A probe developed by members of the Department of Aerospace Engineering’s Aero-Fluids Group, in collaboration with Aeroprobe Corp., was installed in the tip of NASA’s ARES I-X test rocket.

In photos available at http://friendfeed.com/spaceastro/1b5b5a02/ares-i-x-cord-is-loose-from-5-hole-probe-launch-now, the left top picture shows the probe at the tip of the rocket.

NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket lifted off Oct. 28, at 11:30 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a two-minute–powered flight. The flight test lasted about six minutes from its launch from the newly modified Launch Complex 39B until splashdown of the rocket’s booster stage nearly 150 miles downrange.

Courtesy of http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/aresIx/index.html

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Zoubeida Ounaies the inaugural holder of the Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge Jr. ’60 Career Development Professorship I in Aerospace Engineering.

Dr. Zoubeida Ounaies

Ounaies is an associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. She is also a faculty member in the Materials Science and Engineering Program and a researcher in the Polymer Technology Center of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station. She joined the faculty in 2005 and shortly after established the Electroactive Materials Characterization Laboratory (EMCL), an experimental research facility dedicated to the processing and characterization of materials that combine structural integrity with the ability to sense or actuate in response to an electric field.

Ounaies earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, and her Ph.D. in engineering science and mechanics, all from the Pennsylvania State University.

Ounaies received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2007, as well as the TEES Select Young Faculty Award and the Montague Teaching Scholar Award in recognition of her research and teaching accomplishments.

Written by Lesley V. Kriewald, lesleyk@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Tamás Kalmár-Nagy, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Dr. Tamás Kalmár-Nagy

His award is the 11th CAREER award received by Texas A&M Engineering faculty in 2008-2009.

Kalmár-Nagy received the award for his proposal, “Stability and Performance of Systems with Network-Induced Delays.”

Through the next five years, Kalmár-Nagy will receive $440,000 for his research, which is aimed at developing a novel theoretical and computational framework for studying interconnected systems with random time delays.

Interconnected systems are common in chemical and nuclear plants, cars, and aircrafts, making research about their stability and security important. Since interconnected systems communicate large amounts of dynamic data, signal delays are common and, to date, can only be characterized statistically.

Kalmár-Nagy, who earned his doctoral degree from Cornell University in 2002, joined the faculty at Texas A&M University 2006. His research interests include the control of autonomous vehicles, networked control systems, systems with delay and nonlinear dynamics.

His research could impact a broad range of applications that use interconnected components, including space exploration, mobile sensor networks, teleoperated surgical robots and integrated building systems.

Kalmár-Nagy said that his project “integrates research and education at a FUNdamental level.”

Students will have the opportunity to participate in a multidisciplinary, multilevel project that emphasizes practical problem solving, creative design and the scientific method. To couple educational activities with experimental validation of the proposed theory, a distributed testbed of vehicles/robots will be built by a multidisciplinary and multilevel team under Kalmár-Nagy’s supervision.

The CAREER Award was established to support junior faculty within the context of their overall career development, combining in a single program the support of research and education of the highest quality and in the broadest sense. Through this program, the NSF emphasizes the importance on the early development of academic careers dedicated to stimulating the discovery process in which the excitement of research is enhanced by inspired teaching and enthusiastic learning.

Written by Marissa Doshi

Popularity: 38% [?]

AggieSat2, the 5-inch cube picosatellite built from scratch by the students of Texas A&M’s AggieSat Lab, is now in orbit.

The picostaellite was deployed from STS-127 Space Shuttle Endeavour’s payload bay on Thursday 30 July 2009 at 7:34:30 CDT. It communicated with the AggieSat team at the ground control station for the first time in the evening on the same day.

AggieSat2 was one of two satellites deployed from Endeavor. The other satellite, Bevo-1, has been built by students from the University of Texas.

AggieSat2 will beam information about its position (180 minutes of GPS data) by using the on-board GPS, called DRAGON, developed by Johnson Space Center. Information from the satellite will be transmitted to a ground control station set up on the Riverside campus and collected by students. The information will be sent to NASA, where it will be compared with NASA’s predictions to check the new GPS for accuracy. The mission will be considered a success after this information has been completely received by the ground control station and delivered to NASA.

AggieSat2 will pass over College Station at least once every day and remain in orbit for an estimated 4 months. On completing its mission, it will burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

To follow AggieSat2 on the Twitter network or Facebook, visit the AggieSat Lab website. The website is being continuously updated and has the flight teams listed on the Mission Control page along with, eventually, live health and communication window updates from AggieSat2.

The AggieSat Lab was set up in 2005 by Dr. Helen Reed, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The lab aims to provide students with hands-on engineering experiences.

Written by Marissa Doshi

Additional coverage

KBTX

The Associated Press

Spirit and Mind – Texas A&M Foundation

Popularity: 44% [?]

AggieSat2, a picosatellite designed and built by Texas A&M students of the AggieSat Lab, is slated for launch on the space shuttle Endeavour at 7:39 p.m. EDT on July 11.

AggieSat2, shown being weighed before being shipped off, is scheduled to travel into space on Space Shuttle Endeavour on July 11.

Endeavour will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to launch officials at the space center.

Endeavour’s launch to the International Space Station was scheduled for June 17 but had to be postponed because of a leak detected in the venting system used to carry hydrogen safely away from the launch pad.

Dr. Helen Reed, who set up Texas A&M’s AggieSat Lab in 2005, and a group of students who worked on AggieSat2 will be going to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch. Reed is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

AggieSat2 is one of two satellites that will launch on Endeavour. The other satellite, Bevo-1, was built by students from the University of Texas.

AggieSat2 and Bevo-1 will be joined at launch and released from Endeavor 15 days after the shuttle visits the space station. The satellites will then separate, go into orbit, and beam information about their positions using the on-board GPS called DRAGON, which was developed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The GPS is being tested for accuracy.

This mission is the first of four missions planned by Johnson Space Center to demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking — a process in which spacecraft that are apart in space meet and join to form a single unit without human control.

The AggieSat Lab is sponsored by Johnson Space Center, Lockheed Martin, MEI Technologies, Oceaneering Space Systems, PM&AM Research, Department of Defense Space Test Program and Spreadsheet World.

The AggieSat Lab will be tracking, communicating with, commanding and collecting data from AggieSat2 through the Riverside ground station. For more information on the latest launch and updates on mission operations, visit http://aggiesat.org.

Marissa Doshi, marissadoshi@tees.tamus.edu

Popularity: 52% [?]

The Manureva Aerospace team's plane, the F-75 Loki

Aerospace engineering students flew the aircraft they designed and built from runway 17R at Texas A&M’s Riverside campus in May.

The flights marked the end of a two-semester design-build-test-fly aircraft challenge put forth by Dr. Leland A. Carlson, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

During the Fall 2008 semester, Carlson asked AERO 401 and 402 students to provide a conceptual preliminary design for an Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) that could carry a 2,000-pound payload for a range of 800 nautical miles at transonic speeds (Mach0.8) