Training Program B4AIAA News B5Meeting Program B13

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of John Glenn Jr.’s Historic Accomplishment

The First Orbital Flight by an American Astronaut

1962 – 2012

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IMAGE CREDIT: NASA

Home to aerospace pioneers past, present and future.

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Ohio

In both military and civil aviation the tide is increasingly turning to alternativesources of energy. Considered an environmentalist’s panacea with no practicalvalue 10 years ago, these sustainable alternative fuels are now looking at amuch more promising future.

The U.S. military has wholeheartedly embraced the use of biofuels: The Air Force has already approved a 50% biofuel blend in its F-15 and F-16 fighters and C-17 transports; it is seeking to certify all of its models by 2013and hopes to get 50% of its total fuel from alternative, sustainable sources by2016. The Navy has launched a project to invest up to half a billion dollars inbiofuel refineries, and at a conference in Mississippi earlier this year, NavySecretary Ray Mabus said the Navy hopes to be at 50% use of non-fossil-fuelenergy by 2020.

Now the international airline industry is following suit. In July, ASTM International approved a 50% mixture of fuels derived from plant oils and animal fats and conventional kerosene for use in commercial flights. Europeanairlines immediately began trial flights, with Lufthansa leading the way. Severalother airlines swiftly followed suit. Then, in November, U.S. carriers Unitedand Alaska Airlines began their own trials. All of the airlines reported seamlessflights, with no complaints from operators or passengers.

These alternative fuels are derived from widely different sources—from exotic plants like Jatropha to used cooking grease to farmed algae—and havemuch to recommend them. They are drop-ins, that is, they can be blended withconventional jet fuel without any engine alterations; they result in slightly lessfuel consumption, which may mean little in one aircraft on one flight but hassignificant impact fleetwide; and they generally have a slightly smaller carbonfootprint. Plant fuels like camelina grow in fallow wheat fields, so they do notdisplace food crops, and algae farms can be developed almost anywhere.

However, these fuels also have significant drawbacks. They are still farmore expensive to produce; some say five times higher, some say even more.There are fears that in some regions, particularly poorer countries, they maysupplant food crops because they demand a higher price. And some airlines,at least for the short term, may find it cheaper to buy carbon credits than alternative fuels that may not have that much impact on their carbon footprint.

But as much of the Western economy seems to teeter daily on the edge offree fall, and chaos surrounds precisely those areas that are the source ofmuch of the world’s conventional jet fuel, it is good to have choices.

With the U.S. military committed to developing and using alternative energy sources derived from plants and waste products, and international and domestic airlines finding these new fuels to be a seamless replacementfor jet fuel, higher demand should lead to increased production, which shouldultimately lead to lower prices.

Nevertheless, you may not want to be be downwind of the airplane flyingon chicken fat and used french fry oil.

Elaine CamhiEditor-in-Chief

is a publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Elaine J. CamhiEditor-in-ChiefPatricia JeffersonAssociate EditorGreg WilsonProduction EditorJerry Grey, Editor-at-LargeChristine Williams, Editor AIAA Bulletin

CorrespondentsRobert F. Dorr,WashingtonPhilip Butterworth-Hayes, EuropeMichael Westlake, Hong Kong

Contributing WritersRichard Aboulafia, James W. Canan,Marco Cáceres, Craig Covault, LeonardDavid, Philip Finnegan, Edward Goldstein, Tom Jones, James Oberg,David Rockwell, J.R. Wilson

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STEERING COMMITTEECol. Neal Barlow, USAF Academy;MichaelB. Bragg, University of Illinois; Carol Cash,Carol Cash & Associates; Basil Hassan, Sandia;Mark Lewis, University of Maryland; RobertE. Lindberg, National Institute of Aerospace;Mark S. Maurice, AFOSR;Merri Sanchez,Sierra Nevada; Vigor Yang, Georgia Instituteof Technology; Susan X. Ying, Boeing

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December 2011, Vol. 49, No. 11

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The future of biofuels grows brighter

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4 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2011

Also in progress are several efforts in-vestigating adaptive structures for rotorcraft.Researchers from Boeing, Sikorsky, andBell-Boeing are developing next-generationmission adaptive rotor (MAR) systems forhelicopters. The goals of this DARPA-spon-sored program are to use technologies thatenable the adaptation of the rotor andthereby to provide an expanded operatingenvelope with significant improvements inpayload, range, noise, and vibration. Thecurrent development effort includes con-ceptual design, technology maturation, andformulation of system requirements. Adap-tive features considered include blade

shape changes, individual blade control,and variable rotor speed. Planned futureprogram phases include development andground, wind tunnel, and flight testing of afull-scale rotor system. As part of a technology investment

agreement with the Army, Sikorsky recentlydemonstrated the performance, vibration,and noise improvements of a helicopter ro-tor system with active trailing-edge flaps inthe National Full-scale Aerodynamics Com-plex 40x80-ft wind tunnel at NASA Ames.In addition, Sikorsky and the Army are de-veloping an active-rotor hub-mounted vi-bration suppression system that will un-dergo flight testing in early 2012.The Adaptive Structures Team in the Air

Vehicles directorate of the Air Force Re-search Laboratory spent the past year con-ducting research in several areas. Nanopar-ticle doped shape memory polymer (SMP)rods were fabricated to support investiga-tion of a thermally activated reconfigurationsystem. SMP rods with different nanoparti-cle volume fractions were investigated totailor a passive actuation time control bychanging thermal conductivity with doping.A table top test rig was built to demonstratethe concept and tested. They are continuingto investigate perching micro air vehicleconcepts, particularly in initial planformshape and size studies and prototype de-velopment of a perching mechanism.Work also continues in the field of struc-

tural health monitoring (SHM). Under aproject funded by the Air Force, ClarksonUniversity and the Indian Institute of Sci-ence are jointly developing wavelet-basedspectral finite elements (WSFE) for wavepropagation in damaged composite struc-tures. Use of compactly supported waveletbasis functions allows treatment of finiteboundaries and yields very efficient com-putational models. The WSFE approach ishighly suitable for solving the inverse prob-lem of SHM. Arizona State University, through fund-

ing by the Air Force Office of Scientific Re-search, the Army and Air Force ResearchLaboratories, and NASA Glenn, developeda multidisciplinary framework for SHM andprognosis. A reference-free, guided wave-based approach has been developed fordamage localization. Residual useful life pre-diction is based on on-line and off-line esti-mation. Applications include aircraft hotspot,satellite structure, and complex compositestructures with braided architecture.

Adaptive structures

In March of this year the first adaptive flightcontrol mechanism for a guided bullet, apiezoelectric steerable bullet developed atthe University of Kansas, was granted a U.S.patent. This solid-state adaptive actuatoruses a bender beam configuration to in-duce canard, fin, and/or wing deflectionson munitions from 4 to 40 mm in caliber.Unlike conventional linear adaptive actua-tors, the LNPS (low net passive stiffness)PBP (postbuckled precompressed) actuatorassembly induces deflection amplificationwith no loss of blocked moment capability.Bench, wind tunnel, and shock table testsdemonstrated all critical components andfunctionality. At a low unit cost in high vol-umes, the actuator is considered an idealcandidate for a number of current and fu-ture small- and mid-caliber steerable muni-tions projects.

by Louis R. Centolanza

AEROSPACE DESIGN AND StRuCtuRES

A steerable adaptive bullet awaitsMach 3 testing in a supersonicwind tunnel.

AD-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 12:52 PM Page 2

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2011 5

optimal balance of fuselage length, propul-sion installation, and integration of theweapons system with the aerodynamic fly-ing qualities needed for carrier operations.Development of the X-47B used manyrapid prototyping techniques, includingone such use in initial wind tunnel testing.Stereolithograph models were used for ini-tial configuration diagnostics where anychanges could be made and tested quickly.SLA components were also used in thehigh-speed (and high-stress) wind tunneltests. Flight testing and system analysis willcontinue over the next several years as car-rier operations with the aircraft are assessedand validated.

Rapid prototyping techniques havebeen available to design engineers for overtwo decades, but have been limited mainlyto nonfunctional parts used for geometryverification and assembly trials. Advancesover time have yielded better materials andprocesses that enable some components tobe made as functional and affordable hard-ware. However, these have typically beenlimited to parts that are nonstructural or oflow functionality. Now the process of addi-tive manufacturing has evolved to the pointwhere fully functional, structural compo-nents can be affordably manufactured frommany traditional materials. This allows thedesign engineer to remove material thatcould not be removed by traditional ma-chining techniques, reducing weight, thuslowering the operating expense of aero-space structures.

One research firm has identified asmany as 1,000 parts on an Airbus aircraftthat could be manufactured using this pro-cess. And as the ‘printers’ used to createthese parts become more and more afford-able, look for more to be incorporated intoexisting and new designs.

Design engineering

Aerospace design engineering continued towitness advances in design processes andmultidisciplinary optimization with a stronginfluence on manufacturing and rapid pro-totyping. The time between conceptual de-sign and manufacturing continues to shrinkas the tools and processes for design be-come the same as those for manufacturing.This evolution continues to manifest itselfin many existing and new endeavors.

The space shuttle program ended thisyear with the last flight and retirement ofthe shuttle fleet. The program had used im-provements in design and manufacturingprocesses to keep the fleet in service and toaccommodate advances in missions, pay-loads, and subsystems. The shuttle hasbeen the workhorse of the U.S. space pro-gram and will be missed. With its retire-ment, many companies and consortia arecompeting to replace it with vehicles fortransporting crew to and from the ISS andother LEO operations. One such vehicleconcept is the Boeing CST-100 space cap-sule, designed to take as much advantage ofexisting launch and subsystems as possibleto expedite a return to space for U.S. crews.Boeing has successfully completed initial re-views of the new capsule and is planningfor initial flight tests as early as 2014.

Honda has entered the personal andbusiness jet market with its HondaJet. Initialflight testing began in 2010 and the firstFAA configuration jet began flight tests thisyear. In this innovative design the plane’sengines are mounted on the wing butabove and aft of it, rather than on the fuse-lage. This feature reduces drag, increasingoverall efficiency and performance. It alsoallows for more room inside the cabin. TheHondaJet team has used advanced designtechniques to develop a composite cabinstructure mated with single-sheet aluminumwings, further increasing efficiency by re-ducing airframe weight and drag. FAA certi-fication of this unique design is expected tobe completed in 2012, with initial deliveriessoon after.

Unmanned combat systems took a largestep toward reality this February with thefirst flight of the X-47B UCAS-D (unmannedcombat air system demonstrator). The air-frame’s unique configuration combines akite planform and a flying wing (called a‘cranked’ wing). This design provides an by E. Russ Althof

The X-47B made its maidenflight in February.




rigid aeroshell-based entry sys-tems. Advancedrigid ablators combine ablation-resistant toplayers capable of withstanding the high heatflux of high-speed atmospheric entry withan insulating mass-efficient bottom that in-sulates the structure and lowers the arealweight. These materials may benefit vendorsof commercial orbital transportation servicesand may enable new NASA missions that re-quire higher velocity returns (from asteroidsor Mars, for example). The materials havebeen thermally tested to 400-450 W/cm2 atthe Laser Hardened Materials EvaluationLab, Hypersonics Materials Evaluation TestSystem, and several arcjet facilities. Testedmaterials exhibit much lower back-face tem-peratures and reduced recession over thebaseline PICA materials. Although one of themain funding sources (the NASA ExplorationProgram’s entry, descent, and landing proj-ect) ended in FY11, NASA in-house devel-opment of advanced ablators will continue,with a focus on varying resin systems andfiber/resin interactions.

Finally, researchers at the University ofTexas at Austin and KAI LLC are conduct-ing extensive research on polyamide 11and 12 resin-type nanocomposites for se-lective laser sintering (SLS) additive manu-facturing. Numerous nanomaterials, such asnanoclay (NC), carbon nanofiber (CNF),nanosilica, nanoalumina, multiwall carbonnanotube (MWNT), and nanographeneplatelet (NGP), have been incorporatedinto PA11 and PA12 polymers. Recent re-sults indicate that 2-3wt% MWNT in PA11can achieve attractive electrostatic dissipa-tion levels. Combined low levels of NC,CNF, and intumescent flame retardant addi-tives in PA11 provide a UL 94 V-0 rating.PA11-NGP nanocomposite also shows greatpromise and is currently in development.Conductive PA11 nanocomposites and FRPA11 nanocomposites will enable SLS addi-tive manufacturing to enter new segmentsof aerospace and commercial markets.

Materials

Research supporting the develop-ment of structural materials at multi-ple length-scales and in various ma-terial forms continues to impactcurrent and future vehicles.

NASA’s lightweight spacecraftstructures and materials (LSSM) proj-ect is developing composite structures andmaterials technology for heavy-lift launchvehicles. This year, LSSM focused on auto-mated tape placement of autoclave andout-of-autoclave materials. As a significantpart of the project, Hitco in Gardena, Cali-fornia, has successfully completed the fab-rication of six aluminum honeycomb/com-posite face-sheet panels that are repre-sentative of composite fairing structuresand are 1/16th-arc of a 10-m-diam. barrel(about 2x3 m). Testing of specimens cutfrom these panels shows promising results.LSSM transitioned to the Composites for Ex-ploration (CoEx) Project at the start ofFY12. CoEx has begun fabrication of a toolfor larger panels sized at 1/6th-arc of a 10-m-diam. barrel (approximately 5x6 m).

Another advance in sandwich compos-ite materials came from the AutomobiliLamborghini Advanced Composite Struc-tures Laboratory at the University of Wash-ington, with help from the Northrop Grum-man Unmanned Systems DevelopmentCenter. The lab is researching bonded scarfrepair of thin-gauge carbon fiber compositehoneycomb panels commonly used in UAVstructures. The use of advanced optical fullfield strain measurement techniques, suchas video image correlation, has allowed theresearchers to better understand the com-plex strain distribution of the sandwichpanels under four-point bending loading.With traditional strain gauges, the data ac-quired would not sufficiently capture thevariation of strain surrounding the repairarea, which comprises a core plug, surfaceplies, and, in some cases, top cover plies.This technology has enabled researchers totailor the repair to match the stiffness of thesurrounding material and to limit theamount of strain concentration at the edgesof the repair.

NASA’s exploration and aeronauticsprograms are developing another compos-ite material form, advanced rigid ablators,to substantially increase reliability, decreasemass, and reduce the life-cycle costs ofby Edward H. Glaessgen

A 5-m-radius composite sandwichpanel fabricated by Hitco usesautomated manufacturing tech-nologies and out-of-autoclaveprocessing.


how the aircraft will be flown in the future.Management of the Next Generation Air

Transportation System, or NextGen, willuse NDA for trajectory-based operations(TBO) within the air traffic management(ATM) process. TBO uses 4D trajectories(4DT) as the basis for planning and execut-ing all flight operations. A 4DT is a preciseflight profile in space and time that includesthe ‘centerline’ of a path plus the positionuncertainty using waypoints as specificsteps along the path. The uncertainty in air-craft position at a given time, in departureand arrival times, and in the time to specificwaypoints must be represented mathemati-cally to enable the ATM system to automat-ically and dynamically negotiate 4DTs be-tween aircraft and to maintain safety. Ifuncertainty is not considered in establishingthe 4DT for an aircraft, the ATM systemcould end up renegotiating a large numberof 4DTs every time an aircraft gets theslightest bit off schedule.

Uncertainty in weather also needs to beconsidered in planning a 4DT. Otherwise along-distance flight could require updatingof the 4DT to avoid severe weather that de-veloped while the aircraft was in transit.Making these decisions with uncertainty re-quires NDA. Before being implemented,the TBO-based ATM will need to be thor-oughly verified and validated, which willrequire NDA as well.

As these two examples illustrate, NDAunderlies many recent technological ad-vances. The increasing complexity of tech-nology drives the need for such ap-proaches. Accordingly, numerous programsat NASA, AFRL, and the Navy use NDA. Ef-forts are also under way at the Dept. of En-ergy weapons labs and funded academic al-liance partners to train engineers in allaspects of NDA.

Nondeterministic approaches

Nondeterministic approaches (NDA) refercollectively to mathematical tools that en-able engineers and scientists to accountconsistently for uncertainty and variabilityin modeling, design, construction, testing,and maintenance of engineering systems.Complex engineered products are morelikely to meet performance requirementswhen NDA are used. Consequently, NDAcontinue to find increasing applicationacross different disciplines, although theirrole is often not recognized. Looking ‘underthe hood’ of two technologies of significantinterest to the aerospace community wecan see the role of NDA in both.

Aircraft structural health managementhas always relied upon NDA. Historically, itwas sufficient to know the time to somepercentage of units’ failing in order toschedule preventive maintenance or re-placement. The increasing cost and com-plexity of current aircraft structures havecreated a need to perform maintenancewhen it has the most benefit. Advances inelectronics have made it practical to placesensors permanently on the airframe torecord strain histories or sense the presenceof cracks and other damage. NDA tech-niques such as reliability-based design opti-mization help to determine the best loca-tions for the sensors by identifying wheredamage is most likely to develop.

NDA can also be used to establish thebest strategy for combining on-board sens-ing with traditional nondestructive inspec-tion methods. Determining the probabilityof detecting damage and of not detectingdamage is critical to assessing the accuracyof the structural health assessments.

The health of the aircraft structure ispresented as a probability distribution ofthe remaining useful life. After a structuralhealth assessment, the remaining useful lifedistribution is updated with NDA by apply-ing Bayes equation to the previous healthstate and the results of the current assess-ment. The prognosis for the aircraft re-quires probabilistic crack growth and dam-age progression models accounting forvariability in material properties to forecastthe future health state. The load and envi-ronmental events that are the forcing func-tions for these models are themselves fore-cast using probabilistic representations of by Eric Tuegel

Four-dimensional trajectories inthe NextGen Air TransportationSystem will be used in planningand executing flight operations.

Metered fix point in termsof latitude, longitude, altitude, and time

t3

t2 t0

t1



personnel are performing advanced analy-sis for turbomachinery in the J2X, therocket engine under consideration for thenew space launch system. One of the pro-gram’s most challenging analyses is predict-ing turbine blade structural capability. Res-onance was predicted by modal analysis, socomprehensive forced response analyseswere initiated using high-fidelity cyclicsymmetric finite-element models. Initiallythe flow field was assumed to cause identi-cal loads on every blade as each traveledthrough the flow. However, in the J2X theCFD flow field varied over a single revolu-tion because of the flow speeds and tortu-ous axial path. Therefore, NASA Marshalldeveloped a complex procedure using Nas-tran Dmap and Matlab scripts to apply thiscircumferentially varying loading onto thecyclically symmetric structural models. Thisresulted in more accurate dynamic stressprediction due to static, spin, and thermalloadings.

The Air Force Institute of Technologyinvestigated the dynamic forced responseof the forewing of the Manduca Sexta(moth) under various loading conditionsthrough analytical and experimental meth-ods. The goal is to improve modeling andsimulation of the biological system to attaina better understanding of the wing’s criticalstructural features for use in future bioin-spired designs.

NASA Glenn has taken ownership of theReverberant Acoustic Test Facility (RATF)and the Mechanical Vibration Facility (MVF)in the Space Power Facility at Plum BrookStation in Ohio, along with SAIC-Benham,the prime contractor for both facilities. TheRATF and MVF test capabilities augment theSpace Power Facility thermal vacuumchamber to provide one-stop environmen-tal testing that supports future space mis-sions for both NASA and industry.

The RATF’s very high acoustic powerand very large test volume (101,000 ft3) areunique among the world’s reverberantacoustic test chambers. Final acoustic verifi-cation testing in September included thesuccessful test demonstration of commer-cial launch vehicle acoustic spectra and lev-els. When finished, MVF will be able to ac-commodate an 18-ft-diameter, 75-ft-hightest article weighing up to 75,000 lb forfixed base modal testing. Also, sine testingup to 1.25-g vertically and 1.0-g horizontallyfrom 5 Hz to 150 Hz can be conducted,with no need for reconfiguring the test article between test axes.

Structural dynamics

Boeing, under contract to DARPA on theVulture II program, tested a very flexiblewing semispan model in the low-speedKirsten Wind Tunnel at the University ofWashington. Static and dynamic responsedata were collected on the heavily instru-mented model. The model design usedstatic aeroelastic scaling laws and featured acantilever installation and thus did not rep-resent the flight dynamics of the full-scalevehicle. However, the model enabled thestudy of dynamic stability about highly de-flected conditions. During the test, a wingtip deflection of approximately 40% of the9-ft semispan was achieved. The data col-lected will be used in correlation and vali-dation of high-fidelity nonlinear aeroelasticanalysis models supporting high-altitudelong-endurance aircraft design.

Sandia National Laborato-ries has continued research inexperimental dynamic sub-structuring, model validation,and structural acoustics pre-diction. An experimental dy-namic substructuring focusgroup was formed with sup-port from the Society for Ex-perimental Mechanics withmore than 20 international re-searchers. Sandia is leadingthe effort and has constructedtwo Ampair wind turbine test-beds for investigating ways ofcoupling experimental modelsof the rotor to finite-elementmodels of the tower and thenacelle.

Sandia continued researchin developing procedures forthe validation and propaga-tion of uncertainties in high-fi-delity structural dynamic mod-els. Analytical investigationsinto the nature of the acousticfield generated during directfield acoustic testing has shedlight on the source of discrep-

ancies between modeling and experimentaldata. The investigations have led to use ofthe structural acoustics capability in San-dia’s Salinas code to model the actual test,design future experiments, and reduce therisk of overtesting.

At NASA Marshall, structural dynamics



Sandia has constructed two Ampair wind turbine test beds likethis one to investigate methodsfor coupling experimental modelsof the rotor to finite-elementmodels of the tower and nacelle.

by the AIAAStructural DynamicsTechnical Committee



by Harry H. Hilton

wing are also being evaluated from a non-linear point of view.An MIT/Airbus/Boeing cooperative team

is developing composite materials to re-place metal flight structures and decreaseproduction costs. Carbon nanotubes (CNT)are cylindrical carbon molecules a fewnanometers in diameter, 50 times strongerand 10 times lighter than steel, with hun-dreds of times the electrical conductivity ofcopper and three times its thermal conduc-tivity. They are being used in developmentof conductive composites and multifunctionmaterials to provide high strength/weightratio structural components where carbonfibers provide dual structural and electricalfunctions. These materials are being manu-factured by inserting nanoparticles intosubstrates and then chemically growingnanotube forests. Other project phases dealwith spinning microfibers from CNTs toproduce hybrid fibers in nanotubes.At the NASA Langley Engineering and

Safety Center, efforts to develop improvednew shell-buckling knockdown factors willresult in vehicle weight savings and morereliable failure conditions for launch vehi-cles. Extensive large-scale tests of compos-ite structures are under way in cooperationwith Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Typ-ical of these experiments are shell-bucklingtests of a 27.5-ft-diam. space shuttle exter-nal tank barrel conducted at NASA Mar-shall. The purpose is to validate the scala-bility of the new analytical design factors.At the University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign, in cooperation with Boeing’sAdvanced Structures R&D Group at Hunt-ington Beach, California, research programson analyses of designer materials andgeometries are leading to optimized effi-cient lightweight structures. These tailored/engineered materials are being specializedfor direct application to the PRSEUS (pul-truded rod stitched efficient unitized struc-ture) composites.

Structures

The Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraftprogram at Wright Patterson AFB Laborato-ries designed, developed, and manufac-tured the X-55A airframe during 2007-2009.The X-55A is a highly modified Dornier Do328; the fuselage aft of the pilot cabin andthe vertical fin have been redesigned andmanufactured using advanced compositematerial featuring primarily bonded assem-bly. The redesigned fuselage is approxi-mately 20% larger than that of the originalDo 328 because of a widened cargo areaand an aft-opening cargo door. The aircraftfeatures widespread use of MTM-45 out-of-autoclave resin composite. During the summer of 2010, the X-55A

completed 12 basic envelope expansionflights, finishing 263 of 266 planned testpoints, and accumulating approximately 25hr on the airframe. Aircraft flight perform-ance was very much as expected, with mi-nor deviations from the baseline Do 328 at-tributed to the cargo door/beavertailconfiguration. Structural performance wasmonitored during these flights, and noanomalies were noted. The X-55A is cur-rently in storage and will be available forfuture test efforts. Plans to manufacture andtest durability, damage tolerance, and resid-ual strength on a full-scale fatigue test arti-cle based on the X-55A fuselage, and usingidentical out-of-autoclave materials andmanufacturing processes, were deferred to2012 because of manufacturing and budgetissues.The Air Force Institute of Technology’s

Department of Aeronautics and Astronau-tics is continuing research on developmentand testing of flapping wing micro air vehi-cles (FWMAVs). To determine controlforces and moments, the FWMAV prototypeis tested on a micro six-component bal-ance. Each wing is individually controlledusing a piezo actuator and novel controltechnique: biharmonic amplitude and biasmodulation control, which consists of threeindependent wing stroke parameters perwing. Various micromanufacturing tech-niques were developed to create wingstructures, hinge mechanisms, piezoelectricactuators, and support assembly. The con-trol effectiveness of the prototype is cur-rently being evaluated, with a near-termgoal of tethered controlled flight demon-stration. Structural dynamic features of the

This two-level laminate nanoengineered composite is made from hybrid materialswith aligned carbon nanotubes.


through times in the presence of anairstream. The final test involved direct im-pingement on the fuel tank. Successfulcompletion of the three tests served as ademonstration of safe laser operationsneeded for future assessments of aircraftvulnerability. The test procedure will nowtransition to assessing the survivability ofother military assets against this threat.

Large turbofan engines of both civilianand military aircraft are vulnerable to man-portable air defense system (MANPADS)missiles. An important first step towardcountering this threat is to understand anddetermine likely engagement outcomes.Thus the Air Force, Navy, Dept. of Home-land Security, and NASA Langley haveteamed to assess the missile’s encounterwith a large transport aircraft. Testing in-volves firing live-warhead missiles intoeach of two turbofan engines operating atfull thrust. Work completed during the pastyear includes generating high-fidelity pre-dictions of the engine damage and provi-sioning for the test.

This effort also included preparing thetest plan, fabricating the test fixture, design-ing an engine controller, preparing and in-strumenting engine test articles, and con-ducting system checkout tests. Upon theconclusion of each engine test, thrustdegradation characteristics and end damagestates will be assessed, correlated withdamage predictions, and used to evaluatethe aircraft’s controllability and its ability toperform a safe landing.

Another USAF project investigated the ef-fect of intense but brief fire exposure onfiber-reinforced composites in aircraft struc-tures. Other efforts were made to determinethe level of structural damage a light mobil-ity aircraft wing would suffer in a ballisticthreat-induced fuel tank ullage explosion.

Survivability

The U.S. space program and NASA faceddifficult technical, political, and budgetarydilemmas for their future space explorationefforts, in terms of both the general goalsand the manned vehicle program. With theretirement of the space shuttle fleet and theuncharacteristic interim reliance on Rus-sian/foreign and private space companiesfor transportation to the ISS, there are seri-ous concerns about the reliability and sur-vivability of both the capsule vehicle, withits precious cargo of astronauts, and thelaunch rocket itself.

For example, the original NASA Orioncapsule/vehicle was the only capsule thatwas safety-certified by NASA for crew trans-portation. The agency now has to certifyany new Orion-type designs (now knownas the multipurpose crew vehicle) submit-ted by any private company, as NASA’s roleis politically mandated to shift from a de-signer/developer to a monitor and certifier.NASA has been, and still is, formulating aset of “human rating standards/require-ments” to assure the proper design as wellas safety and survivability for astronauts onall new commercial capsules and rocketsystems. This updating of standards contin-ues, a work-in-progress for the near future.

Laser weapons of both high and me-dium strength are a threat to large andsmall aircraft. The Air Force at Wright-Pat-terson AFB recently investigated laser ef-fects on fuel-backed aircraft composite ma-terials immersed in a high-velocity air-stream. The goal was to conduct a test, thefirst in its kind, of a composite wing boxunder fully controlled test conditions thatincluded laser engagement during simu-lated flight.

In order to obtain the necessary test ap-provals for these weapons, in-lab tests sup-ported by modeling addressed fundamentalquestions concerning target surface reflec-tivity, laser burn-through time, energy ab-sorption due to the fluid-backing, and thepresence of an airstream. Simultaneously,the USAF airflow test facility was reconfig-ured to create a fully enclosed test opera-tion, complete with laser energy blocks. Af-ter the approval, three laser tests wereperformed on a single composite wing boxfrom an unmanned aerial system.

The first two of these tests avoided thefuel tank and were performed merely toverify laser system stability and burn-



by Ameer G. Mikhail, Gregory J. Czarnecki,and Alex G. Kurtz

A large turbofan engine mounted on a test stand awaitsMANPADS testing.


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cuted by Boeing in the Low-Speed Aeroa-coustic Facility. The Boeing/NASA collabo-ration was funded by NASA’s Environmen-tally Responsible Aviation project. Theacoustics of a contrarotating open rotorsimulator were measured in isolation, invarious positions relative to a tube andwing configuration, and in various posi-tions with a hybrid wing body configura-tion. Acoustic measurements from phased,in-flow, surface-mounted, and far-field mi-crophone arrays documented the complexacoustic interactions between the open ro-tor and airframe.

Boeing developed a semicircular near-field cage array of microphones to charac-terize the sources of jet noise. The arrayspanned 31 diameters in the axial direction,encompassing most of the source region.Comprehensive space-time correlationmeasurements, over a wide range of jet op-erating conditions, revealed a strong sourcecoherent over 12 diameters in axial extent,responsible for the noise radiation to thepeak angular sector. The data were used todevelop and validate a Florida State Univer-sity analytical method for the projection ofnear-field data to the far field.

The superboom caustic analysis andmeasurement project, or SCAMP, success-fully conducted a sonic boom experimentrequiring precision-flown F-18 supersonicdive maneuvers over a 10,000-ft, 81-micro-phone ground array in the remote MojaveDesert. Supplementing the array were seis-mic sensors, an instrumented sailplane thatmeasured focused booms above the plane-tary boundary layer, and microphones sus-pended below a blimp to capture the in-coming waves. The acquired database willbe used for validation of focused sonicboom prediction codes.

Wyle supported TEC in developing theenvironmental impact statements for Westand East Coast basing of the F-35B for theMarine Corps. Wyle developed and appliedadvanced noise modeling tools that ac-count for the flight and performance char-acteristics of the short takeoff and verticallanding aircraft.

The adverse impact of the noise gener-ated by tactical fighter aircraft, especiallyfor aircraft carrier operations, received at-tention from the Navy. Noise reductiongoals for the near-, mid- and long-termwere developed by the noise panel of theVersatile Affordable Advanced Turbine En-gine program.

Aeroacoustics

The International Civil Aviation Organiza-tion is considering more stringent noiseregulations for commercial aircraft, whichwould be quieter by approximately 6-9 EPNdB (effective perceived noise, in deci-bels) than Stage 4 levels, with an initial implementation date of around 2017. The

pending noise rules havespurred a flurry of technicalactivities aimed at bothgaining better insights intonoise source mechanismsand developing low-noisedesigns.

Predicting airframe andengine noise remains chal-lenging; the move towardhigher bypass ratio enginesfor improved efficiencyand lower environmentalimpact has necessitated de-velopment of better predic-tion and measurement ca-pabilities. A new curvedflow duct facility at NASALangley is now availablefor impedance eductionand assessment of acousticlining attenuation. SpiritAeroSystems and MissouriUniversity of Science andTechnology have adapteda 2D (originally axisym-metric) finite-element mod-eling scheme to produce aquasi-3D propagation modelfor the curved rectangularduct of the NASA facility.

Honeywell and Airbusvalidated the use of linear acoustic linerswithin complex 3D aircraft ducting. Theyconducted tests of a dual-fan system withtreated inlet and outlet ducting at Honey-well’s new ramp noise test facility nearPhoenix, Arizona. The facility includes ananechoic chamber with inlet and outlet si-lencers, and a large concrete pad that sup-ports tests of uninstalled and installed gasturbine engines, motor-driven fans, andother aircraft systems. Test results com-pared favorably with predictions made us-ing Actipole, an Airbus multipole boundaryelement method solver.

Aeroacoustic installation effects of anopen rotor were studied in an extensivemodel-scale experimental campaign exe-

by Krishna Viswanathanand Anthony R. Pilon

AerospAce scIeNces

A flyover noise test of Boeing’s787 aircraft used a ground arrayconsisting of 614 microphones.

AS-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 12:54 PM Page 2


is a dual-comb-drive floating-element sen-sor with a 1-mm sensing area. The sensorsystem showed a minimum detectableshear stress on the order of 1 milliPa. Thedevice was placed into flat-plate boundary-layer models at both Langley and UF. Com-parisons of sensor system results with PIV(particle image velocimetry) velocity pro-files showed that the sensor system wasable to accurately measure instantaneouswall shear stress in laminar, transitional,and turbulent boundary layers.

Researchers affiliated with the Combus-tion and Laser Diagnostics Research Com-plex at Wright-Patterson AFB have per-formed time-resolved, 50-kHz temperatureimaging at the nozzle exit plane of an aug-mentor-equipped J85 turbojet engine. Thiswork was a joint collaboration by SukeshRoy and Andrew C. Caswell of Spectral En-ergies, Scott Sanders of the University ofWisconsin, Lin Ma of Clemson University,James R. Gord of the Air Force ResearchLaboratory, and David Plemmons of ArnoldEngineering Development Center.

The group successfully applied a 30-laser-beam tomography system that used ahigh-repetition-rate hyperspectral lasersource to measure water vapor absorptionin the high-temperature exhaust stream.The laser source consists of three indepen-dent Fourier-domain mode-locked laserswith an overall repetition rate of 50 kHz.Tomographic reconstructions of the line-of-sight projections resulted in 255 spatial gridpoints of temperature measured per frame.The high-speed, spatially resolved tech-nique permits studies of combustion insta-bilities and will be used to validate aug-mentor and nozzle CFD simulations.

Aerodynamic measurement technology

Pressure sensitive paint (PSP) has beendemonstrated at high Mach numbers formeasuring pressures on the surface of amodel in unsteady flows in a shock tunnelat DLR, the German Aerospace Center. Thetest model was an 8.5-cm-long ramp coatedwith a luminophore layer. It was placed atan angle of 15°� in a low-enthalpy Mach 7.4flow. Images were taken at a frame rate of5 kHz for 10 msec. Pressure measurementsobtained with PSP on the surface of themodel provided a color map of 2D pressuredistributions. Comparisons with a conven-tional piezoelectric sensor were made,which showed that the response time of thechosen paint was sufficiently fast to allowfaithful recordings of pressure changes.

Clear air turbulence presents a signifi-cant hazard to aviation. Michigan Aero-space is developing a compact airborne li-dar instrument capable of identifyinglarge-scale turbulent structures a few kilo-meters ahead of an aircraft. Modeling re-sults indicate that the ranging lidar will pro-vide the density field with resolution in thetens of meters. Augmenting this instrumentwill be a short-range lidar capability tocharacterize the turbulent field within thefirst 300 m ahead of the aircraft and to pro-vide a complete optical air data solution.

Aerodynamic loads on an aircraft canresult in wing twist, a factor that greatly in-fluences the plane’s aerodynamic character-istics. Therefore, in-flight measurementtechniques for deformation of the wing arerequired during an aircraft’s design phase.JAXA, the Japan Aerospace ExplorationAgency, has been developing in-flightmeasurement techniques for deformation ofaircraft main wings. They developed ananalysis method and a measurement systemthat can provide the deformation data. Thesystem optically measures the deformationof the main wing using high-resolutionstereo imaging of position markers attachedto the wing surface. The technique was ap-plied to a twin-propeller airplane with nosweepback angle and succeeded in meas-uring the quantitative changes of bothbending and twist angles.

Researchers at the University of Florida(UF), in collaboration with NASA Langley,have developed and characterized a MEMS-based direct shear stress sensor. The device

by Thomas P. Jenkinsand the AIAA AerodynamicMeasurement TechnologyTechnical Committee

A system developed at JAXAoptically measures bendingand twist angles of the mainwing by stereo imaging ofposition markers attached onthe wing surface.



aeropropulsive performance of the technol-ogy concepts, including a hybrid poweredlift system. This system uses a novel Lock-heed Martin patented device that providesthrust vectoring and reversing functions onthe main engine exhaust flow and inter-nally blown flap architecture on the out-board portion of the wing to enable liftaugmentation and cruise drag reduction.

The AFRL revolutionary configurationsfor energy efficiency program focuses ondeveloping technologies for reducing en-ergy use. The Air Mobility Command is theU.S. government’s largest fuel consumerand is looking to increase efficiency. Con-tractor teams completed parametric studies,modeling innovative technologies that im-proved overall mission efficiency for a sys-tem of new transport aircraft, such as higheffective aerodynamic span and parasitedrag reduction.

The NASA fundamental aerodynamics‘N+2’ program worked with Lockheed/GE/Rolls-Royce/Stanford on next-generationsupersonic concepts, focusing on low air-port noise technology. A methodology link-ing parametric-CAD with CFD has beenused successfully to arrive at conceptualdesign cross-sections that have low sonicboom characteristics.

The DOD 12-year CREATE (computa-tional research and engineering acquisitiontools and environments) program, estab-lished to enable major improvements in en-gineering design and analysis processes,seeks to develop and deploy scalable, mul-tidisciplinary, physics-based computationalengineering products for the design andanalysis of ships, aircraft, and RF antennas.The air vehicles program, CREATE-AV, re-leased three products in FY11: the fixed-wing design tool KESTRELv2.0, the rotor-craft design tool HELIOSv2.0, and thepreliminary design tool DaVinci1.0. KES-TRELv2 adds six-degree-of-freedom movingflap capabilities for realistic aircraft simula-tions. HELIOSv2 enables off-body adaptivemesh refinement and the ability to handlemultiple rotorcraft components.

Applied CFD work at NAVAIR made im-pressive strides in predictive modeling ofnaval air vehicles. Examples of full-scaleCFD simulation include coupled ship-air-wake/helicopter, time-accurate JSF ship-board recovery analysis, single-engine-outcalculations using spinning props, model-ing of a windup turn for the F/A-18E, andaerodynamic/propulsion analysis of Navysmall UAVs to build a six-DOF autopilot.

Applied aerodynamics

NASA and the Army have begun detailedanalysis and correlation efforts with dataacquired during the 2010 UH-60A airloadswind tunnel test in the USAF 40x80-ft WindTunnel at NASA Ames. This test programprovided a unique set of validation-qualitymeasurements on a full-scale pressure-in-strumented UH-60A rotor system at verychallenging flight conditions, including highspeed, high thrust, and slowed-rotor condi-tions. Key measurements available for cor-relation include blade pressures and loads,rotor performance, blade displacement anddeformation, and rotor wake velocity meas-urements. Initial posttest efforts have veri-fied the integrity and quality of the data andhave helped to identify deficiencies in theCFD/CSD computational models. Furtheranalysis and correlation are planned.

A new capability for ground testing ac-tive flow control concepts and propulsion

simulations at flightReynolds numbers hasbeen implemented inthe National TransonicFacility at NASA Lang-ley. The FAST-MACsemispan model wasused to test circulationcontrol concepts overa range of Mach andReynolds numbers. Atlow-speed, high-liftconditions, circulationcontrol increased themaximum lift coeffi-cient of a simplehinged flap by 40%.

At transonic cruise conditions the circula-tion control favorably altered the shock-wave structure on the wing, and reducedflow separation. Application of blowing tothe outboard portion of the wing demon-strated the feasibility of pneumatic-basedroll control.

The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) andits partners completed critical experiments,validating technology maturation efforts forcruise-efficient short takeoff and landingtransport aircraft under the speed agile con-cept demonstration program. Wind tunneltests were conducted at the Arnold Engi-neering Development Center National Full-scale Aerodynamics Complex and the Lang-ley National Transonic Facility to verify the

by Nathan Hariharanand Stephen LeDoux

AerospAce scIeNces

NASA and the Army have begundetailed analysis and correlationefforts with data acquired duringthe 2010 UH-60A airloads windtunnel test.



its expected orbit altitude over a year’stransfer time.

The shuttle Atlantis landed at theKennedy Space Center on July 21, endingits final mission. This also ended the U.S.space shuttle program, after 30 years and135 missions. For the next-generation pro-gram, NASA is designing and building themultipurpose crew vehicle and the heavy-lift SLS (Space Launch System) for futurehuman exploration of the solar system.

Two historic observations took placethis year. One was the discovery of anEarth Trojan asteroid, designated 2010 TK7.First detected by NASA’s WISE (wide-fieldinfrared survey explorer) mission, with fol-low-up observation by researchers atAthabasca University in Canada, the aster-oid was shown to be stable for at least thenext several thousand years. Farther awayin the outer planet system, the Hubblespace telescope discovered a tiny newmoon orbiting Pluto, making it the fourthmoon of the icy dwarf planet. This is an in-valuable discovery for the New Horizonsmission for planning close-up observationsscheduled in 2015. On November 7 a near-Earth asteroid passed within 0.85 lunar dis-tances from the Earth. Measuring 400 macross and named 2005 YU55, it presentedan excellent opportunity for ground-basedobservations.

Finally, Moscow State University hostedthe fifth global trajectory optimization com-petition. The objective of this internationalcontest was to “make a rendezvous missionto a given asteroid most worthwhile by vis-iting the largest number of other asteroidson the way.” This year’s winner was a JPLteam whose tour design consisted of 18 as-teroid visits.

Astrodynamics

This has been a year of exciting encoun-ters. On February 15, NASA’s Stardust-NExTprobe ‘re-encountered’ Tempel-1 and ob-served the changes in the impact crater cre-ated by the Deep Impact mission during itsencounter in 2005. After the flyby, Stardust-NExT performed a ‘burn-to-depletion’ se-quence to gather engineering data to beused for future spacecraft design.

Launched in August 2004 and followedby six gravity assists at Earth, Venus, andMercury, the MESSENGER (Mercury surface,space environment, geochemistry, and rang-ing) spacecraft entered orbit around Mercuryon March 17, becoming the first spacecraftto orbit our solar system’s innermost planet.

After nearly four years of solar electricpropulsion cruise, on July 15 Dawn becamethe first spacecraft to orbit Vesta. More im-portant, it is the first to use a low-thrust sys-tem to spiral in at an asteroid. Dawn willobserve Vesta’s surface composition and in-terior structure until it spirals out in 2012and departs for its second science target,the dwarf planet Ceres.

After complex mission operations, thetwo ARTEMIS (acceleration, reconnection,turbulence, and electrodynamics of theMoon’s interaction with the Sun) probesreached lunar orbit in July and will observethe Sun-Moon interaction for the next 7-10years. China’s second lunar probe, Chang’e-2, departed the Moon after completing itsprimary objective and reached the Sun-Earth L2 point. This made China the thirdcountry to have visited L2.

On December 7, 2010, Japan’s Akatsukispacecraft failed to enter its planned orbitaround Venus due to underthrusting of itsmain engine. Akatsuki will attempt anotherorbit insertion burn when the probe returnsto Venus in about six years. Launched fromthe same vehicle, the Japanese spacecraftIKAROS (interplanetary kite-craft acceler-ated by radiation of the Sun), the first suc-cessful interplanetary solar sail mission, ac-complished all the mission objectives andhas been extended to gather engineeringdata for future missions of this kind. TheUSAF’s advanced extremely high frequency(AEHF) satellite had a major problem withits primary liquid apogee engine soon afterlaunch in 2010. As an emergency plan, thesatellite used its 5-lb Hall current thrustersto recover from the failure and to achieve by Ryan S. Park

Vesta’s south pole was capturedby the Dawn spacecraft’s framingcamera from a distance of about1,700 mi. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.



AerospAce scIeNces

whether or not hazardous ice accretions oc-cur in the booster or compressor of an en-gine. Further tests are planned to investi-gate this finding.

The University of Alabama in Huntsvillehas developed a free tool that simplifiesdata mining of satellite imagery. GLIDER(globally leveraged integrated data explorerfor research) provides an Eclipse plug-in-based software workbench with visualiza-tion and analysis tools that facilitate sophis-ticated analysis of satellite imagery. Theimagery can be displayed in a 2D nativeswath view or overlaid on a 3D globe dis-play. Visualization modes such as three-band color composite and look-up-tablecolor display allow easy interactive imageexploration and aid in identification of im-age features. Pixel level data can be plottedusing scatter plots, histograms, spectral pro-files, and spatial transect profiles, and canbe interactively sampled and extracted fromthe imagery. The GLIDER software is avail-able for download at http://miningsolu-tions.itsc.uah. edu/glider.

In May, the MISSE-8 (materials ISS ex-periment-8) payload was installed on theISS. Included in the payload is the PASCAL(primary arcing of solar cells at LEO) ex-periment, supplied by Lockheed Martin,Kyushu Institute of Technology, and JAXA.Now operational, PASCAL is studying thecumulative effects of low-power electro-static discharges on the operating charac-teristics of several modern space solar celltechnologies by observing solar cell perfor-mance degradation as a function of numberof arcs and arc energy, arc waveformshapes, and arcing inception/onset voltagesfor solar cell designs. PASCAL, and all ofMISSE-8, will operate for approximatelytwo years, with a return to Earth expectedin early 2013.

Tests carried out at NASA Glenn indi-cate that the adhesion of lunar dust tospacecraft surfaces under ultrahigh vacuumconditions is dominated by electrostatic,rather than surface contact, forces. The ad-hesion of a synthetic volcanic glass tometallic structures was found to be muchlower than to that of insulators such aspolycarbonate and PTFE and FEP Teflons.These findings were verified by results in-dicating that a surface coating on FEP thatminimized electrostatic buildup was moreeffective at reducing adhesion of lunar sim-ulant dust in a simulated lunar environmentthan was surface texturing that lowered thecontact area.

Atmospheric and space environments

As Hurricane Irene forced a frenzy of disas-ter preparations in late August, Utah StateUniversity’s Space Weather Center (SWC)worked to get ahead of the storm. The cen-ter’s experts provided current and forecastHF (high-frequency) availability at theirWebsite (http://spaceweather.usu.edu) andon their iPhone, iPad, and Android app,SpaceWx. SWC had provided similar infor-mation in March following the devastatingearthquake and tsunami in Japan, wherelandlines and cell towers were destroyedand HF communication became the mainlink for emergency responders.

Solar storms have adversely impactedemergency communications before—in2005, the fourth largest solar flare in historyhad disrupted rescue efforts after HurricaneKatrina.

Because of numerous jet engine powerloss events believed to be caused by icecrystal ingestion, NASA and the NationalResearch Council of Canada (NRC), withsponsorship by the FAA and TransportCanada, began experiments to examine thephysical mechanisms of ice accretion onsurfaces exposed to ice-crystal and mixed-phase conditions. The tests entailed placinga small wind tunnel containing a singlewedge-type airfoil inside the NRC ResearchAltitude Test Facility. It has been deter-mined that, under certain conditions, iceparticles can accrete even though the localenvironment and surface temperatures areabove freezing. Preliminary results sug-gested that the wet bulb temperature of theair (that is, the lowest temperature that canbe reached by the evaporation of wateronly) could be a determining factor in

by Dustin Criderand the AIAA Atmosphericand Space EnvironmentsTechnical Committee

PASCAL (on the right) wasinstalled on the ISS in May.



UAV late this year. Phantom Eye uses twohydrogen-fuel engines and is designed tofly at an altitude of 65,000 ft with an en-durance of four days. The initial flights willbe without payload and are intended toevaluate the flying characteristics and sys-tem operation of the vehicle.

Lockheed Martin has continued flighttest evaluation of the three F-35 variants, in-cluding demonstration of a vertical landingon the USS Wasp. Continued ship suitabilitytesting will assess aircraft performance andhandling qualities in a flight envelope thatsimulates carrier operations.

Hoh Aeronautics has received HeliSASsupplementary type certificates for the Bell206B/206L/407 and Eurocopter AS350-B2/B3 and EC130. The HeliSAS is a digitalstability augmentation system that can beretrofitted to existing helicopters and canboth improve flight stability and reduce pi-lot workload. A reconfigurable version ofHeliSAS was installed on a Bell 212 at theNational Test Pilot School to be used as atraining and evaluation tool in the flightcontrol test and evaluation module.

The first reentry of The Aerospace Cor-poration’s reentry breakup recorder (REBR)occurred on March 29 while the instrumentwas attached to the Japanese HTV2 supplyvehicle, which had departed from the ISS.The REBR is a small autonomous devicethat records temperature, acceleration, rota-tional rate, and other data during the reen-try of space hardware into Earth’s atmo-sphere, and subsequent breakup due toaerodynamic heating and loads. REBR in-cludes a heat shield that protects the instru-ment and its recorded data from the severereentry heating environment. Recorded dataare transmitted through the Iridium satellitenetwork, and REBR recovery is not needed.This first-ever recorded data from an inten-tionally destroyed spacecraft enables vali-dation of reentry hazard models, in supportof DOD safety requirements. Future collec-tion of additional REBR data will enablespacecraft and launch stages to be designedto minimize risks from surviving debris.

Atmospheric flight mechanics

The NASA AirSTAR (airborne subscaletransport aircraft research) system enabledflight research using a 5.5% dynamicallyscaled and remotely piloted generic trans-port airplane. Use of an unmanned sub-scale vehicle allows the test results to beapplied to full-scale airplanes without risk-ing a manned flight test crew. The effort ispart of the NASA Aviation Safety Programand includes research in flight dynamicsmodeling, real-time estimation of aerody-namic parameters, and adaptive flight con-trol technologies. The AirSTAR research hasfocused on adverse flight conditions associ-ated with extreme upsets and failure ordamage scenarios that degrade an air-plane’s stability and control characteristics.

The research demonstrated real-time dy-namic modeling and comparison of simula-tion results. Novel flight test maneuverswere designed to collect flight dynamicsmodeling data using optimized orthogonalmultisine inputs. These maneuvers, whichwere suited for modeling nominal aerody-namics and extended flight-envelope aero-dynamics, allowed simultaneous control ef-fectiveness estimation of 16 individual con-trol surfaces.

AirSTAR was also used in remotely pi-loted evaluations of several flight control al-gorithms during an offset-to-landing taskconducted at altitude. Each algorithm wasassessed using Cooper-Harper ratings andtime-history measurements to determinesuitability in preventing loss of control asstability and control characteristics were de-graded using an in-flight simulation tech-nique. The study found that the tested adap-tive flight control laws performed betterthan the conventional linear control laws.

The Boeing Phantom Ray UAV com-pleted the initial flight test in a 17-min flightthat evaluated ground handling, flight con-trol, navigation, and pilot interface. The testincluded a climb to 7,500 ft and a maxi-mum speed of 178 kt, which demonstratedairworthiness and motivated additionalflight tests of handling and mission capabil-ity. The fighter-size Phantom Ray is in-tended as a technology demonstrator andas a platform for developing future UAVand UAS technologies.

Boeing also is planning a flight of thehigh-altitude, long-endurance Phantom Eye

by Mujahid Abdulrahim,Bruce Owens, ThomasNicoll, and Daniel Murri

Flights of NASA’s AirSTAR aircraftwere part of the NASA AviationSafety Program.



measurements from AEDC. This combina-tion enables them to predict, measure, anddocument the global impact of boundarylayer instabilities that drive significant heat-ing phenomena on hypersonic systems.

NASA’s entry, descent, and landing proj-ect is investigating supersonic retropropul-sion (SRP) as an enabling entry systemtechnology for human exploration of Mars.Wind tunnel testing was completed atNASA Langley to aid in the validation ofCFD models needed to simulate the com-plex SRP fluid dynamics expected in flight.

Rolls-Royce and researchers at the Tech-nische Universität (TU) Berlin demonstratedadvances in active flow control for turbo-machinery applications. Closed-loop con-trol with pulsed-blowing actuation from theendwalls, combined with actuators on thesuction surface of blades in a stator cas-cade, increased static pressure recovery andreduced the losses associated with second-ary flow structures. This combination alsoincreased the amount of flow turning thatcould be achieved.

Researchers from Illinois Institute ofTechnology, TU Berlin, and Caltech devel-oped closed-loop control algorithms forgust suppression in a randomized unsteadyfreestream flow over a wing in a wind tun-nel. The control system bandwidth was lim-ited by fundamental time delays in the sep-arated flow over the wing. Researchers atPrinceton devised a new approach to re-duced-order modeling of Wagner’s indicialresponse function that will be useful forclosed-loop control architectures.

Researchers at Caltech have demon-strated that small-amplitude, time-depen-dent changes to the roughness geometry ofa continuous immersed surface (a ‘dynamicroughness’) can be used to obtain controlauthority ranging from the control of thelateral force profile in bluff body flow tomanipulation of the characteristics of turbu-lent boundary layers. Associated modelingefforts are being exploited to predict actua-tion approaches that result in reduced skinfriction.

Los Alamos National Lab is building awind turbine field station to study turbine-turbine interactions at the 5-10-m scale. Re-cent diagnostics developed there, includinglarge-field-of-view and rotating particle im-age velocimetry, promise to provide infor-mation on wake structure and blade sepa-ration. The field station will be open toresearchers from industry, national labora-tories, and universities.

Fluid dynamics

This year brought many exciting develop-ments in fluid dynamics, particularly in theareas of supersonic and hypersonic flow,flow control, boundary layers, and windturbine interactions.

In a historic first, ahigh-resolution ground-based optical system po-sitioned in Florida cap-tured the progressivedevelopment and move-ment of thermal patternson the shuttle Endeav-our’s lower surface re-sulting from hypersoniclaminar boundary layertransition. Analysts atJohns Hopkins Univer-sity will provide NASA

researchers with quantitative global temper-ature distributions derived from theseunique observations. Transition onset timesand turbulent spreading characteristics willbe used to tune engineering-based transi-tion predictive capabilities developed dur-ing the shuttle return to flight program.

Researchers conducting experimentaltesting and numerical modeling will use thecollective data from this mission and sixothers to characterize and reduce uncer-tainties associated with ground-to-flight ex-trapolation techniques and state-of-the-artcomputational prediction methods. Thedemonstrated remote sensing capability en-ables a next-generation imagery systemwith enhanced spatial/temporal resolutionto complement flight testing employing thetraditional discrete high-frequency surfaceinstrumentation required for advancementsin physics-based modeling.

Until recently, test and evaluation of hy-personic systems consisted of measuring in-tegrated forces and moments. As a team,the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,DARPA, and Arnold Engineering Develop-ment Center have championed the refine-ment and integration of a suite of scientificresearch tools that have been implementedin AEDC’s Tunnel 9. These provide a pow-erful new capability in aerothermal analy-sis. Engineers combined high-fidelity com-putations and stability analysis from theUniversity of Minnesota, high-frequencypressure measurement practices from Pur-due, and surface temperature-sensitive paintby Michael W. Plesniak

AerospAce scIeNces

Quantitative thermal imageryobtained by the HypersonicThermodynamic Infrared Measurements team provided aunique, never before observedperspective on the global distri-bution of surface temperatureand the state of the boundarylayer (laminar/turbulent) overthe entire windward surface ofthe shuttle during portions ofhypersonic reentry. Observationsmade over a period of approxi-mately 2.5 years spanning sevenshuttle missions covered theMach range from 6.2 to 18.1.



of full-scale scramjet vehicle performanceand of the instabilities created during stageseparation of high-performance interceptorvehicles. Meanwhile, CUBRC’s large-scaleLENS XX Expansion Tunnel became fullyoperational and was used to study the flowover capsule configurations and slenderglide vehicles at velocities up to 10 km/sec.

At the Aerodynamics Lab of the NationalResearch Council Canada, several upgradesto the data acquisition and control systemsof the 1.5-m trisonic pressurized wind tun-nel were performed. The council is alsocontinuing its development of pressure sen-sitive paint technology with a focus on lowMach/high dynamic pressure environmentsas well as unsteady flow fields.

In the U.K., a team of British and U.S.researchers developed a new methodologyfor boundary layer transition detection us-ing temperature sensitive paint and vali-dated it in the Aircraft Research Associa-tion’s Transonic Wind Tunnel.

ONERA, the French aerospace lab, builtand tested a new open-rotor test rig in as-sociation with Snecma in the S1MA high-speed wind tunnel. First results on the testrig have demonstrated that the test objec-tives of measuring propeller efficiency andacquiring acoustic data were fully met.Blade deformation was also measured dur-ing the test campaign.

At DNW German-Dutch Wind Tunnels,the low-speed wind tunnel NWB has be-come fully operational again after a majoroverhaul. This improvement enabled acous-tic testing in both a closed and open testsection with an anechoic plenum certifiedfrom 100 Hz to 40 kHz. Similarly, at theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency, anew anechoic test section using Kevlarwalls was installed in the agency’s 2x2 mlow-speed wind tunnel. These final exam-ples are indicative of the growing interest intesting noise reduction technologies in pro-duction wind tunnels.

Ground testing

During the past year, the ground testingcommunity has seen an interesting series ofdevelopments involving both facility up-grades and innovative test techniques.

At NASA Langley, a dual-channel high-pressure air system has been installed inthe National Transonic Facility that allowsactive flow control concepts and propul-sion models to be tested at high Reynoldsnumbers. Meanwhile, the HYMETS (hyper-sonics materials environmental test system)was used for tests by the Mars entry, de-scent, and landing technology developmentproject, an activity of the NASA ExplorationSystems Mission. Several candidate ablativethermal protection materials were screenedfor survivability and performance in boththe simulated Earth (air) and Martian (CO2)entry environments.

At NASA Glenn, a low sonic boom su-personic inlet designed by GulfstreamAerospace and incorporating a vortex gen-erator-based flow control system developedby NASA and the University of Illinois atUrbana Champaign was tested in the 8x6-ftSupersonic Wind Tunnel. A four-phase testprogram on turbine-based combined-cyclemode transition was also started using theCCE-LIMX (combined-cycle engine–inletmode transition experiment) testbed inGlenn’s 10x10-ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel.The testbed enabled investigation of themode transition between the low-speed tur-bine engine and the dual-mode ram/scram-jet engine in combined-cycle propulsionsystems.

At NASA Ames, two tests supporting de-velopment of the launch abort system forthe Orion multipurpose crew vehicle wererun in the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel forMach 0.3-2.5. The first test examined thestability and controllability of the launchabort system. The second test simulated itsacoustic environment and provided fluctu-ating surface pressure data at over 200points on the vehicle’s surface.

At the Arnold Engineering DevelopmentCenter in Tennessee, testing of the Pratt &Whitney F135 short takeoff/vertical landingvariant propulsion system reached an im-portant milestone with the successful com-pletion of a high-temperature margin test.

New techniques developed at Calspan-University of Buffalo Research Center, orCUBRC, have enabled ‘free flying’ studies

A major overhaul of the DNWNWB low-speed wind tunnel enabled it to conduct tests onitems such as this model of DLR’sAdvanced Low Noise Aircraft.

by Julien Weiss



AerospAce scIeNces

first flight, which lasted 17 min. An adaptiveaugmentation control system enhances theaircraft’s robustness to system uncertaintiesand its autonomous operations.

For the Army’s joint precision airdropsystem, software developed by Draper Laboratory enables clusters of guided para-chutes to avoid terrain, and each other, dur-ing descent. The parachutes are fully au-tonomous during their entire descent;advanced onboard optimization-based guid-ance algorithms enable them to fly for sev-eral miles using onboard terrain databasesfor guidance around obstacles and for highlyprecise landings.

NASA Langley used the AirSTAR generictransport model, a 5.5% dynamically scaled,remotely piloted, jet-powered aircraft, toadvance modeling and control at extremeparts of the air flight envelope. Use of theL1 adaptive control enabled real-time air-craft model parameter identification in thestall, poststall, and departure regions of theflight envelope in a single maneuver. Al-though the aircraft is not fully controllablein the departure region, the L1 adaptivecontrol law enabled longer data acquisitiontime at these conditions and facilitated safeaircraft recovery.

DARPA held a second flight test of itsFalcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle-2 (HTV-2),an unmanned, highly maneuverable, heav-ily instrumented ‘data truck’ designed to ad-vance aerodynamic and aerothermal mod-eling and GN&C technologies in the hyper-velocity flight regimes at speeds exceedingMach 20. In August a Minotaur IV rocketboosted the HTV-2 to orbital insertionspeeds on a low-elevation boost-path be-fore release; after booster separation, theHTV-2 was designed to maneuver to per-form a ballistic atmospheric reentry, exe-cute a pull-up after pierce-point, then fly along-endurance, in-atmosphere poweredglide phase that includes maneuvers tohelp characterize its aerodynamic proper-ties in high-speed regimes.

HTV-2 provided data through boost,apogee reorient, ballistic return, and atmos-pheric reentry. Ground control lost contactwith the vehicle during its aerodynamicglide phase. HTV-2 had been modified afterits first flight, moving its center of gravity,reducing angle of attack to increase con-trollability, and augmenting its aerodynamiccontrol surfaces with RCS steering jets. Un-til loss of contact, HTV-2 demonstrated thatit could maintain GPS lock through speedsof nearly Mach 20.

Guidance, navigation, and control

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’sEngineering Test Satellite-VIII successfullytested several novel robust attitude controllaws, including mu-synthesis-based designs,a direct velocity and displacement feedbackcontrol law, and a linearly interpolated gain

scheduling law. The goalis to develop a technicalbasis for the orbital con-trol of future large flexi-ble spacecraft.

Mango and Tango,the Prisma system’s twospacecraft, feature rela-tive GN&C componentsto control relative posi-tion and attitude. Mangohas reaction wheels forattitude control andthrusters for relative 3Dposition control, includ-ing the first flight dem-onstration of a new mi-cropropulsion thruster.Tango has only magnetictorquers for attitude con-trol (no translation con-trol actuators). For for-

mation flight and approach/rendezvousdemonstrations, Prisma uses GPS-based rel-ative navigation, a formation-flying RF sen-sor, and a dual-use, vision-based sensor forclose-in relative position/attitude telemetrythat also serves as a miniature star-tracker.Prisma conducted numerous successful ex-periments in autonomous formation flight,RF-based formation flight, approach, ren-dezvous, and stationkeeping.

AeroVironment reached a milestone inDARPA’s nano air vehicle program with the19-g, 16-cm-wingspan Nano Hummingbird.The UAS can be independently controlledup/down, forward/backward, left/right, andin yaw by modulating the thrust and shapeof the wings using four electric motors. Itcan fly both indoors and out for up to 10min, streaming video back to a palmtopbase station. It has demonstrated hover, for-ward flight at up to 11 mph, and even a360° autonomous lateral flip. It has shownstability of hover in lateral wind gusts of upto 5 mph.

Boeing’s Phantom Ray, an autonomousfighter-size UAS, successfully completed its

by Luisella Giulicchi,Uday Shankar, JonathanHow, Irene Gregory,and Leena Singh

The Nano Hummingbird can flyfor up to 10 min, streamingvideo back to a base station.



Meshing, visualization, and computational environments

Over the past 30+ years, CAD has becomethe mainstay of the engineering communityas it enables design ideas to be sharedgraphically. The role of CAD modeling hasalso become more prominent as CAD is in-creasingly integrated with computer numer-ical control (CNC) machines. CNC hasmade the fabrication of designs easier evenfor those without a high degree of machin-ing skill, thus allowing an idea to leap fromthe designer’s mind to the screen to pro-duction in a highly automated fashion.

While many CAD packages also includebasic simulation tools, such as linear-elasticmodeling for structural analysis, these toolsare often limited by the size of the meshthat can be created on a common desktopworkstation; by the ability to generate anappropriate discretization automatically;and by lack of availability of the sourcecode. Many in the research community seethe latter as a significant barrier to solutionauthentication. Because the user is not al-ways certain of the methodology used inconstructing the solution, its correctnessand applicability are subject to question.

For those wishing to use CAD modelsfor high-fidelity physics-based analysis anddesign, a painstaking manual process mustbe undertaken to make the CAD descrip-tion ‘watertight,’ possibly to convert the fileto an acceptable format for mesh genera-tion, and then to generate a mesh on thediscretized geometry. Adding to the diffi-culty is that many CAD engines and‘generic’ file formats, such as .igs, are verylimited in their ability to maintain featuresand parameters unique to the design’s fea-ture tree. However, the use of CAPRI,which was developed by researchers atMIT, has significantly improved that pro-cess by allowing the CFD user to interfacewith multiple CAD engines and access thefeature tree remotely.

In addition, a significant research efforthas been devoted to automating the CADcleanup process and generating a high-quality surface mesh that resolves thegeometry as realistically as possible. Thisproduces more accurate solutions and di-rect transferability of design-optimized partsto fabrication. It also provides the meshgeneration tool with an accurate, optimized by Vincent C. Betro

geometric description with which to work.On a different front, overset mesh gen-

eration has seen increased use due to opti-mized methods of interpolation and moreavailable storage. Research codes such asSUGGAR++, which was developed by re-searchers at Penn State, have made theirway into commercial software packagessuch as Pointwise, and organizations suchas the USAF have taken notice and begunfunding projects to streamline the use of

overset methods for CFD analysis.Finally, adaptive meshing is always in

the news, as much progress has been madein automating the process using increas-ingly complex mathematical models to gen-erate metrics to refine or coarsen the meshbased on error estimates, flow features, andadjoint methods. Models such as the Lip-schitz continuity function, Richardson ex-trapolation, particle behavior, and targetmatrices have debuted with highly robustresults.

As processors become faster and mem-ory becomes larger and more affordable,meshing, visualization, and computationalenvironments continuously evolve to takeadvantage of the availability of new hard-ware technology. Truly dynamic adaptivemeshing is attainable in the near term asthe community converges on metrics andquality measures in support of activitiessuch as the AIAA Drag Prediction Work-shop and the Mesh Quality Workshopsponsored by DOD and AIAA.

TRAM solutions are generatedwith solution-based adaptationwhen the nondimensional Qmethod is used to guide the automated mesh refinementprocess. A Y-cut plane depictsthe off-body grid, and the isosurfaces shown representequivalent values of Q, which arecolored by vorticity magnitude.



Group, whose first meeting attracted atten-dees from academia, industry, and govern-ment, with representation from five coun-tries. Initial discussions focused on shiftingthe orientation of the field from basic re-search to technology development, and onfostering cross-disciplinary communicationand collaboration.

There was considerable activity on mul-tiple fronts within the various areas of lasertechnology development. The AirborneAero-Optics Laboratory at the University ofNotre Dame, an in-situ facility for measure-ment of aerooptical aberrations and assess-ment of laser turret configurations, pro-vided the first in-flight experiment data fora flat-windowed turret, an important contri-bution to the high-energy-laser community.These data, collected using a high-speedwavefront sensor with high temporal andspatial resolution, showed trends consistentwith the known flow topology of turrets,namely increased flow separation andaerooptical aberration with angle rotationtoward the aft. In addition, the data wereshown to be scaled by normalization usingthe density and Mach number, providing aconvenient means to connect low Machnumber data to higher Mach number com-pressible data typical of the flight regime.

The DOD saw increased activity in ef-forts to develop weapons-class electricallypowered solid-state lasers. The High En-ergy Laser Joint Technology Office, in col-laboration with the Army Space and MissileDefense Command and AFRL, undertookthe Robust Electric Laser Initiative, fundingGeneral Atomics, Lockheed Martin, North-rop Grumman, and Raytheon to develophigh beam quality, 100-kW-class lasers asprecursors to weapons-class systems. TheMissile Defense Agency’s Airborne LaserTestbed continued in-flight testing of thelaser weapon, building on its missile shoot-down successes in 2010. Extending effortsto develop electrically powered gas lasertechnology, researchers at CU Aerospacedemonstrated scaling of electric oxygen io-dine laser technology, substantially increas-ing laser power over previous efforts.

In a similar light, researchers at the AirForce Academy, AFRL, and Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratory demonstratedfurther improvements in the hybrid gas-electric diode pumped alkali laser technol-ogy, which has the potential to supersedeboth solid-state and chemical laser technol-ogy with lower logistics footprints andhigher efficiencies.

Plasmadynamics and lasers

Research in plasma aerodynamics contin-ued to expand this year. Meetings held byAIAA hosted a total of nine sessions de-voted to the topic of plasma actuators, twoon plasma-assisted combustion, and threeon magnetohydrodynamic flow control.

There has been notable recent successin demonstrating plasma-based flow controlin higher speed regimes. Notre Dame Uni-versity has demonstrated control with alter-nating current dielectric barrier dischargeactuators (AC DBDs) at high subsonicspeeds (up to Mach 0.5) for a variety of ap-plications, employing thick dielectrics andvery high applied voltages. Ohio State Uni-versity researchers have demonstrated con-trol of bow shock standoff in a Mach 5 flowover a cylinder using nanosecond-pulse di-electric barrier discharge actuators (ns-DBDs). Princeton University and SpectralEnergies have demonstrated femtosecond-laser-designed microwave power depositionin air, a promising technology for the super-sonic and hypersonic regimes.

There also has been significant progressin numerical modeling. The Air Force Re-search Laboratory (AFRL) has carried outimplicit large-eddy simulations of the flap-ping wing of a micro air vehicle, using aserpentine AC DBD actuator for leading-edge stall control. At the University ofToulouse in France, researchers have repli-cated experimentally observed shocksformed with ns-DBDs. The effect is a resultof fast electron-neutral energy transfer, amechanism first identified by researchers atMoscow State University. AFRL and theUniversity of Washington have demon-strated five-moment, three-fluid models ofglow discharges. Tech-X has carried out 3Dparticle-in-cell calculations of ns-DBDs.

This year also saw the formation of theAIAA Plasma Aerodynamics Discussion

by Timothy J. Maddenand Jonathan Poggie

AerospAce scIeNces

The laser turret and testingconfiguration for the AirborneAero-Optics Laboratory at theUniversity of Notre Dame arecarried aloft.



W/cm2, and the carbon-based materialswere effective in environments up to 530W/cm2. A second year of innovation has ledto the generation of 15 different variantsand improvements on these NASA-devel-oped materials, together with five vendor-developed materials.

Given the performance of the carbon-based materials at high heat fluxes, it is en-visioned that they may also substantially in-crease reliability and reduce life cycle costof rigid aeroshell-based entry systems formultiple missions. The GCDP (game chang-ing development program), an effort by Of-fice of the Chief Technologist at NASA, hasidentified a need for the development offlexible ablative TPS capable of supportingexploration class missions. Based on thesuccess of the work done in 2010 and thisyear under the project, this program will befunding further development in 2012.

Thermophysics

Engineers in the Entry Systems and Tech-nology Division at NASA Ames developeda fully instrumented small atmospheric en-try probe called SPRITE (small probe reen-try investigation for TPS engineering). Con-ceived as a flight testbed for thermalprotection materials, SPRITE was tested atfull scale in an arcjet facility so that theaerothermal environments the probe expe-riences over portions of its flight trajectoryand in the arcjet are similar. This ground-to-flight traceability enhances the ability ofmission designers to evaluate the marginsneeded in the design of thermal protectionsystems (TPS) for larger scale atmosphericentry vehicles.SPRITE is a 14-in.-diam., 45-deg sphere-

cone with a conical aftbody and is designedfor testing in the NASA Ames AerodynamicHeating Facility. The probe is a two-partaluminum shell with PICA (phenolic im-pregnated carbon ablator) bonded on theforebody and LI-2200 (space shuttle tilematerial) bonded to the aftbody. Plugs withembedded thermocouples similar to thoseinstalled in the heat shield of the Mars Sci-ence Laboratory are integrated into the de-sign, as are a number of distributed sensors.The data from these sensors are fed to aninnovative, custom-designed data acquisi-tion system that is also integrated with thetest article.Two identical SPRITE models were built

and successfully tested in late 2010 andearly 2011, and the concept is currently be-ing modified to enable testing of conforma-ble and/or flexible materials.The NASA entry, descent, and landing

technology development project is devel-oping flexible ablative thermal protectionmaterials to enable inflatable or deployablelow ballistic coefficient entry systems forexploration at Mars. Use of these systemsmight also be extended to payload deliveryat Venus, Saturn, and Earth.The original flexible concepts were

based on rigid ablator chemistry utilizingsilica and carbon flexible substrates. Moreinnovative approaches were developedconcurrently and use polymeric and poly-meric/organic flexible substrates.Screening tests were performed on

these materials with excellent results. Thesilica- and polymer-based materials easilysurvived aerothermal environments of 120

by Dinesh K. Prabhuand Robin A. Beck

A sequence of photos shows the SPRITE model before testing in a plasma flow (A), in theplasma flow (B), and after exposure to the flow (C).



velopment of more energy efficient air traf-fic operations. User-preferred managementof traffic flow constraints, begun this year,will afford airlines flexibility in their operat-ing strategies while still meeting system ob-jectives. In addition, a field test of a newtechnology that enables continuous de-scents has demonstrated lower fuel con-sumption and reduced carbon dioxideemissions. The use of these tailored arrivalshas cut fuel consumption and total carbonemissions during descent in Los Angeles,Miami, and especially San Francisco, whereover 11,000 flights have benefited from thisnew technology.

ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveil-lance-Broadcast) technology is being uti-lized to reduce fuel burn and improve flightsafety on transoceanic flights. ADS-B pro-vides greater situational awareness ofnearby traffic, which enables the in-trailprocedure, in which aircraft use these datato find more favorable, unoccupied alti-tudes along the oceanic tracks. As a result,they can fly more efficiently while stillmaintaining safe distances from surround-ing traffic.

Another change in traffic control hasstemmed from the expanded use of un-manned aircraft systems (UAS) operationsfor both civilian and military purposes. UASusage has increased both domestically andabroad in the past year, highlighting bothadvances and areas of improvement. Athome, the Dept. of Homeland Security hasexpanded the use of UAS for border secu-rity to include counternarcotic activities.The Navy has integrated the MQ-8B FireScout UAS into operations on the USS Haly-burton. This UAS has been used to chasepirates in the Indian Ocean, watch overtroops in Afghanistan, and provide recon-naissance in Libya. The use of this aircrafthas kept U.S. soldiers out of harm’s way.One such example occurred when a FireScout was shot down during a scoutingmission in Libya.

Highlighting the need for new controlstrategies, a drone was involved in a midaircollision with a C-130 military cargo planein eastern Afghanistan on August 15. Fortu-nately, there were no crew injuries, and thecargo plane was able to make an emer-gency landing with only minor damage. Tothat end, the Army demonstrated recent ad-vances in manned-unmanned interoperabil-ity during the MUSIC (manned unmannedsystem integration capability) exercise inSeptember.

Air transportation

The global airline industry has faced a chal-lenging year, with higher oil prices andgreat economic uncertainty. However,buoyed by higher-than-expected passengerdemand, especially in Asia, the industry isexpected to earn a positive net profit forthe year, though less than what was earnedin 2010. Although this is a welcome devel-opment given current conditions, the in-dustry still has a difficult road ahead in2012 because of continued weak economicgrowth and stubbornly high fuel costs.

The rising cost of fuel and changingcommercial transport business models con-tinued to drive the design of more fuel-effi-cient aircraft with lower operating costs.However, the industry struggled over thetradeoff between developing wholly newmodels, which take substantial time and in-vestment, and making major improvementsto production models. This year the Boeing787 and 747-8 were introduced into service,after overcoming substantial manufacturingand supply-chain challenges. In the nar-rowbody market, the late 2010 launch of ahighly efficient reengined Airbus A320neo,and announcements of new entrants in thenarrowbody market, pushed Boeing to an-nounce its next new aircraft, the 737 MAX.

One way the airline industry has soughtto maintain profitability is through mergers.The growing pains of recent mergers suchas those of Delta/Northwest Airlines andUnited/Continental Airlines were felt thisyear, but both emerging companies are be-ginning to coalesce as they vie for the titleof ‘world’s largest passenger airline.’

Higher fuel prices also spurred the de-

by the AIAAAir TransportationTechnical Committee

AIRCRAFT AND ATmospheRIC sYsTems

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner wasintroduced into service this year.

AT-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 2:47 PM Page 2


air parafoil control mechanism for lateraland longitudinal control of autonomous air-drop systems. Flight test results indicatechanges in glide slope from 3.0 to 1.0 andgood turn rate control authority. At the Uni-versity of Alabama at Huntsville, re-searchers have integrated multiple minia-ture wireless inertial sensors into a parafoilcanopy and payload. Both rigid body andflexible canopy dynamics modes wereidentified using these sensors.

New commercial software and fastercomputing platforms have enabled the useof CFD, CSD, and FSI (fluid-structure inter-actions) simulations in parachute problemsthat until recently were deemed too com-plex and too computationally intensive forshort-term efficient solutions. This year sawthe first simulations of unsteady behavior,such as parachute inflation and landingspeed reduction using pneumatic musclecontraction, by Airborne Systems, SaintLouis University, and DGA Aeronauticalsystems in France. Simulations of a clustersystem showing the overall response andindividual canopy motion were performedby Natick Soldier Research Center, RiceUniversity, Bethel College, and the Univer-sities of Connecticut and Texas-El Paso.

A NASA and industry team is workingtoward a 2012 launch date for the inflatablereentry vehicle experiment-3. The hyper-sonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator(HIAD) consists of a cone-shaped configu-ration of seven braided inflatable tori, witha flexible thermal protection system toshield against the heat of reentry. The cen-terbody will provide inflation gas, teleme-try, and a center of gravity offset system togenerate lift. A HIAD can be used to delivera larger payload than a traditional rigid heatshield, since its size is not limited by thebooster shroud diameter. When launched,IRVE-3 will reach an altitude of 450 km andthen reenter Earth’s atmosphere at Mach 10.

For more information on the AIAAAerodynamic Decelerator Technical Com-mittee, please visit https://info.aiaa.org/tac/AASG/ADSTC/default.aspx.

Aerodynamic decelerator systems

The field of aerodynamic decelerator sys-tems has seen many exciting advancementsthis year. Aerial delivery remains an in-creasingly critical and successful method ofdelivering supplies safely, accurately, andrapidly to NATO forces. Airdrops in Af-ghanistan are projected to top 100 millionlb by year’s end. These resupply missionsoften support otherwise inaccessible loca-tions. DOD leaders continue to support im-provements in current airdrop capabilitiesand new airdrop technologies. The ongo-ing focus is to reduce system costs, increaseaccuracy, and expand the range of deploy-ment conditions.

Two drop tests of the capsule parachuteassembly system (CPAS) for the multipur-pose crew vehicle (MPCV) were conductedto assess the performance of higher poros-ity main canopies. A third drop test in Sep-tember included a representative parachutecompartment. A series of full-scale CPASground tests also took place. JPL conducteda CPAS drogue parachute test program atthe Texas A&M low-speed wind tunnel.The team flew 10%-scale conical ribbonparachutes in the wake of a scaled MPCV.High-speed video, time-resolved drag, andparticle image velocimetry measurementswere made to explore the coupling of theMPCV wake to parachute performance.

The Mars Science Laboratory parachutemortar system completed qualification test-ing. The flight mortars were delivered to Pi-oneer Aerospace for final assembly with theparachute packs. Following extensive re-views of the build and test data, the sys-tems were approved by NASA JPL and theflight unit was shipped to Kennedy SpaceCenter for integration and installation sev-eral months before the spacecraft’s Novem-ber launch.

A single 150-ft-diam. Ares main para-chute was successfully tested at the Army’sYuma Proving Ground. The 72,000-lb jumbodrop test vehicle (JDTV) was extractedfrom a USAF C-17 aircraft at an altitude of25,000 ft. The JDTV descended under aprogrammer chute until main parachute de-ployment. The total extracted weight was85,000 lb, a record for C-17 single payloadextraction.

Researchers from the Georgia Instituteof Technology created a new canopy bleed

by Lauren S. Shookand John W. Watkins

An Ares main parachutewas successfully extractedfrom a C-17 at an altitudeof 25,000 ft.



lance UAS, scheduled to make its first flightin 2012 and to join the fleet in FY16.

In other continuing development pro-grams, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, theNavy’s newest airborne early warning andcommand and control aircraft, is complet-ing carrier suitability testing. The F-35 JSFhas completed static structural testing, andflight tests continue with all three variants:the Air Force F-35A CTOL, Marine Corps F-35B STOVL, and Navy F-35C carrier vari-ant. The F-35C completed jet blast deflectortesting to validate its compatibility aboardan aircraft carrier, and the F-35B has beguntesting at sea aboard the USS Wasp. Thefirst Boeing P-8I for India’s navy completedits first flight.

The Air Force awarded Boeing the con-tract to develop its next-generation aerial-refueling tanker, the KC-46A, based on the767-200 platform.

The commercial aircraft segment sawseveral major accomplishments. Boeingcertified the first all-composite commercialtransport, the 787-8 Dreamliner, followedby its first delivery to launch customerANA. Just weeks before, Boeing’s largestever airplane, the 747-8 Freighter, wasgranted certification for entry into service.The passenger version, the 747-8 Intercon-tinental, had its first flight, and flight testingcontinues.

Joining Bombardier’s CSeries already indevelopment in the narrowbody commer-cial transport segment, Airbus launched itsreengined A320neo, with the choice of ei-ther Pratt & Whitney PW1100G or CFM In-ternational LEAP-X powerplants. Boeinglater announced development of its 737MAX, using CFM LEAP-1B engines.

In the midsize business jet segment,Gulfstream’s ultra-long-range G650 com-pleted several flight testing milestones enroute to its type certification this year.

The field of electric and hybrid electricairplanes continues to grow. EADS intro-duced a series-hybrid motor glider. TheTaurus G4, a four-seat all-electric testbeddeveloped by Pipistrel and Penn State,flew. These aircraft participated in the CAFEFoundation Green Flight Challenge. PascalChretien piloted an all-electric helicopterfor 2 min 10 sec on the first flight of anysuch vehicle.

Significant aircraft development studiesprogressed. NASA’s Environmentally Re-sponsible Aviation project is supportingtechnology developments to reduce fuelconsumption, emissions, and noise.

Aircraft design

2011 was a busy year for aviation, markingsignificant accomplishments within the mil-itary and commercial sectors.

Sikorsky’s high-speed X2 technologydemonstrator completed flight testing,achieving its historic 253-kt level flight, andushering in a new era of high-speed mili-tary helicopters. The X2 demonstrator usedtwin coaxial counterrotating main rotorsand a pusher propeller to enable high-speed cruise.

The U.S. Navy celebrated the Centennialof Naval Aviation, and major milestoneswere attained in the area of carrier systemsand UAS supporting naval operations.

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmannedcombat air system demonstration aircraftcompleted its first flight. A modified F/A-18D (using the X-47B precision GPS guid-ance and control laws) successfully com-pleted shipboard surrogate testing aboardthe USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The aircraftachieved a completely automated (cou-pled) Case I approach to the deck of theship using the PGPS and TTNT datalinksystems. This was the first such approach innaval history. It was followed by the firstcoupled trap on a Case III straight-in ap-proach and the first coupled trap on a CaseI approach. The tailless fighter-sized un-manned aircraft is presently preparing forcarrier-based flight tests.

The Navy completed its first aircraftlaunch using the electromagnetic aircraftlaunch system. This will replace today’ssteam catapult system on next-generationaircraft carriers to reduce maintenance andpersonnel costs.

Northrop Grumman continues develop-ment of the medium-range cargo-haulingVTOL Fire-X UAV and the composite bat-shaped Bat UAS, an affordable multimissionmodular system. The company is also test-ing the multifunction active sensor for theNavy’s MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveil-

by Dyna Benchergui,Charlie Svoboda,and Michael Drake


The X2 technology demon-strator sets a250-kt cruisespeed record, using its tail-mounted pusher prop.The helicopter’s contra-rotating coaxial rotors slowas it accelerates.



At the other end of the spectrum,Aerostar is also continuing to develop itssmall balloon flight operations. By provid-ing customers with balloons, communica-tions, control systems, and optional flightservices, this program aims to provide newlow-cost access to the stratosphere for cus-tomers with lightweight payloads.

Space Data’s new balloon-based com-munications system, Lofted Comms, madeits first contributions to combat operations.Marines from the 26th Marine Expedi-tionary Unit attached to Battalion LandingTeam 3/8 used the system to support coun-terinsurgency operations in Helmandprovince, Afghanistan. This spring, thesame unit launched Space Data’s communi-cations balloons from the USS Kearsarge torelay messages to AV-8B Harrier jump jetsflying strike missions over Libya.

At Smith College, researchers continuedto develop the world’s smallest altitude-controlled long-duration balloons. Thesecontrolled meteorological (CMET) balloons

have less mass than stan-dard weather balloonsbut can communicatefrom anywhere on Earthvia satellite, perform con-tinuous soundings up to 5km altitude, and remainairborne for periods ofdays to weeks in the ab-sence of precipitation. Thisyear, CMET balloonswere flown in scientificstudies in the Arctic andover the Amazon.

JPL, Caltech, and NearSpace performed a coor-dinated set of cryogenicand room-temperatureexperiments on small-scale Titan Montgolfiere(hot air) balloons and

used the data to validate a turbulent flowCFD model. The experimental data set in-cludes infrared images of balloon testing atroom temperature that provided detailedtemperature distributions. This work is partof the ongoing effort to bring Titan balloontechnology to maturity for possible use in afuture planetary mission.

Balloon systems continue to providelow-cost, fast-turnaround, flexible, and in-novative solutions to the military, planetaryscience, atmospheric studies, commercialapplications, and accessible fundamentalspace science.

Balloon systems

This has been a very active year for the bal-looning community. Researchers from gov-ernment, industry, and academia continueddeveloping novel and ever more capableballoons, deploying them from Antarcticato the Arctic and from numerous locationsin between.

The NASA Balloon Program continuedto support science users on the cuttingedge of high-energy physics, space science,and cosmology. Personnel from NASA’s Co-lumbia Scientific Balloon Facility conductedflights from Antarctica, Australia, Sweden,Texas, and New Mexico, with mission andsafety oversight from NASA’s Wallops FlightFacility. Several important technology development efforts met with success. Theenhanced rotator, which provides coursepayload pointing to ±1 deg, was flownthree times this year. The Wallops arc-sec-ond pointer was test flownduring the fall activities atFort Sumner, New Mexico,to demonstrate that balloon-borne telescopes could bepointed at inertial targetswith arc-second accuracy.

In early January, theBalloon Program alsolaunched a 422,400-m3 Su-per Pressure Balloon(SPB) on a test flight fromMcMurdo Station, Antarc-tica. With a lift capacity of1,800 kg, the balloon cir-cumnavigated the conti-nent at an altitude of 33km in just over 22 days.The balloon deployed andperformed flawlessly, main-taining near-constant-pres-sure altitude (±200 m), without any de-tectible helium loss during flight. The SPBwas terminated on command to allow re-covery of the payload and portions of theballoon during the campaign. The missionwas a resounding success.

Aerostar continued to support the pro-gram through the design and production ofheavy-lift stratospheric balloons. This workincluded pushing the boundaries of designand fabrication techniques in support of theSPB project. After the record-setting SPBflight this year, production is now underway on a larger, 510,000-m3 SPB envelope.

by the AIAA Balloon Systems Technical Committee

The 11th Marine ExpeditionaryUnit launches Space Data’sSkySat communication balloonfrom the deck of the USS MakinIsland. Official USMC photo byCpl. Tommy Huynh.



and 1,150 test hours. Flight tests of theG650 have resumed after a mishap resultedin the death of its four-member test crew.This tragedy underscores the hazards inher-ent in flight test even when conducted byskilled and diligent professional teams. Les-sons from mishaps are shared within thetest community and ultimately enable thefielding of safer, more reliable aircraft.In military aviation, there were several

milestones in the flight testing of the F-35JSF. These included its 1,000th test flight,and jet blast deflector testing to ensurecompatibility with carrier operations. Todate, there have been more than 122 verti-cal landings conducted; the F-35A (conven-tional takeoff and landing) jets have flownover 250 flights, the F-35Bs (short takeoffand landing) have flown more than 187,and the F-35Cs (carrier) more than 81.The Northrop Grumman X-47B, a UAS

developed for aircraft carrier use, con-ducted a 29-min first flight on February 4.The stealthy, tailless demonstrator is a steptoward the long-held Navy goal of marryingpersistent, autonomous unmanned intelli-gence and strike aircraft with the reach ofits fleet of aircraft carriers. The Boeing-fi-nanced Phantom Ray, a stealthy fighter-sized UAS intended to be used as a testbedfor advanced technologies, arrived at Ed-wards AFB atop a NASA shuttle carrier air-craft (a modified B-747) and had its firstflight on April 17.Two hypersonic test flights took place,

and both experienced difficulties that high-lighted the technical challenges of flying inthat high-speed and high-temperature envi-ronment. The Air Force X-51A Waveriderflew on June 13. After being released froma B-52H carrier aircraft, the X-51A wasboosted successfully to just over Mach 5,and the scramjet engine lit using ethylenebut did not accelerate to full power usinghydrocarbon fuel when it transitioned toJP7 fuel operation. On August 11, DARPA’ssecond flight of the Falcon HypersonicTechnology Vehicle 2 was an attempt to flythe fastest aircraft ever flown. The craft wassuccessfully inserted into the desired trajec-tory by a Minotaur IV rocket, and thendemonstrated stable flight at Mach 20 fornearly 3 min before an anomaly resulted inloss of signals from the vehicle. Data werecollected with a wide array of assets to helpdevelop a better understanding of thenearly uncharted aerodynamics and condi-tions in that flight environment.

Flight testing

After 30 years of space missions, the spaceshuttle completed its final flight when At-lantis rolled to a stop at the Kennedy SpaceCenter on July 21. The shuttle program hadflown 355 individuals from 16 differentcountries, and logged more than 1,330 daysin space.In the postshuttle era, the U.S. plans to

rely heavily on commercial capabilities foraccess to LEO. On December 8, 2010,SpaceX became the first private company toput a vehicle in orbit and successfully re-cover it. Commercial suborbital spaceflighttesting also made progress when the VirginGalactic SpaceShipTwo had its first feath-ered flight test on May 4. The test verifiedthe unique shuttlecock-type configurationused for descent from space, with a flightperformed from 51,500 ft after the vehicle’srelease from the WhiteKnightTwo carrieraircraft.

Commercial aviation flight testing in-cluded certification of Boeing’s 787 Dream-liner on August 26 after it had accumulated5,021 hr of flight time during 1,768 flights,with the use of seven airframes. Boeingcompleted tests on the 747-8F, a stretchedand updated version of the B-747-400F, re-sulting in certification on August 19.Several general aviation companies have

been developing new models. HondaJetbegan testing its first production-conform-ing prototype last December and has dem-onstrated performance beyond its speedcommitment and flight at the maximum op-erating altitude of 43,000 ft. Gulfstream hasbeen very active in certification flight test-ing of the G250, with over 400 total flightsby Jay Brandon


After its release from the B-52 carrier, the X-51 Waverider was boosted to Mach 5, but it didnot accelerate to full power.



into the four-place market, the P2010. Bothof these aircraft have impressive perform-ance on 180 hp and are expected to sell forwell under $300,000. Tecnam also an-nounced the development of an 11-seat re-gional airliner, the P2012 Traveler. Thisprolific developer continues to deliver fivedifferent models of LSA.Cirrus has been purchased by a Chinese

company, but reports that all productionwill remain in the U.S. The infusion of cap-ital will allow Cirrus to put more effort intonew-model development, including contin-ued work on the Vision Jet. Cirrus also re-ceived an order of 25 SR20s from the AirForce Academy; these are to be designatedT-53A trainers.In June, Icon Aircraft received $25 mil-

lion in funding and expects to complete de-velopment of the A5 by the end of the year.This innovative light sport amphibian,which attracts attention wherever it is dis-played, now has over 600 orders, with pro-duction expected to begin next year.With the declining availability and high

cost of production aircraft, interest inhomebuilt airplanes seems to be increasing.Last year, a total of 941 homebuilts wereadded to the registry, more than the totalnumber of factory-built piston-powered air-craft shipped all year. Unlike the light sportplanes that began this movement, currentkit plane models include many high-perfor-mance, comfortable traveling aircraft. Morethan 32,000 amateur-built planes are nowcertificated.

General aviation

General aviation deliveries continued to de-cline in the first half of this year. Total ship-ments fell 16% over the same period lastyear, for a total of 791 units. The year’slargest decrease was in business jets, withonly 261 units shipped, a decline of 27%over last year. This reduction in high-endsales also caused a 22% drop in totalbillings compared to the first half of 2010.While Bombardier and Gulfstream con-

tinue to ship primarily their larger modeljets, Cessna did the most business with itssmallest, the Citation Mustang light jet.Honda, meanwhile, is actively pursuing thismarket with the HondaJet, several of whichare now flying in the production configura-tion. The model has achieved its speed goalof 425 kt at 30,000 ft and a maximum oper-ating altitude of 43,000 ft. Honda plans tobegin production next year at its new plantin Greensboro, North Carolina.Piston aircraft decreased the least, drop-

ping by 9% to 387 aircraft. Cessna actuallyshipped more piston aircraft than in thesame period last year, a rise due largely tofull production of the new 162 Skycatchermodel. With 61 delivered in the first sixmonths of the year, Cessna becomes thelargest, and only major, U.S. manufacturerof light sport aircraft (LSA), since Piper isout of this market.As dramatically as Piper announced

adoption of the Czech SportCruiser and re-named it PiperSport in January 2010, thisJanuary it dropped the affiliation. The movesupposedly allows Piper to devote more ofits resources to developing its jet, the Al-taire, expected to fly next year. The Sport-Cruiser is still made under its original namein the Czech Republic and accounted forthe third largest LSA delivery in the first halfof the year.Overall, the LSA market remained fairly

stable in this period, with deliveries aboutthe same as last year. Following Cessna,Cubcrafters had the second highest numberof shipments, and Flight Design had thefourth highest, although still remaining theleading LSA market shareholder with a totalof 333 aircraft since the CT was approvedin 2005.Flight Design introduced a four-place

airplane this year, the C4, and displayed amockup at the major air shows. Tecnam,meanwhile, has a flying version of its entry by Hubert C. ‘Skip’ Smith

Icon Aircraft received sufficient funding to complete development of the innovative A5 amphibian and expects to start production next year.



Goodyear Tire and Rubber plans to re-place its present fleet of three nonrigidswith Zeppelin NT07-101 semirigid airships.The German NT07s offer several improve-ments over the older Goodyear type. Com-ponents for the airships will be fabricatedby Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik in Germany.They will be assembled at Goodyear’sWingfoot Lake facilities in Ohio beginningin 2013 and finishing in 2016. Each NT07costs about $21 million. Goodyear alsoleased two A60+ nonrigids from LightshipEurope. These 70,000-ft3 airships, manufac-tured by American Blimp, will tour the U.K.and European countries.

Zeppelin is rebuilding its number 2NT07 airship, which was repurchased fromNippon Aircraft after Nippon’s business fail-ure. The craft will incorporate recent im-provements and will be ready in April 2012for science flights over Italy and northernEuropean countries. In August GermanZeppelin-Reederei, the operational subsid-iary of Zeppelin, completed 10 years ofpassenger service. Over 117,500 passengershave been flown.

Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT07 flew tothe U.S. east coast and returned to Californiaduring the summer months. It visited 23 cities.

The high-altitude HALE-D airship builtby Lockheed Martin was launched from itsbase in Akron, Ohio, on July 27. This wasan initial attempt to reach 60,000 ft altitude.The flight was terminated after reaching32,000 ft because of an anomaly, and theairship was damaged during the recovery.

The World Surveillance Group (previ-ously Sanswire) completed the initial U.S.-based test flights of its STS-111 unmannedair vehicle, now called Argus One, at theEaston, Maryland, airport. The multiseg-mented nonrigid was flown at the Armyproving ground facility in Yuma, Arizona.

Hybrid Air Vehicles in Cranfield, Eng-land, has signed an agreement with Discov-ery Air in Canada to develop an airship ca-pable of carrying a payload of 50 tons. Itwould operate in remote Canadian regionsexploring oil and gas mine resources.

Buoyant Aircraft Systems Internationalin Manitoba, Canada, has developed a sin-gle-seat 80-ft nonrigid to be used as a re-search model to test cold-weather cargo ex-change and other ideas. A hangar has alsobeen built.

Lighter-than-air systems

Northrop Grumman continued to work to-ward delivering the first of three LEMV(long-endurance multiintelligence vehicle)airships to the Army before year’s end. The300-ft-long envelope, built by ILC Dover,was partially inflated in June. The LEMV is ahybrid aircraft designed to generate 40% ofits lift using aerodynamic forces. Deliverywill be followed by deployment toAfghanistan.

The Air Force has awarded a contract toMav6 LLC for a nonrigid airship namedBlue Devil 2, which would provide surveil-lance similar to LEMV’s mission. TCOM LPbuilt the 1.4 million-ft3 envelope. The flightcontrol system, vehicle control system, andradios will be provided by RockwellCollins. The airship is designed to operateat 20,000 ft altitude for 3-5 days. It featuresa supercomputer to handle the vast amountof information collected by listening de-vices, video cameras, communication re-lays, and a wide-area surveillance system.

Lockheed Martin, using the technologydeveloped from its P-791 hybrid airship,plans to build a larger ‘Sky Tug’ under an$86.2-million contract from Aviation CapitalEnterprises in Canada. The 370-ft-long air-ship will use a three-lobe envelope and willcarry part of its lift dynamically. It will carrya payload of 20 tons. The first airship willbe a demonstration and development vehi-cle; a second will be used for certificationin late 2012.

Development of the Skyhook, a heavy-lift hybrid by Boeing, has been halted forlack of funding.by Norman Mayer


The envelope of theBlue Devil airship isinflated with air.



all previous F-35B test flights. These flightsracked up 1,671 test points and more than266 flight hours, and along the way com-pleted 265 short takeoffs.

Before rendezvousing with the USSWASP, the STOVL underwent testing at theNaval Electromagnetic Radiation Facilitythat simulates the shipboard electromag-netic environment to identify any potentialissues with the aircraft.

In other breakthroughs this year, theSikorsky X2 compound helicopter, whichset an unofficial speed record of 253 kt inlevel flight, received the prestigious CollierTrophy on May 5. It made its 23rd and finalflight on June 23, accruing 22 hr in the air.On another front, Eurocopter’s X3 hybridhelicopter achieved an airspeed of 232 kton May 12.

V/STOL aircraft systems

From the start of the year, program andgovernment officials overseeing the devel-opment of the F-35B short takeoff/verticallanding (STOVL) variant had one majormilestone on their radar—ship testing ofthe aircraft on board the USS Wasp.

During Developmental Test 1, test pilotswould verify the F-35B’s basic performanceand handling qualities in a flight envelopethat approximates that used by fleet pilotsduring carrier qualification flights.

But before the F-35B could take to theseas, it had to prove itself worthy in theskies over NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.With that goal in mind, the F-35B team laidout an aggressive flight test plan to ensurethat the jet was ready to take off and landfrom the USS Wasp.

Preparing for shipboard testing wouldbe a journey in itself. By April, the aircrafthad already completed the requisite num-ber of vertical landings to qualify for ship-board testing. In addition, the B model hadlogged more flights than either of the othertwo variants of the F-35 and was signifi-cantly ahead of planned test point comple-tion performance.

The system development and demon-stration (SDD) F-35 fleet at Patuxent Rivergot reinforcements in July with the arrivalof test aircraft BF-5. Lockheed Martin testpilot Bill Gigliotti flew the STOVL for the3.5-hr flight from NAS Fort Worth Joint Re-serve Base in Texas.

Later that same month, Gen. James F.Amos, Marine Corps commandant, high-lighted the F-35B’s test flight performance,inviting more than 30 members of the na-tional media to view the STOVL jet in ac-tion. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. FredSchenk executed a short takeoff, 60-kt fly-by low-level pass, and hover. He then ro-tated the aircraft into the wind and per-formed a flawless vertical landing from 150ft above the runway.

After the flight, Lt. Col. Schenk told re-porters, “I executed all the maneuvers wefly here for flight test on a daily basis. Itwas just another day at the office.”

By mid-September, the aircraft hadachieved an impressive 143 vertical land-ings this year, compared to the 10 accom-plished in all of 2010. So far in 2011, STOVLpilots had successfully completed 223 testflights—nearly matching the total number of by E.R. Wood

Eurocopter’s X3 hybrid helicopterachieved an airspeed of 232 kton May 12.

The first F-35B vertical landingaboard the USS WASP occurredon October 3 with USMC pilot Lt.Col. Fred Schenk at the controls.


ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT


with their own international subsidiaries.This includes technologies needed to wincontracts or to explore collaboration withfirms in allied nations. This can shut U.S.firms out of competition for foreign aero-space programs at very early stages. Thecommercial satellite market share of U.S.satellite manufacturers has dropped sincemajor changes were made to the Arms Ex-port Control Act (AECA) and its affiliatedInternational Traffic in Arms Regulations(ITAR) in the late 1990s. Those amend-ments were prompted by a satellite manu-facturer sharing technical data with Chinaabout the 1995 failure of a Long March 2Erocket carrying the APSTAR II spacecraftand the 1996 failed launch of a Long March3B carrying an INTELSAT 708 spacecraft,and by other matters concerning its busi-ness activities in China. The changes had animmediate effect on work in the area bymany U.S. aerospace entities.

The introduction in recent years of‘ITAR-free’ satellites by the European man-ufacturer Thales Alenia Space has gener-ated a sense of urgency about the problem.The satellites, which are said to contain noU.S.-built components, are claimed by pro-ponents to be freely exportable to China forlaunch there. Such ITAR-free marketingstrategies pose a competitive threat to theU.S. satellite industry.

The complex, bureaucratic U.S. export-control regimes are divided among threeagencies: the Commerce Dept., the StateDept., and the Dept. of the Treasury. Con-trol by multiple agencies, with differentagendas, has high associated costs. Over-lapping jurisdictions create confusion as towhere specific items fall, even to adminis-trators in the agencies. The threat of crimi-nal prosecution, jail time, and heavy finesexacerbates this fear. Previous efforts tochange the laws have foundered amid con-gressional opposition stirred up by anxi-eties over the Chinese theft of technologiesused in missiles, satellites, and weapons ofmass destruction.

Particularly troubling is the concept of a‘deemed export,’ which means the releaseof technical information to a foreign na-tional, even in the U.S. Deemed exportscould involve the unapproved disclosure ofcontrolled information at an industry or ac-ademic conference, or a professor lecturingto a class that includes foreign nationals.Fears over prosecution have led academicsto self-censor instruction, particularly in thearea of satellite technologies.

Legal aspects

Domestic U.S. and international law andpolicy continue to have significant impactson aerospace. For example, domestically,FCC approvals for a new satellite-basedbroadband service by Lightsquared, a mo-bile satellite service, have been questionedby the Pentagon and Dept. of Transporta-tion. They express worries that the servicewill increase the potential for interferenceto GPS receivers. Congressional critics com-plain that the White House has been pres-suring DOD and others to withdraw the ob-jections, and change their testimony,perhaps because several large campaigncontributors are associated with Light-squared. More globally, the InternationalTelecommunications Union still strugglesover what to do with Iran, which has al-legedly been jamming satellite broadcasts.

DOD’s Defense Contract ManagementAgency has rejected a United Launch Al-liance request for recovery of $271 millionin costs related to the Delta IV rocket pro-gram. Boeing, ULA, and the Air Force havebeen involved in a separate case over pric-ing for three Delta IV missions. State Dept.efforts involve space survivability, orbitaldebris mitigation, and discussing best prac-tice guidelines for space activities. Insur-ance policies responsive to the risks of on-orbit collisions may be needed to respondto this growing threat and to the resultingprospects for litigation.

Export control headaches continue, andthe AIAA has offered expert congressionaltestimony on the topic. The hope is thatnew legislation and an ongoing presiden-tially directed review will provide relieffrom export laws and regulations that ham-per international trade and scientific coop-eration. As a first step, the administrationwill likely propose regulatory simplificationand administrative realignments.

Export control processes make it diffi-cult for U.S. firms to share information evenby James D. Rendleman

Export control processes make it difficult for U.S. firms to share

information even with their own international subsidiaries.

This includes technologies needed to win contracts or to

explore collaboration with firms in allied nations.

ET-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 1:04 PM Page 2


plant-growth-targeted LEDs), environmen-tal resources (real-time water quality analy-sis, groundwater remediation), computertechnology (fluid dynamics modeling, veri-fication tools for online shopping andbanking), and industrial productivity (light-weight composite materials, deformablemirrors).

This year also brought the retirement ofthe space shuttle fleet and with it a decisionon the final museum locations for the re-maining orbiters. Discovery, the oldest andworld’s most flown spacecraft, will be dis-played by the Smithsonian’s National Airand Space Museum at its Udvar-Hazy Cen-ter located near the Washington Dulles In-ternational Airport. Endeavour will be givento the California Science Center in Los An-geles. Atlantis will remain in Florida at theKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.And Enterprise, its name a direct exampleof the impact that society can have on aero-space technology, will be transferred to theIntrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in NewYork City. These orbiters will no doubthelp inspire the next generation of engi-neers to push the envelope of possibilitiesin aeronautics and space efforts.

With the shuttle retired and no domesticcapability for launching astronauts to orbit,a question many are asking is simply,‘What’s next?’ Some may even wonder,‘Will we leave Earth orbit in my lifetime?’ Itmay be a surprise to many that the latter isalready taking place—albeit in simulatedform. As part of an elaborate $15-millionexperiment called Mars500, a diverse teamwith members from Russia, China, and Eu-rope volunteered to spend 520 days iso-lated from the rest of the world in a 550-m³facility in Moscow on a simulated missionto Mars. With 20-min communication de-lays, the crew had to be completely self-re-liant. This is just one example of how theaerospace industry can benefit from inter-actions with the sociology and psychologycommunities. The crew ‘returned to Earth’on November 4.

Society and aerospace technology

On September 15, 2011, a small NASA teamof two medical doctors, a psychologist, andan engineer accepted one of just nine an-nual Samuel J. Heyman Service to AmericaMedals (also known as ‘Sammies’) pre-sented nationwide. The team, comprisingMichael Duncan, J.D. Polk, Al Holland, andClint Cragg, was awarded the National Se-curity and International Affairs Medal for itsability to bring decades of U.S. expertise inspaceflight to the problem of rescuing 33miners trapped some 2,000 ft under theChilean desert.

This was not the only example of theaerospace industry’s ability to assist societyand project goodwill across the globe.Aerospace professionals and the technol-ogy the industry provides assisted in fur-nishing a ready stream of data to aid in pre-dicting or responding to major naturaldisasters. These included the Japaneseearthquake and tsunami, the Australianfloods, and major tornado outbreaks in Ala-bama and Missouri.

The industry has also enabled bold newefforts such as the Internet-based SatelliteSentinel Project, which uses high-resolutionsatellite imagery to monitor and make pub-lic within one or two days possible humanrights violation activity along the tense bor-der between northern and southern Sudan(or, as of July, Sudan and the new nation ofSouth Sudan). In addition, the internationalspace station continues to operate as a na-tional laboratory with capabilities availablenowhere on Earth. Experiments and re-search such as the recombinant attenuatedsalmonella vaccine investigation, launchedon STS-135, are always on the agenda.

NASA’s recently formed Office of theChief Technologist released the annual is-sue of Spinoff, highlighting 49 benefits tosociety spun off from aerospace technolo-gies generated by programs such as the ISS,telescope and deep space exploration, sat-ellite projects, space transportation, astro-naut life support, and aeronautics. Thesebenefits range from health and medicine(stronger hip implants, cranial pressuremonitoring techniques), to transportation(air traffic management, helicopter noise re-duction), public safety (icing detection,parachutes for small airplanes), consumergoods (extreme temperature insulation,

by Jarret Lafleurand Bradley Steinfeldt

GOES observed an Alabamatornado outbreak storm system,on April 27, 2011. Credit: NASA.



ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

ize the team given the environment inwhich the work is to be performed.

In addition to the resources needed todevelop the systems that make up the finalproduct, the organization should includeresources responsible for systems integra-tion. Successfully integrating the productrequires a keen understanding of the inter-faces and the interrelationships associatedwith the various components. Interfaceproblems may involve user operability ofthe system as well as process changes lead-ing to technical changes.

The systems engineering community,which has traditionally focused on technol-ogy readiness levels and manufacturingreadiness levels, is now moving toward ac-tive use of integration readiness levels(IRLs) or systems readiness levels (SRLs).IRLs and SRLs are tools that system integra-tors use to determine if the interface re-quirements have been implemented suffi-ciently so that the systems are ready to beintegrated. This move toward IRLs and SRLsshould improve the situation, but will re-quire time for trial and error to eventuallyproduce significant improvement in pro-gram results.

To reduce the number of system fail-ures, more attention must be paid to defin-ing the interface problems among the vari-ous subsystems, including the interactionsof those subsystems and their associated in-terfaces. To do this, the program needs todefine the product objective. The programthen must establish an organization that isstructured in such a way that it will addresssystem interfaces and interactions routinelyas it develops the overall integrated system,ensuring that nothing is overlooked in thecomplete system integration.

Systems engineering

By definition, systems engineering is aninterdisciplinary approach to designingand developing complex systems forpurposes of creating successful prod-ucts. The process entails defining thesystem architecture, which is an aggre-gation of decomposed system compo-nents interacting to produce a success-ful system. The overall system includesnot only the individual subsystems,each of which performs specific func-tions, but also their interfaces. The sys-tem requirements need to reflect theperformance of both elements.

Despite the fact that organizations em-ploy systems engineering processes, fail-ures still occur. Many times the failures tendto be at the boundaries and interfaces, be-cause more attention is paid to the decom-posed systems than to the interactions andintegration among the subsystems. It is typ-ically taken for granted that systems engi-neering will take the interfaces into accountas well as the performance of the individ-ual subsystems themselves. However, theseinterfaces often do not address the dynamicinteractions between subsystems.

Further exacerbating these dynamic in-teractions is the adoption of new require-ments or changes to existing requirementsonce development has begun. When re-quirement changes occur, we frequently ac-cept them as a response to customer needs,without fully understanding the impact ofthese changes. This lack of understandingis due to the unclear definition of the inter-faces and their interactions—the secondaryeffects. The occurrences of these secondaryeffects can result in increased cost growthand schedule slippage.

To improve understanding of the sub-system interfaces, systems engineeringshould focus on the context and interac-tions of the subsystems rather than on thestructure of these subsystems. The first steptoward addressing this problem is to definethe overall strategy or objective of the sys-tem being produced. For example, what isthe expectation on the part of the customerfor the final product—what does the cus-tomer want? During the requirements gen-eration process and systems formalism, wetend to lose sight of the objective. Once theproduct objective is understood, the pro-gram should then focus on how to organ-by Tsutsumi Sophia Bright

The overall system includes not only the individual subsystems butalso their interfaces.



INFORMATION SYSTEMS

cially in Southeast Asia. In North America,AsiaSat announced its intention to procuretwo satellites by year’s end.The Middle East continues as a growth

market, with Arabsat averaging more thanone satellite launch per year over the pastfive years—Yahsat’s first satellite enteringservice earlier this year and their secondplanned for launch in 2012, and Qatar Sat-ellite joining with Eutelsat on the EB2A/Es’Hail satellite. Numerous procurementsare planned by both incumbents and newentrants in this region.Interest in hosting government payloads

on commercial satellites continues to grow,and organizations dedicated to exploring is-sues and opportunities were established byboth an alliance of industry organizationsand by the USAF SMC. The CHIRP hostedpayload on SES-2 was launched in Septem-ber. By hosting this missile-warning pay-load on a commercial satellite, the SMC willbe able to demonstrate the performance ofa next-generation infrared technology for afraction of the cost of a dedicated militarysatellite. The MilSatCom Directorate at the USAF

SMC conducted a series of studies to ex-plore industry’s ability to support militarycommunications needs. The results demon-strated that industry can provide cost sav-ings and enhanced resilience to MilSatComarchitectures in multiple ways.NASA’s Office of Chief Technologist se-

lected three technology demonstration mis-sions, two to be hosted on commercialsatellites, and announced two additional acquisitions that will include hosting oncommercial satellites as an access-to-spaceoption.For the U.S. government, the NRO suc-

cessfully launched six satellites over aneight-month period, a launch tempo notseen by them in 25 years. Also of note wasthe Army’s launch of several Cubesats on aFalcon 9. The Air Force launched the firstSBIRS satellite and continued to use electricpropulsion to orbit-raise the AEHF-1 satel-lite launched over a year ago, compensat-ing for the failure of its main thruster. In terms of policy, the White House an-

nounced a plan for restructuring and con-solidating all export regulations aimed atsimplifying the regulatory environment forU.S. companies and their customers. It isexpected to deliver a report on technologytransfer risks and how ITAR regulations forsatellite technology might be reformed bythe end of this year or in early 2012.

Communications systems

Satellite industry activity is down from thelast several years, with about 20 commer-cial awards projected for the year and thesame number of launches. Through Octo-ber, 14 contracts were awarded; expecta-tions are that many planned projects will beannounced before year’s end or early 2012.Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and Astriumhave each been awarded four satellite con-tracts and there have been two awards eachto MELCO and Orbital, one for ISS-Reshet-nev (Kazsat 3, with payload built byThales), one to CAST, and none to Lock-heed, Boeing, or Thales.

The launch ser-vices business con-tinues to be splitbetween ILS and Ar-ianespace, with SeaLaunch returning toservice with thelaunch of AtlanticBird 7 in late Sep-tember. The ILS Pro-ton launch manifestsuffered dual set-backs with delays inthe delivery of SS/Lspacecraft after asolar array deploy-

ment anomaly on Telesat’s Telstar 14R, andthen the failure of the Breeze M upperstage on the Express AM4 launch. Proton isattempting to make up the delays bylaunching approximately every 20 days af-ter their September return to flight. SpaceXrevealed that there was an engine anomalyon last year’s maiden Falcon 9 launch.In the broadband market, Eutelsat’s Ka-

Sat, with a capacity of about 70 Gbps, en-tered service, and ViaSat-1, the first broad-band satellite with a capacity of 140 Gbps,was launched in October. More broadbandsatellite procurements are expected, forservice to Africa, Europe, North and SouthAmerica, the Middle East, South Asia, andAustralia. In the direct broadcast service market,

Intelsat ordered two 20-kW satellites fromSS/L, both of which are for DIRECTV LatinAmerica, and SES launched QuetzSat foruse by Dish Mexico in September. In addi-tion to demand in Latin America, pay-TVsatellite platforms are also on the increasethroughout the Asia-Pacific region, espe-by Christopher F. Hoeber

ViaSat-1 was successfullylaunched in October.

IS-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 2:36 PM Page 2


FPGA itself. The net effectof all these multicore ormultiprocessor designs isto allow increased pro-cessing of sensor inputand more spacecraft au-tonomy for longer mis-sions away from Earth.

In June, Japan re-claimed the top spot onthe TOP500 list of theworld’s fastest supercom-puters. The half-built KComputer reached 8.612petaflop/sec using 68,544vector-enhanced SPARC64elements built by Fujitsu.It is expected to pass 10petaflop/sec when com-pleted in 2012. The Chi-nese Tianhe-1A supercomputer reached 2.6petaflop/sec through its use of NVIDIAGPUs. The U.S. Oak Ridge National Lab’sJaguar reached 1.75 petaflop/sec. It is aCray XT5 supercomputer using AMD Op-teron elements.

The underlying circuit technology ismoving to 3D transistors, dramaticallyshrinking their size and power consump-tion. Intel is introducing them this year inall of its processors. AMD spinoff Global-Foundries is said to be working on a 3Dprocessor as well.

The past year made the prospects of cy-ber warfare impossible to ignore. In late2010, Iranian uranium enrichment cen-trifuges were struck by the Stuxnet com-puter virus. This year, foreign governmentand nongovernment actors are suspected ofbreak-ins on servers at U.S. aerospace com-panies and popular e-mail services. Hackergroups targeted companies they felt weretreading on free speech or other freedoms.In May, DOD announced that it may treatU.S. infrastructure cyber attacks as acts ofwar warranting military response. Hackergroups responded with a spike in cybervandalism to protest the policy. Meanwhile,activists and governments worldwide dis-covered the power of Internet-enabled so-cial media.

During the summer, a European Internetcertificate authority was compromised,breaking the chain of trust required forcredit card and other online transactionsand communication. All major Web brows-ers were affected, forcing them to issuepatches for the breach.

Computer systems

The typical digital gadget, powered by thelatest advances in computing, is often ren-dered obsolete within a year. While space-craft computing does not change that fastand has vastly different requirements, manysuch advances are showing up in spacecraftcomputing architectures. Meanwhile, inter-national competition for the fastest super-computer has heated up, and cyber warfareseems to have arrived.

The space plug-and-play architecture(SPA) will demonstrate its newest adapta-tion on the Trailblazer CubeSat early in2012. SPA-1 is an adaptation of the low-costI2C bus. It expands the SPA family, whichalready adapts SpaceWire (SPA-S) and USB(SPA-U). This year, AIAA posted SPA docu-ments for review through its standardsprocess.

Commercial smartphone technology isbeing tested in orbit. An Android-poweredNexus S phone arrived aboard the ISS andwill provide the user interface for a numberof experiments. PhoneSat, a CubeSat with aGoogle Nexus One phone in it, will belaunched into orbit to demonstrate its po-tential as an instrument as well as an instru-ment controller.

Spacecraft computing power will soonbe enhanced by multicore or multiprocessordesigns in several ways. A multiprocessorchip uses many copies of the same core toboost performance. Mobile devices oftencombine different cores (such as CPU, 3Dgraphics renderer, and DSP) into a system-on-a-chip (SOC). Even within a core, redun-dant elements may exist for reliability (radia-tion-hardening, for example) or parallelism(DSPs) or both.

Here are some examples: Boeing isworking on Maestro, a rad-hard 49-core de-vice derived from the Tilera Tile64.Aeroflex is using LEON3FT, a fault-tolerantSPARC core, as part of an SOC. BAE Sys-tems is producing the RADSPEED DSP, a152-processing element rad-hard adapta-tion of the ClearSpeed CSX700. Betweenthe tightly optimized extremes of SOC andDSP devices are FPGAs (field programma-ble gate arrays), which mix and matchcores, but at the cost of chip area, perform-ance, or power. Some FPGAs are supple-mented by hard cores for SPARC, PowerPC,or other embedded processors. Others im-plement soft processor cores within the by Rick Kwan

A stock Android HTC phone canwork just fine as a low-costsatellite. Here is Phonesat,mounted in a Cubesat chassisand launched with a balloon.Image courtesy NASA Ames.



INFORMATION SYSTEMS

It is very hard to keep up with what isnew in digital avionics for this year, be-cause changes are being fielded so rapidly.What is amazing is that this appears to bethe year of the touch screen. Perhaps thishas been brought about by the huge suc-cess of the latest iPad, or the thoroughpropagation of the iPhone, Droid, and theother ‘smart’ devices. Increasingly, peopleare finding it difficult to remember thattheir PC monitors are not touch screens. Astheir pervasiveness increases, look for themeverywhere.

The Avidyne IFD540 touch screen in-

cludes flight management, GPS, navigation,and communications capabilities. The sys-tem is a slide-in replacement for theGarmin GNS530 and has a high-resolutiondisplay.

Garmin has introduced the new GTNseries (650 and 750) to replace its 430 and530 systems. Their touch screens can evenbe used to reroute the aircraft aroundweather systems (graphical flight planning).These new systems also have much largerdisplays.

Rockwell Collins has its ProLine Fusionintegrated flight deck, which uses either thelegacy systems for data entry (buttons,knobs, and so on) or the touch screens.This system is planned for small jets such asEmbraer Legacy 500, the BombardierGlobal 5000, and the Lear 85.

One design aspect that will be interest-ing to see is whether someone will havethe foresight to triple (or more) the size ofthe selection buttons on the screen basedon aircraft turbulence. It will be very diffi-cult to ‘touch’ a ½ x ½-in. virtual buttonwhile flying through a thunderhead.

On fighter aircraft, there has been aphysical bar that runs along their displaysto anchor the fingers—something to hold onto while making a selection. The GarminGTN systems have a similar ‘fingerboard’ tosteady the hand. Voice control is anotheroption with the Garmin GTN.

There are, of course, both benefits anddrawbacks to touch screens. No doubt theflexibility is tremendous, enabling the userto touch and drag the instruments to differ-ent locations on the displays, for example.

On the other hand, what happens whenpressing the button does not result in whatthe pilot was expecting? Or what if a singleembedded device fails, and the result is acascading event that takes out much or allof the display? Or, like the failure mode of athumb drive, there is a complete loss, with-out so much as a ‘blue screen of death.’What does the pilot do? The answers arenot yet clear.

Electronic flight bags (EFBs) are anothergreat place for the touch screen. The iPadis now the latest EFB, complete with theMobile Flight Deck app that includes theJeppesen charts for en route, area, ap-proach, and airports. They also allow flightplanning.

So, is this all a good thing? Absolutely.But a vital question remains: What do wedo if we forget our charger—again?

Digital avionics

It is not surprising that our cockpits con-tinue to grow more exotic. Indeed, moreelectronic ‘fly by wire’ is not anything new.What is new is that all the flight controlprocessing, memory, software, and inter-faces can now fit on a single FPGA (field-programmable gate array). This is a startingdevelopment.

by Art Tank

Touch screens are even making their way into the latest military fighters.



trol objectives and intelligently allocatingcontrol between flap and throttle to pre-serve flap authority for maneuvering.

Responding to the need to prevent air-speed system failures like thosecontributing to the 2009 AirFrance Flight 447 disaster inwhich 228 people died, Galoisand the National Institute ofAerospace developed a novellanguage and compiler calledCopilot, for use in monitoringavionics software. Copilot isopen source and generates hardreal-time embedded C codefrom high-level behavioral spec-ifications, providing in-flightsoftware health management.With NASA Langley, the teamtested its monitoring system onan airspeed system for a sub-scale unpiloted aircraft. Copilotmonitors detected both software and phys-ical faults injected into the system whilemeeting timing constraints (http://leepike.github.com/Copilot/).

The Temporal Logic Planning Toolbox,TuLiP (http://Tu-LiP-control.sf.net), enablesformal, automated synthesis of protocol-based control software for intelligent sys-tems. To overcome the difficulty inherent inverifying complex intelligent systems afterthey are built, the toolbox is based on ashift from the traditional ‘design and verify’approach for establishing trust to ‘specifyand synthesize.’ Developers at Caltech con-ducted case studies including autonomousnavigation and design of reactive, dynamicresource management logic for vehiclemanagement systems.

Rice, Drexel, and the Universities ofMichigan and Maryland furthered the reachof intelligent systems by designing a pros-thetic arm amputees can control directlywith their brains; the device also allowsthem to feel what they touch. Through a$1.2-million grant from the National ScienceFoundation’s Human-Centered Computingprogram, the project aims to tie togethernoninvasive neural decoding, direct braincontrol, and tactile sensory feedback into asingle device. By providing sensory feed-back in a natural way, this technology mayalso allow astronauts to see and feelthrough a robotic arm working outside theISS from a virtual reality station inside.http://www.media.rice.edu/media/News-Bot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=15983&SnID=18803147o.

Intelligent systems

From intelligently directing robots on theISS via smartphones to advances in verifica-tion for safety-critical systems, 2011 broughtexciting developments across the spectrumof intelligent systems.

On the ISS, the SPHERES (synchronizedposition hold, engage, reorient, experi-mental satellites), originally developed byMIT, were equipped with smartphones run-ning the Android platform, delivered by thelast shuttle mission. By equipping themwith smartphones, the NASA Ames Intelli-gent Robotics Group enables these self-pro-pelled, volleyball-sized satellites to becomecapable robots, able to take pictures, recordvideo, perform complex calculations, andtransfer data in real time to the ISS and Mis-sion Control. NASA will use the upgradedSPHERES to conduct visual inspections andnumerous other tests (http://googleblog.blogspot. com/2011/09/android-in-spaaaace-part-2.html).

Researchers at JPL won the 2011 NASASoftware of the Year Award for AEGIS (au-tonomous exploration for gathering in-creased science), which pushed the bound-ary for automated targeting and datacollection onboard the Mars ExplorationRover Opportunity. AEGIS uses onboarddata analysis to select rock targets in roverimage data. If targets are found that matchscientist-specified criteria, new targeted ob-servations are automatically acquired with-out requiring interaction with human oper-ators. AEGIS allows the rover to auton-omously gather high-quality remote sensingdata on scientifically interesting rock targetsas soon as the rover reaches a new area.

Meanwhile, in aeronautics, the Samaraimicro air vehicle achieved completely au-tonomous flights with all sensing, guidance,navigation, and control done onboard thewholly rotating MAV—a first for rotatingmono-wing air vehicles. Developed byLockheed Martin Advanced TechnologyLaboratories, Samarai weighs 7 oz and con-sists of a single 12-in.-radius wing poweredby an electric motor/propeller at the tip anda servo-driven trailing-edge flap as the solecontrol surface. Despite this control surfacelimitation, its innovative MALCOLM (multi-application control of MAVs) algorithmsachieved full authority control of the MAVin all degrees of freedom by automaticallytranslating mission inputs into specific con- by Kristin Yvonne Rozier

A Copilot compiler monitors an airspeed system for a subscale UAV.



INFORMATION SYSTEMS

ceiver. This new receiver provides not onlythe direction of the threat, but also therange, which is unique in this type of tech-nology. Another feature is its single-shipgeolocation capability. The range of thethreat is generated by Doppler radar beam-sharpening technology. Designed to pro-vide 360 deg of wide frequency band cov-erage, the system weighs only 11.5 kg, sothe technology is attractive for both un-manned and manned platforms.

NASA has built a small, low-cost space-craft called the Fast, Affordable Science andTechnology Satellite and AFRL had an inno-vative experiment called the Threat Detec-tion System. Together they created a part-nership “to build something that will fly inspace for a short time frame and for a rela-tively thrifty amount of money.”

In the area of commercial space radarsystems, European and North Americancompanies are continually advancing thesetechnologies. Examples include Germany’sTerraSAR-X and Tandem-X, which are 1-m-resolution commercial X-band imagingsatellites. Other examples are Canada’sRadarsat 1 and 2 and the Italian Cos-moSkyMed constellations. All of these sys-tems contribute to the needs of defense,business, and environmental protection. Akey example was last year’s BP oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico, in which Radarsat 1and 2 provided situational awareness ofthe disaster.

NASA launched the Juno mission toJupiter in August, picking up where theGalileo mission left off in September 2003.Its mission builds on Galileo, allowing in-depth investigation of many of the earlierspacecraft’s discoveries. Unlike Galileo,which ran on nuclear radioisotope thermo-electric generators, Juno is running on solarpower, having benefited from advances insolar cell design. Its cells are 50% more ef-ficient and radiation tolerant than the sili-con cells that were available for space mis-sions 20 years ago.

Juno has nine instruments for collectingdata on Jupiter’s structure and composition.These include a gravity/radio science sys-tem, a six-wavelength microwave radiome-ter for atmospheric sounding and composi-tion, a vector magnetometer, plasma andenergetic particle detectors, a radio/plasmawave experiment, an ultraviolet imager/spectrometer, and an infrared imager/spec-trometer. Juno will orbit Jupiter’s poles inorder to avoid its radiation belt, a lessonlearned from the Galileo mission.

Sensor systems

This year, commercial sensors system tech-nologies impacted areas such as safety sys-tems, surveillance of global weather pat-terns, and measurement of extraterrestrialphenomena. In the military world, even inan environment of shrinking defense budg-ets, new technologies for electronic war-fare, or cyber operations, are emerging. To-gether with the new weapons systems,technologies for targeting computer, net-work, and electronic attacks are all underdevelopment.

In the commercial world, HoneywellAerospace and Gulfstream Aerospace aredeveloping enhanced vision systems (EVS)and synthetic vision systems (SVS) usingoverlaid infrared-sensor systems under con-tract from NASA. EVS, integrated to thecockpit head-up display, allows pilots tosee the runway in low-visibility conditions.SVS provides better situational awarenessof obstacles and terrain.

In military cockpit sensor system tech-nology, the Automatic Ground CollisionAvoidance System (Auto-GCAS), led byLockheed Martin Aeronautics and the AirForce Research Laboratory (AFRL), is a sys-tem that predicts a ground collision. It thenperforms an automatic avoidance maneu-ver in order to save the pilot’s life, even ifthe pilot has lost consciousness because ofg-induced maneuvers, has become disori-ented, or has lost situation awareness.Auto-GCAS performs the automatic recov-ery maneuver between the point when thepilot normally gets the warning alert andthe point of nonrecovery.

Another new military sensor systemtechnology is the latest Israel Aerospace In-dustries Elta EL/L-8265 radar-warning re-

by Wei-Jen Suand James Keeney

A satellite constellationknown as the A-Trainwill improve our under-standing of aspects ofthe Earth’s climate.Courtesy NASA.



functions as varied as flight control, naviga-tion, passenger entertainment, passengercabin lighting, dimmable window tint con-trol, and even control of the bidet in thepassenger lavatory. The flight control soft-ware allows for optimizing wing camber inflight, resulting in improved aerodynamicefficiency throughout the flight envelope.The 787 software also implements fullyaugmented authority in all three axes.Among other things, this enables maneuverload alleviation that has allowed the reduc-tion of thousands of pounds of structuralweight. On the lighter side, software con-trol of the cabin LED lighting systems al-lows for an infinite color palette and theopportunity to paint sunrises and sunsetsduring long flights to help passengers fallasleep or wake up.

Software is also pervasive in space sys-tems and contributes to wide-array or on-board spacecraft and spaceflight supportcapabilities. Examples are in this May’s Ro-tary National Award for Space AchievementStellar Award nominations, which includeindividuals and teams from Boeing, L-3Communications, NASA Johnson, OrbitalSciences, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, andthe Air Force. The areas include the devel-opment of innovative system softwaremodeling methods, simulator development,support for solar forecasting and ISS regen-erative life support systems, and verificationand validation methods.

From space to commercial planes tomilitary aircraft and associated ground sys-tems, software has played an important rolein delivering advanced capabilities to cus-tomers. This is a trend that will continue.

Software

Software is pervasive in aerospace systems,and it is critical in the implementation of re-quired complex capabilities that go beyondthose of hardware. This year the aerospaceindustry developed many game-changingcapabilities and platforms enabled by on-board software.

From the Air Force Research Laboratorycomes a military aviation success story, thedevelopment of the Automatic Ground Col-lision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS). Thissoftware-based capability is designed tosave lives and aircraft from the main causeof fighter and attack aircraft losses: con-trolled flight into terrain. The Auto-GCAScapability mixes an onboard terrain data-base with real-time control and navigationdata to enable an aircraft to maneuver awayfrom an impending ground collision. Thisnew capability is being targeted for transi-tion to F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s. Designed byLockheed Martin, Auto-GCAS can be inte-grated onto these fighter platforms withonly software modifications to the aircraft.

Other software aspects of Auto-GCASinclude minor mission planning softwarechanges and modifications to depot auto-mated test equipment. On board the fight-ers, Auto-GCAS software is involved in sys-tem-wide integrity monitoring code, anaircraft trajectory prediction algorithm, adigital database terrain map scanning algo-rithm, a collision avoidance estimation rou-tine, a flight control maneuver commandcoupler, a pilot interface code to provideoverride/blending control and mode selec-tion, HUD system displays, and audio tonecontrol code. According to the Air Force,only one aircraft would have to be savedby the Auto-GCAS capability to pay for theentire AFRL program.

In commercial aviation, the Boeing 787Dreamliner achieved certification from theFAA and the European Aviation SafetyAgency this year and was delivered to itsfirst customer, All Nippon Airways of Japan.The Dreamliner is the first major commer-cial passenger airplane development by aU.S. company in 16 years, since the Boeing777 went into service in 1995. The 787 de-velopment and certification included inte-gration of software from dozens of suppli-ers with up to 18 million source lines ofonboard software code.

The 787 onboard software is critical for by Jim Paunicka

Flight control software on the787 allows for optimizing wingcamber in flight.


Praise for Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship DesignThis book is a fantastic collection of history, philosophy, analysis, principles, and data relating to the design of aircraft. I predict it will become a ‘classic’ and will be found on the desk of anyone concerned with aircraft design.—Dr. Barnes W. McCormick, The Pennsylvania State University

This book will be a very useful textbook for students of aeronautical engineering as well as for practicing engineers and engineering managers.—Dr. Jan Roskam, DARcorporation

A genuine tour de design, skillfully delivering cogent insights into the technical understanding required for designing aircraft to mission.—Dr. Bernd Chudoba, University of Texas at Arlington

AIAA EDUCATIONS

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Fun

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Desig

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Volu

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Aircraft D

esign

Nic

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FUNDAMENTALS OF AIRCRAFT AND AIRSHIP DESIGNVolume I—Aircraft Design

Leland M. Nicolai

Grant E. Carichner

AIAA EDUCATION SERIES JOSEPH A. SCHETZ

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics

ABOUT THE BOOK

The aircraft is only a transport mechanism for the payload, and all design decisions must consider

payload fi rst. Simply stated, the aircraft is a dust cover. Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design,

Volume 1: Aircraft Design emphasizes that the aircraft design process is a science and an art, but also a

compromise. While there is no right answer, there is always a best answer based on existing requirements

and available technologies.

CONCEPTS DISCUSSED

The authors address the conceptual design phase comprehensively, for both civil and military aircraft,

from initial consideration of user needs, material selection, and structural arrangement to the decision to

iterate the design one more time. The book includes designing for

• Survivability (stealth)

• Solar- and human-powered aircraft systems

• Very high altitude operation with air-breathing propulsion

This book revises and expands the 1975 classic aircraft design textbook that has been used worldwide

for more than 30 years. Completely updated with the latest industry processes and techniques, it will

benefi t graduate and upper-level undergraduate students as well as practicing engineers.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Step-by-step examples throughout the book, including designing a wing

• Lessons captured from historical case studies of aircraft design

• Full-color photographs of multiple aircraft (see end of book)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

LELAND M. NICOLAI received his aerospace engineering degrees from the University of

Washington (BS), the University of Oklahoma (MS), and the University of Michigan (PhD), and an

MBA from Auburn University. His aircraft design experience includes 23 years in the U.S. Air Force,

retiring as a Colonel, and 30 years in industry (Northrop, Republic, and Lockheed). An AIAA Fellow,

he is currently a Lockheed Martin Fellow at the Skunk Works.

GRANT E. CARICHNER received his BS and MS in engineering from UCLA. His 45-year career

at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works includes SR-71, M-21, L-1011 Transport, Black ASTOVL,

JASSM missile, hybrid airships, stealth targets, Quiet Supersonic Platform, and ISIS airship. Named an

“Inventor of the Year” in 1999, he holds the JASSM missile vehicle patent.

“This book will be a very useful textbook for students of aeronautical engineering

as well as for practicing engineers and engineering managers.”

—Dr. Jan Roskam, DARcorporation

“A genuine tour de design, skillfully delivering cogent insights into the technical

understanding required for designing aircraft to mission.”

— Dr. Bernd Chudoba

University of Texas at Arlington

“This book is a fantastic collection of history, philosophy, analysis, principles, and

data relating to the design of aircraft. I predict it will become a ‘classic’…”

— Dr. Barnes W. McCormick,

Pennsylvania State University

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500

Reston, VA 20191-4344 USA

www.aiaa.org

ISBN: 978-1-60086-751-4

10-0030nicolai_v2_revised.indd 1

6/28/10 1:44 PM

10-0430

FUNDAMENTALS OF AIRCRAFT AND AIRSHIP DESIGNVolume I– Aircraft DesignLeland M. Nicolai and Grant E. Carichner

The aircraft is only a transport mechanism for the payload, and all design decisions must consider payload fi rst. Simply stated, the aircraft is a dust cover. Fundamentals of Aircraft

and Airship Design, Volume 1— Aircraft Design emphasizes that the aircraft design process is a science and an art, but also a compromise. While there is no right answer, there is always a best answer based on existing requirements and available technologies.

This book is a revision and expansion of the 1975 classic aircraft design textbook that has been used worldwide for more than 30 years. Completely updated with the latest industry processes and techniques, it will benefi t graduate and upper-level undergraduate students as well as practicing engineers.

2010, 883 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-751-4AIAA Member Price: $89.95 List Price: $119.95

CONCEPTS DISCUSSEDThe authors address the conceptual design phase comprehensively, for both civil and military aircraft, from initial consideration of user needs, material selection, and structural arrangement to the decision to iterate the design one more time. The book includes designing for

■ Survivability (stealth)

■ Solar- and human-powered aircraft systems

■ Very high altitude operation with air breathing propulsion

SPECIAL FEATURES ■ Step-by-step examples throughout the book,

including designing a wing

■ Lessons captured from historical case studies of aircraft design

■ Full-color photographs of multiple aircraft

Order online at www.aiaa.org/books

Featuring a new internal page design


three solar panel wings that span approxi-mately 66 ft and produce 12 kW of powerat 1 AU and about 420 W at Jupiter. Junouses a highly elliptical orbit to avoid the ra-diation belts and keep the solar panels insunlight continuously. Two 55-A-hr lithium-ion batteries provide energy storage forload leveling, and the power electronics areshielded in a vault to protect them from theharsh radiation environment.The NASA Discovery Program Dawn en-

tered orbit around the asteroid Vesta, on itsway to being the first spacecraft to orbit anasteroid and then transfer to orbit around adwarf planet, Ceres. Dawn, provided byOrbital Sciences, includes high-power 2.6-kW xenon ion thrusters producing 92 mN.The thrusters are powered by a solar arrayrated at 10 kW at 1 AU and delivering 1.3kW at 3 AU at end of mission.The Mars Science Laboratory mission,

managed by JPL as part of the NASA MarsExploration Program, was delivered forlaunch late this year. It includes the Curios-ity rover, slated to land inside Gale crateron Mars. Curiosity is powered by the Boe-ing MMRTG (multimission radioisotopethermoelectric generator), which provides2.5 kWh per day while contributing to therover’s thermal stability through waste heatrecirculation.The advanced Stirling radioisotope gen-

erator (ASRG), in development by the Dept.of Energy on behalf of NASA, has under-gone extended operational testing of an en-gineering unit developed by Lockheed Mar-tin, including a pair of Stirling convertorsprovided by Sunpower. Testing at NASAGlenn achieved over 14,000 hr of reliableoperation. The ASRG uses only one-quarterof the plutonium dioxide fuel needed byradioisotope thermoelectric generators toproduce a similar amount of power, thusextending the limited national supply ofplutonium 238.NASA and DOE began building a non-

nuclear system-level technology demon-stration unit of a fission reactor powersource, comprising a reactor simulator,power conversion unit, and heat rejectionsystem. NASA Marshall assembled the reac-tor simulator with electromagneticallypumped liquid metal NaK at temperaturesup to 900 K. Sunpower has started assem-bly of the Stirling engines to prepare for fu-ture integration and test at NASA Glenn inthe thermal vacuum facility. The heat rejec-tion system will be added later for system-level demonstration by 2016.

Aerospace power systems

This year brought significant advances inboth solar and nuclear power technologyand their application to complex space mis-sions, many in harsh environments. Photo-voltaic cells for space saw significant tech-nical breakthroughs using lower massmultijunction cells with improved bandgapoptimization and spectral utilization. In-verted Metamorphic cells are being demon-strated by Emcore, Spectrolab, and Micro-Link Devices, some achieving efficienciesexceeding 32%, with flight-ready cells ex-pected in the near future. Further enhance-ments already demonstrated in the labora-tory indicate that efficiencies exceeding37% can be realized in a few years.

Meanwhile, the current standard triple-junction cell technology with efficienciesexceeding 29% has led to lower cost andhigher reliability, while array integrators arepursuing higher power levels of tens tohundreds of kilowatts with more compactpackaging to allow smaller launch vehicles,or higher capability from a single launchvehicle. Array approaches being demon-strated to satisfy up to 300 kW per missioninclude Ultraflex from ATK, high-powerHPSA from Boeing, and the rollout ROSAfrom Deployable Space Systems. To im-prove cost and reliability, modularity andautomation approaches also have been de-veloped, such as the MOSAIC standardizedmodule from Vanguard Space Systems.The NASA New Frontiers mission Juno,

the first solar-powered spacecraft to ex-plore Jupiter, was launched on its five-yeartrip to Jupiter’s polar orbit. The LockheedMartin spacecraft is spin stabilized with

by the AIAA AerospacePower Systems Technical Committee

PROPULSION AND ENERGY

Dawn will orbit Vesta, thentransfer to orbit aroundthe dwarf planet Ceres.

PE-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 1:29 PM Page 2


space, the University of Illinois, and theUniversity of Virginia. The results were pre-sented in June, and the team was honoredwith the NASA Headquarters 2011 NASAGroup Achievement Award.

AeroVironment’s high-altitude, long-en-durance (HALE) Global Observer made itsfirst flight using hydrogen-fueled propul-sion. The 175-ft-wingspan UAV, which cancarry payloads of up to 400 lb and fly forup to a week, uses a liquid hydrogen-pow-ered internal combustion powerplant driv-ing four high-efficiency electric motors.

The propulsion system for Boeing’sHALE Phantom Eye UAV completed groundtests, ahead of theUAV’s flight tests.The start proce-dures for the hy-drogen-poweredengine have beenestablished, andthe engine speedand four-bladedpropeller controlwere tested inflight conditions asa follow-up to pre-vious tests com-pleted in an alti-tude chamber. Thetesting brought to-gether the 16-ft-diam propellersand two Ford 150-hp 2.3-litre, four-cylinderengines. Propulsion for the ground testswas provided by the engine. At high alti-tudes, a three-stage turbo charger was alsoused. Moreover, the 150-ft-wingspandemonstrator has completed an integratedfueling, engine run, and defueling test. Theflight tests will determine whether it can flyfor four days at 65,000 ft.

Research activity for the AFRL’s adap-tive versatile engine technology (ADVENT)program continues, now including the de-sign, build, and test of a full turbofandemonstrator engine. GE Aviation will beintegrating an innovative portfolio of tech-nologies in the demonstrator engine: a hotsection using some advanced ceramic ma-trix composite materials, a next-generationcooled turbine, an ultrahigh overall pres-sure ratio, a variable fan design (that ad-justs flow and pressure ratio for optimizedperformance and fuel efficiency at all fightconditions), and a cool third bypass streamflow for high power extraction and thermalmanagement.

Air-breathing propulsionsystems integration

This year marked various important mile-stones and initiatives in environmentallyfriendly propulsion.

The second phase of the NASA/GeneralElectric collaboration on open rotors isnearing completion with the end of aerody-namic and acoustic testing this fall in theNASA Glenn 8x6-ft Supersonic Wind Tun-nel. Additional generation-2 blade designswill be tested in the early winter. NASA isalso conducting systems-level analysis ofthe aerodynamic and acoustic character ofan open rotor-based propulsion system ona modern airframe.

As part of NASA’s Supersonics Program,a low-boom inlet concept was also testedin the Glenn 8x6-ft Supersonic Wind Tun-nel. The inlet was designed to demonstratea unique relaxed-compression configura-tion for sonic boom reduction, for a Mach-1.6 aircraft with a two-engine external podconfiguration. The testing, which includedpassive flow control using vortex genera-tors, was performed on two inlet configura-tions: a fundamental single-stream versionand a dual-stream engine-bypass version.Inlet performance (stability and operability)was assessed for a wide range of mass flowrates, Mach numbers, and angles of attack.

In addition to conventional instrumenta-tion, an internally mounted video camerapointing toward the axisymmetric center-body allowed visualization of surfacestreamlines coupled with quantitative sur-face pressure distributions. This helped as-sess the impact of the novel supersonic vor-tex generators on the normal shock-waveand boundary-layer interaction. The sub-sonic diffuser included vortex generators(designed and optimized using a Design ofExperiments approach) that dramaticallyreduced the boundary-layer shape factorat the hub-side aerodynamic interferenceplane, thereby minimizing local distortion.The inlet also displayed high recovery, ex-cellent buzz margin, and high operabilityover a wide variety of conditions. This suc-cessful demonstration of the relaxed-com-pression inlet technology paves the way foran integrated and validated tip-to-tail de-sign of a low-boom supersonic aircraft.

The inlet design and wind tunnel testwere planned and conducted by a team ofresearchers from Glenn, Gulfstream Aero- by Dyna Benchergui

NASA engineer Rod Chima works with a low-boom ‘relaxed-compression’ inlet installed for testing in the NASA Glenn 8x6-ft SupersonicWind Tunnel.



satellite is successfully operating at an orbitas low as 240 km with propulsion providedby a QinetiQ T5 gridded ion engine system.NASA’s NEXT 7-kW ion thruster achieved atotal propellant throughput exceeding 645kg, 24 MN-sec impulse, and 37,600 hr ofoperation. On the opposite side of thepower spectrum are the 1-cm-class RF ionthrusters that can operate at less than 10 W,in development by the University of Gies-sen in Germany and by Busek in the U.S.

Novel electric propulsion devices underdevelopment include the VASIMR thrusterby Ad Astra Rocket and the HEMP thrusterby Thales Electron Devices in Germany.The VASIMR VX-200 device operating at200 kW demonstrated 70% thrust efficiency,thrust of 5.8 N, and 4,900-sec Isp. TheHEMP thruster is in a qualification programand has completed its critical design re-view. It is intended for small GEO satellites.

Academic researchers in the U.S. are de-veloping several classes of EP instrumenta-tion, including two projects at MIT aimed atthe cusped-field thruster and MEMS electro-spray thruster module for Cubesats. EachMEMS module is estimated to produceabout 50 µN of thrust at more than 3,000sec Isp. George Washington University isdeveloping a microcathode thruster. Meas-urements performed there and at the Uni-versity of Southern California indicate thatthrust bit is about 10 µN and specific im-pulse up to 3,000 sec. University of Michi-gan continued the development of the X2nested-channel Hall thruster, completing aseries of performance tests at powers up to11.7 kW. In addition, an advanced high-speed dual Langmuir probe measured Hallthruster plasma properties with a temporalresolution of 1 µsec.

New business and research activitieswere announced. NASA Glenn selected fivecompanies to develop mission concepts fordemonstrating solar electric propulsion.The Air Force Research Laboratory selectedBusek and CU Aerospace to develop high-performance propulsion for Cubesats. Qin-etiQ, Aerojet, and EADS Astrium Crisaagreed to jointly market the Xenith propul-sion system, based on QinetiQ’s T6 griddedion engine. Astrium (Germany) and Fakel(Russia) have signed a partnership agree-ment to develop and market the RIT-22 ra-dio frequency ion thrusters. A new large EPfacility opened at DLR-Gottingen. And over300 papers were presented at the 2011 In-ternational Electric Propulsion Conferencein Wiesbaden, Germany.

Electric propulsion

Hall effect thrusters (HET) have beensteadily gaining acceptance on Westernspacecraft. Space Systems/Loral has nowlaunched seven spacecraft with Fakel sta-tionary plasma thrusters; two more arescheduled for this year, five for 2012; andan additional five for spacecraft currently inconstruction. The Aerojet/Lockheed MartinSpace Systems BPT-4000 HET system hasperformed nearly a complete orbit transferof the first Air Force AEHF (advanced ex-tremely high frequency) satellite, firing twothrusters at 9.5 kW as a work-around fol-lowing an anomaly in the bipropellantpropulsion system at the beginning of themission. Snecma (Safran Group) providedHET thruster module assemblies for fivespacecraft, with a sixth planned for the endof this year. Production of TMA units forsmall GEO satellites and the developmentof approximately 300-W and 20-kW HETsare under way. Busek’s second 200-W HETsystem is successfully operating in space onthe FalconSat-5. Busek’s 20-kW HET andthe NASA Glenn 20-kW HET, designated300M, were tested in the Glenn facility anddemonstrated excellent performance. Thehigh-voltage Hall accelerator, a high-spe-cific-impulse engineering model HET builtby Glenn and Aerojet, has undergone per-formance testing. Busek characterized aHET fueled by iodine, which appears to bea promising propellant.

Ion thrusters are breaking endurancerecords. Jet Propulsion Lab’s Dawn space-craft, powered by its three-engine ion pro-pulsion system, entered Vesta’s orbit inSeptember. The propulsion system oper-ated for a total of almost 24,000 hr, deliv-ered 6.8-km/sec delta-V, and used 254 kgof propellant. ESA’s GOCE (gravity fieldand steady-state ocean circulation explorer)

by Vlad Hruby


Busek’s RF ion thruster is inthe 1-cm class.



components is proceeding. KDNP, whichwas qualified for military use in 2009, hasdemonstrated equivalent safety, sensitivity,and output compared to lead styphnate andhas been evaluated in a variety of applica-tions with positive results. The proposedtetrazene replacement, MTX-1, offers nearlyequivalent sensitization in primer composi-tions and possesses both higher thermaland hydrolytic stabilities.

Several AIAA and other publications de-tail the recent accomplishments of this jointeffort. Full papers on both DBX-1 andKDNP are forthcom-ing in the journalPropellants, Explo-sives, Pyrotechnics.

Chemring Ener-getic Devices has de-veloped a primaryexplosives manufac-turing capability thatcan provide full-scaleproduction rates formaterials such aslead azide. This ca-pability is crucial inmeeting the currentneed for heritage en-ergetic materials while ‘green’ energeticsdevelopment efforts continue.

The energetic material specification forHNS (hexanitrostilbene) is being reevalu-ated. The CAD/PAD Engineering Divisionat the Indian Head Division, Naval SurfaceWarfare Center, is leading a joint effort bygovernment and industry partners that willmodernize the outdated material specifica-tion to include recent improvements inmanufacturing and instrumental testingtechniques. The new processes will provematerial equivalence through a series ofvalidation activities. This project will ensurethe continued availability and supply chainstability for this critical energetic material.

The ECS community continued to pro-vide a strong government, academic, andindustrial presence at both the 47th Aero-space Sciences Meeting in Orlando and the46th Joint Propulsion Conference in SanDiego. Many aspects of energetic compo-nents, systems, and materials were reportedand discussed. Topic areas included newsystems development; applications of com-ponents; theory and modeling of materialsand devices; failure analysis and lessonslearned; energetic material concepts, devel-opment, and applications; aging/stability;and testing.

Energetic components and systems

In spite of the economic downtrend and as-sociated constraints, the energetic compo-nents and systems (ECS) industry continuedits key role in supporting the successful op-erations of aerospace safety and launch sys-tems in 2011. The year also marked thepassing of an era: The space shuttle Atlantislanded for the last time, ending that pro-gram even as unique space explorationprojects are still progressing and keepingthe ECS community involved.

JPL is finishing final assembly and inte-gration of the Mars Science Laboratoryspacecraft, which will deliver an approxi-mately 2,000-lb rover named Curiosity tothe surface of Mars. The one-month launchwindow opened in late November. Entry,descent, and landing (EDL) will employ aSkyCrane landing scheme and is scheduledfor August of 2012. The EDL process willinvolve firing 86 pyrotechnic mechanisms(using 172 NASA standard initiators). TheEDL system consists of 39 separation nuts,22 cable cutters, 20 pyro valves, three pinpullers, one thruster, and one parachutemortar. After landing on the Martian sur-face, the nuclear-powered rover will use asuite of sophisticated instruments to investi-gate whether the conditions present onMars early in its history were favorable forthe development of life. The mission isscheduled to last a minimum of 23 months.

Energetic materials provide portable,packaged energy that is essential to thechoreographed operations of all ECS items.These chemical systems are constantly be-ing reexamined, updated, or replaced,when practical, as programs and policiesevolve. The development and evaluation of‘green’ primary energetic materials remainsa priority this year. The CAD/PAD (car-tridge actuated device/propellant actuateddevice) R&D and Product ImprovementProgram Branch at the Indian Head Divi-sion, Naval Surface Warfare Center, led theeffort and has been working in a joint pro-gram with Pacific Scientific, Energetic Mate-rials to identify and test candidate materials.Three promising materials have been iden-tified: the lead azide replacement, DBX-1;the lead styphnate replacement, KDNP; andthe tetrazene replacement, MTX-1. DBX-1has completed compound qualification test-ing; the evaluation of its performance in

Optical (77X) micrographdepicts a development lotof DBX-1. Credit: PSEMC.

by Bill Sanborn



Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 aircraft.The GEnx, which is expected to enter ser-vice later this year, will offer 15% better fuelefficiency than current engines in its class.

The Trent 1000, developed for the Boe-ing 787 Dreamliner by global power sys-tems company Rolls-Royce, has beengranted ETOPS (extended twin engine op-erations) approval by the FAA. This impor-tant milestone means that the Trent 1000 isthe first engine for the 787 to have ETOPScertification, a critical step toward entry intoservice. Rolls-Royce also signed an agree-ment to be the exclusive engine providerfor an enhanced version of the AirbusA350-1000 aircraft. The new higher thrustversion of the Trent XWB will deliver97,000 lb maximum thrust, achieved by theinclusion of new high-temperature turbinetechnology, increasing the size of the en-gine core, and advanced fan aerodynamics.Currently six Trent XWB engines are beingtested, with flight testing scheduled to be-gin later this year.

Williams International was awardedFAA Part 33 type certification in May for itsnew FJ44-3AP engine, selected to powerthe Nextant 400XT, the Hawker 200, andthe PiperJet Altaire. State-of-the-art aero-dynamics and structural enhancementsled to this new benchmark in thrust-to-weight ratio and fuel economy;thrust was increased 8% to morethan 3,000 lb, while weight was re-duced 3%.

Turboshaft and turboprop en-gine development also made stridesthis year. The Army continued itsprogress on its AATE (advanced afford-

able turbine engine) program, with con-cepts under development by GE and Ad-vanced Turbine Engine, or ATEC, a jointventure of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney.The Army plans to go to engine testingwith both concepts next year for a poten-tial transition to upgrade the Army’s UH-60Blackhawk engines. In addition to theArmy’s program, Rolls-Royce completedthe first development test runs of the newRR500 engine, including engine start andaccelerations to part power. The RR500 en-gine is being designed and developed inboth turboprop and turboshaft configura-tions with a takeoff power rating of 450-475 shp. The engine will provide a signifi-cant increase in hot and high power overexisting products in this power class, whilealso providing lower acquisition and directoperating costs.

Gas turbine engines

U.S. military turbine engine R&D continuedto emphasize energy efficiency this year asa way to improve capability and reduce op-erating costs. Under the Air Force’s adap-tive versatile engine technology (ADVENT)program, which is developing variable cy-cle engine technologies, Rolls-Royce’s U.S.military arm Liberty Works and GE Aviationcompleted fabrication of adaptive fan testrigs, a key technology for ADVENT. LibertyWorks successfully completed testing of itsfan rig, and GE tests are ongoing. In addi-tion, both companies produced advancedhigh-pressure compressor test rigs underthe Air Force’s highly efficient embeddedturbine engine, or HEETE, program, whichseeks significant improvements in enginethermal efficiency. The Air Force plans totest both compressor rigs next year.

GE Aviation marked 40 years in com-mercial aviation withan active year incommercial engine

development.GE’s joint ven-ture with Snecma,

CFM International,celebrated its launch orderfrom Virgin America for the

LEAP (leading edge aviation propulsion)engine, which will power the Airbus A320-neo. The LEAP engine was also selected topower the reengined Boeing 737 as part ofthe largest aircraft order in history, made byAmerican Airlines. LEAP engines incorpo-rate advanced aerodynamic design tech-niques, lighter, more durable materials, andleading-edge environmental technologies,making it a major breakthrough in enginetechnology.

In addition to the LEAP, GE continuedflight testing on the GEnx engine for the

by the AIAA Gas Turbine EnginesTechnical Committee


The TrentXWB engine is currently undergoing testing.



approach may over-come the ground test fa-cility limitations as theyexist now.The National Center

for Hypersonic Com-bined Cycle Propulsion,funded by the Air ForceOffice of Scientific Re-search and NASA, com-pleted its second year ofresearch. Consisting ofteams from industry,government, and acade-mia, CHCCP is seekingan improved understand-ing of the physics and tomodel three combined-cycle flow regimes: turbine-to-ramjet modetransition, ramjet-to-scramjet mode transi-tion, and hypervelocity operation. Re-searchers developed a dual-mode combus-tion wind tunnel to simulate Mach-5 flightconditions, incorporating new laser diag-nostic tools such as tunable diode laser ab-sorption spectroscopy and particle imagevelocimetry. Modeling of experimental datacontinues using both RANS (Reynolds-aver-aged Navier-Stokes) and large-eddy simula-tion/RANS methods. Advanced filter densityfunction and chemical kinetic models aredeveloped to compute hypersonic turbu-lent reacting flows.At CUBRC’s LENS II long-duration shock

tunnel, a full-scale X-51 vehicle equippedwith a generic scramjet flowpath was testedat duplicated Mach-6 flight conditions. Ex-periments were also conducted in a large-scale combustion duct with a HIFiRE-likeflowpath to study mixing and combustionat Mach 5-7 conditions.In March, a massive earthquake shook

Japan, taking more than 15,000 lives anddestroying cities. R&D work at Tohoku Uni-versity and JAXA’s Kakuda Space Centerwas affected by the devastating event. For-tunately, no casualties were reported in ei-ther site, and with minimal damages, activ-ities resumed. Researchers succeeded inmeasuring second mode pressure fluctua-tions of the boundary layer transition usinga 7-deg half-angle cone at high enthalpyflow conditions in JAXA’s High EnthalpyShock Tunnel. They also proposed a pre-diction method for boundary layer transi-tion, a needed tool to help optimize hyper-sonic propulsion technology. Read more at https://info.aiaa.org/tac/

PEG/HSABPTC/default.aspx.

High-speed air-breathingpropulsion

Despite unforeseen challenges, this was apivotal year for high-speed air-breathingpropulsion, with several important eventsshaping the technology.The X-51A Waverider attempted its sec-

ond powered flight on June 13. At 40.3 secafter launch, the vehicle experienced acombustor/inlet unstart and continued tofly controlled, but unpowered, for an addi-tional 97 sec before impacting the PacificOcean. Exceptional telemetry data were ac-quired all the way to splashdown. Many ofthe subsystems worked as expected, in-cluding B-52 safe separation, boost, boosterseparation, guidance and control, flight ac-tuators, battery power, fuel system pressur-ization, and flight test instrumentation.The X-51 investigation centered on both

inlet (forebody/inlet isolator) and enginecharacteristics that were not as expectedfrom data gathered on the ground and onfirst flight. During boost, the flow throughthe inlet started at a later than expectedMach number, and higher than anticipatedcombustion-driven pressures were experi-enced during the engine start sequence. In-let/forebody geometry, fuel system deliveryto combustor, and clean air combustioncharacteristics (vs. ground combustion viti-ation effects) were all examined as possiblecauses for the unstart. It is likely that sev-eral separate causal factors combined totrigger the unstart. A fault tree was devel-oped with appropriate tests/analyses identi-fied to aid in fault tree node closure.Aerojet unveiled a novel combined-cy-

cle propulsion concept to achieve seamlessoperation from Mach 0 to Mach 6+. Knownas TriJet engine, the turbine-based com-bined-cycle concept is attractive for high-speed ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and re-connaissance)/strike platform applications,bridging the existing thrust gap betweenavailable turbojets and dual-mode ramjet/scramjets with an ejector ramjet. Aerojetproposed to first configure TriJet for a sin-gle-engine demonstrator vehicle, addingthat “after extensive flight operation in theMach 0-4 range, employing existing turbineengine and ejector ramjet propulsion ele-ments, the more robust vehicle could beequipped with a large-scale matchingscramjet and used for envelope expansioninto the higher Mach flight regime.” This by Dora Musielak

An artist’s rendition depicts theX-51A Waverider in hypersonicflight. Powered by a Pratt &Whitney Rocketdyne SJY61scramjet engine, the X-51A isdesigned to ride on its ownshock wave and accelerate toMach 6 (USAF graphic).



systems are restartable only with replace-ment of the squib, which is not possible formotors in upper stages already in flight.Fuel grains that ignite spontaneously uponcontact with the oxidizer provide the sim-plest and most reliable form of start andrestart capability. Adding LiAlH4 to paraffinwax produces a wax fuel grain that is hy-pergolic with several different chemicals. A50-lb-thrust test paraffin wax/gaseous oxy-gen test motor has been built and tested.Regression rate measurements have beenconducted on several novel fuel grains.

Aerospace Corporation has been re-searching a novel approach to fabricatinghybrid motor fuel grains. A fuel grain is‘grown’ or ‘printed’ using stereolithography,a form of rapid prototyping. Patterns in suc-cessive layers of a liquid photopolymer arecured to produce a 3D structure. The struc-ture can be of virtually any shape, so a fuelgrain may be produced that has a complexport shape and a large surface area, whilealso having a large fill-factor. This allowsthe design of a motor that is highly filledand whose ports are not limited to straight,axially constant shapes.

In an EC cofunded project, FAST20XX,work with scaled hybrid test motors basedon N2O in combination with solid polymersis under way at Aerospace InnovationGmbH, Université Libre de Bruxelles, andthe FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency.Different fuel candidates are being consid-ered and tested for application in futurelaunch vehicles.

Extensive research on combustion ofliquefying and nonliquefying fuels in hy-brid propulsion has taken place at the Fac-ulty of Aerospace Engineering of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Polymericfuels (PMME, HTPB), paraffin-based fuels,and mixed polymer-paraffin fuels havebeen static-firing tested in a laboratory mo-tor, using gaseous oxygen or nitrous oxideas the oxidizer. A mixed fuel composed ofan HTPB matrix filled with synthetic waxparticles has proven to have good mechan-ical properties and a relatively high regres-sion rate (some three times higher than forplain polymer). A theoretical combustionmodel for a liquefying fuel revealed that theflow of the thin molten fuel layer along thesurface may play a significant role in themass loss mechanism of the fuel and inoverall combustion efficiency.

Scaled Composites also conducted thefirst full-duration hybrid motor firing forSpaceShipTwo.

Hybrid rockets

Studies at Stanford University have identi-fied the paraffin-based hybrid as a strongcandidate for several in-space missions,such as a Mars ascent vehicle and orbit in-sertion motor. An apparatus to visualize theliquid layer combustion for paraffin fuels isunder development. The combustion cham-ber allows for multiple vantage points andlighting options for optical measurements.The apparatus is designed for pressures upto 20 atm to enable studies of combustionat supercritical pressures.

Penn State High Pressure CombustionLab, collaborating with Aerospace Corpora-tion and NASA, presented preliminary worksummarizing fuel formulation and charac-terization for paraffin-based solid fuels con-taining lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4).Solid-fuel grain casting and testing con-tinue. Under a NASA Space Technology Re-search Fellowship, Penn State graduate stu-dent Daniel Larson is developing a highregression rate fuel with high volumetric ef-ficiency for hybrid rocket motors.

Utah State University and AviradyneTechnologies are investigating use of directdigital manufacturing (DDM), or rapid pro-totyping as a manufacturing process for hy-brid fuel grains. Multiple DDM fuel grainsmade of structural ABS plastic were testedand compared against identically cast HTPBfuel grains with N2O as the oxidizer. Themean motor thrust was approximately 200Nt. The DDM-fabricated ABS grains exhib-ited slightly lower (1.7%) specific impulsebut demonstrated significantly greater run-to-run consistency in total impulse andthrust profile.

Aerospace Corporation examined theaddition of fuel additives to create severalnovel paraffin wax-based fuel grains for hy-brid rocket motors. Creating a restartablepropulsion motor requires a proper ignitionsystem. Currently, hybrid rocket motors areignited by using explosive squibs and/orgaseous hydrocarbon flames. The squibby Martin Chiaverini


A scaled test motor developedby Aerospace Innovation underwent a successful ignition test.



the upper stage of the midlife evolution Ar-iane 5 launcher (A5ME). Testing by Snecmaon the P4.1 high-altitude bench at DLRLampoldshausen explored design improve-ments implemented for A5ME; testing onthe P3.2 bench provided details on regen-erative circuit temperature, heat flux, andflow conditions.ESA’s future launcher preparatory pro-

gram performed refined studies on booster,main, and upper stage propulsion systemsfor Europe’s next-generation launch vehi-cle. An important milestone achieved inMarch was the successful completion of thesystems requirementsreview for the mainstage, 1,400-kN high-thrust LOX/LH2 stagedcombustion rocketengine demonstrator(SCORE-D). At mid-year, the joint team ofAvio, Astrium, andSnecma was awardeda follow-on contractfor work leading toSCORE-D subsystems’preliminary design re-view in 2013. A con-tract with EADS As-trium was also ini-tiated to develop key technologies for stor-able propellant engines in the 5-8-kN thrustrange. The focus is on combustion chambercooling with MMH as film and NTO as re-generative coolants. Topics for investiga-tion include heat management, injector per-formance, and stability. The development of a new LOX/LH2

booster engine, the LE-X, is under way forJapan’s next flagship launch system. Sched-uled to be complete in 2013, LE-X is an ex-pander-bleed cycle engine. Key to its suc-cess will be its high-efficiency turbine, andtests conducted on the fuel turbine showedgood agreement with predictions. JAXAalso executed an end-to-end high-fidelitysimulation of the LE-X to evaluate engineperformance and mitigate potential opera-tional hazards. Unfortunately, the spaceagency had less success with its Venus or-biter Akatsuki (Dawn). The craft’s main en-gine failed to complete the first Venus orbitinsertion burn in December 2010. In-flighttests conducted in September of this yearshowed thrust at one-third to one-fourth ofthe expected level. Contamination of acheck valve by oxidizer and fuel residualproducts is the suspected culprit.

Liquid propulsion

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne demonstratedfull power operation of the J-2X upperstage rocket engine under development forNASA’s manned exploration programs. TheJ-2X is an upgrade of the J-2, designed tomeet future heavy-lift performance and hu-man safety needs. The heritage J-2 proveditself powering the second and third stagesof the Saturn V (Apollo) launch vehicle. Fueled by the same propellants (LH2/LO2),the new J-2X will generate 1,310 kN ofthrust and can be restarted to send space-craft on Earth-escape trajectories for a vari-ety of exploration missions.Aerojet’s AJ26 engines, which will pro-

vide propulsion for Orbital’s Taurus IIlaunch vehicle, were acceptance tested inFebruary. The upper stage engine technol-ogy hydrogen turbopump assembly, de-signed for the next-generation engine pro-gram, was tested at the Air Force ResearchLaboratory in August.SpaceX (Space Exploration Technolo-

gies) develops and produces the Merlinrocket engine to power the Falcon 9 launchvehicle, using liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants. Merlin has thehighest thrust/weight ratio of any boosterengine ever built, producing 716 kN ofthrust in vacuum and having an enginemass of less than 454 kg.AMPAC In-Space Propulsion extended

the qualification of its high-performance 5-lbf MMH/MON engine, demonstrating morethan 680 deep thermal cycles and 727 kgthroughput at combustion chamber temper-atures from 1,425 to 1,650 C. Advancedchamber material development will lead tolife extension demonstration testing in2012. AMPAC-ISP has completed compo-nent qualification for a low-cost liquid di-vert and attitude control system for the Mis-sile Defense Agency, and has assembled aflight-type system for altitude testing latethis year.California State University, Long Beach,

with HyperTherm High Temperature Com-posites and Garvey Spacecraft, expanded toresearch the use of ceramic matrix compos-ites for improved ablative thrust chambers.Funded by NASA Marshall, they conducted450-lbf thrust class LOX/methane rocketengine static fire tests.ESA continued to develop the 180-kN

Vinci expander cycle engine designated for

by the AIAALiquid PropulsionTechnical Committee

The AJ26 is on the test stand atNASA Stennis in Mississippi.



fuels that are more readily accessible thanthose of Jupiter and Saturn and, with theadvent of nuclear fusion propulsion, mayoffer us the best option for the first practicalinterstellar flight.

A novel model for air transport has beenproposed in a study at Cranfield Universityand analyzed for feasibility. Out of manyfuture alternative sources of power andpropulsion, nuclear propulsion seems to beone of the practical future methods fortravel. According to the proposed concept,all the chemically propelled aircraft travel-ing on a particular sector could be opti-mized only for takeoff and climb, whichwould result in increased efficiency.

After reaching a designated height,these optimized aircraft would be carriedfrom one location to another by a nuclear-powered aircraft. At the destination, chemi-cally propelled aircraft could land usingtheir own onboard engines. Optimizing achemical aircraft for takeoff and climb andthen shutting off the engine for cruise re-sults in less fuel consumption, lower take-off weight, and reduced emissions.

Historically, researchers concluded thatthe operating cost of nuclear-powered air-

craft could be substantiallyreduced by increasing thegross weight—increased air-craft size will make it morefeasible to convert the pres-ent fleet of aircraft to theproposed nuclear-poweredair transport cycle.

A large number of aircraftaccidents happen during ei-ther landing or takeoff, orbecause of human error. Nu-clear-powered flight, whichwill have no takeoff or land-ing and no human pilots,will substantially lower thepossibility of an accident.The decreasing availability of

fossil fuels for air transportation also wouldbe less of a problem with the proposed nu-clear-powered air transport model, whichwould save substantial amounts of fuel: Re-duction in the NOx (oxides of nitrogen)emissions is 33% for short-range aircraft of1,000-km range; for the 10,000-km rangecase, this reduction is up to 80%.

More information is available at theSBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)fuels and space propellants Web site, www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/Fuels-And-Space-Pro-pellants/foctopsb.htm.

Nuclear and future flightpropulsion

Atmospheric mining of the outer planetscan be a powerful tool in extracting fuels toallow fast human and robotic explorationof the solar system. Preliminary designs ofaerospacecraft with gas core engines formining the outer planets were developed atNASA Glenn. The analyses showed thatsuch engines can reduce the mass of at-mospheric mining vehicles very signifi-cantly, enabling a reduction of 72-80% overNTP (nuclear thermal propulsion) solidcore powered mining vehicles.

Although this reduction in the mass ofthe overall mining system is important, afissioning plasma gas core rocket is muchmore complex than the more traditionalsolid core NTP engines. Flight rates neces-sary for fueling an interstellar-class vehiclewith a 50,000-metric-ton propellant loadhave been estimated. While up to 20 min-ing flights a day would be needed to meeta 20-year assembly time, a more moderatenumber of daily flights would be required ifthe assembly time were relaxed to 50 years.

If the assembly time is extended to 100years, the number of flights is reduced tothree per day for the 0.5-metric-ton payload(per mining flight) case, and less than oneper day with the 2-metric-ton payload case.The assembly time of 100 years may be im-practical, but it does reduce the flight timesto only one to three per day.

Based on these analyses, there are likelyseveral possible future avenues for effec-tively using the gases of the outer planetsto fuel exciting exploration missions.Uranus and Neptune offer vast reservoirs ofby Bryan Palaszewski


Uranus and Neptune mayprovide vast quantitiesof accessible fuels.



Propellants and combustion

The National Center for Hypersonic Com-bined Cycle Combustion, funded by AFOSRand NASA, completed its second year of re-search. The center seeks improvements inthe ability to understand physically andmodel three combined-cycle flow regimes:turbine-to-ramjet mode transition, ramjet-to-scramjet mode transition, and hypervelocityoperation.

Fundamental computational modelingtechniques used by the center include pro-duction-level Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), large-eddy simulation (LES)/RANS, and development of advanced fil-tered density function (FDF). LES/RANS,developed by North Carolina State Univer-sity, used a blending function to transitionfrom the LES of the flow field to the RANSnear walls. The University of Pittsburgh andMichigan State developed an advanced FDFtechnique, termed energy-pressure-veloc-ity-scalar or EPVS, for turbulent combustingflows. The University of Buffalo uses directnumerical simulation to provide data usedby both the LES/RANS and FDF solutionmethodologies.

CFD methodologies require computa-tionally efficient implementation of accu-rate combustion chemistry. Ethylene, a ma-jor pyrolysis product of real fuels, is used inthe research program as a representativehydrocarbon fuel. A University of Virginiateam, starting from a 111-species detailedmechanism for ethylene (USC Mech II), hasdeveloped and validated an accurate 38-species skeletal mechanism and a 24-species reduced mechanism. Uncertaintyanalysis has been used to identify the criti-cal rates for which more accurate experi-mental data would be valuable. At Cornellresearchers pursued another dimension-re-duction approach, namely rate-controlledconstrained equilibrium, or RCCE. Certainspecies are selected as ‘constraints’; the re-maining species are assumed to be in con-strained chemical equilibrium. A ‘greedy al-gorithm with local improvement,’ or GALI,has been developed to select near-optimalconstrained species. All the approacheshave been implemented and tested for thetest case of an LES/FDF simulation of anonpremixed piloted jet flame. The differ-ent descriptions of the chemistry are imple-mented using in situ adaptive tabulation.The combination of the tabulation and re-

by Steven Pope, AlexeiPoludnenko, DouglasSchwer, Joanna Austin,and Yiguang Ju

duction schemes reduces the computertime required by a factor of 10,000, makingLES/FDF computations feasible. The com-bined approaches have been implementedin parallel, and good scaling is observed inall tests (up to 9,000 processors). These ad-vances will facilitate future LES/FDF calcu-lations of combustion in combined-cycleflow regimes.

At the Laboratory for ComputationalPhysics and Fluid Dynamics, Naval Re-search Lab (NRL), simulations are used tostudy detonation for both propulsion andhazard applications. Detonation wave en-gine concepts are promising, as they couldprovide up to 25% improvement in fuel ef-ficiency. In a rotating-detonation enginestudied at NRL, a detonationwave propagates around an an-nular ring combustion chamberconsuming air/fuel that is in-jected axially. Simulations areused to examine the flow fieldand understand the relationshipbetween input and output pres-sure and the effects of engine siz-ing parameters on performance.Recent studies investigated theeffect of injection patterns on thedetonation structure and resultingperformance.

Formation of a supersonicdetonation from a subsonic flame(deflagration-to-detonation transi-tion, or DDT) can occur in awide variety of environmentsranging from experimental sys-tems on Earth to astrophysicalthermonuclear supernovae ex-plosions. Studies show that inconfined systems, walls and ob-stacles play a key role in causingthe pressure increase and accel-eration of the flame, thus creatingconditions necessary for the det-onation ignition. Detailed numer-ical simulations from NRL (in collaborationwith Sandia) of high-speed turbulence in-teraction with unconfined, subsonic, pre-mixed, turbulent flames in stoichiometricH2-air and CH4-air mixtures showed, how-ever, that such flames are inherently unsta-ble to DDT even without assistance frompreexisting shocks or obstacles. Under-standing this new mechanism of detonationformation will help to mitigate the threatposed by uncontrolled DDT to chemicalstorage and processing facilities and to min-ing operations.

A scatter plot of CO2 was producedfrom an LES/FDF simulation of anon-premixed piloted jet flame.



The rocket motors designed by Boeing andsubcontractor ATK were subjected to 5-20thermal cycles of -45 to 160 F and success-fully fired, meeting all test objectives. InAugust, Lockheed Martin successfully dem-onstrated its Aerojet-supplied JAGM mini-mum-smoke rocket motor in fixed-wing air-craft operating in severe weather environ-ments. Lockheed Martin’s JAGM motor hadbeen demonstrated to meet or exceed ro-tary-wing requirements in prior environ-mental testing.

In June, Orbital Sciences successfullylaunched the Dept. of Defense ORS-1 satel-lite on a Minotaur I rocket. The launch wasthe 21st for the Minotaur family since 2000.The final flight of space shuttle Endeavour

occurred in May, usingATK’s reusable solid rocketmotors. The last threelaunches of the shuttletook place this year: Dis-covery, Endeavour, and At-lantis. As a tribute, Endeav-our had a fired case fromits first flight (STS-49) andAtlantis had an STS-1 firedcase in their left boosters.The shuttle program’s finalliftoff occurred in July withthe picture-perfect launch

of Atlantis, culminating a remarkable three-decade-long program in space exploration.

Test successes in 2011 offer encourage-ment as the industry looks forward to thenext-generation solid rocket motors forcommercial launch and heavy-lift vehicles.In September, ATK conducted a third suc-cessful ground test of the five-segment solidrocket motor, Development Motor 3, basedon the four-segment RSRMs. This is NASA’slargest and most powerful solid rocket mo-tor ever designed for flight. Aerojet playeda key role, supplying five solid rocketboosters (SRBs), in the successful launch ofUnited Launch Alliance’s Atlas V from CapeCanaveral carrying NASA’s Juno spacecrafttoward Jupiter, the 13th successful Atlas Vlaunch with Aerojet SRBs.

Early this year, ATK and Astrium (anEADS company) announced the Libertyrocket joint venture. ATK would supply thehuman-rated first stage, developed underNASA’s Space Exploration Program, whichis derived from the space shuttle’s SRBs. As-trium, developer and manufacturer of theAriane 5 launcher, working with Snecma,would provide Liberty’s liquid fueled sec-ond stage.

Solid rockets

Tactical, strategic, and launch system arenassaw progress in solid rocket motor technol-ogy, through successful tests of in-service,next-generation subsystems and significantproduction milestones. In April, Raytheoncompleted the first flight test of a StandardMissile-3 (SM-3) Block IA against an inter-mediate range ballistic missile, marking the19th successful SM-3 intercept. In August,Aerojet accomplished key developmentalmilestones on its SM-3 Block IB throttleabledivert and attitude control system by com-pleting a series of full-up system tests.

Production milestones and sustainedflight test achievements were reached forseveral in-service systems. Lockheed Martindelivered the 1,000th Patriot Advanced Ca-pability-3 (PAC-3) missile to the Army inSeptember 2010, and this March the en-hanced version, the PAC-3 Missile SegmentEnhancement, successfully intercepted atactical missile target at White Sands. Alsoin March, the Navy and Lockheed Martinconducted a successful test flight of a Tri-dent II D5 fleet ballistic missile. The three-stage, solid-propellant D5 was launchedfrom the submerged submarine USS Ne-vada in the Pacific Ocean, marking the135th consecutive successful test flight ofthe D5 missile since 1989—a 22-year recordof reliability unmatched by any other largeballistic missile or space launch vehicle. Or-bital Sciences carried out the 25th launch ofits Coyote supersonic sea-skimming targetvehicle in July 2011 supporting the Navy’songoing ship self-defense exercises.

Progress was made for the next-genera-tion joint air-to-ground missile (JAGM), asingle-motor solution for fixed- and rotary-wing platforms. In May, Raytheon and Boe-ing completed a series of tests of JAGM.

by Barbara A. Leary,Robert E. Black III, and Clyde E. Carr Jr.


DM-3 is NASA's largest and mostpowerful solid rocket motor everdesigned for flight.



Freedom), are facilitating this developmentby aiding in the design and installation ofsolar power plants, preparing market stud-ies, and training managers and technicians.

An emerging solar energy conversiontechnology is the concentrating solar power(CSP) plant. In CSP plants, electricity is gen-erated by traditional power-generating (typ-ically steam) turbines where working fluidis heated by concentrated radiation fromthe Sun. So far, they have proven slightlymore cost effective than PV on a largescale, but, more important, they can be co-fired with natural gas for periods of low so-lar isolation. For example, a new receiverdesign being explored at San Diego StateUniversity will enable a CSP plant to oper-ate with gas turbines instead of steam tur-bines. This eliminates the requirement forcooling water while increasing efficiency.

Storage is a big challenge for solar elec-tric technologies. Wind energy is facing thesame issue in certain regions, where withina half-hour or so, a gigawatt can come on-line (or go offline). As the Sun movesthroughout the day, or clouds come andgo, PV and CSP plants can suffer hugeswings in output. Currently, CSP plantshave the advantage over PV in that heatcan be stored in molten salt or other media,since battery technology is not adequate tostore that much electricity directly. Onepromising technology at San Diego State ishigh-temperature phase change storage us-ing binary alloys that can work in conjunc-tion with the gas turbine mentioned above.

Long constrained by high costs and in-adequate technology, solar energy may fi-nally break through to the mainstream inthe next few decades. Cooperation withgovernment and dedication among scien-tists and engineers researching new materi-als and technologies will be needed for it toreach its full potential.

Terrestrial energy systems

This year again saw considerable activity inthe development of green energy concepts,more efficient utilization of fuels, and ef-forts to find alternative fuels to meet in-creasing demand.

Solar energy is breaking through theclouds. Although their contribution to theworld’s energy consumption is still verysmall, solar technologies have great poten-tial to strengthen national security, mitigateglobal climate change, and reduce air pol-lution. They can also improve third worldconditions by providing access to electric-ity and helping to reduce deforestation.These factors, along with the increasingmaturity of solar technologies and re-search, have set the stage for a significantshift toward solar energy, and for an ac-companying thrust in the R&D of relatedenergy conversion technologies.

Driven by dramatic cost reductions inphotovoltaic (PV) panels, lenses, and in-verters, and by government incentives andlegislation, PV system sizes and the numberof PV installations in the U.S. are increasingsignificantly. Just a few years ago a solar PVinstallation of 500 kW was considered verylarge; today many industrial rooftops sportsystems of several megawatts, and desertinstallations in the range of hundreds ofmegawatts are being planned.

PV plants are not only changing the pat-tern of world energy use and reducing car-bon dioxide emissions but are also having adramatic personal effect on people in thirdworld countries. Today, about 1.5 billionpeople in developing nations lack access toelectricity. Energy from traditional sourcesmust often be imported from richer coun-tries and paid for in hard currency. By mov-ing the production of energy closer to theconsumer or, even more radically, by turn-ing potential consumers into producers aswell, renewable energy has begun to makeinroads in creating a more energy-inclusivethird world.

Of those renewable energies, solar isthe most functional, immediate, and easiestto obtain. Installations of PV systems, alongwith their inexpensive maintenance, havestimulated the development of energy en-trepreneurship, which generates economicopportunity and jobs. Worldwide, institu-tions such as the Catholic University of Mi-lan, in collaboration with EFrem (Energy

by Gustaaf B. Jacobsand Fletcher J. Miller

A photovoltaic panelis installed in Nairobi,Kenya.


An Office of the Chief Technologist proj-ect, next-generation life support systems,will sponsor follow-on work on Bosch-re-lated CO2 reduction beginning in FY12.

Desert RATS (research and technologysimulation) testing in the Arizona desertsimulated operations for exploration of anear-Earth asteroid. Desert RATS featuredtwo MMSEVs and a deep space habitat thatincluded a laboratory module, a Universityof Wisconsin-provided inflatable habitat, anairlock/dust mitigation module, and a hy-giene module. Simulations involved aster-oid MMSEV activities, EVAs, and supportactivities based in the habitat for multidaymissions. Crews occupied the habitat formost of the two-week testing period.

The plant signaling experiment, con-ducted on board the ISS in July, was a col-laboration by NASA Ames and North Car-olina State University to understand themolecular mechanisms plants use to senseand respond to changes in their environ-ment. Arabidopsis plants were grown in theEuropean modular cultivation system to al-low comparison of global transcript andprotein profiles of the wild type and trans-genic plants under microgravity and 1-gconditions. The goal is to use this knowl-edge to improve crops on Earth and designplants to tolerate extreme and extraterres-trial environments.

Two Italian astronauts, Paolo Nespoliand Roberto Vittori, executed eight LS ex-periments sponsored by the Italian spaceagency, which has begun work on an ex-ternal platform devoted to exobiology.

The Mars500 project continued simulat-ing the operations and confinement of a500-day mission from Earth to Mars. The‘mission’ has generated unique data—no-body has been isolated as long as these sixmarsonauts. Their stay ended on schedulewhen the hatch opened on November 4.

The emerging commercial spaceflightindustry is adding an exciting new dimen-sion to space activities. In late 2010, theFAA formed a new Center of Excellence forCommercial Space Transportation, chargedwith conducting research across areas suchas space traffic management, launch vehi-cles and technologies, human spaceflight,and industry viability. Future transport ofcrew and cargo to and from LEO is now en-visioned to be provided by the private sec-tor, which broadens the role of the life sci-ences and support community and opensthe door for NASA to set its sights on deepspace exploration.

Life sciences and systems

The life sciences and systems (LSS) com-munity’s aerospace-related activities are fo-cused on enabling human exploration ofspace. Science and technology efforts atspace organizations around the world areaddressing life support needs for futurespace endeavors.

Anticipation of future visits to a near-Earth asteroid and/or Mars are driving somecurrent life support efforts to address re-quirements for such missions. Withoutclearly stated goals, however, integratedsystems cannot be defined. Life sciences(LS) efforts are addressing problems associ-ated with long-duration space stays, includ-ing physiological deconditioning, and theeffects of radiation on crews.

Advanced exploration system projectshave been proposed and accepted, withproject management named, and are nearlyready for implementation for LSS relatedareas—the multimission space explorationvehicle (MMSEV), EVA suit and life support;suitport; deep space habitat definition; ana-log missions; logistics reduction and repur-posing; water recovery; spacecraft firesafety demonstrations; radiation protection;atmosphere resource recovery; and envi-ronmental monitoring. The CO2 and mois-ture removal amine sorbent technology hasbeen flown to the ISS and implemented asa development test objective.

NASA centers are working to developthe systems needed to maintain breathableair in spacecraft: Johnson tested a pressureswing amine bed technology for potentialuse on Orion and EVA systems; Ames con-tinued development of a closed-loop CO2removal system to reduce power associatedwith water recovery and integrate CO2 com-pression; and Marshall has made progresson technologies for recovery of O2 fromCO2 and H2 derived from methane.

by Jeff Johnson

SPACE AND MISSILES

The deep space habitat simulation in Arizona featured a testing lab, experimental habitation module, and hygieneand airlock modules, with multimission space explorationvehicles in the vicinity.


SM-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 2:39 PM Page 2


to support a two- or three-person crew ona surface sortie of about 40 days.

Architecture in the hostile space envi-ronment is a field closely related to archi-tecture in extreme environments on Earth.Many of the habitability and human factorschallenges are similar if not identical. Agood illustration of this is the Halley VIAntarctic research station designed byHugh Broughton Architects of London, sup-ported by AECOM. Created for the BritishAntarctic Survey, Halley VI was the result ofan international architectural competition. Ithas a modular design and, like the ISS, isassembled from a prefabricated kit-of-partsthat arrives at the operations location readyto be berthed together. Its modules canmove to a safer location when the station’slocal portion of the Brunt Ice Shelf threat-ens to break off as a giant iceberg. This isequivalent to the periodic reboosting of theinternational space station’s orbit to main-tain a safe altitude.

Halley VI fuses cutting-edge engineer-ing with innovative accommodation facili-ties and outfitting to combat the isolation oflife in the extreme Antarctic environment.Hydraulic legs allow the modules to climbabove rising snow levels when stationary,while ski-based foundations enable theirrepositioning on the Brunt Ice Shelf. In theAustral summer of this year (January andFebruary), the construction team moved theindividual modules 15 km to their first op-erational site and linked them together forfinal construction and handover to theBritish Antarctic Survey in 2012.

Space architecture

The next big human missions to the Moon,Mars, or elsewhere have not yet arrived oninternational drawing boards. In the pastyear, however, the space architecture com-munity has pressed on with habitation de-signs for these future missions, continuingto envision the engineered cocoons thathumans will need to survive on alien andremote surfaces.

In the U.S., NASA has built a prototypecalled the habitat demonstration unit–deepspace habitat (HDU–DSH) and has tested itin the desert north of Flagstaff, Arizona, un-der the NASA desert research and technol-ogy studies (D-RATS) campaign. The habi-tat is a 5-m-diam. cylindrical shell with thehorizontal end caps forming the floor androof. Inside, it has one level of accommo-dation to support a three- or four-personcrew for 14-30 days. This year NASA held acompetition called the X-Hab AcademicChallenge to build an inflatable loft formounting on the habitat’s roof to expandthe crew accommodation. Three universi-ties competed to build the loft structure.The University of Wisconsin-Madison’sBadger X-Loft design was the winner. It willgo to Arizona for installation in the nextround of NASA field tests.

In parallel, space architects from JPLhave developed a small habitat capsule thatrides on top of the all-terrain hex-limbedextra-terrestrial explorer, or ATHLETE, thatdocks with the larger habitat.

In Europe, work continues on long-range studies for fixed and mobile habitatsdestined for the Moon or Mars. ArchitectBarbara Imhof and her associates at theLiquifer Systems Group in Vienna, Austria,have been exploring a concept calledRAMA (rover for advanced mission applica-tions). Designed with Thales Alenia Spaceunder an ESA study, RAMA incorporates adual suitport with two surface activity suitssealed directly into the pressurized rover’sbody. The rear-entry suitport concept waspioneered by architect Marc Cohen and col-leagues at NASA Ames. It reduces the prob-lem of dust and other contaminants that arereleased during the doffing of suits when aconventional airlock is used.

The RAMA concept features innovationsin the human factors area, such as a cockpitchair that transforms into a bed and work-station. Rover accommodation is designed by David A. Nixon

Seen from inside the HDU-DSHhabitat through a porthole, theATHLETE vehicle bearing thesmall capsule approaches thestationary habitat for a dockingtest. Photo: David A. Nixon.



LETE (all-terrain hex-limbed extraterrestrialexplorer) robot.

With the successful completion of theSTS-135 on July 21, the shuttle remote ma-nipulator system (SRMS), or Canadarm, wasofficially retired after having flown on morethan 50 missions. The SRMS arms from Dis-covery and Atlantis will be displayed alongwith their respective shuttles. The Endeav-our arm is being removed and will be ondisplay in Canada.

At this year’s International Conferenceon Robotics and Automation, held in Bei-jing, Chinese officials announced several lu-nar rover missions. The first, to fly in 2013,will be an autonomous 120-kg rover to ex-plore Sinus Iridium. The robot is poweredby solar panels during the lunar day andkept alive through the lunar night using aU238 RTG (radioisotope thermoelectricgenerator). Following the rover mission,China expects to conduct a sample returnmission in 2017.

In April, ESA tested its ExoMars drill inMars analog conditions. The drill can pene-trate to a depth of 2 m and return core sam-ples by opening and closing the coring portat the drill head. The drill also has a sap-phire window on the side of the drill stringfor the Mars MISSE (multispectral imagerfor subsurface studies experiment). This im-ager can take readings from the inside ofthe bore hole. ESA plans to deploy the drillon Mars as part of a joint 2018 mission withNASA.

At the end of May, NASA announcedthat it had formally ended the mission of itsMars exploration rover Spirit. The agencymade this decision after being unable toreestablish communications with the roverfor more than a year. NASA concluded thatthe rover had likely not survived the recentMartian winter because of inadequatepower for its survival heaters. Spirit landedon Mars on January 3, 2004, for a three-month mission, but surpassed all expecta-tions by operating until March 22, 2010.

Elsewhere on Mars, the Opportunityrover (Spirit’s twin) continues to establishnew records for Mars exploration. In Au-gust, Opportunity arrived at EndeavourCrater after traveling for almost three yearsacross a distance of 13 mi. (21 km). Scien-tists are planning to use Opportunity tosample new types of rocks in Endeavour,particularly clay minerals that may haveformed in early, wet conditions on Mars.JPL operates Opportunity remotely, fromPasadena.

Space automation and robotics

On February 24, space shuttle Discoverywas launched into orbit for the last time. Inaddition to the crew of six astronauts, theSTS-133 mission included a robotic passen-ger, NASA’s Robonaut 2 (R2). This two-armed humanoid robot is the latest result ofa long-term NASA effort to develop robotsthat have manipulation capabilities similarto those of suited astronauts. In the future,dexterous robots will be able to make useof hand tools without modification and per-form extravehicular activity work, enablinga reduction in the amount of consumablesused during human missions.

NASA began formal testing of R2 on theISS in late summer as part of the humanexploration telerobotics (HET) project. Thepurpose of HET is to assess how advancedremotely operated robots can improve theproductivity of human explorers and in-crease the scientific return of human mis-sions. To do this, HET is conducting testswith a variety of robot systems remotelyoperated by ISS astronauts and by groundcontrollers on Earth. These systems includeR2, the MIT SPHERES (synchronized posi-tion hold engage and reorient experimen-tal satellites) free-flyers, the NASA AmesK10 planetary rovers, and the JPL ATH-

by Terrence Fongand David P. Miller

SPACE AND MISSILES

NASA astronaut Cady Colemanposes with Robonaut 2 in theDestiny laboratory of the ISS in March. Courtesy NASA.



2011. The NSS Web site features an onlinelibrary with a collection of documents cov-ering space settlements, solar power satel-lites, planetary defense, and habitations onthe Moon and Mars. NSS has also started anInternet-based peer-reviewed Space Settle-ment Journal that began accepting papersthis year.

Strong student interest in space settle-ment was demonstrated by about 1,000participants in the AIAA-sponsored Interna-tional Space Settlement Design Competi-tion, which included semifinals in India, theUnited Kingdom, and Houston, Texas, withthe final selection in Houston. Hundreds ofstudents worldwide also submitted entriesfor the NSS space design contest.

Perhaps a reflection of interest in, anduncertainty about, future large-scale habita-tion of space is the 2011-2012 high schooldebate topic for the National ForensicLeague, “Resolved: The United States fed-eral government should substantially in-crease its exploration and/or developmentof space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.”For advocates of space settlements, theclear answer is “Of course, development ofspace is what humans are destined to do.”However, the fact that this is a debate topicsuggests that there are equally compellingarguments against expansion of human ac-tivities in space.

Space colonization

The end of the space shuttle program rep-resents a symbolic interruption on the pathtoward space settlement. The space settle-ment designs created in the 1970s pre-sumed use of the shuttle for launching con-struction elements. Although cost realitiesled to recognition that the shuttle was notan economically viable tool for the con-struction of space settlements, the vehiclesoffered a capability for large on-orbit con-struction projects. Now on-orbit construc-tion capabilities are gone, and it is uncer-tain when and how they will be restored.

Tangible evidence of a path toward fu-ture space settlement is, however, providedby completion of the international spacestation. The ISS can now support a long-term crew of six, allowing more time toconduct scientific research and to developa better understanding of the challengesand concerns associated with living inspace habitats.

Work on the deep-space multipurposecrew vehicle (MPCV) continues, four com-panies are working commercial crew devel-opment contracts, and the design of thenext-generation Space Launch System wasannounced in September. Reflecting moreambitious U.S. interest in space habitationwas DARPA’s announcement of a 100-yearstarship study. Expanding international in-terest in future space habitation was con-firmed with China’s launch of the first mod-ule of a future space station.

Widely available in bookstores is HaymBenaroya’s Turning Dust to Gold: Buildinga Future on the Moon and Mars; althoughwritten as a ‘historical record’ from the year2169, it is a serious look at infrastructureand design considerations for future spacesettlement. Also by Benaroya is Lunar Set-tlements, a compilation of papers from aSymposium on Lunar Settlements at RutgersUniversity. The AIAA-published book Outof this World–The New Field of Space Archi-tecture includes a chapter on ‘lunar archi-tecture and urbanism.’ And The HighestFrontier by Joan Slonczewski, a fictional ac-count of life in an orbital university, weaveschallenges of space living into the story.

Numerous papers related to space set-tlements were offered this year at the AIAAAerospace Sciences Meeting, the NationalSpace Society (NSS) International SpaceDevelopment Conference, and AIAA Space

by Mark G. Benton Sr.and Anita Gale

Astronaut Sandra Magnus exercises on the advanced resistive exercise device in theUnity node of the ISS. Longstays on the ISS will provide a better understanding of some of the challenges facing future space colonists.



supplies. This follows the 2008 Jules VerneATV mission, which carried only aboutone-third as much cargo. It is now thelargest and heaviest vehicle that can supplythe station and serves in several importantroles, including cargo carrier, temporarystorage facility, and space tug for adjustingthe station’s orbit. It can deliver about threetimes more fuel than the Progress vehicle.Final shuttle flights STS-133 (Discovery),

-134 (Endeavour), and -135 (Atlantis) allperformed significant logistics supportfunctions for the ISS. Discovery’s deliveryof the Leonardo multipurpose module addscritical permanent storage space to the ISS.Discovery also transported the ExPRESS Lo-gistics Carrier (ELC) 4, which in turn holdsseveral orbital replacement units (ORUs).Endeavour’s final mission included ELC3with more ORUs that were too large or tooheavy for other transport spacecraft tocarry. Endeavour also left behind its orbiterboom sensor system, which can facilitatestation repairs, as demonstrated by a tornsolar panel fix during STS-120. Significantlogistics highlights of the Atlantis flight in-cluded delivery of the robotic refueling mis-sion for on-orbit satellite refueling testing,and Earth transport of the 1,400-lb brokenammonia pump module for failure analysisand repair. The shuttle’s demise means thatthe Soyuz is now the only viable path fordown-mass transportation, but it cannot ac-commodate ORUs of the ammonia pump’ssize or weight.ISS resupply must rely primarily on

Russian Progress flights until other optionsmature. The five Progress missions plannedfor this year each carry an average of about3 tons of supplies. This logistics strategywas challenged on August 24 whenProgress 44 failed to reach orbit because ofa Soyuz rocket anomaly—marking the firstProgress ISS mission failure, and raisingquestions about the ability to provide short-notice resupply after launch failure. Effec-tive long-term sustainment will require ro-bust, responsive launch options.While the ISS dominated the space lo-

gistics field this year, other exciting devel-opments are under way. NASA is activelyexploring in-space fuel depots, as seen inthe ISS robotic refueling mission and in thecontracts awarded to Analytical MechanicsAssociates, Ball Aerospace, Boeing, andLockheed Martin to explore cryogenic fluidmanagement technology and infrastructure.Space-based fueling is vital for enabling anextended human presence in space.

Space logistics

Space logistics is the theory and practice ofdriving space system design for operability,and of managing the flow of materiel, ser-vices, and information needed throughouta space system life cycle. This was a bigyear for ISS sustainment, involving deliveryof over 25 tons of storage volume, propel-lant, oxygen, water, food, medical supplies,and spare parts. Moving this much cargorequired a multinational effort by Japan,ESA, the U.S., and Russia and includesplans for the world’s first commercial ISScargo demonstrations via a SpaceX Falcon9/Dragon flight scheduled for this monthand an Orbital Sciences Taurus II/Cygnusflight early next year.The unmanned Japan Aerospace Explo-

ration Agency (JAXA) Kounotori 2 (HTV2)led with a January 27 ISS rendezvous—marking JAXA’s second delivery (4.2 tons of

supplies) to the ISS. HTV2 is now the onlyvehicle able to deliver both internal and ex-ternal cargo. The external cargo is mountedto an exposed pallet that sits in the HTV’sunpressurized section. The HTV2 flightrecorded several firsts: It was the first flightof unpressurized spares and hardware on avehicle other than a shuttle; it was the firstrobotic transfer of the exposed cargo palletusing both Canadarm2 and the Japanese ro-botic arm; and it was the first Dextre-basedrobotic transfer of external stores from thepallet to other locations.ESA’s unmanned ATV2, Johannes Kep-

ler, docked with the ISS on February 24,bringing over 7 tons of fuel, oxygen, andby Alan W. Johnson

SPACE AND MISSILES

The Progress 41 supply vehicledeparted from the ISS on April 22.Filled with trash and discardeditems, it descended to a destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.



kind private mission to the ISS, originallyscheduled to launch on November 30 anddock with the station nine days later. Thatdate had to be postponed after the RussianProgress 44 resupply ship bound for the ISSon August 24 crashed after suffering a mal-function in a gas generator of the Soyuzthird-stage engine, according to a Roscos-mos report. This rocket is similar enough tothe variant used to launch astronauts to thestation that officials of the Russian spaceagency temporarily grounded flights ofboth while investigating the cause of theProgress mishap. Flights resumed on Octo-ber 30 with the successful launch ofProgress 45. SpaceX has said that Decem-ber 19 is the first “in a range of dates thatwe would be ready to launch pendingNASA safety and ISS partner approval.” Thecompany has taken the lead positionamong several firms, including Orbital Sci-ences, Sierra Nevada, Boeing, and Blue Ori-gin, working on their own designs to re-place the shuttle.

Some commercial entities have demon-strated rapid progress in spacecraft systemscapable of ending U.S. reliance on Russiafor space access. They see NASA’s latest de-cision to abandon Space Act Agreements(SAAs) and return to the Federal Acquisi-tion Regulation (FAR) system as a majorsetback. The rapid progress of these com-panies is seen to be, in large part, the resultof SAAs, and reinstituting the outdated, in-efficient bureaucracy of the FAR Part 35contracting vehicle will likely underminemuch of the hard-won cost savings andspeed of development.

Space operations

This year saw the second flights of bothATV and HTV resupply vessels to the ISS.With the end of shuttle operations, thesetwo vessels mark the next phase of interna-tional cooperation for the space station.ATV-3 is already in Kourou ready forlaunch early next year. The year alsobrought two landmark events in operationsground systems, with the Air Force’s multi-mission spacecraft operations center goinglive at the beginning of the year, marking anew milestone for responsive space mis-sions, and the Army’s first Wideband SpaceOperations Center opening in Hawaii inFebruary.

In the field of science operations,NASA’s Juno mission launched in August tosupport experiments investigating Jupiter’sorigin and evolution: Jupiter is the solarsystem’s oldest planet and may hold secretsfor the others. This launch was closely fol-lowed by NASA’s GRAIL (gravity recoveryand interior laboratory) Moon mapper mis-sion, sent aloft in September. GRAIL willmap the gravitational field of the Moon tohelp determine the nature of its interiorcomposition.

Internationally, April’s ResourceSat-2launch marked the continuation of India’sadvanced remote sensing data provision,adding a hosted Canadian AIS payload. Thesame flight launched Singapore’s first na-tional satellite: X-Sat provides an imagingremote sensing platform. August also sawNigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X launches,which used Surrey Satellite buses. TheNigerian operations teams were trained bySSTL personnel. ESA’s Rosetta comet mis-sion started a 31-month hibernation in June,the satellite already having set records fordistance from the Sun for a solar-poweredspacecraft.

Atmospheric science suffered a setbackin March: NASA’s Glory mission (atmo-spheric composition, carbon cycle, biogeo-chemistry) was lost after its Taurus XLlaunch suffered a fairing separation failure.

The 6.5-tonne upper atmosphere re-search satellite (UARS) reentered on Sep-tember 24 over a remote part of the PacificOcean. The UARS reentry was timely; it waslaunched by the shuttle 20 years ago.

NASA gave SpaceX the go-ahead tocombine commercial-off-the-shelf Demo 2and Demo 3 flights into a single, first-of-its-

by Franz Newlandand J. Paul Douglas

The twin GRAIL spacecraft fly intandem orbits around the Moonfor several months to measure itsgravity field in unprecedenteddetail. Credit: NASA JPL.



and its critical design review (CDR) in July.The unit will be tested on both a NASA andCSA rover, including an upgraded versionof the Juno rover demonstrated at the 2010analog field test on Mauna Kea. The analogfield test will stress both the hardware andmission operations by simulating two dif-ferent five-to-seven-day missions to the lu-nar poles with remote operations from bothNASA and CSA centers.

Although ETDP focused solely on sup-porting lunar exploration and the Constel-lation program, the ETDDP scope includesother destinations of potential interest forhuman exploration, such as Mars and near-Earth objects. Several technologies to ex-tract oxygen from regolith were success-fully demonstrated in two previous analogfield tests, so two new efforts were initiatedover the past year to support the broadergoal of exploring multiple destinations.

The larger of the new efforts is theMarco Polo project, which integrates atmo-spheric and soil-based ISRU with fuel cellpower and cryogenic/gas storage to simu-late a possible Mars ISRU demonstration ona 3-m-diam. lander. Marco Polo completedits PDR in April and its CDR in Septemberwith the goal of a field test in NASA John-son’s Mars ‘rockyard’ in August 2012. Theother new effort is trash/waste processingto manufacture fuel.

Honeybee Robotics developed the Lu-narVader drill to obtain subsurface water-ice and mineral samples. The LunarVaderwas successfully tested to a depth of 1 m ina vacuum chamber with various formations,including a water-saturated lunar regolithsimulant (JSC-1A) at -80 C, pure water-ice,and rocks. The system was also field testedin the lunar analog site on Ross Island nearAntarctica. During the vacuum chamberand field testing, the LunarVader demon-strated drilling to 1 m in approximately 1 hrwith roughly 100-W power and less than100-N weight on bit. This corresponds to atotal drilling energy of approximately 100W-hr.

The NASA-sponsored Center for SpaceExploration Technology Research at theUniversity of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)demonstrated self-sustained combustion ofJSC-1A lunar regolith simulant mixed withmagnesium. This process could potentiallybe used to produce structural materials onthe Moon. In June, UTEP’s student teamalso investigated this process onboard re-duced-gravity research aircraft at NASAJohnson.

Space resources

This year marked some significant changesin the NASA in-situ resource utilization(ISRU) project. The first change was re-newed interest in development of the RE-SOLVE (regolith and environment scienceand oxygen and lunar volatile extraction)experiment to characterize lunar polar ice/volatiles and perform subscale oxygen ex-traction from regolith. The second changewas the transition of technology develop-ment from the ETDP (exploration technol-ogy development program) to the ETDDP(enabling technology development anddemonstration program) at the start of FY11.

Development work on the third genera-tion of RESOLVE began in June. The goal isto build a prototype unit that meets the ex-pected lunar environmental and flight re-quirements by 2014. RESOLVE is being de-veloped by four NASA centers (Kennedy,Johnson, Ames, and Glenn) in collabora-tion with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)and its contractors: the Northern Center forAdvanced Technologies, Neptec, andXiphos. The Phase I effort will develop aRESOLVE unit that will undergo analogfield testing in 2012, but the unit will meetas many of the lunar environment and mis-sion requirements as possible. Phase II willrefine the design to operate under simu-lated lunar environmental (vacuum andtemperature) conditions.

The RESOLVE Phase I unit completed itspreliminary design review (PDR) in Mayby Robert Gustafson

SPACE AND MISSILES

Students at the University ofTexas at El Paso investigatedself-sustained combustion ofJSC-1A lunar regolith simulantmixed with magnesium on areduced gravity aircraft flight.



to enable communications on the move,blue force tracking, and data exfiltration.Also in September, the commercially

hosted infrared payload (CHIRP) waslaunched as part of the SES-2 telecommuni-cations satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket outof Kourou, French Guiana. This marked thefirst time the USAF has integrated a payloadinto a commercial satellite. The expectationis that CHIRP will validate a new approachfor reducing program cost and schedule byhitching a ride as part of a host spacecraft.The mission, developed by a government-industry team, is set to demonstrate andmature wide-field-of-view infrared imagingtechnologies for future missile warning/de-fense, intelligence gathering, and battle-space awareness missions.Going beyond Earth orbit, the Juno mis-

sion kicked off its five-year journey to thelargest planet in our solar system. Launchedin August on an Atlas V-551, the spacecraftis due to arrive at Jupiter in July 2016 toconduct a one-year study of the massiveplanet. A host of scientific payloads onJuno will examine the composition of Ju-piter’s upper atmosphere, peer down to de-termine the level of water and ammonia inthe deep atmosphere, search for the exis-tence of a solid core, and map the planet’smagnetic and gravity fields. Through obser-vation of the magnetosphere scientists seekto understand how the planet’s magneticfields interact with the atmosphere to createits unique weather phenomena. Juno is the second spacecraft developed

under NASA’s New Frontiers program. Thefirst was the Pluto New Horizons mission,launched in 2006 on a mission to fly byPluto in 2015 and go on to explore theKuiper Belt. As of October, New Horizonswas traveling at 15.5 km/sec just beyondthe orbit of Uranus.

Space systems

This proved to be a year of change: Amer-ica’s most recognizable human spaceflightprogram ended, U.S. commercial compa-nies were developing and testing newcargo and crew space transportation de-signs, and a paradigm shift was under wayfor how payloads would find rides into or-bit. New technologies were launched todemonstrate future military communica-tions capabilities, and an exciting missionto our solar system’s largest planet began.After 135 missions spanning just over 30

years, NASA’s space shuttle program cameto an end when the orbiter Atlantis landedon July 21. The agency has moved forwardwith the engagement of private industry forthe next generation of space transportationcapabilities. SpaceX and Orbital Sciencesachieved major milestones under NASA-funded COTS (commercial orbital transporta-tion system) program Space Act Agreements(SAAs) for the development of commercialcargo transportation space systems. In April,the agency issued funded SAAs for the de-velopment of commercially provided humanspaceflight systems under the CCDev (com-mercial crew development) program. Boe-ing, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, and Blue Originshared $270 million in CCDev funding to re-fine their concepts for transporting NASAcrewmembers to and from space.Each company is providing a distinctly

different type of spacecraft design underthe CCDev effort. Boeing’s CST-100 con-cept is a traditional capsule configurationsimilar in shape to the Apollo design.SpaceX’s Dragon has adopted a blunt coneballistic capsule design similar to its cargovehicle. Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser ispursuing a spaceplane configuration de-rived from NASA’s HL-20 program, andBlue Origin is employing a biconic reentryspacecraft design. The companies are ex-pecting to provide crew transportation ser-vices in the 2014-2016 timeframe.In September, the TacSat-4 satellite was

launched from the Kodiak Launch Complexon a Minotaur-IV. The Navy-led joint tacti-cal microsatellite mission features a 12-ft-diam. deployable antenna with 10 UHFchannels battlefield commanders can usewith a multitude of existing communica-tions systems. Placed in a ‘low highly ellip-tical orbit,’ TacSat-4 can provide long dwelltimes over intended theaters of operations by Jim Baker

After 135 missions spanning justover 30 years, NASA’s spaceshuttle program came to an endwhen the orbiter Atlantis landedon July 21.



nologist determined that EDDE could re-move from orbit in 10-12 years all of thelargest LEO debris objects, totaling 2,000tons, for about $7 million a year for each ofthe 12 members of the Inter Agency DebrisCommittee. Using data from the NRLTEPCE program, a Mini-EDDE is being de-signed for an orbital flight demonstration,perhaps by 2014.

The European Commission’s seventhframework program, FP7, awarded fundingto the bare electrodynamic tethers projectto carry out EDT technology developmentfor the mitigation of orbital debris throughpassive electrodynamic propulsion. Led byPolytechnic University of Madrid, the teamof universities (University of Padova, Col-orado State University), research institutes(ONERA–Toulouse, DLR–Bremen, and Fun-dacion Tecnalia) and companies (emxys) isperforming trade studies and performanceanalysis; studies of plasma-tether interac-tion; orbit and tether dynamics and control;tether survivability; and construction of pro-totypes of key components.

At the University of Glasgow work con-tinues on mission architectures for two-wayEarth-Moon payload exchange using mo-torized momentum exchange tethers. Thisproject has proven that the concept is feasi-ble through rigorous astrodynamical analy-sis. Glasgow is also a major participant inthe ESA REXUS (rocket experiments foruniversity students) sounding rocket projectknown as Suaineadh (Scottish Gaelic fortwisting), along with KTH Stockholm andStrathclyde University, Glasgow. The proj-ect is due to launch a test web from a pay-load deployed by the REXUS soundingrocket in spring 2012.

An Air Force Office of Scientific Re-search-funded team from Penn State, Uni-versity of Michigan, and Tethers Unlimitedhas continued its research on the use of en-ergy-harvesting EDT systems. Such systemscan generate power and propulsion onspacecraft using EDTs by storing energy inand deriving energy from the ‘orbital bat-tery.’ Detailed simulations show that largesatellites can harvest as much as kilowattsof power and have round-trip efficienciesof better than 75%. CubeSat-based systemscould harvest tens of watts, but efficienciesare highly dependent on the plasma con-tactor and tether resistance. Femtosats, suchas ChipSats, could benefit by EDT systemsthat would enable them to overcome aero-dynamic drag and to maintain orbit withoutthe need for expendable propellant.

Space tethers

This year the space tethers community hascontinued to prepare several upcomingflight experiments and to develop newtechnologies and applications.

The Naval Research Laboratory is near-ing completion of two tethered satellite sys-tems to demonstrate electrodynamic-tether(EDT) propulsion in LEO. TetherSat, beingbuilt in conjunction with the Naval Acad-emy, will test deployment of a 1-km tetherconnecting two 1.5-U CubeSat end masses.The tether electrodynamic propulsionCubeSat experiment (TEPCE) will performorbit maneuvers. Extensive testing this year

included tether deploy-ment experiments in vac-uum chambers and byfree fall in air.

These tests validatedtether deployment drivenby a long-stroke springcalled a stacer, whichpushes the end massesapart at 4 m/sec and thenstabilizes deployer atti-tude. With body-mountedsolar cells and tungsten fil-ament cathodes, TEPCEwill be able to change itsorbit altitude by 1 km perday. Both TEPCE andTetherSat will carry cam-eras and GPS receivers.The cameras will docu-ment, and the GPS re-ceivers will help character-ize the tether deploymentas well as subsequenttether dynamics. TEPCEwill also carry specialplasma electron densitysensors that will measurethe ionospheric plasma.Launch of TetherSat andTEPCE by the Air Force’ssatellite test program is ex-pected in 2012.

STAR (Star Technologyand Research) and Tether Applications con-tinued development of their electrodynamicdebris eliminator (EDDE) concept to ac-tively remove large debris objects from LEOusing lightweight nets deployed from theends of a space tether. A cost analysis per-formed for NASA’s Office of the Chief Tech-

by Sven G. Bilénand the AIAA Space TethersTechnical Committee

SPACE AND MISSILES

An assembled TEPCE satelliteshows the tether spool in themiddle (top) and stacer deployment test in free fall(bottom left and right).



successfully carried into orbit the first twoGalileo operational satellites for the Euro-pean global positioning system. The smallVega launcher and its facilities in FrenchGuiana are also in final preparation for alaunch early next year.

Russian launch activity included twoProton launches by International LaunchServices, eight Soyuz launches (four Prog-ress ISS supply capsules, two manned cap-sules to the ISS, and two unmanned pay-loads to orbit), one Rockot launch, and twoZenit launches. The loss of one of the Prog-ress capsules may affect the manned statusof the ISS for a while.

Other launches included six for China’sLong March, two for India’s PSLV, one forJapan’s H-2B, which carried the HTV-2 sup-ply vehicle to the ISS, and another forJapan’s H-2A.

Significant progress continued inNASA’s efforts to jump-start a commercialspace industry. Under NASA Space Actagreements, SpaceX and Orbital Sciencesmade significant progress toward cargo de-livery to the ISS starting in 2012. Blue Ori-gin (New Shepard), Sierra Nevada (DreamChaser), Space Exploration Technologies,or SpaceX (Falcon 9/Dragon), and Boeing(CST-100) were all funded to develop com-mercial crew systems. In addition, NASA se-lected seven companies to integrate and flytechnology payloads on commercial subor-bital reusable platforms that carry payloadsnear the boundary of space, including Ar-madillo Aerospace, Up Aerospace, NearSpace, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galac-tic, Whittinghill Aerospace, and XCOR.

Propellant depots are an emerging con-cept. Depots can potentially remove theneed to launch with all the fuel required tocomplete an entire mission—in turn allow-ing launch vehicles to lift more hardwareinto space.

Space transportation

NASA concluded the space shuttle programwith the final flights of its three orbiters.The agency has also announced the SpaceLaunch System (SLS) to initiate a heavy-liftlaunch capability for both manned and un-manned missions.

Discovery (STS-133), Endeavour (STS-134), and Atlantis (STS-135) were launchedto the ISS. These flights delivered the alphamagnetic spectrometer and provided a lo-gistics surplus of supplies.

NASA decided to use Orion as the mul-tipurpose crew vehicle and to initiate anSLS program to provide the basis for futurehuman exploration beyond LEO.

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) hashad a busy year. An Atlas 5 launched themilitary’s X-37B in March, the NROL-34spacecraft in April, SBIRS GEO 1 (the mili-tary’s first space-based infrared system geo-synchronous satellite) in May, and NASA’sJuno spacecraft to Jupiter in August. A DeltaII rocket launched Argentina’s SAC-D satel-lite with the Aquarius instrument for NASA,the GRAIL mission for NASA, and the NPPweather satellite for NASA/NOAA alongwith six CubeSats. A Delta IV launched theNROL-27 satellite and the Air Force’s sec-ond Block 2F navigation satellite for theGPS. Finally, a Delta IV-Heavy launchedthe NROL-49 payload. ULA also signed aspace act agreement with NASA to collabo-rate on human rating for crewed flights.

The Air Force Minotaur 1 launched theORS 1 satellite payload, while the Minotaur4 launched the TacSat 4 demonstrationsatellite for the military ORS office.

Orbital Sciences’ Taurus rocket failed toorbit NASA’s Glory Earth observation satel-lite from Vandenberg AFB, and Sea Launchreturned to service with the launch of atelecommunications satellite for Eutelsat.

The Johannes Kepler ATV-2, launchedby an Ariane 5 to the ISS in February,docked with the station to deliver suppliesand raise the station orbit by 37 km. TheATV-2 launch was the first this year by theAriane 5, followed by four other Arianelaunches through September. Work contin-ues on the improved version of the Ariane5 with a new restartable cryogenic upperstage equipped with a Vinci engine.

The Soyuz launch pad was completedin French Guiana, and the first Soyuz flightfrom the site took place on October 21. It

by Carl Ehrlich and theAIAA Space TransportationTechnical Committee

With the predawn landing ofAtlantis returning from itsSTS-135 mission on Thursday,July 21, the space shuttle eracame to a close. Credit: NASA.



SPACE AND MISSILES

Solution choices and performancemeasures are challenging in thecase of replacing the Humvee:refurbish and upgrade, or buildnew ones.

by James D. Walkerand David Lyman

Weapon system effectiveness

An analysis of alternatives (AOA), as de-fined by the Air Force Materiel Command’sOffice of Aerospace Studies in its Analysisof Alternatives Handbook, is “an analyticalcomparison of the operational effective-ness, cost, and risks of proposed materielsolutions to gaps and shortfalls in opera-tional capability. AOAs document the ra-tionale for identifying and recommending apreferred solution or solutions to the identi-fied shortfall(s).” AOAs ensure that aweapon system is the right one to performa required task in a cost-efficient manner.Typically, operational effectiveness analysis(a capabilities-based analysis), in conjunc-tion with a life-cycle-cost analysis, is per-formed during the AOA.

The AOA’s framework is critical to find-ing the best solution, regardless of the typeof weapon system. For instance, if a set ofengineering requirements is specified at thebeginning of an AOA, the likely result isconfirmation that the suggested weaponsystem is the only one that meets those re-quirements. The AOA, in some sense,needs to be based on the notion of a de-sired effect, with the means of achievingthat effect left open. With performance de-fined in this manner, different types ofweapon systems can potentially providethe solution.

Risk is a key component of the AOAs.In the risk analysis, teams of people thinkthrough the defined scenarios. These teamsestimate the probability of failure of the

weapon system and determine the conse-quences of failure, which range from notdelivering ordinance to loss of soldiers’lives. The risks from all the proposed alter-natives are compared. This process allowsnot just a comparison of intended-use sce-narios and associated costs, but also the de-tailed cross comparison of not-optimum toworst-case scenarios, their likelihood, andtheir consequences.

AOAs differ in ‘desired effects.’ For ex-ample, the RAND-led AOA for midair refuel-ing looked at many alternatives, includingupgrading the KC-135 fleet, designing andbuilding totally new military tankers, usingvariants of newly purchased or used com-mercial aircraft as tankers, and using un-manned and commercial refueling. In thiscase there is an existing fleet of tankers andthe question is how much it costs to main-tain and upgrade them (including fuel effi-ciency) vs. going to different planes. TheAOA concluded new commercial-basedtankers were best. All options were able torefuel in air, so the deciding factor wascost. This AOA determined the bestweapon system with its associated opera-tional requirements and timetable; then itwas put out for bid (that is, the AOA is notto compare contractor bids).

The solution choices and performancemeasures become more difficult and chal-lenging in the case of replacing the Hum-vee. One approach is to refurbish and up-grade existing vehicles. Another is to buildnew Humvees of essentially the same de-sign as the current versions.

A third option that was being pursuedby the Army and Marines, and is currentlyfacing cancellation, is the Joint Light Tacti-cal Vehicle (JLTV), a new replacement ve-hicle. Though superficially this may appearsimilar to the tanker question, another issuearises for this ground vehicle: crew surviv-ability. The JLTV is intended to be substan-tially more survivable, based on experiencein Iraq and Afghanistan and with the MRAP(mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicles.Thus, it is not just a question of cost. It isalso a question of capability and protection.The AOA, completed this year, did a de-tailed scenario development and risk analy-sis, where the probability and consequencesof failure were explicitly spelled out. It wasnecessary to go through the scenarios andascertain their likelihood based on currentdoctrine and possible engagements. TheAOA concluded that the JLTV program isthe best option to fill the capability gaps.


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This year Congress was unable to passthe FAA reauthorization bill that expired in2007, and instead passed several continuingresolutions to keep the FAA in operation.However, near the end of the summer ses-sion, Congress failed to pass a continuingresolution. This resulted in the cessation of

noncritical operations at theFAA and the furlough of allnonessential personnel,adding further uncertainty toplanning for future NextGendevelopment and progress.

Responding primarily tothe domestic economic slow-down experienced in the pastseveral years, the Joint Plan-ning and Development Of-fice (JPDO) conducted ananalysis to identify a targetendpoint for NextGen 2025,based on the current imple-

mentation path and projected costs, benefits,and risks. The JPDO subsequently releasedan interim report on the vision for NextGen2025 based on this analysis, called “Destina-tion 2025.”

This year the JPDO also conducted sev-eral important studies related to NextGen.One was the development of scenarios fortrajectory based operations (TBO) in Next-Gen, which continued into a second phasethat will enhance the TBO concept and de-velop a road map for TBO in the NextGenenvironment.

The results of another first-phase study ofFlight Prioritization (FP) were released inJanuary. FP is the study of mechanisms to beused within NextGen to adjudicate con-tentions for NextGen resources betweenmultiple flights through equitable or othermeans as directed by policy. A second phaseof the FP study is planned for the first quar-ter of FY12.

Additional topics analyzed by the JPDOthis year and slated to continue into 2012 in-clude identification of unmanned aircraft sys-tems research challenges and developmentof a research road map; synchronizationof weather data requirements and translationefforts; concept development for integratedsurveillance; and completion of the conceptdefinition for the roles of airline and flightoperations centers.

Aerospace traffic management

This year has brought a mix of positives andnegatives for aerospace traffic management.The modernization of the air transportationsystem, called NextGen in the U.S. andSESAR in Europe, saw an early victory withthe initial deployment of ADS-B (AutomaticDependent Surveillance-Broadcast) in Feb-

ruary starting at Philadelphia. This installa-tion allows ADS-B Out messages from ap-propriately equipped aircraft to be collectedon the ground and used for surveillance,providing considerably more accuracy thaneither conventional terminal or enrouteradar. In addition, for aircraft equipped withADS-B In, you get to see the actual reportfrom the aircraft, and those with the TIS(traffic information service) capability see alltraffic reports broadcast from the groundstations. This is certainly a plus and a greatstart for the implementation of NextGen.

Installation of the enroute modernizationprogram (ERAM) has begun to slip due tosoftware issues. DOT Inspector GeneralCalvin Scoville stated, “FAA now plans tocomplete ERAM in 2014—a schedule slip offour years—with the next major milestones fo-cused on getting the Salt Lake City and Seat-tle sites fully operational. However, FAA andits contractor plan to add new capabilitieswhile attempting to resolve problems identi-fied in earlier software versions, which couldcause further schedule delays. Updated soft-ware releases have already exhibited newproblems, including interfacility interface is-sues that lock up the system, and a significantsoftware failure that resulted in Seattle fallingback to the legacy system for several weeks.”ERAM is one of the automation platforms thatwill host early NextGen functionality.

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

by James Cistone and Edward J. Stanton Jr.

The FAA released thismap of ADS-B sites inPhiladelphia in 2010.

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068_r1_Aerospace_DEC2011.pdf 11/21/11 12:51:21 PM


posture where it cannot rely on its arsenalof kinetic weapons.

Only recently have solid-state lasersreached strengths of hundreds of kilowattsof power—enough to destroy a vehicle ornegate an incoming warhead. The solid-state laser weapon system the Navy envi-sions could be installed on combatant-classships of all sizes, according to Morrison. Itcould also shoot down threatening missilesand aircraft and would be safer and moreeffective than previous laser weapons.

ONR and Northrop Grumman demon-strated that capability in April; the maritimelaser demonstration program met its goal. Adecommissioned Spruance-class destroyershot its target, which caught fire despite thesea spray, waves, wind, and other obsta-cles. The Naval Sea Systems Command hasalso overseen two successful demonstra-tions of solid-state laser weapons. NAV-SEA’s LaWS has successfully tracked anddestroyed five UAVs from the ground. Thissummer NAVSEA and BAE Systems’ Mk 38tactical laser system distinguished enemysmall boats from neutral traffic and success-fully tracked and destroyed its targets.

NASA continued sponsoring and con-ducting research into nonweapons aspectsof directed energy systems involvingbeamed energy propulsion. BEP vehicleswould be driven by power beamed fromremote, reusable, long-range sources in-cluding high-power lasers or microwaves.Launch vehicles driven by BEP would besmaller, lighter, faster, and more efficientthan any currently existing means of spacetransportation. This year a NASA report byJohn Cole of NASA Marshall concluded thatBEP technology is feasible and currentlystands at TRL 2 (technology readiness level2); in August NASA issued a request forproposals for such systems.

Directed energy systems

The emphasis in development of directedenergy weapon systems shifted toward tac-tical systems in Dept. of Defense programs.The Airborne Laser (ABL) platform wasused this year as a testbed and successfullyflew numerous missions in that capacitywithout engaging in high-power tests. Sig-nificant advances were made in differenttypes of COIL (chemical oxygen iodinelaser) efficiencies promising output per-formance increases of an order of magni-tude; the ABL uses a COIL as its high-power laser source.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR)free electron laser program faced termina-tion due to language in the FY12 SenateAppropriations bill, which directs the Navyto “develop a broader affordable strategyon laser systems” and urges planning for a“shoot-off” between tactical shipboard laserconcepts. The Navy continued pursuit oftactical laser concepts through the ONRmaritime laser demonstrator and the NavalSea Systems Command (NAVSEA) LaWS(laser weapon system) concepts. DARPApursued acquisition of the 100-kW-classsolid-state HELLADS (high energy liquidlaser area defense system) for potential ap-plication to the Air Force ELLA (electriclaser on a large aircraft) program. The AirForce Research Laboratory progressed withits Boeing/Raytheon-K-Tech RF/HPM (radiofrequency/high power microwave) demon-stration project, CHAMP (counter-electron-ics high power microwave advanced mis-sile project). The Army high energy lasertactical demonstrator was completed anddelivered to Army Space and Missiles De-fense Command and is scheduled for test-ing at White Sands Missile Range beginningthis winter. The High Energy Laser JointTechnology Office continued its robustelectric laser initiative developments withdifferent approaches and concepts fromLockheed/Acculight, Raytheon, NorthropGrumman, General Atomics, and Boeing.

Tactical laser weapon systems are of in-terest to the Army and Navy because theyreduce usage of costly missiles and hit tar-gets almost instantaneously. ONR programofficer Peter Morrison told Inside the Navyon Sept. 14 that the 2000 attack on the USSCole highlighted the need for a weapon todefend against one or a swarm of smallboats, especially when a naval vessel is in a by James A. Horkovich

A military truck will carry aBoeing-built laser beam controlsystem for the Army’s high energy laser technology demonstrator program.

PC-1211_AA-December 11/14/11 1:36 PM Page 3


ever, it still uses the same more-electric ac-tuators as the other variants.

The Air Force INVENT (integrated vehi-cle energy technology demonstration) re-search program is now entering Spiral 2 ofdevelopment in an effort to step beyondmore-electric systems and to set energy op-timization goals at the vehicle level. This ef-fort provides national leadership for ad-dressing the critical technical challenges ofnew design methodologies and is opti-mized to take full advantage of all the ben-

efits of more-electric aircraftarchitectures.

Similarly, research intoaircraft energy managementcontinues across the Atlanticunder the European CleanSky program. The latest listof topics for this program,which was released over thesummer, includes several re-lating to ‘Systems for GreenOperations’ ranging frompower electronics technolo-gies to jam tolerant electricactuators.

The A380, with its electri-cal thrust reversing systemand electric backup actua-tors, has been in service nowfor several years. Its only in-cident on record, on a Qan-tas flight in November of2010, was traced to an en-gine oil leak and was not re-

lated to its more electric systems. As more-electric aircraft architectures

continue to prove themselves in operation,the progression to an all-electric aircraft be-comes a tantalizing goal. The first taste ofthis came with this year’s Comparative Air-craft Flight Efficiency Foundation GreenFlight Challenge competition, which wassponsored by Google and took place inSeptember.

The Green Flight Challenge is a flightcompetition for quiet, practical, green air-craft. The original 13 entrants, which encom-passed a variety of green approaches includ-ing biodiesel, hydrogen, and electricity, havenow been reduced to five. Of these five re-maining aircraft, three are electrically drivenand a fourth one has a hybrid gas/electricsystem. While all of these aircraft are small,they will be demonstrating the potential ofelectric technologies to be instrumental inthe development of the quiet, efficient, greenaircraft of our future.

Energy optimized aircraftand equipment systems

As environmental concerns come to theforefront and the pressure to reduce costsrises, optimizing energy use in aircraft hasbecome increasingly important. That trend,combined with the fact that more electricaircraft architectures are now a reality,points to a bright future in this field.

The 787, with its more-electric environ-mental control system and wing deicingsystem, is not only flying, but is certifiedand has been delivered to its first customer.Boeing received certification for the 787Dreamliner from the FAA and the EuropeanAviation Safety Agency in August of thisyear. And the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 bleed-less engine also received ETOPS (extendedtwin engine operations certification) fromthe FAA in May, which paved the way forthe first Dreamliner customer delivery to AllNippon Airways on September 26.

The Joint Strike Fighter empennageelectrohydraulic actuators have furtherdemonstrated their capability this year evenin the harsh conditions of catapult launchtesting. The F-35C took to the sky in Julylaunched by a steam catapult for the firsttime. The F-35C is the carrier variant of theF-35 JSF, and has larger wing surfaces andreinforced landing gear for slower catapultlaunch and landing approach speeds. How-by Elena Garcia

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

The Pipistrel was theultimate winner of theGreen Flight Challenge.

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for the country’s nascent space businessprojects, an affordable, reliable, and repeat-able launch system based on combined air-breathing and rocket propulsion. Aimed atfree-flight tests of a Mach-8 scramjet, Scram-space 1 has passed its preliminary conceptdevelopment phase and is on track forlaunch in October 2012.

A spacecraft control flap designed forthe superheated hypersonic fall throughEarth’s atmosphere has come through test-ing in the world’s largest plasma wind tun-nel to be ready for its first flight next year.This flap and its advanced sensors are des-tined to fly on ESA’s EXPERT (European ex-perimental reentry testbed), a blunt-nosedcapsule being launched next spring on aRussian Volna rocket to gather data on at-mospheric reentry. EXPERT carries experi-mental side flaps to help show that theycan steer larger ESA reentry vehicles suchas the IXV intermediate experimental vehi-cle in 2013.

The test flap, which is identical to theflight version, is made from heat-resistantceramics. Its instruments include a minia-ture infrared camera provided by RUAGSpace Switzerland, and pressure and high-temperature sensors developed by both theGerman Aerospace Center (DLR) and theItalian Aerospace Center (CIRA) to investi-gate shock wave/boundary layer interactionphenomena.

These tests took place at Italy’s Sciroccoplasma wind tunnel at CIRA. One of thefew sites worldwide where such testing ispossible, it is named for the hot Mediter-ranean wind and operated by the CIRAaerospace research center. Its arc heaterwas taken up to 10,000 C with 38 MW ofelectricity, creating a plasma flow seventimes the speed of sound and bringing thetemperature of the flap up to 1,200 C.

Hypersonics technologyand aerospace planes

The first orbital flight of the X-37B waslaunched on an Atlas V rocket in April2010. The spacecraft was placed into LEOfor testing. As scheduled, the X-37B deor-bited, reentered Earth’s atmosphere, andlanded at Vandenberg AFB on Dec. 3, 2010.

A second X-37B was launched aboardan Atlas V on March 5 and remains on or-bit. Its mission, as described by military of-ficials, was to test new space technologies.

The second test flight of the X-51 tookplace in June. However, the flight over thePacific Ocean ended early because of an in-let unstart event after being boosted toMach-5 speed. The flight data from the testis being investigated. A B-52 released theX-51 at an approximate altitude of 50,000 ft.The X-51’s scramjet engine lit on ethylene,but did not properly transition to JP-7 fueloperation.

A second test flight of the experimentalFalcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2traveling at Mach 20 ended prematurelywhen the aircraft failed and stopped send-ing back real-time data to engineers andscientists who were monitoring the mission.The aircraft plunged into the Pacific Ocean.This was the second and last scheduledflight for the Falcon program, which beganin 2003. For the test, the Falcon waslaunched from Vandenberg AFB aboard aMinotaur IV made by Orbital Sciences.

The NASA Hypersonics Project has initi-ated testing of a large-scale TBCC (turbine-based combined cycle) propulsion systeminlet in the NASA Glenn 10x10-ft Super-sonic Wind Tunnel.

A detailed ESA technical assessment ofthe U.K. Space Agency’s proposed Skylonspaceplane concluded that there are no sig-nificant barriers that would prevent suc-cessful continued development of the craftand its synergistic air-breathing rocket en-gine, or SABRE. The report states that “Suc-cess on future engine test would mean amajor breakthrough in propulsion world-wide. The engine and vehicle can be devel-oped with today’s current technology.” Re-action Engines, the developer, will conductan important demonstration of the engine’skey precooler technology later this year.

The Australian Scramspace 1 (scramjet-based access-to-space systems) project isthe first step on the road to what could be,

by Carl Ehrlich and the AIAAHypersonics Technologyand Aerospace Planes Program Committee

Skylon’s SABRE engines use liquid hydrogen combined withoxygen from the air at altitudesof 26 km and speeds of up toMach 5. Credit: Reaction Engines.



Obama to extend our reach beyond lowEarth orbit and explore into deep space.”

The University of Arizona is overseeingthe mission with support from private in-dustry and from NASA Goddard. This effortis an example of dual mission focus for theagency. Once the primary mission is com-pleted and OSIRIS-REx has sent back aster-oid material, the spacecraft itself will beredirected into a new solar orbit and willthen be available to perform another mis-sion in the future.

The Curiosity Mars rover was overbudget and behind schedule at midyear.The NASA inspector general faulted projectmanagers for routinely underestimatingcosts and calculated that adding an extra$44 million to the development budget maybe necessary to avoid another delay or can-cellation. The $44 million the report callsfor is already on reserve and is included inthe overall $2.5-billion price tag. The possi-bility that the rover’s drill bit could contam-inate the rock and soil samples it obtainsand undermine the primary mission hasbeen one of the major causes for concern.The mission would likely spend $22 millionfrom the reserves already set aside byNASA’s Science Mission Directorate. A two-year delay in Curiosity’s launch to Marswould significantly impact rover missionson the planet.

A Delta 2 rocket launched the SAC-D/Aquarius satellite into LEO in June on amission to track changes in the amount ofsalt in the upper levels of the world’soceans. This was the first of five UnitedLaunch Alliance missions scheduled forNASA this year. The Aquarius salinity sen-sor is a key success for the agency’s climatescience program and will deliver the mostdetailed map ever made of the salt contentof the Earth’s oceans.

A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocketcarried the twin GRAIL (gravity recoveryand interior laboratory) spacecraft intospace in September on a mission to theMoon. GRAIL is taking its next big leap intodeep space exploration with a mission thatinvolves the formation flying of two space-craft. NASA’s educational outreach pro-grams are also part of the effort, whichamounts to the start of a revolution in plan-etary science missions. Students will beable to image spots on the Moon. FormerNASA astronaut Sally Ride’s educationalprogram is heading the effort, with 600teachers and students registered for the ac-tivity at www.moonkam.ucsd.edu.

Space environmental systems

Missions to asteroids, Earth orbit, and theMoon highlighted the activities of the inter-planetary space community this year. Tech-nical problems in the NASA Curiosity roverhave the potential to create a two-year de-lay in the launch to Mars.

The NASA New Frontiers programpicked the OSIRIS-REx (origins-spectral in-terpretation-resource identification-security-regolith explorer) to launch to asteroid1999 RQ36 in 2016 on a mission that wouldreturn samples in 2023. The main purposeof the mission is to “shed light on the con-ditions of the infant solar system and howlife emerged.” NASA Administrator CharlesBolden said, “This is a critical step in meet-ing the objectives outlined by President

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

OSIRIS-REx will travel to asteroid1999 RQ36 in 2016 on a missionthat would return samplesin 2023.

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Lockheed Martin completed acoustictesting of the Orion MPCV capsule andlaunch abort system. A series of water land-ing splash tests of the capsule took place atNASA Langley in a new hydro impact basin.Navigation sensors for Orion’s autonomousrendezvous and docking system were testedin orbit on the STS-134 mission. Constructionof the first space-bound Orion capsule beganat the Michoud Assembly Facility.

Space-X launched its Dragon capsule onDecember 8, 2010, and became the firstcompany to recover a capsule reenteringfrom orbit. NASA awarded $270 million tofour companies to continue the developmentof commercial rockets and spacecraft de-signed to fly astronauts to the ISS. In August,a launch failure of Russia’s Soyuz rocketthreatened to cause a situation in which thecrew would have to abandon the ISS tem-porarily, and highlighted the need for multi-ple crew transportation options in the post-shuttle era.

NASA signed a cooperative agreementwith the nonprofit Center for Advancementof Science in Space to operate the ISS as anational laboratory for basic and applied re-search, to stimulate STEM (science, technol-ogy, engineering, and mathematics) educa-tion, and to generate economic benefits.

Exploration technology developmentactivities included teleoperation of Robo-naut 2 on the ISS, testing of portable lifesupport system components for an ad-vanced spacesuit, demonstration of a pro-totype deep space habitat in desert fieldtests, and industry studies for cryogenicpropellant storage and solar electric propul-sion flight demonstration missions.

The 14-nation International Space Ex-ploration CoordinationGroup issued the firstiteration of a global ex-ploration road mapthat outlined a com-mon strategy for deepspace exploration. Itidentifies two alternatepathways to Mars: hu-mans first exploring ei-ther the Moon or near-Earth asteroids. Eachpathway is defined bya notional mission sce-nario describing a logi-cal sequence of humanand robotic missionsthat will cover a 25-year period.

Space exploration

When the final mission of space shuttle At-lantis ended on July 21, a remarkable 30-year era in human spaceflight came to aclose. The shuttles flew 135 times, ferrying355 astronauts into orbit, completing as-sembly of the ISS, docking with Russia’s Mirspace station, servicing the Hubble SpaceTelescope, and conducting numerous re-search experiments that have vastly ex-panded our knowledge and our spaceflightcapabilities. This year’s three shuttle mis-sions delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spec-trometer, a robotic refueling experiment,and supplies to the ISS. As the shuttle or-biters head off to museums, it is also thebeginning of a new era that will carry hu-mans far beyond Earth.

To enable deep space human explo-ration, NASA proceeded with developmentof the Space Launch System (SLS) and theOrion multipurpose crew vehicle (MPCV).In September, the agency announced thedesign configuration for SLS, the newheavy-lift launch vehicle authorized byCongress in 2010. The initial version will becapable of launching 70 metric tons into or-bit, with future versions evolvable to 130metric tons. To minimize developmentcosts, the new rocket will use shuttle-de-rived hardware. The core stage will bebased on the shuttle external tank, and willbe powered by an expendable version ofthe shuttle main engines. For initial flights,shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters will be attached to the core stage, and a com-petition is planned to select advanced solidor liquid boosters. AJ2-X engine up-graded from the J2engine used on theSaturn V will powerthe SLS upper stage.

Testing of com-ponents for the SLSis under way. TheJ2-X engine wasfired for the firsttime at NASA Sten-nis, and ATK con-ducted a third testof the five-segmentsolid rocket motor.The initial flight ofSLS is targeted forlate 2017. by Chris Moore

A series of water landing splashtests of the Orion capsule tookplace at NASA Langley in a newhydro impact basin.



Phantom Ray at Edwards AFB on April 27.The vehicle continues the Boeing X-45legacy and might position the company tocompete with the Northrop Grumman X-47unmanned combat air system, and with de-rivatives of General Atomics’ Predator C/Avenger that first flew in April 2009.

In another first, on April 25, the Armyflew the General Atomics Grey Eagle UASin night flights with the first COA for sense-and-avoid flights. On 1 May, PresidentObama announced the death of Osama BinLaden in an operation that has been report-edly supported by the Lockheed MartinRQ-170 Sentinel UAS, the ‘Beast of Kanda-har.’ This was followed in September withthe announcement of the killing of Anwaral-Awlaki, an American jihadist operatingfrom Yemen, in an airstrike delivered byarmed UAS and manned aircraft. While themoral and ethical issues surrounding ro-botic warfare have been a topic of dis-course and debate for years, the growingnumber of UAS deployed by the U.S. mili-tary and the growing list of successes areonly adding to the discussion.

In collaboration with the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), NASA continued developmentand deployment of its Global Hawk UAS.The Global Hawk team flew practice runsover the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Oceanfor the upcoming NASA Hurricane and Se-vere Storm Sentinel mission, in addition tosupporting the NOAA-led Winter Stormsand Pacific Atmospheric Rivers field cam-paign to demonstrate a new NCAR drop-sonde system, and to improve understand-ing of how ‘atmospheric rivers’ transportlarge quantities of water vapor over thewestern U.S.

NASA has also partnered with DARPAon the KQ-X project to demonstrate in-airrefueling using Global Hawks, and modifi-cations to the aircraft have begun. In June,the NASA SIERRA flew a carbon/methane/water vapor flux payload in support of theJAXA GOSAT and NASA OCO2 missionteams. UAS activities at NASA Goddard'sWallops Flight Facility included tests of theL-3 Viking 300 with a variety of advancedinstrumentation and data systems. Thiswork is in support of development of aminiaturized topographic lidar system. Aprimary goal is to create a system suitablefor cryospheric research, which will also re-sult in a capability that will be useful for avariety of other applications, includingcoastal erosion monitoring.

Unmanned systems

This was another year in which the discus-sion of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) inthe U.S. was dominated by regulatory is-sues at home and military policy issuesabroad.

Rising demand from civil and publicusers alike to deploy UAS in the NationalAirspace System continues to drive the na-tional discussion. Radio spectrum, commu-nications infrastructure, and strategies foraircraft separation were presented as areasof greatest need by a panel of industry, uni-versity, and FAA experts assembled at theInfotech@Aerospace 2011 conference in St.

Louis. Budget disputes in Congress led to apartial shutdown of the FAA from July 23 toAugust 5. While one of the side effects wasthe (short-lived) reduction of commercialairfares, another was stalled COAs (certifi-cates of authorization) for a number of UASapplicants.

Converting off-the-shelf hobbyist kitsinto small UAS is a common practice, par-ticularly in university programs, and offerslow-cost airframes for small-UAS applica-tions. The fear of attack by a terrorist usinga remote-controlled high-performance hob-byist aircraft has been of concern for sev-eral years. The September arrest of a terror-ism suspect who allegedly planned to useconverted hobbyist aircraft to bomb federalbuildings in the Washington, D.C., area re-inforced this concern, although there issome debate on the potential effectivenessof this technique. The use of small UAS bylaw enforcement agencies continues to ex-pand, with COAs being issued this year toinclude more widespread flights in urbanareas such as those in Arlington, Texas, andMesa County, Colorado.

Meanwhile, at home and abroad, U.S.military UAS continued to make headlines.Boeing announced the first flight of the

by Brian Argrow and theAIAA Unmanned SystemsProgram Committee

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

On April 27 Boeing announced the first flight of the Phantom Ray.

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Make a difference in the world. Join the best minds in aerospace. Together, we can have a big impact on science, technology, and humanity.

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its developer, United Technology, atthe firm’s Development Center nearMorgan Hill, Calif. The test is ademonstration of the company’s development capability in the upcoming Air Force competition for a 120-in.-diam. rocket motor plannedfor use in a variety of space boosterapplications. Aviation Week, Dec. 18,1961, pp. 30-31.

Dec. 13 DOD announces that it hasabandoned the plan for a mobileMinuteman ICBM. The concept calledfor 600 to be placed into service—450in silos and 150 on special trains, eachtrain carrying five missiles. Flight,Dec. 21, 1961, p. 944.

Dec. 20 X-15 No. 3 makes its firstflight, with NASA test pilot Neil A.Armstrong at the controls. Armstronglater becomes an astronaut for projects Gemini and Apollo and onJuly 21, 1969, is the first man to setfoot on the Moon. The flight of X-15No. 3 is primarily to check out the aircraft, which reaches a speed of2,502 mph and a maximum altitudeof 81,000 ft. Aviation Week, Dec. 25,


25 Years Ago, December 1986

Dec. 2 An Air France Concorde supersonicairliner completes a round-the-world flightcarrying 94 passengers. The trip takes 18days in easy stages; the actual flight timeis only 31 hr and 51 min. B. Gunston (ed.),Aviation Year-by-Year, p. 812.

Dec. 11 The first McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle all-weather, long-rangedeep interdiction attack aircraft completes its first flight, from Lambert Field, St. Louis. The F-15E is a two-seat version of the F-15 fighter equipped with instruments optimized for all weather and night conditions while maintaining itsimpressive air-to-air capabilities. Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, 1987-88, p. 457.

Dec. 14-23 The first nonstop flight around the world is made by Jeana Yeagerand Dick Rutan in the Voyager aircraft, powered by two engines, a Teledyne Continental Type 0-240 of 130 hp in the front and a 110-hp IOL-200 in the rear.Designed and built by the Rutan AircraftFactory in Mojave, Calif., Voyager has awingspan of 110 ft 10 in., a length of 25 ft5 in., and a height of 10 ft 4 in. The25,012-mi. journey takes 9 days 3 min 44sec and begins and ends at Edwards AFB,Calif. The average speed is 115 mph withthe gas coming from 17 fuel tanks. NewYork Times, Dec. 24, 1986; Newsweek,Jan. 5, 1987, p. 28.

Dec. 31 The Israeli IAI Lavi multirole fighter flies for the first time. The all-compositesingle-engine aircraft features a delta main wing and large canards behind the

cockpit. Designed for high maneuver-ability in air-to-air combat, precisionbombardment, and high survivability, itis expected to replace the Skyhawksand Kfirs currently in service. Jane’s Allthe World’s Aircraft, 1987-88, p. 457.

50 Years Ago, December 1961

Dec. 1 The Navy’s Sikorsky HSS-2 twin-turbine helicopters set three world recordsfor speed: 182.8 mph for 100 km, 179.5 mph for 500 km, and 175.3 mph for1,000 km. The 1962 Aerospace Year Book, p. 471.

Dec. 4 The Sacred Cow, an Air Force C-54 that had earlier been the personaltransport plane of Presidents Roosevelt and Truman as well as many other VIPs, is donated to the National Air Museum (later called the National Air and SpaceMuseum) of the Smithsonian Institution. First delivered to the USAF’s Air Transport Command in June 1944, the plane was officially retired in July 1961.The Aeroplane, Dec. 21, 1961, p. 797.

Dec. 9 A huge (43-ft-long, 96-in.-diam.) 70-ton segmented solid-propellant rocketmotor of 425,000-lb thrust is successfully test fired before Air Force officials by

OOPlayout1211_AA Template 11/14/11 2:38 PM Page 2

1961, p. 23; D. Jenkins, X-15: Extending the Frontiers of Flight, p.620.

Dec. 21 The Nike-Zeus antimissilemissile makes itsfirst live interceptionof another missilein a test at WhiteSands Proving

Ground, N.M. The target missile is aNike-Hercules traveling at about 3,000mph as it plunges into the lower atmosphere, like a reentry vehicle, after having climbed to about 150,000ft. Flight, Jan. 4, 1962, p. 6.

Dec. 28 A series of test firings of thePershing tactical missile from a mobileerector is successfully completed.Heat and blast measurements arepart of the testing. Aviation Week,Jan. 8, 1962, p. 33.

And During December 1961

—Navy Cdr. Alan B. Shepard and Air Force Capt. Virgil I. Grissom arepresented the new award of AstronautWings by the Dept. of Defense fortheir recent suborbital Project Mercuryflights. Aviation Week, Jan. 1, 1962,p. 59.

—The Russians send an An-12 and anIl-19 aircraft from Moscow to theRussian south polar base at Mirny inAntarctica, to establish a direct airservice there from Moscow. AviationWeek, Jan. 1, 1962, p. 4; The Aeroplane, Jan. 4, 1962, p. 4.

75 Years Ago,December

1936

Dec. 7Noted Frenchtest pilotJean Mermoz

of Air France islost over the

South Atlantic when he and his aircraft, the Latecoere 300 Croix du Sud, godown somewhere between Dakar, Senegal, and Brazil. B. Gunston (ed.), AviationYear-by-Year, p. 332.

Dec. 14 Maj. Alexander P. de Seversky, airpower advocate and head of Seversky Aircraft,sets a new speed record for flying betweenNew York and Miami when he pilots his SeverskySEV 3, arriving at his destination from FloydBennett Field, N.Y., in 5 hr 46 min 30 sec. Aircraft Year Book, 1937, p. 414.

Dec. 19 Five days after setting the speed record between New York and Miami,Maj. Alexander P. de Seversky sets a world speed record for amphibian aircraftfor 100 km, flying at 209.40 mph. Once again he pilots his SEV 3. Aircraft YearBook, 1937, p. 414.

Dec. 21 From the factory airfield at Dessau, Germany, the prototype Junkers Ju88V-1 completes its maiden flight. The twin-engine, high-speed medium bomberbecomes one of the Luftwaffe’s most successful and versatile aircraft during WWII. J. Smith and A. Kay, German Aircraft of the Second World War, pp 394-395.

Dec. 27 Flown by famedSoviet test pilot MikhailGromov, the Tupolev ANT-42completes its first flight.Designated the TB-7, thismodern all-metal four-

engine bomber is the Soviet Union’s attempt to pro-duce a long-range strategic bomber. It was designedby Andrei Tupolev before his arrest and imprisonmentby the Soviet secret police. Because of changing militarypriorities, few were made, especially after the outbreakof the war with Germany, when fighters and tacticalbombers had a much higher priority. Y. Gordon and V.Rigmant, OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureauand its Aircraft, pp. 74-76.

Dec. 30 In a Renault-powered Caudron Simoun aircraft,Maryse Bastie flies solo in a record time of 12 hr 5 minbetween Dakar, Senegal, and Natal, Brazil. AircraftYear Book 1937, p. 414.

100 Years Ago, December1911

Dec. 27 Test pilot and future aircraftdesigner Geoffrey de Havilland takesthe first Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1on its maiden flight, from the airfieldat Farnborough, England. B. Gunston(ed.), Aviation Year-by-Year, p. 86.


An Aerospace Chronology

by Frank H. Winter

and Robert van der Linden

ANT-42

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2011 Index


COMMUNICATIONS

RF electronic warfare: From cold war to network invasion, Jan., p. 24.

China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.South Africa opens new routes to space, Sept., p. 4.Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.

COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE

Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.Aerospace 2011: Computer systems, Dec., p. 37.Aerospace 2011: Intelligent systems, Dec, p. 39.Aerospace 2011: Meshing, visualization and computational environments, Dec., p. 21.

Aerospace 2011: Software, Dec., p. 41.

ECONOMICS

Anglo-French defense treaty: The changing dynamic,Jan., p. 4.

A global safe haven, for now, Jan., p. 20.Slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, Feb., p. 7.U.S. launch numbers take a dive, Feb., p. 22.Amid cutbacks, Europe’s defense firms eye worldmarkets, Feb., p. 25.

UAV Roundup 2011, March, p. 22.New environments drive UAV radar growth, April, p. 18.

Air traffic growth in 2010 defies forecasts, May, p. 4.A bigger and wider jetliner decade?, May, p. 10.Strong UAS market attracts intense competition,May, p. 18.

Space industry takes root in central and eastern Europe, June, p. 4.

In China, aviation gets back on track, June, p. 8.Mission model offers snapshot of space payloads,June, p. 24.

F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.Single-aisle jets: The more things change..., July-Aug.,p. 16.

SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.Military rotorcraft: Strongest aero market, Sept., p. 18.Protecting profits as defense markets decline, Oct.,p. 18.

Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.Supply chain globalization grows more complex,Nov., p. 4.

Defense cuts set to impact aircraft, Nov., p. 14.Aerospace 2011: General aviation, Dec., p. 29.

ENVIRONMENT

Beyond biofuels, Feb., p. 3.Paraffin-fueled rockets: Let’s light this candle, Feb.,p. 18.

A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.ICESat2: Laser eyes on Earth’s changing ice, March,p. 18.

Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.Tilt-rotors: A target for Europe’s researchers, April, p. 4.

A green space station, May, p. 22.In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.Green fuels for the wild blue yonder, July-Aug., p. 20.Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Aerospace 2011: Atmospheric and space environments, Dec., p. 16.

Aerospace 2011: Space environmental systems,Dec., p. 72.

INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNOLOGY


Curiosity’s mission to Mars, Jan., p. 28.A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.Solar Probe Plus: Unlocking the Sun’s mysteries,Feb., p. 38.

ICESat2: Laser eyes on Earth’s changing ice, March,p. 18.

China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.Tilt-rotors: A target for Europe’s researchers, April, p. 4.

The virtue of patience, April, page 8.New environments drive UAV radar growth, April, p. 18.

NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.New helicopter designs take off, April, p. 26.New views of the seething Sun, April, p. 36.A green space station, May, p. 22.Lows and highs for SBIRS early warning, May, p. 26.In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.Comet chasing makes deep impact on science, May,p. 40.


Birds, bees, and nanos, June, p. 28.AMS: Shedding light on the dark, June, p. 40.Microwave launch idea heats up, July-Aug., p. 24.SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.Juno to Jupiter: Piercing the veil, July-Aug., p. 40.From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.From ice to flameout, Nov., p. 18.Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50, Nov., p. 20.Aerospace 2011: Aerodynamic decelerators, Dec., p.25.

Aerospace 2011: Aerodynamic measurement technology, Dec., p. 13.

Aerospace 2011: Aerospace traffic management,Dec., p. 68.

Aerospace 2011: Fluid dynamics, Dec., p. 18.Aerospace 2011: Directed energy systems, Dec., p. 69.

Aerospace 2011: Lighter-than-air systems, Dec., p. 30.Aerospace 2011: Plasmadynamics and lasers, Dec.,p. 22.

Aerospace 2011: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 40.Aerospace 2011: V/STOL, Dec., p. 31.

INTERNATIONAL


A global safe haven, for now, Jan., p. 20.RF electronic warfare: From cold war to network invasion, Jan., p. 24.

Workforce problems threaten European Single Sky,Feb., p. 4.

Slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, Feb., p. 7.U.S. launch numbers take a dive, Feb., p. 22.Amid cutbacks, Europe’s defense firms eye worldmarkets, Feb., p. 25.

Europe confronts intel capability shortfalls, March,p. 4.

MPAs: Statements of global power, March, p. 14.UAV Roundup 2011, March, p. 22.China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.Tilt-rotors: A target for Europe’s researchers, April, p. 4.

The virtue of patience, April, page 8.New helicopter designs take off, April, p. 26.Air traffic growth in 2010 defies forecasts, May, p. 4.A bigger and wider jetliner decade?, May, p. 10.

Subjects

AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

The first A in NASA—Lost in the space debate, Jan.,p. 3.


Slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, Feb., p. 7.A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.Europe confronts intel capability shortfalls, March,p. 4.

MPAs: Statements of global power, March, p. 14.UAV Roundup 2011, March, p. 22.Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.Tilt-rotors: A target for Europe’s research, April, p. 4.The virtue of patience, April, p. 8.New helicopter designs take off, April, p. 26.A bigger and wider jetliner decade?, May, p. 10.Strong UAS market attracts intense competition,May, p. 18.

In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.In China, aviation gets back on track, June, p. 8.Birds, bees, and nanos, June, p. 28.F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.Ups and downs for EU aviation projects, July-Aug.,p. 4.

Single-aisle jets: The more things change..., July-Aug.,p. 16.

Green fuels for the wild blue yonder, July-Aug., p. 20.

SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.

Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.Military rotorcraft: Strongest aero market, Sept., p. 18.Wings of gold: One hundred years of U.S. Navy airpower, Sept., p. 22.

Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.Defense cuts set to impact aircraft, Nov., p. 14.From ice to flameout, Nov., p. 18.Aerospace 2011: Aeroacoustics, Dec., p. 12.Aerospace 2011: Aerodynamic decelerators, Dec.,p. 25Aerospace 2011: Air transportation, Dec, p .24.Aerospace 2011: Aerospace traffic management,Dec., p.68.

Aerospace 2011: Aircraft design, Dec., p. 26.Aerospace 2011: Applied aerodynamics, Dec., p. 14.Aerospace 2011: Flight testing, Dec., p. 28.Aerospace 2011: General aviation, Dec., p.29.Aerospace 2011: Ground testing, Dec., p. 19.Aerospace 2011: Hypersonics technology and aerospace planes, Dec., p. 71.

Aerospace 2011: Lighter-than-air systems, Dec., p. 30.Aerospace 2011: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 40.Aerospace 2011: Unmanned systems, Dec. 74.Aerospace 2011: V/STOL, Dec., p. 31.

AVIONICS AND ELECTRONICS



New environments drive UAV radar growth, April, p. 18.

SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.Aerospace 2011: Aerospace traffic management,Dec., p. 68.

Aerospace 2011: Digital avionics, Dec., p. 38.Aerospace 2011: Guidance, navigation, and control,Dec., p. 20.

index.DEC2011_2003 index.final 11/18/11 10:09 AM Page 2


Strong UAS market attracts intense competition,May, p. 18.


In China, aviation gets back on track, June, p. 8.Mission model offers snapshot of space payloads,June, p. 24.

F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.AMS: Shedding light on the dark, June, p. 40.Ups and downs for EU aviation projects, July-Aug.,p. 4.

Single-aisle jets: The more things change..., July-Aug.,p. 16.

South Africa opens new routes to space, Sept., p. 4.Military rotorcraft: Strongest aero market, Sept., p. 18.Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup, Sept., p. 34.Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.Supply chain globalization grows more complex,Nov., p. 4.

Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50, Nov., p. 20.

LIFE SCIENCES

A green space station, May, p. 22.Aerospace 2011: Life sciences and systems, Dec., p. 56.

MANAGEMENT

Workforce problems threaten European Single Sky,Feb., p. 4.

Amid cutbacks, Europe’s defense firms eye worldmarkets, Feb., p. 25.

Air traffic growth in 2010 defies forecasts, May, p. 4.From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.Protecting profits as defense markets decline, Oct.,p. 18.

Supply chain globalization grows more complex,Nov., p. 4.

Space and risk analysis paralysis, Nov., p. 29.Aerospace 2011: Ground testing, Dec., p. 19.Aerospace 2011: Systems engineering, Dec., p. 34.

MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES

A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Aerospace 2011: Adaptive structures, Dec., p. 4.Aerospace 2011: Design engineering, Dec., p. 5.Aerospace 2011: Materials, Dec., p. 6.Aerospace 2011: Nondeterministic approaches,Dec., p. 7.

Aerospace 2011: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 40.Aerospace 2011: Space tethers, Dec., p. 64.Aerospace 2011: Structural dynamics, Dec., p. 8.Aerospace 2011: Structures, Dec., p. 9.Aerospace 2011: Survivability, Dec., p. 10.

MILITARY SYSTEMS


A global safe haven, for now, Jan., p. 20.RF electronic warfare: From cold war to network invasion, Jan., p. 24.

Old struggles and new faces, Feb., p. 10.Amid cutbacks, Europe’s defense firms eye worldmarkets, Feb., p. 25.


MPAs: Statements of global power, March, p. 14.UAV Roundup 2011, March, p. 22.China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.New environments drive UAV radar growth, April, p. 18.

New helicopter designs take off, April, p. 26.Lows and highs for SBIRS early warning, May, p. 26.Birds, bees, and nanos, June, p. 28.F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.Questions abound about spaceflight and jet fighters,July-Aug., p. 8.

Green fuels for the wild blue yonder, July-Aug., p. 20.Microwave launch idea heats up, July-Aug., p. 24.SIGINT: Manned systems still on top, July-Aug., p. 28.Military rotorcraft: Strongest aero market, Sept., p. 18.Wings of gold: One hundred years of U.S. Navy airpower, Sept., p. 22.

Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup, Sept., p. 34.Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Protecting profits as defense markets decline, Oct.,p. 18.

Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.Defense cuts set to impact aircraft, Nov., p. 14.Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50, Nov., p. 20.Space and risk analysis paralysis, Nov., p. 29.Aerospace 2011: Directed energy systems, Dec., p. 69.

Aerospace 2011: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 50.Aerospace 2011: Hypersonics technology and aerospace planes, Dec., p. 71.

Aerospace 2011: Survivability, Dec., p. 10.Aerospace 2011: Unmanned systems, Dec., p. 74.Aerospace 2011: Weapon system effectiveness,Dec., p. 66.

MISSILES

Paraffin-fueled rockets: Let’s light this candle, Feb.,p. 18.

China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.Lows and highs for SBIRS early warning, May, p. 26.Microwave launch idea heats up, July-Aug., p. 24.Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup, Sept., p. 34.Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.

Aerospace 2011: Guidance, navigation, and control,Dec., p. 20.

Aerospace 2011: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 50.Aerospace 2011: Weapon system effectiveness,Dec., p. 66.

POLICY

The first A in NASA—Lost in the space debate, Jan.,p. 3.

A time of transition, Jan., p. 8.RF electronic warfare: From cold war to network invasion, Jan., p. 24.

Son of Apollo: A new space capsule takes shape,Jan., p. 36.

Beyond biofuels, Feb., p. 3.Workforce problems threaten European Single Sky,Feb., p. 4.

Old struggles and new faces, Feb., p. 10.How far can you see?, March, p. 3.Space, stealth, and Spartans, March, p. 8.Mapping a course to the asteroids, March, p. 12.Cyberspace and 21st-century education, April, p. 3.The budget—a continuing saga, April, p. 11.Can the past be prologue?, May, p. 3.Resolutions, but few solutions, May, p. 8.Hail and farewell, June, p. 3.Waking up to harsh realities, June, p. 12.F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.A green space station, May, p. 22.

All dressed up with nowhere to go?. July-Aug., p. 3.Ups and downs for EU aviation projects, July-Aug.,p. 4.

Questions abound about spaceflight and jet fighters,July-Aug., p. 8.

From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.Playing with fire, Sept. p. 3.As an era ends, uncertainties loom, Sept., p. 6.Finding NEOs: Stepping stones for human exploration, Sept., p. 14.

Where, and how, do we go from here?, Oct., p. 3.Facing decisions...later, Oct., p. 11.A price too high, Nov., p. 3.Feuding, fighters, and the future, Nov., p. 8.Defense cuts set to impact aircraft, Nov., p. 14.Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50, Nov., p. 20.Space and risk analysis paralysis, Nov., p. 29.The future of biofuels gets brighter, Dec., p. 3.Aerospace 2011: Legal aspects, Dec., p. 32.Aerospace 2011: Society and aerospace technology,Dec., p. 33.

PROPULSION AND POWER

Beyond biofuels, Feb., p. 3.Paraffin-fueled rockets: Let’s light this candle, Feb.,p. 18.

A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.A green space station, May, p. 22.In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.Green fuels for the wild blue yonder, July-Aug., p. 20.Microwave launch idea heats up, July-Aug., p. 24.Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.Juno to Jupiter: Piercing the veil, July-Aug., p. 40.Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.From ice to flameout, Nov., p. 18.Aerospace 2011: Aerospace power systems, Dec., p. 44.

Aerospace 2011: Air-breathing propulsion systemsintegration, Dec., p. 45.

Aerospace 2011: Electric propulsion, Dec., p. 46.Aerospace 2011: Directed energy systems, Dec., p. 69.Aerospace 2011: Energetic components, Dec., p. 47.Aerospace 2011: Energy optimized aircraft andequipment systems, Dec., p. 70.

Aerospace 2011: Gas turbine engines, Dec., p. 48.Aerospace 2011: High-speed air-breathing propulsion, Dec., p. 49.

Aerospace 2011: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 50.Aerospace 2011: Hypersonics technology and aerospace planes, Dec., p. 71.

Aerospace 2011: Liquid propulsion, Dec., p. 51.Aerospace 2011: Nuclear and future flight propulsion,Dec., p. 52.

Aerospace 2011: Propellants and combustion, Dec.,p. 53.

Aerospace 2011: Solid rockets, Dec., p. 54.Aerospace 2011: Terrestrial energy systems, Dec., p. 55.

ROBOTICS

Curiosity’s mission to Mars, Jan., p. 28.Mapping a course to the asteroids, March, p. 12.Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.Aerospace 2011: Space automation, Dec., p. 58.Aerospace 2011: Space logistics, Dec., p. 60.Aerospace 2011: Space resources, Dec., p. 62.

SPACE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE

ISS: A decade on the frontier, Jan., p. 16.



Curiosity’s mission to Mars, Jan., p. 28.Solar Probe Plus: Unlocking the Sun’s mysteries,Feb., p. 38.

Mapping a course to the asteroids, March, p. 12.ICESat2: Laser eyes on Earth’s changing ice, March,p. 18.

New views of the seething Sun, April, p. 36.A green space station, May, p. 22.In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.Comet chasing makes deep impact on science, May,p. 40.


AMS: Shedding light on the dark, June, p. 40.Juno to Jupiter: Piercing the veil, July-Aug., p. 40.From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.South Africa opens new routes to space, Sept., p. 4.Finding NEOs: Stepping stones for human exploration, Sept., p. 14.

Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.Aerospace 2011: Astrodynamics, Dec., p. 15.Aerospace 2011: Atmospheric and space environments, Dec., p. 16.

Aerospace 2011: Atmospheric flight mechanics,Dec., p. 17.

Aerospace 2011: Balloon systems, Dec., p. 27.Aerospace 2011: Plasmadynamics and lasers, Dec.,p. 22.

Aerospace 2011: Space architecture, Dec., p. 57.Aerospace 2011: Space colonization, Dec., p. 59.Aerospace 2011: Space environmental systems,

Dec., p. 72.Aerospace 2011: Space exploration, Dec., p. 73.Aerospace 2011: Space operations and support,Dec., p. 61.

Aerospace 2011: Space resources, Dec., p. 62.Aerospace 2011: Space systems, Dec., p. 63.Aerospace 2011: Thermophysics, Dec., p. 23.

SPACE STATION

ISS: A decade on the frontier, Jan., p. 16.A green space station, May, p. 22.Space shuttle: Memories at Mach 25, June, p. 20.AMS: Shedding light on the dark, June, p. 40.Preparing NASA’s astronauts for the high frontier,Nov., p. 10.

Aerospace 2011: Space logistics, Dec., p. 60.

SPACE TRANSPORTATION

U.S. launch numbers take a dive, Feb., p. 22.Space industry takes root in central and eastern Europe, June, p. 4.

Son of Apollo: A new space capsule takes shape,Jan., p. 36.

NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.Space industry takes root in central and eastern Europe, June, p. 4.

Space shuttle: Memories at Mach 25, June, p. 20.Mission model offers snapshot of space payloads,June, p. 24.

2011 INDEX

All dressed up with nowhere to go? July-Aug., p. 3.

Questions abound about spaceflight and jet fighters,July-Aug., p. 8.

Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup, Sept., p. 34.Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.

Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.

Preparing NASA’s astronauts for the high frontier,Nov., p. 10.

Aerospace 2011: Hypersonics technology and aerospace planes, Dec., p. 71.

Aerospace 2011: Nuclear and future flight propulsion,Dec., p. 52.

Aerospace 2011: Space logistics, Dec., p. 60.Aerospace 2011: Space transportation, Dec., p. 65.

SPACECRAFT

ISS: A decade on the frontier, Jan., p. 16.Curiosity’s mission to Mars, Jan., p. 28.Son of Apollo: A new space capsule takes shape,Jan., p. 36.

U.S. launch numbers take a dive, Feb., p. 22.Solar Probe Plus: Unlocking the Sun’s mysteries,Feb., p. 38.


Mapping a course to the asteroids, March, p. 12.ICESat2: Laser eyes on Earth’s changing ice, March,p. 18.

index.DEC2011_2003 index.final 12/15/11 4:31 PM Page 4


China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.New views of the seething Sun, April, p. 36.A green space station, May, p. 22.Lows and highs for SBIRS early warning, May, p. 26.Comet chasing makes deep impact on science, May,p. 40.


Space shuttle: Memories at Mach 25, June, p. 20.Mission model offers snapshot of space payloads,June, p. 24.

Juno to Jupiter: Piercing the veil, July-Aug., p. 40.South Africa opens new routes to space, Sept., p. 4.Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup, Sept., p. 34.Russian lander to head for Martian moon, Sept., p. 46.

Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project, Oct., p. 36.

Preparing NASA’s astronauts for the high frontier,Nov., p. 10.

Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50, Nov., p. 20.Space and risk analysis paralysis, Nov., p. 29.Aerospace 2011: Space tethers, Dec., p. 64.Aerospace 2011: Space transportation, Dec., p. 65.

INTERVIEWS

With Michel Peters, Jan., p. 12.With Martin Sweeting, Feb., p. 14.With Scott Pace, April, p. 14.

With John Logsdon, May, p. 14.With Christian Scherer, June, p. 16.With David Williams, July-Aug., p. 12.With Jim Maser, Sept., p. 11.With Roger Krone, Oct., p. 14.

Authors

A

ABOULAFIA, R., A global safe haven, for now, Jan., p. 20.

ABOULAFIA, R., MPAs: Statements of global power,March, p. 14.

ABOULAFIA, R., A bigger and wider jetliner decade?,May, p. 10.

ABOULAFIA, R., Single-aisle jets: The more thingschange..., July-Aug., p. 16.

ABOULAFIA, R., Military rotorcraft: Strongest aeromarket, Sept., p. 18.

ABOULAFIA, R., Defense cuts set to impact aircraft,Nov., p. 14.

B

BANKE, J., Quieter flight: A balancing act, March, p. 38.BANKE, J., In search of cleaner skies, May, p. 34.BANKE, J., Flying farther on less, July-Aug., p. 32.BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., With Michel Peters, Jan.,p. 12.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Anglo-French defense

treaty: The changing dynamic, Jan., p. 4.BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Workforce problemsthreaten European Single Sky, Feb., p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, With Martin Sweeting, Feb.,p. 14.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Europe confronts intelcapability shortfalls, March, p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Tilt-rotors: A target forEurope’s researchers, April, p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Air traffic growth in 2010defies forecasts, May, p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Space industry takes rootin central and eastern Europe, June, p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., With Christian Scherer,June, p. 16.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Ups and downs for EUaviation projects, July-Aug., p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., With David Williams,July-Aug., p. 12.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., South Africa opens newroutes to space, Sept., p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Europe gears up forcyper warfare, Oct., p. 4.

BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Supply chain globalizationgrows more complex, Nov., p. 4.

C

CÁCERES, M., U.S. launch numbers take a dive, Feb.,p. 22.

CÁCERES, M., Mission model offers snapshot ofspace payloads, June, p. 24.



CAMHI, E., Can the past be prologue?, May, p. 3.CAMHI, E., Hail and farewell, June, p. 3.CAMHI, E., All dressed up with nowhere to go?July-Aug., p. 3.

CAMHI, E., Playing with fire, Sept. p. 3.CAMHI, E., Where, and how, do we go from here?,Oct., p. 3.

CAMHI, E., A price too high, Nov., p. 3.CAMHI, E., The future of biofuels gets brighter, Dec.,p. 3

CANAN, J., With Scott Pace, April, p. 14.CANAN, J., With John Logsdon, May, p. 14.CANAN, J., Lows and highs for SBIRS early warning,May, p. 26.

CANAN, J., With Jim Maser, Sept., p. 11.CANAN, J., With Roger Krone, Oct., p. 14.CANAN, J., Defending against cyber threats, Oct., p. 22.

CANAN, J., Vigilance from above: The NRO at 50,Nov., p. 20.

COVAULT, C., Curiosity’s mission to Mars, Jan., p. 28.

COVAULT, C., China’s military space surge, March, p. 32.

COVAULT, C., New views of the seething Sun, April,p. 36.

COVAULT, C., AMS: Shedding light on the dark, June,p. 40.

COVAULT, C., From visions to voyages, July-Aug., p. 46.

COVAULT, C., Russian lander to head for Martianmoon, Sept., p. 46.

D

DAVID, L., Solar Probe Plus: Unlocking the Sun’smysteries, Feb., p. 38.

DAVID, L., Comet chasing makes deep impact onscience, May, p. 40.

DAVID, L., Juno to Jupiter: Piercing the veil, July-Aug.,p. 40.

DORR, R., A time of transition, Jan., p. 8.DORR, R., Old struggles and new faces, Feb., p. 10.DORR, R., Space, stealth, and Spartans, March, p. 8.

DORR, R., The budget—a continuing saga, April, p. 11.

DORR, R., Resolutions, but few solutions, May, p. 8.

DORR, R., Waking up to harsh realities, June, p. 12.DORR, R., Questions abound about spaceflight andjet fighters, July-Aug., p. 8.

DORR, R., As an era ends, uncertainties loom, Sept.,p. 6.

DORR, R., Facing decisions...later, Oct., p. 11.DORR, R., Feuding, fighters, and the future, Nov., p. 8.

F

FINNEGAN, P., Amid cutbacks, Europe’s defensefirms eye world markets, Feb., p. 25.

FINNEGAN, P., Strong UAS market attracts intensecompetition, May, p. 18.

FINNEGAN, P., Protecting profits as defense marketsdecline, Oct., p. 18.

G

GOLDSTEIN, E., Paraffin-fueled rockets: Let’s lightthis candle, Feb., p. 18.

GOLDSTEIN, E., A green space station, May, p. 22.GOLDSTEIN, E., Green fuels for the wild blue yonder,July-Aug., p. 20.

GOLDSTEIN, E., Wings of gold: One hundred years ofU.S. Navy air power, Sept., p. 22.

2011 Index

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H

Harris, R., The first A in NASA—Lost in the space debate, Jan., p. 3.

I

IANNOTTA, B., ICESat2: Laser eyes on Earth’s changingice, March, p. 18.

IANNOTTA, B., NanoSail-D2 breaks free, April, p. 22.IANNOTTA, B., Birds, bees, and nanos, June, p. 28.IANNOTTA, B., Microwave launch idea heats up,July-Aug., p. 24.

IANNOTTA, B., From ice to flameout, Nov., p. 18.

J

JONES, T., ISS: A decade on the frontier, Jan., p. 16.JONES, T., Mapping a course to the asteroids, March,p. 12.

JONES, T., Space shuttle: Memories at Mach 25, June,p. 20.

JONES, T., Finding NEOs: Stepping stones for humanexploration, Sept., p. 14.

JONES, T., Preparing NASA’s astronauts for the highfrontier, Nov., p. 10.

K

KENNEDY, F., Space and risk analysis paralysis, Nov.,p. 29.

L

LEWIS, M., How far can you see?, March, p. 3.LONG, L., Cyberspace and 21st-century education,April, p. 3.

M


O

OBERG, J., Perspectives on the Rus-M booster project,Oct., p. 36.

R

ROCKWELL, D., RF electronic warfare: From cold warto network invasion, Jan., p. 24.

ROCKWELL, D., New environments drive UAV radargrowth, April, p. 18.

ROCKWELL, D., SIGINT: Manned systems still on top,July-Aug., p. 28.

S

SIETZEN, F., Son of Apollo: A new space capsuletakes shape, Jan., p. 36.

W

WESTLAKE, M., Slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, Feb., p. 7.WESTLAKE, M., The virtue of patience, April, p. 8.WESTLAKE, M., In China, aviation gets back on track,June, p. 8.

WESTLAKE, M., Electrifying flight, Oct., p. 8.WILSON, J., A new boom in supersonics, Feb., p. 30.WILSON, J., UAV Roundup 2011, March, p. 22.WILSON, J., New helicopter designs take off, April, p. 26.

WILSON, J., F-35: A time of trial, June, p. 34.WILSON, J., Launch vehicles: A worldwide roundup,Sept., p. 34.

WILSON, J., Airships on the rise, Oct., p. 28.


Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Fourth Edition Daniel P. Raymer

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CLARKSON UNIVERSITYWallace H. Coulter School of Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical EngineeringTwo Tenure Track Faculty Positions

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (MAE) Department of the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering (CSoE) at Clark-son University invites applications for two tenure track positions at the Assistant Professor rank (anticipated starting date: August 20 12). A Ph.D. or in the process of completing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering or related

is required. Applications are encouraged from individuals whose research programs can contribute to areas of: (1) Solid Mechan-ics/Materials, (2) Thermal Sciences, (3) Bioengineering and/or (4) Renewable/Sustainable Energy Systems including Solar and Nuclear Energy, which are within the interdisciplinary focus areas of the department/school/university.

Clarkson’s MAE Department offers B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering, and M.E., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Successful candidates will be expected to teach fundamental undergraduate and graduate courses in mechanical/aeronautical engineering, and develop strong funded research programs. Applicants need to articulate a clear and substantiated vision of how their background can lead to sustained accomplishments through teaching, research, and an ability to engage in interdisciplinary activities and projects within one of the focus areas identi ed above. Clarkson University is committed to providing an educational experience in which students develop an appreciation for diversity in both working and living environments.

To submit your application, go to www.clarkson.edu/hr and click “Career Opportunities” on the left hand navigation bar. Review of lled.

Additional information about the MAE Department and the Coulter School of Engineering can be found at www.clarkson.edu. Clarkson University has one of the highest percentages of women engineering faculty in the nation (ASEE 2005 of Engineering Col-leges).

An equal action Clarkson seeks and encourages applications

Please reference Job Posting# Fac 2009000223


McGill UniversityDepartment of Mechanical EngineeringTenure-Track Faculty positions

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University invites applications for two faculty positions. The posi-tion is in the area of Design and Manufacturing, with a focus on computer-aided design or mechatronics. It is expected to be at the Assistant Professor level, although exceptional applications will be considered at all ranks. The second posi-tion is in the area of Aeronautics, with a focus on aerodynamics or aeroelasticity. It is for senior faculty with a proven track record who will be considered for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair position, and will be recommended for appointment at the tenured Full Professor level.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. and a strong commitment to excellence in research and teaching. Evidence of outstanding research achievements, or research potential, is indispensable. Membership or eligibility for membership in a Canadian professional engineering association is required.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. To be considered, applications must be received by January 31, 2012. The positions are expected to be lled by August 31, 2012.

applicants are required to submit a resume, together with names and contact information (mail, phone, and email) of three references, and a two-page statement outlining research and teaching goals to:

Luc MongeauChair, Departmental Search CommitteeMacdonald Engineering Building, Room 270817 Sherbrooke Street WestMontreal, Quebec, H3A 2K6 CanadaE-mail (preferred): [email protected]

McGill University is committed to equity in employment and diversity. It welcomes applications from indigenous peoples, visible minorities, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others who may contribute to further diversi cation.

All quali ed applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

AA_DEC2011_COPP_Layout 1 11/17/11 2:46 PM Page 2


Position DescriptionA tenure-track position at the assistant or associate pro-fessor level in the Department of Mechanical and Aero-nautical Engineering starting Fall 2012. Rank and salary depend upon quali cations and experience.

The successful candidate is expected to teach undergradu-ate and graduate courses in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, advise graduate and undergraduate students, conduct research relevant to aerospace engineering, super-vise master’s and Ph.D. theses, and serve on university, college, and department committees. The candidate also is expected to develop new courses, as necessary, and the associated laboratory facilities.

Candidates must hold an earned doctoral degree in aero-space engineering or related discipline. Applicants with a strong background in space propulsion and other space related disciplines will be considered. Preference will be given to candidates with proven research and publication record and with potential to achieve externally funded re-search.

The Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engi-neering currently enrolls about 50 students in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs, and 580 undergraduate students. The department is in the process of changing the aeronauti-cal engineering program to aerospace engineering. This position is because of this change and recent enrollment growth in aeronautical engineering. The aeronautical en-gineering program is accredited by EAC/ABET.

Western Michigan University is a Carnegie doctoral re-search extensive institution serving more than 25,000 students at its main and branch campuses. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has placed WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation des-ignated as a research university with high research activ-ity. Kalamazoo is in a metropolitan area in southwestern Michigan, midway between Chicago and Detroit, with a population of 200,000. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers 18 bachelor’s degree programs, 11 master’s programs, and 6 doctoral programs. A 270-acre engineering campus opened in summer 2003 includes a new building for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences as well as a Business Technology and Research Park.

Position

The Department

The University and Community

Responsibilities

Academic and Professional

For position description details and application procedures, visit our website: http://www.wmich.edu/hr/careers-at-wmu.html. Applications must include: a cover letter highlighting your curriculum statement of teaching and research

along with names and of three references. Western Michigan University is an EO employer.

Review of applications will begin on January 15, 2012 and continue until the posi-

Western Michigan University is an action/equal opportunity consistent with applicable federal and state law. All applicants are encour-aged to apply.

College of Engineering and Applied SciencesDepartment of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering

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Located in the heart of Toronto, the largest and most culturally diverse city in the country, Ryerson University is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The University is known for innovative programs built on the integration of theoretical and practically oriented learning. Our undergraduate and graduate programs are distinguished by a professionally focused curriculum and strong emphasis on excellence in teaching, research and creative activities. Ryerson is also a leader in adult learning, with the largest university-based continuing education school in Canada.

TENURE-TRACK FACULTY POSITIONDEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson University has a complement of 16 faculty members and offers a four-year accredited program leading to a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering. In addition, the Department offers a graduate program leading to either an M.A.Sc. or M.Eng. and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering. The Department invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in areas related to avionics and space systems, at the Assistant/Associate Professor level, commencing August 1, 2012, subject to budgetary approval. The successful candidate will need to have teaching and research expertise in areas related to avionics and space systems.

The primary qualifications for the position, in addition to an earned doctorate in Aerospace Engineering or a closely related discipline, are demonstrated ability to perform high-quality research, an established record of, or potential for, outstanding teaching and supervising of students at undergraduate and graduate levels, and participating in departmental academic affairs, and ability to establish viable externally funded research programs. Specifically, applicants must have demonstrated outstanding research and an aptitude in teaching in areas including, but not limited to, avionics and space systems design and analysis. Both analytical and experimental research is of strong interest. Applicants should be registered or eligible for registration as a professional engineer in Ontario.

Ryerson’s Department of Aerospace Engineering is one of the fastest growing programs of its kind in Canada. Committed to offering the best environment for academic growth, the Department has grown to become a powerhouse of innovative research and teaching. With 450 outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, the Department of Aerospace Engineering plays a key role in preparing the next generation of Aerospace Engineers while promoting education and research across Canada. The Department maintains strong relationships with Canada’s top aerospace companies, and has tripled its industrial research funding since 2009. It is committed to developing further research collaborations built on the three main pillars: universities, government and industry.

Applications, with a curriculum vitae, a research statement outlining current and future research interests and a specific research plan, a teaching statement, selected reprints of not more than three publications, and the names and addresses of three referees, should be sent to: Dr. Paul Walsh, Interim Chair, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 2K3. Fax: 416-979-5056. E-mail: [email protected]. Review of applications will begin January 1, 2012 and will continue until a suitable candidate is found. We thank all candidates for applying; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

This position falls under the Ryerson Faculty Association, (www.ryerson.ca/~rfa) jurisdiction. For details on the Ryerson Faculty Association Collective Agreement and the University’s RFA Benefits Summary, please visit: www.ryerson.ca/teaching/employmentresources/rfa.html and www.ryerson.ca/hr/working/etoolkit/benefits/rfa

Ryerson University is strongly committed to fostering diversity within our community. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our staff, our faculty and its scholarship including, but not limited to, women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, but applications from Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

www.ryerson.ca

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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or r-aided engineering. with in the y.

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ros structures or other s r reas.

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nanostructured engineering, and r y.

WPI, founded in 1865 and one hour west of Boston, is one of the nation’s st universities. WPI is a y s rivate university with an undergraduate student y of over 3,600 and 1,400 f - and rt- graduate students enr in re than 50 r’s, Master’s, and Ph.D rogr s. Its innovative roject-enriched curr engages students and f in r -wor r s often at one of WPI’s

roject centers. U.S. News and Wor rt consis ranks WPI the universities. Unigo’s s for

21st ry Einsteins,” sted WPI the 10 s s for s s r students.

Requirements:s are to and active research,

teaching, and roject activities that and the rogr s within the r or in r interdis ry areas

such as r s and MEMS and nano-s s, energy sys s, advanced sys s, and r s rocessing. These searches w r n

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A s s a curr vitae, s of teaching and research interests st of rofess references.

Multiple Faculty Positions in Mechanical, Materials Science, and Aerospace Engineering



Fundamentals of Spacecraft ChargingSpacecraft Interactions with Space PlasmasShu T. Lai“Lai has produced the definitive work on the physics of spacecraft charging. From a basic description of the plasma environment and how spacecraft surfaces develop electrical charges in space, to a detailed analysis of the steps that can be used to mitigate the effects of spacecraft charging—it’s all here.”—Alan Tribble, author of �e Space EnvironmentCloth $90.00 978-0-691-12947-1

Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Position Title: Academic Department Head, Tenure Track Req # 011003657Rank: ProfessorDate Position Advertised: October 6, 2011Salary: Commensurate with education and experience

Special Conditions: We seek a nationally and internationally recognized educator and researcher. The candidate will become the holder of the Bob and Sherry Myers Chair in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The department has strong research programs in Aeroelasticity and Fluid Struc-ture Interaction, Dynamics and Vibrations, Fluid Mechanics, Robotics and Controls, Solid Mechanics and Materials, and, Thermal Science and Energy. The MAE Department offers an ABET Inc. accredited B.S. degree program, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. programs in both mechanical and aerospace en-gineering. Detailed departmental information is available at http://me.nmsu.edu . The department currently has 14 FTE faculty positions, over 500 un-dergraduate students, and over 50 graduate students. The department cur-rently has 1 endowed professorship.

Candidates must have an earned doctoral degree in Me-chanical or Aerospace Engineering or closely related The applicant must show a sustained record of scholarly activities and research as evidenced by archival publications, graduate supervision, and nationally competitive funding. include a strong record of scholarly and professional accomplishments that merit appointment as a tenured full professor, a repu-tation for creating a positive people climate, a record of management in a complex organization, a demonstrated commitment to diversity and student success, and excellent interpersonal skills.

Examples of Duties: Academic, administrative, budgetary and personnel decisions, sustaining the ABET accreditation, recruiting and retention of stu-dents and faculty, providing innovative and energetic leadership in teaching, research, extension, outreach, development activities and securing research sponsorship. The successful candidate must articulate and communicate a clear vision to lead the MAE Department towards academic excellence and must have excellent communication skills to proactively interface with a broad constituency in academia, government, industry and the community; a demonstrated record of organizational skills; knowledge of state, federal and private sector fund-raising; and the ability to develop R&D relationships.

Offered: Group medical and hospital insurance, group life insur-ance, long-term disability insurance, state educational retirement, workers’ compensation, sick leave, annual leave and unemployment compensation. Opportunities for educational advancement are available.

Reply to/Deadline for Applications: Submit a detailed curriculum vita with a description of management philosophy and administration experi-ence, a statement of vision for the department and a statement of research and teaching interests. Include a list of four references with contact informa-tion including name, address, telephone, and email.

Submit all material by electronic submission in one PDF Email the materials to [email protected] with the words “ MAE Department Head Search” in the subject line.

Reply to: Dr. Edward Pines, Search Committee Chair College of Engineering, MSC 4230 New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003 Telephone- (575) 646-4923Fax- (575) 646-2976

Screening of applications will begin January 17, 2012. Applications re-ceived after this date may be considered.

NMSU is an equal opportunity/af rmative action employer. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. All offers of employment, oral and written, are contingent on the university’s of credentials, individual’s eligibility for employment in the United States and other information required by federal law, state law, and NMSU policies/procedures, and may include the completion of a criminal history check .

College of Engineering



The Robert A. Heinlein Endowed Chair in Aerospace EngineeringThe U.S. Naval Academy announces its search for a distinguished professor in the of astronautics to the Robert A. Heinlein Chair in Aerospace Engineering. Created in honor of the award winning novelist and alumnus Robert A. Heinlein (USNA ‘29), the Heinlein Chair has made outstanding contributions to teaching and research in the astronautics curriculum. The Naval Academy is a leader in university small satellite and space experiment development having participated in six experi-ments since 2001 in collaboration with other NASA or DoD entities including several NASA centers, Naval Research Laboratory and DoD Space Test Program (STP). The astronautics curriculum resides in the Aerospace Engineering Department alongside an equally distin-guished aeronautics curriculum. Future Navy, Marine and civic leaders pass through each of our classrooms. Graduates have included leaders of the Naval Air Systems Command, aircraft and spacecraft development programs in DoD and NASA, innovative business leaders and more astronauts than any other single institution.

The successful applicant must have signi cant experience as a technical leader in the of astronautics including spacecraft develop-ment during all phases from concept exploration to launch. Concentrations of interest are spacecraft bus subsystem and payload develop-ment, integration and test including launch integration, space transportation and related disciplines including space environment effects.

responsibilities include classroom instruction and scholarly research, which should include midshipmen research. The ability to effectively teach a signi cant portion of the astronautics curriculum including capstone design is important.

The applicant should have an earned Doctorate, but candidates with strong industrial/laboratory experience will be considered. The ap-plicant must be able to function effectively in a university environment including a demonstrated capacity to conduct scholarly research, a strong commitment to undergraduate engineering education, and excellent communications skills. State of the art research is anticipated and the Heinlein Chair may seek outside research funding within Navy regulations and Naval Academy practice.

Please send a letter of intent, a statement of your vision for the Heinlein Chair and description of research/scholarly interests, resume/cur-riculum vitae, transcripts and the names of three professional references (include complete contact information for your references) to:

Heinlein Chair Search CommitteeAttention: Commander David D. Myre Aerospace Engineering Department (MS-11B), U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis MD 21402 [email protected]: 410-293-6411, Fax: 410-293-6404

Candidates are encouraged to submit promptly. Review of applications will commence 1 February 2012 and will continue until the position is lled. Preference will be given to U.S. citizens.The U.S. Naval Academy is an

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, AEROSPACE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL & AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Applications are invited from applicants who have a doctorate in Aerospace Engineering or closely related �eld, and specialization either in �ight vehicle dynamics/controls or structures/ materials with multidisciplinary, emerging technology applications. Responsibilities include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the applicant’s specialization, and providing leadership in the specialization for laboratory development and supervision of senior and graduate design projects. General responsibilities include advising of graduate and undergraduate students, community and professional service, and scholarship. MAE Department faculty collaborate in instruction, student and industry projects, and research with each other and with other faculty within and outside the College. The successful candidate will be expected to develop multidisciplinary applications with college faculty and industry partners. The Department has MS and ABET-accredited BS degree programs in both disciplines, and combined enrollments of about 785 undergraduate (181 AE) and about 148 graduate (38 AE) students. Our programs are strongly lecture-lab oriented, are well-known for providing excellent hands-on engineering education, and have faculty and students involved in a variety of projects, many with industry collaboration. The College is the leading provider of entry-level engineers to Silicon Valley industry. Salary range is commensurate with quali�cations and experience. Starting date is August 20, 2012. Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States. For full job announcement including quali�cations and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://apptrkr.com/213271 (JOID 14184). For full consideration, please send a letter of application, complete curriculum vitae, statement of teaching and research interests, experience and plans to the Search Committee, and arrange for at least three original letters of reference with contact information to be sent directly to the Committee by February 1, 2012 to: Chair, AE Search Committee, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dept, San José State University, One Washington Square, San José, CA 95192-0087. San Jose State University is an Equal Opportunity/A�rmative action employer committed to the core values of inclusion, civility, and respect for each individual.

STANFORD UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS AND

ASTRONAUTICSThe Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University invites applications

for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or untenured Associate Professor level. Re-search advances in the fundamental areas of aerospace engineering are critical to meeting in-creases in demand for air transportation, improving technologies for increased autonomy, and achieving breakthroughs in space and satellite design, while ensuring safety and security, and protecting the environment. We are seeking exceptional applicants who will develop a program of research and innovative new courses at the frontier of areas such as space systems engineering, cyber-physical systems, autonomous systems, control and navigation, aviation and the environment, system simulation and design, and aerospace structures and materials. This is a broad-area search. We will place higher priority on the impact, originality, and prom-ise of the candidate’s work than on the particular sub-area of specialization within Aeronautics and Astronautics. Evidence of the ability to pursue a program of innovative research and a strong commitment to graduate and undergraduate teaching are required. The successful can-didate will be expected to teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels and to build and lead a team of graduate students in Ph.D. research. Applicants whose research programs in Aeronautics and Astronautics will involve the development of sophisticated computational and/or mathematical methods may be considered for a joint appointment in the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (http://icme.stanford.edu).

Applicants should include a cover letter, their curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a one-page statement of research vision, a one-page statement of teaching interests, and the names of potential references. Please submit these materials as a single PDF labeled “AA_Search_LastName_FirstName.pdf” to [email protected]. For additional infor-mation, please contact Professor Juan J. Alonso ([email protected]).

Applications will be accepted until the position is however the review of applications will begin on January 3, 2012.

Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diver-sity of its faculty. It welcomes nominations of and applications from women and members of minority groups, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research and teaching missions.


AIAA HeAdquArters1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500Reston, VA 20191-4344www.aiaa.org

To join AIAA; to submit address changes, mem-ber inquiries, or renewals; to request journal fulfillment; or to register for an AIAA conference. Customer service: 800/639-AIAA†

AIAA Directory

December 2011AIAA Meeting Schedule B2AIAA Courses & Training B4Program ScheduleAIAA News B5AIAA Meeting Program B1315th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference AIAA Courses and Training B17ProgramAIAA Publications B19Standard Conference Information B20

AIAAbulletinAIAAbulletin

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 14 November, the Soyuz TMA-22 rocket is seen at the Soyuz launch pad during a snowstorm before the successful launch of Expedition 29 to the International Space Station. Expedition 29 crew members are Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin, and Dan Burbank (photo credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi). Video of the launch can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/video-gallery/index.html?collection_id=14555&media_id=120498101.

* Also accessible via Internet. Use the formula first name last [email protected]. Example: [email protected].

† U.S. only. International callers should use 703/264-7500.

Addresses for Technical Committees and Section Chairs can be found on the AIAA Web site at http://www.aiaa.org.

Other Important Numbers: Aerospace America / Greg Wilson, ext. 7596* • AIAA Bulletin / Christine Williams, ext. 7500* • AIAA Foundation / Suzanne Musgrave, ext. 7518* • Book Sales / 800.682.AIAA or 703.661.1595, Dept. 415 • Corporate Members / Merrie Scott, ext. 7530* • International Affairs / Megan Scheidt, ext. 3842*; Emily Springer, ext. 7533* • Editorial, Books and Journals / Heather Brennan, ext. 7568* • Education / Lisa Bacon, ext. 7527* • Exhibits / Fernanda Swan, ext. 7622* • Honors and Awards / Carol Stewart, ext. 7623* • Journal Subscriptions, Member / 800.639.AIAA • Journal Subscriptions, Institutional/ Chris Grady, ext. 7509* • Online Archive Subscriptions / Chris Grady, ext. 7509* • Professional Development / Patricia Carr, ext. 7523* • Public Policy / Steve Howell, ext. 7625* • Section Activities / Chris Jessee, ext. 3848* • Standards, Domestic / Amy Barrett, ext. 7546* • Standards, International / Nick Tongson, ext. 7515* • Student Programs / Stephen Brock, ext. 7536* • Technical Committees / Betty Guillie, ext. 7573*

We are frequently asked how to submit articles about section events, member awards, and other special interest items in the AIAA Bulletin. Please contact the staff liaison listed above with Section, Committee, Honors and Awards, Event, or Education information. They will review and forward the information to the AIAA Bulletin Editor.

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2012 9–12Jan 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Nashville,TN Jan11 1 Jun 11 Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition 23–26Jan† The Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) Reno,NV(Contact:PatrickM.Dallosta,patrick.dallosta@ dau.mil;www.rams.org) 24–26Jan AIAA Strategic and Tactical Missile Systems Conference Monterey,CA Jun11 30 Jun 11 AIAA Missile Sciences Conference (Oct) (SECRET/U.S. ONLY) 29Jan–2Feb† 22nd AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting Charleston,SC Apr11 3 Oct 11 Contact:KeithJenkins,480.390.6179; [email protected];www.space-flight.org 15–16Feb 15th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference Washington,DC 3–10Mar† 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, BigSky,Montana Contact:DavidWoerner,626.497.8451; [email protected];www.aeroconf.org 21–23Mar† Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space 2012 (NETS-2012) TheWoodlands,TX held in conjunction with the 2012 Lunar & Planetary Contact:ShannonBragg-Sitton,208.526.2367,shannon. Sciences Conference [email protected],http://anstd.ans.org/NETS2012.html 26–28Mar† 3AF 47th International Symposium of Applied Aerodynamics Paris,France(Contact:AnneVenables,33156641230, [email protected],www.aaaf.asso.fr) 23–26Apr 53rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, Honolulu,HI Apr11 10 Aug 11 and Materials Conference 20th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference 14th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference 13th AIAA Gossamer Systems Forum 8th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference 14–18May† 12th Spacecraft Charging Technology Conference Kitakyushu,Japan Contact:MenguCho,+81938843228,[email protected]. ac.jp,http://laseine.ele.kyutech.ac.jp/12thsctc.html 22–24May Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) Washington,DC Oct11 1 Dec 11 4–6Jun 18th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference ColoradoSprings,CO Jun11 9 Nov 11 (33rd AIAA Aeroacoustics Conference) 4–6Jun† 19th St Petersburg International Conference on Integrated St.Petersburg,Russia Navigation Systems Contact:Prof.V.Peshekhonov,+78122388210, [email protected],www.elektropribor.spb.ru 18–20Jun† 3rd International Air Transport and Operations Symposium (ATOS) Delft,theNetherlands and 6th International Meeting for Aviation Product Support Contact:AdelGhobbar,31152785346,a.a.ghobbar@ Process (IMAPP) tudelft.nl,www.lr.tudelft.nl/atos 19–21Jun AIAA Infotech@Aerospace Conference GardenGrove,CA Jun11 6 Dec 11 25–28Jun 28th Aerodynamics Measurement Technology, NewOrleans,LA Jun11 17 Nov 11 Ground Testing, and Flight Testing Conferences including the Aerospace T&E Days Forum 30th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 4th AIAA Atmospheric Space Environments Conference 6th AIAA Flow Control Conference 42nd AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference and Exhibit 43rd AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference 44th AIAA Thermophysics Conference 27–29Jun† American Control Conference Montreal,Quebec,Canada Contact:TariqSamad,763.954.6349,tariq.samad@ honeywell.com,http://a2c2.ort/conferences/acc2012 11–14Jul† ICNPAA 2012 – Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vienna,Austria Aerospace and Sciences Contact:Prof.SeenithSivasundaram,386/761-9829, [email protected],www.icnpaa.com

DATE MEETING(IssueofAIAABulletininwhichprogramappears)

LOCATION ABSTRACT DEADLINE

CALL FOR PAPERS(BulletininwhichCallforPapersappears)

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LOCATION CALL FOR PAPERS(Bulletin in which Call for Papers appears)

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To receive information on meetings listed above, write or call AIAA Customer Service, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344; 800.639.AIAA or 703.264.7500 (outside U.S.). Also accessible via Internet at www.aiaa.org/calendar.

†Meetings cosponsored by AIAA. Cosponsorship forms can be found at http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=292.

14–22 Jul 39th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research Mysore, India and Associated Events (COSPAR 2012) Contact: http://www.cospar-assembly.org 15–19 Jul 42nd International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) San Diego, CA Jul/Aug 11 15 Nov 11 30 Jul–1 Aug 48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit Atlanta, GA Jul/Aug 11 21 Nov 11 Future Propulsion: Innovative, Affordable, Sustainable 30 Jul–1 Aug 10th International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference (IECEC) Atlanta, GA Jul/Aug 11 21 Nov 11 13–16 Aug AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference Minneapolis, MN Jul/Aug 11 19 Jan 12 AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference 11–13 Sep AIAA SPACE 2012 Conference & Exposition Pasadena, CA Sep 11 26 Jan 12 11–13 Sep AIAA Complex Aerospace Systems Exchange Event Pasadena, CA 17–19 Sep 12th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Indianapolis, IN Oct 11 7 Feb 12 (ATIO) Conference 14th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference 23–28 Sep† 28th Congress of the International Council Brisbane, Australia 15 Jul 11 of the Aeronautical Sciences Contact: http://www.icas2012.com 24–27 Sep† 30th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Nov 11 31 Mar 12 Conference (ICSSC) and Contact: Frank Gargione, [email protected]; 18th Ka and Broadband Communications, Navigation and www.kaconf.org Earth Observation Conference 24–28 Sep 7th AIAA Biennial National Forum on Weapon System Effectiveness Ft. Walton Beach, FL Nov 11 15 Mar 12 1–5 Oct 63rd International Astronautical Congress Naples, Italy (Contact: www. iafastro.org)

2013 7–10 Jan 51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition

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2012 7–8Jan CFDforCombustionModeling ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan ConceptsintheModernDesignofExperiments ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan FluidStructureInteraction ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan Sustainable(Green)Aviation ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan SystemsRequirementsEngineering ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan ModelingFlightDynamicswithTensors ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 7–8Jan BestPracticesinWindTunnelTesting ASMMeeting Nashville,TN 22–23Jan MissileDesignandSystemEngineering StratTacConference Monterey,CA

DATE CouRSE loCATIonVEnuE

Toreceiveinformationoncourseslistedabove,writeorcallAIAACustomerService,1801AlexanderBellDrive,Suite500,Reston,VA20191-4344;800.639.2422or703.264.7500(outsidetheU.S.).Alsoaccessibleviatheinternetatwww.aiaa.org/courses.

*Courses subject to change

184 Institute members have recently been elected to the grade of Associate Fellow. These new Associate Fellows will be formally inducted at the Associate Fellows Dinner, to be held Monday, 9 January 2012, in Nashville, TN. Each year, the Institute recognizes exemplary professionals for their accomplishments in engineering or scientific work, outstanding merit, and contributions to the art, science, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.

Please support your colleagues, and join us for the induction of the 2012 Associate Fellows. Tickets to this celebrated event are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be purchased for $92 via the 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting registration form, or on site based on availability. Business attire is requested.

AIAA Foundation Associate Fellows Dinner

12-0028

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AttrActing A BroAder rAnge of ProfessionAls to AiAA

Mike Griffin, AIAA President-Elect

One of the things I enjoy most about our aerospace profession is the opportunity that we all have to attend conferences, symposiums, and other events where we can network with like-minded others—people who are in love with flight in all its forms, and with the tech-nologies and systems that make it possible. I had the good fortune recently to attend just such a

conference, one which featured papers and panel discussions on space systems architecture, international legal frameworks, intriguing new technologies, and thought-provoking discussions of national and international aerospace policy advocacy—an event where national heads of agencies gathered to meet with their counterparts, to participate in a panel discussion, or to deliver a keynote address. This conference was brimming over with energy, vitality, and—judging by the participants—youthful vigor. Unfortunately, the conference to which I refer was not an AIAA event; it was the International Astronautical Congress in Cape Town.

In thinking about this conference while on the way home, I realized that is has been a long time since I’ve attended an AIAA event with these characteristics. I think this observation is rooted in the same ground as another, namely that our Institute has as many members past the age of 60 as it does those who are under age 40. Now I and many of my dearest friends in the aerospace profession are in the former category, and I choose to believe that we can still contribute our share of vision, drive, and energy while also offering a healthy and needed reservoir of experience. But the demographics of our Institute are those of a dwindling organi-

zation, irrespective of the dedication possessed by its remaining members. Why is our membership declining? It is not because we are failing to attract the youngest engineers, the fresh-outs. We’re doing well there. Where we are failing is in our ability to keep them; the demographic distribution of our membership is telling us that, in the years immediately after a newly graduated engineer joins the aerospace workforce, he or she leaves AIAA. Why? That is the question we need to ask and answer.

Unfortunately, the people who could tell us most directly why they are leaving are those who have already left, so those of us who are still part of the Institute must figure it out on our own. My present view is that we are losing, or never enrolling, most aerospace professionals because AIAA is, and is seen to be, representative of only a rather small minority of what aerospace professionals today are doing. Most of us work on large-scale aerospace systems, or play a role in advocating or managing the development or operation of these systems. Simply put, an enor-mous number of today’s aerospace professionals are not involved in technical discipline work that conforms to the Technical Activities Committee structure that forms the core of our Institute. Most are not even aerospace engineers by training. They do not see a close relationship between what they do and what AIAA has historically been—the premier technical society of the aero-space professional.

While I would never, ever want AIAA to lose this distinction, I do not think we are well served as the future unfolds by hewing only to this line. We need to be distinct and distinguished across a broader range of the aerospace profession. Almost all lawyers belong to the American Bar Association. Almost all medical doctors belong to the American Medical Association. They do not practice the same specialties within law or medicine, nor do they necessarily agree on national policy issues germane to their professions. But they belong. When the same can be said of aerospace professionals and AIAA, we will know that we are again serving our profession the way we should. This is the topic upon which I most want to engage as president-elect and, soon, president of AIAA. I invite your thoughts as we go forward together; my e-mail address is [email protected].

At AIAA, we see aerospace trans-forming the future ... How Far Can

You See?

What is your hope for the future of aerospace? What discoveries and

breakthroughs are on the way and what difference will they make? Share your vision at www.aiaa.org/imagineit.

I see a day in which the atmosphere is itself used as a propellant for commercial aircraft. Sonic waves can be used to lower forward atmospheric pressure while particles are supercharged through a diode chamber creating a pres-sure difference that would produce thrust. Airfoils can then be used not only for lift, but also to ride the pressure wave produced by the engine. The electricity required to create the sonic wave can be recycled energy from the engine itself as the spinning chamber around the diode is itself a generator. No fuel required, only a little spark.—nathaneal Hill, AiAA student Member

How Far Can YouSee

AIAA information booth at Air Expo ‘11 air show, Commemorating 100 Years of Naval Aviation, on 3 September at NAS Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County, MD. Booth staffed by National Capital Section—Southern MD Chapter Officers Scott Fry and Monty Wright. Local AIAA Chapter activities and events highlighted.

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GPS RecoGnized by inteRnational aStRonautical FedeRation

On 4 October 2011, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was recognized as the recipient of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) 60th Anniversary Award. This one-time award recognized an outstanding achievement in the area of space applications for human benefit. The award was presented during a ceremony at the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, held 3–7 October 2011, in Cape Town, South Africa. AIAA, as an IAF member organization, nominated GPS for this award.

General William L. Shelton, Commander, United States Air Force Space Command, accepted the award on behalf of the GPS Program. The award was presented by IAF President Prof. Dr. Berndt Feuerbacher. As part of the ceremony, Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson, GPS Chief Architect and First Program Director and Professor (Emeritus) Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, gave a lecture about the history and benefits for humanity of the GPS program.

Other participants in the ceremony included Michael E. Shaw, Director, Navigation Systems Global Business Development, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, and AIAA Executive Director Bob Dickman. During the ceremony, Dickman said, “It was a dis-tinct pleasure for AIAA to participate in preparing the nomination package for a number of reasons. First, because we believe so strongly that GPS indeed has been the space program that has had the greatest benefit for mankind since the founding of the IAF 60 years ago. Second, because so many of the pioneers in fielding the GPS system, and in sustaining and operating it, were and are members of AIAA. Third, because GPS has formed a basis for a Global Navigation Satellite System of Systems that is an excellent example of how a space system can serve uniquely national interests while at the same time adding to the useful-ness and robustness of a much broader multinational capability that benefits all humankind.”

Representing the GPS industry partners at the ceremony were Ken Torok, Vice President, Navigation & Communication Systems, Boeing; Joanne Maguire, Executive Vice President, Space Systems Company, Lockheed Martin; and Lynn Dugle,

President, Intelligence and Information Systems, Raytheon. Boeing, with its legacy company Rockwell, is responsible for the Block I, II, IIA, and IIF satellites; Lockheed Martin is responsible for the Block IIR and GPS III satellites; and Raytheon is respon-sible for the common ground architecture.

To view the video of the ceremony, please visit http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=928.

AIAA published the seminal two-volume set Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications in 1996. This set explains the technology, performance, and applications of GPS. The books are the only of their kind to present the history of GPS develop-ment, the basic concepts and theory of GPS, and the recent developments and numerous applications of GPS. For more information about this publication, please visit http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=360&id=568.

The Global Positioning System received the IAF 60th Anniversary Award during the 62nd International Astronautical Congress. From left to right are Lynn Dugle, Dr. Bradford Parkinson, Prof. Dr. Berndt Feuerbacher, General William Shelton, Ken Torok, Joanne Maguire, and Bob Dickman.

AIAA Executive Director Bob Dickman spoke during the IAF award cer-emony that recognized the GPS program. AIAA nominated GPS for this award.

Dec11News.indd 6 11/13/11 5:19 PM


Important AnnouncementNew Editor-in-Chief Sought for the Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication

AIAA is seeking an outstanding candidate with an international reputation to assume the responsibilities of editor-in-chief of AIAA’s Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication (JACIC). The chosen candidate will assume the editor-ship at an exciting time as AIAA relaunches its electronic library with new features and functionality. Originally envisioned as an electronic-only, rapid-review journal, the new editor-in-chief will be able to take advantage of the new platform’s capabilities to enhance JACIC’s reputation and fulfill its mission.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the journal’s quality and reputation as well as establishing a strategic vision for the journal. He or she receives manuscripts, assigns them to Associate Editors for review and evaluation, and monitors the performance of the Associate Editors to ensure that the manuscripts are processed in a fair and timely manner. The Editor-in-Chief works closely with AIAA Headquarters staff on both general procedures and the scheduling of specific issues. Detailed record keeping and prompt actions are required. The Editor-in-Chief is expected to provide his or her own clerical sup-port, although this may be partially offset by a small expense allowance. AIAA provides all appropriate resources including a web-based manuscript-tracking system.

Interested candidates are invited to send letters of application describing their reasons for applying, summarizing their relevant experience and qualifications, and initial priorities for the journal; full résumés; and complete lists of published papers, to:

Rodger WilliamsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500Reston, VA 20191-4344Fax: 703/264-7551E-mail: [email protected]

A minimum of two letters of recommendation also are required. The recommendations should be sent by the parties writing the letters directly to Mr. Williams at the above address, fax number, or e-mail. To receive full consideration, applications and all required materials must be received at AIAA Headquarters by 9 December 2011, but applications will be accepted until the posi-tion is filled.

A selection committee appointed by the AIAA Vice President–Publications Michael B. Bragg will seek candidates and review all applications received. The search committee will recommend qualified candidates to the AIAA Vice President–Publications, who in turn will present a recommendation to the AIAA Board of Directors for approval. This is an open process, and the final selection will be made only on the basis of the applicants’ merits. All candidates will be notified of the final decision.

15th Annual FAA Commercial SpaceTransportation ConferenceCOMMERCIAL: THE NEW FUTURE OF SPACE

15–16 February 2012Walter E. Washington Convention CenterWashington DC

www.faa.gov/go/ast • www.aiaa.org/events/ast

U. S. Departmentof TransportationFederal Aviation AdministrationREGISTER TODAY!

Dec11News.indd 7 11/13/11 5:20 PM


AIAA MeMbers PArtIcIPAte In the steM conference, hosted by the VA beAch PublIc school systeM

The Virginia Beach City Public School System kicked off the school year in a big way, host-ing a STEM Career Conference for 530 middle school students at Corporate Landing Middle School (CLMS) and Bayside Middle School. Staff from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and CLMS collaborated with the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and AIAA in partner-ship with the 11th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference to plan and implement the STEM event. The program was organized like a professional con-ference and was designed to help shape student expectations and attitudes about STEM studies while broadening their understanding of STEM career opportunities.

Members of the ATIO Outreach team and the local Hampton Roads AIAA section par-ticipated as presenters, conducting 40-minute sessions on various topics, including aircraft design, the principles of flight, exploring Antarctica, and careers in aerospace. The team also ate lunch with the students, giving the students an additional opportunity to ask questions of the presenters. Shelly Bremmeier and Sharon Bowers, members of the STEM K–12 Outreach Committee, coordinated the presenta-tions with Dennis Carter, chair of the ATIO Outreach Commitee. Presenters included Mark Holly, Jeff Corbets, Cees Bil, Jason Merret, Cory Tallman, Hernando Jimenez, Zig Leszczynski, George A. Hazelrigg, Karen Berger, Keith Hoffler, Andy Hahn and Bird Taylor.

The ATIO Conference has had a long history of giving back to the community by conducting a K–12 event immediately after the conference with the assistance of the local AIAA section. Past programs have included airplane design workshops and compe-titions, workshops with Project Lead the Way, and tours of local aviation facilities to connect the aviation and local communities. Plans are underway for an outreach event in the Indianapolis, IN, community after the ATIO event next year. For more information, or to volunteer to participate, please contact Shelly Brimmeier at [email protected].

Geoge Hazelrigg’s “What’s so cool about aviation?” presentation.

The “From Trash to Flight” session was led by Andrew Hahn.

The “Aircraft Design” session was led by Jeffrey Corbets.

Hernando Jimenez’s “Exotic, Weird, and Fun Aircraft” presentation.

Dec11News.indd 8 11/14/11 1:49 PM


LOCKHEED MARTIN EXECUTIVE JOINS EXCLUSIVE RANKS OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

On 16 October, Joanne M. Maguire, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, was formally inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in Washington, DC. She is an AIAA Fellow. Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinc-

tions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, mak-ing major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”Maguire’s citation recognizes her for “individual and team

leadership of successful space programs.” She becomes one of only 2,290 U.S members and 202 foreign associates elected to the NAE since its founding in 1964.Maguire, also an officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation, has

led Space Systems Company since 2006. Under her leadership the company provides a broad array of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil, and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological, and communica-tions satellites; strategic and missile defense systems; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft. Maguire serves on the board of directors for United Launch Alliance, a Lockheed

Martin joint venture, and is on the board of Lockheed Martin UK, which oversees the Corporation’s interests in Great Britain. In 2010, Maguire became the first female to receive the pres-

tigious International von Karman Wings Award presented by the California Institute of Technology for her visionary accomplish-ments in space, and she also was honored with UCLA’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2010. She has been selected numerous times by Fortune magazine to its annual list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” In 2009, she received the Society of Women Engineers’ Upward Mobility Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions in aerospace engineering and for pio-neering work in technology and diversity management.She earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from

Michigan State University and a master’s degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Maguire also completed the executive program in management at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and the Harvard Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. She received a presidential appointment as a full member/academi-cian of the International Academy of Astronautics.

To submit articles to the AIAA Bulletin, contact your Section, Committee, Honors and Awards, Events, Precollege, or Student staff liaison. They will review and forward the infor-mation to the AIAA Bulletin Editor. See the AIAA Directory on page B1 for contact information.

50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

www.aiaa.org/events/asm

9–12 January 2012 Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, Tennessee

Advancing the Science of Flight Technology More than 1,000 papers presented in over 30 technical tracks New Horizons Forum on transforming air and space transportation for the future Career and Workforce Development Workshop Aerospace Exposition showcasing leading products and services Continuing Education Courses Networking coffee breaks, receptions, and luncheons And much more!

Join us and help celebrate 50 years of pioneering aerospace research!

11-0682

Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition

Dec11News.indd 9 11/13/11 5:20 PM


Education allEy Hosts 3,100 studEnts at tHE sPacE 2011 confErEncE and ExPosition

Education Alley returned to the Long Beach Convention Center to host for-mal and informal educational groups over the three days of the SPACE 2011 Conference & Exposition. Education Alley, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, The Aerospace Corporation, Wyle, Pratt & Whitney, and the AIAA Foundation, featured pre-sentations from the STS-135 crew (the final crew to travel aboard the Space Shuttle), scientists from NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, and an appearance by NASA spacesuit engineer Heather Paul from NASA Johnson Space Center.

Exhibitors created hand-on expe-riences in their booths to connect STEM education with opportunities in aerospace engineering and space to inspire students to study math and sci-ence. This year, telescopes dominated the programs. Jason Kalirai, Space Science Space Telescope Institute, explained the mission of the James Webb Telescope and the Solar Dynamics Observatory and solar telescopes were demonstrated by Romeo Durscher and Monica Bobra. Students and adults had many opportunities to learn about different ways to observe our solar system. During the lunch break, other presentations for the students were done by The Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and NOAA to demonstrate GPS, rocketry, cryrogenics and satellites, respectively.

Education Alley was attended by a large group from Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School in Minneapolis, MN. This group, led by Principal Dr. Vincent, and taught by one of the 2011 AIAA Foundation Educator Achievement Award winners, Jill Wall, came to Southern California to visit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Challenger Learning Center for Space Education, and Education Alley. Other 2011 AIAA Foundation Educator Achievement Award winners Roger Kassebaum (The Milken School) and Chris Miko (DiVinci Academy) brought their students to be a part of Education Alley.

New this year was an afternoon event for about 700 local after-school programs, with an emphasis on Girl and Boy Scout groups. They were treated to presenta-tions about the James Webb telescope and the STS-135 crew. Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus, a former Girl Scout, was a hit with scouts as she inspired them to live their dreams.

A Teachers Only event was also new this year. Teachers came and received resources from each of the exhibitors and heard about opportunities from NASA Distance Learning Network (DLN), the Space Science Telescope Institute, and AIAA. Teachers commented that they had no idea about many of the resources available to them at no charge. Many of them applied to become AIAA Educator Associates.

In addition to the corporate sponsors and the groups that provided presentations and materials, Education Alley was supported by Jane Hansen, Chair, Education Alley and a cadre of volunteers from Cal State University at Long Beach, as well as engineers from Los Angeles and Orange County AIAA sections. In addition, the AIAA Orange County Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the Cal State Long Beach University, and San Diego State University Sounding Rocket programs shared their student-run projects with the attendees.

This program is one of many AIAA STEM K–12 Outreach Programs designed to inspire students to con-sider STEM careers. For information about this and other programs, please contact Lisa Bacon at [email protected].

STS-135 astronaut Sandy Magnus, a former Girl Scout herself, inspires Girl Scouts from the Long Beach, CA, area.

Students learning how to use the solar telescopes.

Dec11News.indd 10 11/18/11 5:35 PM


and achievements in the advancement of atmospheric, hyperson-ic flight and related technologies. (Presented every 18 months)

J. Leland Atwood Award Nominations due to AIAA by 1 JanuaryTo recognize an aerospace engineering educator for out-

standing contributions to the profession. AIAA and ASEE spon-sor the award.

Mechanics and Control of Flight AwardPresented for an outstanding recent technical or scientific

contribution by an individual in the mechanics, guidance, or con-trol of flight in space or the atmosphere.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization AwardPresented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the

development and/or application of techniques of multidisciplinary design optimization in the context of aerospace engineering. (Presented even years)

Otto C. Winzen Lifetime Achievement AwardPresented for outstanding contributions and achievements in

the advancement of free flight balloon systems or related tech-nologies. (Presented odd years)

Piper General Aviation AwardPresented for outstanding contributions leading to the

advancement of general aviation. (Presented even years)

Space Automation and Robotics AwardPresented for leadership and technical contributions by indi-

viduals and teams in the field of space automation and robotics. (Presented odd years)

Space Science AwardPresented to an individual for demonstrated leadership of

innovative scientific investigations associated with space science missions. (Presented even years)

Space Operations and Support AwardPresented for outstanding efforts in overcoming space opera-

tions problems and assuring success, and recognizes those teams or individuals whose exceptional contributions were critical to an anomaly recovery, crew rescue, or space failure. (Presented odd years)

Space Systems AwardPresented to recognize outstanding achievements in the archi-

tecture, analysis, design, and implementation of space systems.

von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program ManagementRecognizes outstanding contributions in the management of a

significant space or space-related program or project.

William Littlewood Memorial Lecture The lecture perpetuates the memory of William Littlewood,

who was renowned for the many significant contributions he made to the design of an operational requirements for civil trans-port aircraft. The topics for the lecture deals with a broad phase of civil air transportation considered of current interest and major importance. AIAA and SAE sponsor the lecture.

Answers to frequently asked questions or guidelines on sub-mitting nominations for AIAA awards may be found at http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=289. For further informa-tion on AIAA’s awards program, please contact Carol Stewart, Manager, AIAA Honors and Awards, at 703.264.7623 or at [email protected].

CALL FOR NOMiNAtiONS

Recognize the achievements of your colleagues by nominating them for an award. Nominations are now being accepted for the following awards, and must be received at AIAA Headquarters no later than 1 February. A nomination form can be downloaded from www.aiaa.org. AIAA members may also submit nomina-tions online after logging in with their user name and password.

Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control AwardPresented to recognize important contributions in the field of

guidance, navigation, and control. (Presented even years)

Aerospace Power Systems AwardPresented for a significant contribution in the broad field of

aerospace power systems, specifically as related to the applica-tion of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the pro-duction, storage, distribution, and processing of aerospace power.

Aircraft Design AwardPresented to a design engineer or team for the conception,

definition, or development of an original concept leading to a significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.

Daniel Guggenheim Medal The industry-renowned Daniel Guggenheim Medal was estab-

lished in 1929 for the purpose of honoring persons who make notable achievements in the advancement of aeronautics. AIAA, ASME, SAE, and AHS sponsor the award.

de Florez Award for Flight SimulationNamed for the late Admiral Luis de Florez, the award honors

an outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research, and development.

Energy SystemsPresented for a significant contribution in the broad field of

energy systems, specifically as related to the application of engi-neering sciences and systems engineering to the production, storage, distribution, and conservation of energy.

F. E. Newbold V/StOL Award Presented to recognize outstanding creative contributions to

the advancement and realization of powered lift flight in one or more of the following areas: initiation, definition, and/or manage-ment of key V/STOL programs; development of enabling tech-nologies including critical methodology; program engineering and design; and/or other relevant related activities or combinations thereof which have advanced the science of powered lift flight.

George M. Low Space transportation AwardHonors the achievements in space transportation made by Dr.

George M. Low, who played a leading role in planning and exe-cuting all of the Apollo missions, and originated the plans for the first manned lunar orbital flight, Apollo 8. (Presented even years)

Haley Space Flight AwardPresented for outstanding contributions by an astronaut or

flight test personnel to the advancement of the art, science, or technology of astronautics. (Presented even years)

Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program ManagementPresented presented to an individual for outstanding contribu-

tions in the management of a significant aeronautical or aero-nautical related program or project.

Hypersonic Systems and technologies Award Presented to recognize sustained, outstanding contributions

Dec11News.indd 11 11/13/11 5:21 PM


Obituaries

AIAA Senior Member Emeritus Smetana Died in MayDr. Frederick O. smetana passed away on 27 May. He was

82 years old. Dr. Smetana graduated from North Carolina State College in

1950 with a B.S. of Mechanical Engineering (Aero Option). He then worked for Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, CA, before returning to North Carolina State and earning a Master’s Degree in June 1953. From July 1953–July 1955, he served as a flight test engineer in the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base. From 1955–1961, he was a research scientist at the University of Southern California where he earned his Ph.D. in Engineering.

In 1961, Dr. Smetana joined the faculty of the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, where he remained until his retire-ment in 1994. During his tenure, he wrote several textbooks and numerous technical articles in addition to his normal teaching duties. Following his retirement, he was Professor Emeritus and continued to write several additional textbooks, one of which has recently been translated in Chinese for use in universities in the Republic of China. Dr. Smetana had been a member of AIAA since 1948.

Former Goddard Center Director Townsend Dead at 87Dr. John W. “Jack” townsend, Jr. died on 29 October. He

was a rocket and satellite pioneer who was influential in creating the first meteorological, communications, and Earth viewing satel-lite systems.

Townsend earned his Bachelor of Arts, Masters of Arts, and an Honorary Doctor of Science in physics from Williams College in Boston. Starting in 1949, he served with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a research physicist instrumenting V-2, Viking, and Aerobee sounding rockets for upper air research. When NASA was created in 1958, he transferred with his Branch and the Vanguard Project into the new agency, becoming Chief of its Space Sciences Division.

He helped form NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and came to the newly-formed space research Center in 1959 as its Assistant Director, Space Science and Satellite Applications. He was named Deputy Director of Goddard Space Flight Center in 1965 and continued to serve in that capacity until 1968.

In 1968, President Johnson appointed him the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Science Services Agency. In 1970, President Nixon appointed him to the post of Associate Administrator of NOAA, where he remained until 1977. He was then President of Fairchild Industries Space Division, and held senior executive positions at Fairchild, including Executive Vice President from 1977 to 1987. After the Challenger accident, he returned to NASA at the request of then Administrator Fletcher and served essentially as general manager until the Space Shuttle safely returned to service. He retired in 1990.

Dr. Townsend chaired the National Research Council’s Space Application Board and led many influential studies for the National Academies and other organizations, includ-ing the seminal, Low-Altitude Wind Shear and Its Hazard to Aviation. In 1975, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He was a fellow of AIAA, the American Meteorological Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

11-0015

10th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference and Exhibit

www.aiaa.org/events/missiledefense

Hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), in cooperation with The Boeing Company, and supported by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA)

This conference is SECRET/U.S. only.

12-0013

26–28 March 2012The Ronald Reagan Building and

International Trade CenterWashington, DC

Dec11News.indd 12 11/13/11 5:21 PM

AiAA Bulletin / decemBer 2011 B13

SynopsisThis annual two-day event brings together entrepreneurs, engineers, small businesses, academics, aerospace industry executives,

government regulators, and legislators to share their insights about the exciting growth of the U.S. commercial space industry. This year’s theme is “Commercial: The New Future of Space”—and that future is very bright, as big government space programs like the Space Shuttle make way for commercial launch service companies and entrepreneurs who are making their vision of lower-cost access to space a reality. The conference features dynamic high-level speakers, interactive panels on timely commercial space topics, and ample opportunities for informal networking.

Why Attend?

The federal government’s approach to space programs has changed significantly and will continue to evolve. New companies are entering the launch services market, while others are pioneering whole new markets such as space tourism or space solar power. Commercial companies are involved in everything from astronaut training to delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Meet the people who are making “Commercial” the new future of space.

Who Should Attend?Launch Service Providers • Understand commercial launch license requirements direct from responsible FAA staff • Network with colleagues from all of the major industry innovators and providers • Exchange ideas about requirements and solutions with government oversight officials from the FAA and NASA • Learn about future commercial space activities from government and industry leadersSpacecraft Developers and Operators • Get intimate insights into emerging launch systems and transportation concepts • Interact with government and industry leaders about future commercial space activities • Engage with leading launch service suppliers Spaceport Operators• Understand the regulatory environment affecting spaceports directly from key FAA staff• Network informally with colleagues from other spaceports and in the launch services communitySuborbital Researchers• Collaborate and coordinate research requirements with vehicle developers • Understand the impact of suborbital designs on your R&D capabilities and integration specifications Government Regulators • Discover the current status of all of the commercial vehicles receiving government support • Interact with industry executives in a neutral forum to discuss viewpoints, issues, and optimum regulatory strategiesStudents and Early Career Professionals • Meet the players making commercial space a reality • Learn about emerging commercial space systems you might help develop Space Enthusiasts • Gain first-hand insight on the current state of the industry• Meet the players in a one-on-one environment

What to Expect?You’ll meet the “movers and shakers” of the commercial space industry, and learn about the latest issues and developments that

keep them awake at night. Since the conference is held in Washington, many attendees will schedule an extra day to meet with key leg-islators and staffers on Capitol Hill.

15th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference

15–16 February 2012Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Washington, DC

www.faa.gov/go/ast • www.aiaa.org/events/ast

Co-chaired by AIAA • Wednesday Luncheon Sponsored by Boeing

FAA2012.indd 13 11/13/11 4:38 PM

B14 AiAA Bulletin / decemBer 2011

Special Events and Networking Opportunities

Continental BreakfastsContinental breakfasts for conference attendees will be avail-

able Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 0800 hrs.

LuncheonsLuncheons with featured speakers will be held Wednesday

and Thursday, 15 and 16 February 2012, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Times are indicated in the pro-gram. The cost of the luncheons is included in the registration fee where indicated. Additional tickets may be purchased upon registration or at the AIAA on-site registration desk.

Networking Coffee BreaksNetworking coffee breaks for conference attendees will be

held Wednesday and Thursday in the morning and afternoon. Times are indicated in the program.

Welcome ReceptionThere will be a welcome reception on Wednesday, 15

February 2012, 1730–1900 hrs, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The cost of the reception is included in the registration fee where indicated. Additional tickets may be pur-chased upon registration or at the AIAA on-site registration desk.

Registration InformationAIAA is committed to sponsoring world-class conferences on

current technical issues in a safe and secure environment. As such, all delegates will be required to provide proper identifica-tion prior to receiving a conference badge and associated mate-rials. All delegates must provide a valid photo ID (driver’s license or government/military I.D.) when they check in.

Participants are urged to register online at www.aiaa.org/events/ast. Registering in advance saves conference attendees up to $200. A check made payable to AIAA or credit card infor-mation must be included with your registration form. A PDF reg-istration form is also available on the AIAA Web site. Print, com-plete, and mail or fax the form with payment to AIAA. Address information is provided.

All early-bird registration forms must be received by 16 January 2012, and standard registration forms will be accepted until 14 February 2012. Preregistrants may pick up their materials at the advance registration desk at the confer-ence. All those not registered by 14 February 2012 may do so at the AIAA on-site registration desk.

Cancellations must be in writing and received no later than 30 January 2012. There is a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel beyond this date or fail to attend the conference will forfeit the entire fee. For questions, please contact Sandra Turner, AIAA conference registrar, at 703.264.7508 or [email protected].

Registration fees are as follows: Early Bird Standard On-Site By 16 Jan 17 Jan–14 Feb On-SiteOption 1: Full ConferenceConference $735 $835 $935Member Discount/ Government $580 $680 $780Includes sessions, Wednesday and Thursday luncheons, and Wednesday welcome reception.

Option 2: Full-Time Undergraduate StudentConference $50 $60 $70Member Discount/ Government $20 $30 $40 Includes sessions only.

Option 3: Full-Time Undergraduate Student with TicketsConference $249 $259 $269Member Discount/ Government $219 $229 $239 Includes sessions, Wednesday and Thursday luncheons, and Wednesday welcome reception.

Option 4: Full-Time Graduate or Ph.D. StudentConference $90 $100 $110Member Discount/ Government $60 $70 $80 Includes sessions only.

Option 5: Full-Time Graduate or Ph.D. Student with TicketsConference $289 $299 $309Member Discount/ Government $259 $269 $279Includes sessions, Wednesday and Thursday luncheons, and Wednesday welcome reception.

Option 6: Full-Time AIAA Retired MemberConference N/A N/A N/AMember Discount/ Government $40 $50 $60Includes sessions, Wednesday and Thursday luncheons, and Wednesday welcome reception.

Option 7: Discounted Group Rate $522 per person $522 per person N/A10% discount off AIAA member rate for 10 or more persons from the same organization who register and pay at the same time with a single form of payment. Includes sessions and all catered events. A complete typed list of registrants, along with complet-ed individual registration forms and a single payment, must be received by the preregistration deadline of 14 February 2012.

Extra TicketsWednesday Luncheon $57Wednesday Welcome Reception $85Thursday Luncheon $57

Registration and Information CenterThe onsite Registration and Information Center hours will be:

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 0800–1700 hrsThursday, 16 February 2012 0800–1700 hrs

Parking and Metro InformationPublic parking is available around the Walter E. Washington

Convention Center. Fees vary per facility. Please check the con-vention center Web site, www.dcconvention.com, for information. The Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metro station (yellow and green lines) is the nearest station to the convention center.

Certificate of AttendanceCertificates of Attendance are available for attendees who

request documentation at the conference itself. Please request your copy at the on-site registration desk. AIAA offers this ser-vice to better serve the needs of the professional community. Claims of hours or applicability toward professional education requirements are the responsibility of the participant.

Sponsorship OpportunitiesA variety of sponsorship opportunities are available to achieve

your overall branding objectives. For information regarding sponsorship, please contact: Cecilia Capece, AIAA Sponsorship Program Manager, 703.264.7570, E-mail: [email protected]

FAA2012.indd 14 11/13/11 4:38 PM

AiAA Bulletin / decemBer 2011 B15

Preliminary ProgramTechnical Program

The conference features a dynamic mix of technical information and commercial space business and policy issues. Subjects range from risk assessment and space weather to the latest developments in legislation and government funding opportunities.

NetworkingAttendees will appreciate the many opportunities the conference provides for expanding their personal networks of contacts, including:

• Daily Luncheons • Daily Networking Coffee Breaks• Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception

Keynote Speakers (Invited and Confirmed) • The Honorable Randy Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (invited)• The Honorable Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation (invited)• The Honorable Gregory L. Schulte, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy (invited)• General William L. Shelton, USAF, Commander, U.S. Space Command (invited)• Owen Garriott, NASA astronaut (confirmed)• Others to be announced soon!

Panel DescriptionsLaunch Ranges of the FutureModerator: Pam Underwood, FAA/ASTPanelists: Col Rob Uemura, Chief, Current Space Operations

(AF/A3Z-SO) (invited); Scott Henderson, Director of Mission Assurance, SpaceX (invited); Les Kovacs, Orbital Sciences (invited); John Kelley, Launch Services Program Executive, NASA (invited); Michael Moses, Vice President of Operations, Virgin Galactic (invited); Chris Anderson, Director, Spaceport America (invited)

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, the commercial space transportation industry is at a critical point of opportunity. Commercial industry is moving to undertake missions tradition-ally launched by the government, and to spark the curiosity and excitement of the public to boost the space tourism industry. Launch ranges in the future will need to account for the needs of this changing industry. The panel will explore the needs of this changing industry and current launch range capabilities from the perspective of government and of industry stakeholders.

Crew and Cargo to ISS Moderator: Robert Dickman, Executive Director, AIAAPanelists: TBDHear an update on the latest developments in the critical

Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, and plans for expanding commercial launch services to the International Space Station to include manned spaceflight.

Understanding the Space Environment: What the Launch Operator Should Know about Space Weather

Moderator: Karen Shelton-Mur, FAA/ASTPanelists: TBDSpace weather—the charged particles and radiation from the

sun and other sources—affects us all, even on the ground. The effects are of even greater concern for space travelers, space-craft, and launch vehicles.

New Minds, New Ideas: Student Presentations Moderator: Jay Naphas, FAA/ASTPanelists: TBDThe college years have always been a time to take risks. Bold

new directions and ideas can be explored in college, more so than at any other time in life. Young thinkers are a major source of innovation. Here we take a look at college research to see their view of what the next big thing might be.

Minority Space EntrepreneurshipModerator: Kelvin Coleman, FAA/ASTCo-Moderator: Ken Harvey, President and CEO, JAKA

Consulting GroupPanelists: Congressman Chaka Fattah (D- PA) (invited);

Joseph Fuller, President and CEO, Futron Corporation; Allen Herbert, President and CEO, Phezu Space LLC; Jayfus Doswell, President and CEO, JUXTOPIA Group (invited)

Minority space entrepreneurs discuss their companies’ space-related endeavors and their contributions to the overall success of U.S. commercial space transportation. Panel members will provide their views and insights on how minority entrepreneurs in the United States can leverage their skills and capabilities to become a greater part of what is expected to become a trillion dollar industry.

Integration of Public and On-Board SafetyModerator, Paul Wilde, FAA/ASTPanelists: TBDIndustry and government representatives will discuss safety

assessments and risk-acceptability decisions made during the design, certification, and operation of launch and reentry vehi-cles for human spaceflight. The focus will be on how past experi-ences can help facilitate a robust commercial human spaceflight industry.

Training for Safety Moderator: Barbara Lunde, FAA/ASTPanelists: Doug Conley, Sea Launch (invited); Linda Tyree,

United Launch Alliance (invited); Neil Milburn, Armadillo Aerospace (invited); Robert Millman, Blue Origin (invited)

How can training of commercial launch crews and support personnel best enhance mission safety? The panel will address initial training, continuing training, and proficiency exercises, as well as the desirability of various certifications.

Legislative Trends in Commercial SpaceModerator: Greg Rasnake, FAA/ASTPanelists: TBDLawmakers play a key role in the commercial space enter-

prise. Government programs and budgetary issues are major market determiners, and liability legislation, taxes, and export controls all affect the bottom line of the space business. Panelists will discuss the latest legislative developments and trends.

FAA2012.indd 15 11/13/11 4:38 PM

B16 AiAA Bulletin / decemBer 2011

(invited); The Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of Texas (invit-ed); The Honorable Robert F. McDonnell, Governor of Virginia (invited)

The number of commercial launch sites is steadily growing, as forward-thinking states promote the development of these facilities. This panel will feature the governors of “spaceport states” (or their designated representatives), describing the ini-tiatives they have undertaken, and the anticipated results.

The Tipping Point Moderator: Ken Davidian, FAA/ASTPanelists: TBD“The tipping point” commonly refers to the moment at which

an idea or product “goes viral” and suddenly experiences explo-sive growth. The panel will take a close look at where commer-cial space is today, and how it might facilitate its own “tipping point.”

Solar Power Satellites: The ‘Next Big Thing’ in Commercial Space?Moderator: Nick Demidovich, FAA/ASTPanelists: John C. Mankins, President, Artemis Innovation

Management Solutions, LLC (confirmed)The idea of huge orbital solar collectors beaming power back

to Earth has been around for decades. But until now, this has not been economically practical. New technological develop-ments may soon change that equation, opening up an enormous new market for commercial space.

Spaceport States Leadership Panel Moderator: John Logsdon, George Washington UniversityPanelists: The Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska

(invited); The Honorable Rick Scott, Governor of Florida (invit-ed); The Honorable Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico (invited); The Honorable Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma

For complete conference information, visit www.aiaa.org/events/ast.

Highlights from the 2011 Event • “Straight from the shoulder” remarks by FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.• Joe Engle’s riveting and entertaining description of flying the X-15 to the edge of space, from his perspective as a test pilot and Shuttle astronaut.• Spaceport managers assembled to share their philosophies on a common set of spaceport standards.• Robert Bigelow moderated a panel of launch company representatives examining the future of orbital launch vehicles.

Let AIAA bring World-Class Professional Development Courses

Right to Your Door!Investing in on-site training demonstrates that you’re serious about your employees’ success and the success of your organization.It’s Convenient

Just let us know what works for your schedule – even weekends or holidays. Our instructors will come to you so staff won’t even have to leave the workplace.Professional Instructors

What sets AIAA Professional Development apart from its competition is the unparalleled expertise and credentials of its instructor base. Our instructors are experienced aerospace experts and academics who have proven track records in their fi elds of expertise. Here you will learn from aerospace’s leading minds in engineering and science. Customization

We’ll be glad to customize any of our programs to fi t the exact needs of your organization. Return on Investment

What better way to keep you staff at their peak than with specialized training presented by pros on the issues that matter most to you? The bottom line payoffs are tremendous.

11-0077

Call us today!800.639.2422 ext 523

or e-mail [email protected]

The DATE you choose. The LOCATION you want. The RESULTS you need!

FAA2012.indd 16 11/13/11 4:38 PM


Upcoming AIAA Professional Development Courses7–8 January 2012

The following Continuing Education classes are being held at the 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. Registration includes course and course notes; conference, Wednesday

awards luncheon, Wednesday evening reception, Thursday evening reception, and single-user access to the online conference proceedings.

CFD for Combustion Modeling (Instructors: Heinz Pitsch, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen Germany and Suresh Menon, School of Aerospace Engineering, Atlanta, GA)The objective of the course is to provide the interested combustion engineer or researcher with the fundamentals of combustion model-ing to assess a combustion problem and to decide on the adequate models to be used in numerical simulations. The course is designed also to provide the knowledge to implement certain models into CFD codes. The course starts with fundamentals of combustion chem-istry and includes a hands-on introduction to a 0D/1D combustion code. This is followed by a brief introduction to statistical models and turbulence modeling. A comparative overview of the most commonly used combustion models will be given next. Implementation issues and application examples will be discussed. Special topics include combustion instabilities, combustion in aircraft engines, augmenters, and high-speed combustion.

Concepts in the Modern Design of Experiments (Instructor: Richard DeLoach, NASA, Hampton, VA)Aerospace researchers with considerable subject-matter expertise who have had relatively little formal training in the design of experi-ments are often unaware that research quality and productivity can be substantially improved through the specific design of an experi-ment. Reductions in cycle time by factors of two or more, with quality improvements of that same order, have occurred when the funda-mental precepts of experiment design covered in this course have been applied in real-world aerospace research. Examples drawn from specific studies will quantitatively illustrate resource savings, quality improvements, and enhanced insights that well-designed experi-ments have delivered at NASA Langley. Computer software CDs included with the course (Design Expert) will be demonstrated.

Fluid Structure Interaction (Instructor: Rainald Löhner, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA)The course will give an overview of the phenomena that govern fluid-structure interaction, as well as numerical methods that can be used to predict them. A wide range of phenomena, ranging from aeroelasticity to weapon fragmentation, will be covered.

Sustainable (Green) Aviation (Instructor: Ramesh K. Agarwal, Washington University, St. Louis, MI)The titles “Sustainable Aviation” or “Green Aviation” are recently being used with increasing frequency to address the technological and socioeconomic issues facing the aviation industry to meet the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century. Air travel continues to experience the fastest growth among all modes of transportation, especially because of the tremendous increase in demand in major developing nations and emerging economies of Asia and Africa. It is forecasted that by 2025, 27,200 new airplanes worth $2.7 trillion would be needed. As a result of threefold increase in air travel by 2025, it is estimated that the total CO2 emission due to commercial aviation may reach between 1.2 billion tonnes to 1.5 billion tonnes annually by 2025 from its current level of 670 million tonnes. The amount of nitrogen oxides around airports, generated by aircraft engines, may rise from 2.5 million tonnes in 2000 to 6.1 million tonnes by 2025. The number of people who may be seriously affected by aircraft noise may rise from 24 million in 2000 to 30.5 million by 2025. Therefore, there is urgency to address the problems of emissions and noise abatement through technological innovations in design and operations of the commercial aircraft. The environmental issues such as noise, emissions, and fuel consumption, for both airplane and airport operations, have become important for energy and environmental sustainability.

This short course provides an overview of issues related to air transportation and its impact on environment, followed by topics deal-ing with emissions and noise mitigation by technological solutions including new aircraft and engine designs/technologies, alternative fuels and materials, and operational improvements/changes. The ground infrastructure for sustainable aviation, including the concept of “Sustainable Green Airport Design” is also covered. The integrated Aircraft/Engine/Operations analysis tools for Environmental Performance Studies of various aircrafts are also presented. Finally, the topics related to climate policy for civil aviation, including the economic analysis models with environmental, are covered.

Systems Requirements Engineering (Instructor: John C Hsu, CA State University, The University of CA at Irvine, Queens University and The Boeing Company, Cypress, CA)Requirements analysis and specification development are the most important contribution at the onset of a program/project. It will set a corrective direction to guide the program/project preventing the later-on redesign and rework. This course will help you familiarize with an effective method for defining a set of requirements of a system. The focus is on the initial problem space definition, defining user needs, concept of operations, systems, segment, subsystem requirements, and architecture. Gain an understanding of the follow-ing requirements engineering activities: elicitation of requirements, system requirements analysis, requirements integration, interface requirements and control, functional analysis and architecture, requirements management, and verification and validation of require-ments. Learn about the principles and characteristics of organizing a well-written requirements and specifications.

ASM CourSe And ConferenCe regiStrAtion feeS

To register, go to www.aiaa.org/events/asm. Early Bird by 12 Dec 2011 Standard (13 Dec–5 Jan) Onsite (6–8 Jan 2012)

AIAA Member $1265 $1365 $1465Nonmember $1343 $1493 $1643

December11PD.indd 17 11/13/11 4:10 PM

B18 AIAA BULLETIN / DEcEmBEr 2011

Modeling Flight Dynamics with Tensors (Instructor: Peter H Zipfel, University of Florida, Shalimar, FL)Establishing a new trend in flight dynamics, this two-day course introduces you to the modeling of flight dynamics with tensors. Instead of using the classical “vector mechanics” technique, the kinematics and dynamics of aerospace vehicles are formulated by Cartesian tensors that are invariant under time-dependent coordinate transformations.

This course builds on your general understanding of flight mechanics, but requires no prior knowledge of tensors. It introduces Cartesian tensors, reviews coordinate systems, formulates tensorial kinematics, and applies Newton’s and Euler’s laws to build the gen-eral six-degrees-of-freedom equations of motion. For stability and control applications, the perturbation equations are derived with their linear and nonlinear aerodynamic derivatives. After taking the course, you will have an appreciation of the powerful new “tensor flight dynamics,” and you should be able to model the dynamics of your own aerospace vehicle.

Best Practices in Wind Tunnel Testing (Instructors: David M. Cahill, Aerospace Testing Alliance, Arnold AFB, TN; Mark Melanson, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth, TX; and E. Allen Arrington, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH)This course provides an overview of important concepts that are used in many wind tunnel test projects. The course is based largely on AIAA standards documents that focus on ground testing concepts. In particular, the course will address project management aspects of executing a testing project, the use and calibration of strain gage balances, the use of measurement uncertainty in ground testing, and the calibration of wind tunnels.

22–23 January 2012 The following Continuing Education class is being held at the AIAA Strategic and Tactical Missile Systems Conference and AIAA Missile Sciences Conference in Monterey, California. Registration includes course

and course notes; sessions (with approved security clearance form); Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday luncheons; and Tuesday and Wednesday receptions.

Missile Design and System Engineering (Instructor: Gene Fleeman, International Lecturer, Lilburn, GA)This short course provides the fundamentals of missile design, development, and system engineering. A system-level, integrated method is provided for missile configuration design and analysis. It addresses the broad range of alternatives in satisfying missile perfor-mance, cost, and risk requirements. Methods are generally simple closed-form analytical expressions that are physics-based, to provide insight into the primary driving parameters. Configuration-sizing examples are presented for rocket, turbojet, and ramjet-powered mis-siles. Systems engineering considerations include launch platform integration constraints. Typical values of missile parameters and the characteristics of current operational missiles are discussed as well as the enabling subsystems and technologies for missiles. Sixty-six videos illustrate missile development activities and performance. Attendees will vote on the relative emphasis of types of targets, types of launch platforms, technical topics, and roundtable discussion.

Strat tac courSe and conference regiStration feeS

To register, go to www.aiaa.org/events/strattac or www.aiaa.org/events/missilesciences Early Bird by 19 Dec 2011 Standard (20 Dec–21 Jan) Onsite ----------------------------------------------------

AIAA Member $1188 $1338 $1488Nonmember $1265 $1415 $1565Note: A Security Clearance Certification Form is also required for this event (by 19 December 2011). The Security Clearance Certification Form is separate from conference registration. Submitting a Security Clearance Certification Form does not register you for the conference. You must also register with AIAA.

December11PD.indd 18 11/13/11 4:11 PM


Introduction to Theoretical Aerodynamics and HydrodynamicsWilliam SearsAIAA Education Series2011, 150 pages, HardbackISBN: 978-1-60086-773-6AIAA Member Price: $54.95List Price: $69.95

Eleven Seconds into the Unknown: A History of the Hyper-X ProgramCurtis PeeblesLibrary of Flight2011, 330 pages, PaperbackISBN: 978-1-60086-776-7AIAA Member Price: $29.95List Price: $39.95

Basic Helicopter Aerodynamics, Third Edition John M. Seddon and Simon Newman AIAA Education Series Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 3rd Edition, 264 pages, Hardback ISBN: 9-781-60086-861-0 AIAA Member Price: $49.95 List Price: $74.95 Gas Turbine Propulsion SystemsBernie MacIsaac and Roy Langton AIAA Education Series Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 368 pages, Hardback ISBN: 9-781-60086-846-7 AIAA Member Price: $84.95 List Price: $119.95

Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering: 9-Volume SetRichard Blockley and Wei Shyy, University of Michigan2010, 5500 pages, HardbackISBN-13: 978-0-470-75440-5AIAA Member Price: $3,375List Price: $3,750

New and Forthcoming Titles

View complete descriptions and order 24 hours a day at

www.aiaa.org/new

Boundary Layer Analysis, Second EditionJoseph A. Schetz and Rodney D. BowersoxAIAA Education Series 2011, 760 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-823-8AIAA Member Price: $84.95 List Price: $114.95 Introduction to Flight Testing and Applied AerodynamicsBarnes W. McCormickAIAA Education Series 2011, 150 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-827-6AIAA Member Price: $49.95 List Price: $64.95 Space Operations: Exploration, Scientific Utilization, and Technology DevelopmentCraig A. Cruzen, Johanna M. Gunn, and Patrice J. AmadieuProgress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, 236 2011, 672 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-817-7AIAA Member Price: $89.95 List Price: $119.95 Spacecraft ChargingShu T. LaiProgress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, 237 2011, 208 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-836-8AIAA Member Price: $64.95 List Price: $84.95 Exergy Analysis and Design Optimization for Aerospace Vehicles and SystemsJose Camberos and David MoorhouseProgress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, 238 2011, 600 pages, Hardback ISBN: 978-1-60086-839-9AIAA Member Price: $89.95 List Price: $119.95

Engineering Computations and Modeling in MATLAB/SimulinkOleg YakimenkoAIAA Education Series2011, 800 pages, HardbackISBN: 978-1-60086-781-1AIAA Member Price: $79.95List Price: $104.95

Dec11New&Notable.indd 19 11/13/11 4:08 PM

VHS VCR and monitor, an overhead projector, and/or a 35-mm slide projector will only be provided if requested by presenters on their abstract submittal forms. AIAA does not provide computers or technicians to connect LCD projectors to the laptops. Should presenters wish to use the LCD projectors, it is their responsibil-ity to bring or arrange for a computer on their own. Please note that AIAA does not provide security in the session rooms and recommends that items of value, including computers, not be left unattended. Any additional audiovisual requirements, or equip-ment not requested by the date provided in the preliminary con-ference information, will be at cost to the presenter.

Employment OpportunitiesAIAA is assisting members who are searching for employment

by providing a bulletin board at the technical meetings. This bul-letin board is solely for “open position” and “available for employ-ment” postings. Employers are encouraged to have personnel who are attending an AIAA technical conference bring “open position” job postings. Individual unemployed members may post “available for employment” notices. AIAA reserves the right to remove inappropriate notices, and cannot assume responsibil-ity for notices forwarded to AIAA Headquarters. AIAA members can post and browse resumes and job listings, and access other online employment resources, by visiting the AIAA Career Center at http://careercenter.aiaa.org.

Messages and InformationMessages will be recorded and posted on a bulletin board in

the registration area. It is not possible to page conferees. A tele-phone number will be provided in the final program.

MembershipProfessionals registering at the nonmember rate will receive

a one-year AIAA membership. Students who are not members may apply their registration fee toward their first year’s student member dues.

Nondiscriminatory PracticesThe AIAA accepts registrations irrespective of race, creed,

sex, color, physical handicap, and national or ethnic origin.

Smoking PolicySmoking is not permitted in the technical sessions.

RestrictionsVideotaping or audio recording of sessions or technical exhib-

its as well as the unauthorized sale of AIAA-copyrighted material is prohibited.

International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)AIAA speakers and attendees are reminded that some top-

ics discussed in the conference could be controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). U.S. Nationals (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents) are responsible for ensuring that technical data they present in open sessions to non-U.S. Nationals in attendance or in conference proceedings are not export restricted by the ITAR. U.S. Nationals are likewise responsible for ensuring that they do not discuss ITAR export-restricted information with non-U.S. Nationals in attendance.

Photo ID Needed at RegistrationAll registrants must provide a valid photo ID (driver’s license

or passport) when they check in. For student registration, valid student ID is also required.

Conference ProceedingsThis year’s conference proceedings will be available in an

online format only. The cost is included in the registration fee where indicated. If you register in advance for the online papers, you will be provided with instructions on how to access the con-ference technical papers. For those registering on-site, you will be provided with instructions at registration.

Young Professional Guide for Gaining Management SupportYoung professionals have the unique opportunity to meet and

learn from some of the most important people in the business by attending conferences and participating in AIAA activities. A detailed online guide, published by the AIAA Young Professional Committee, is available to help you gain support and financial backing from your company. The guide explains the benefits of participation, offers recommendations and provides an example letter for seeking management support and funding, and shows you how to get the most out of your participation. The online guide can be found on the AIAA Web site, www.aiaa.org/YPGuide.

Journal PublicationAuthors of appropriate papers are encouraged to submit them

for possible publication in one of the Institute’s archival journals: AIAA Journal; Journal of Aircraft; Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics; Journal of Propulsion and Power; Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets; Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer; or Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication. You may now submit your paper online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aiaa.Speakers’ Briefing

Authors who are presenting papers, session chairs, and co-chairs will meet for a short briefing at 0700 hrs on the mornings of the conference. Continental breakfast will be provided. Please plan to attend only on the day of your session(s). Location will be in final program.

Speakers’ PracticeA speaker practice room will be available for speakers wishing

to practice their presentations. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the door for half-hour increments.

Timing of PresentationsEach paper will be allotted 30 minutes (including introduction

and question-and-answer period) except where noted.

Committee MeetingsMeeting room locations for AIAA committees will be posted

on the message board and will be available upon request in the registration area.Audiovisual

Each session room will be preset with the following: one LCD projector, one screen, and one microphone (if needed). A 1/2”

Standard Information for all AIAA ConferencesThis is general conference information, except as noted in the individual

conference preliminary program information to address exceptions.

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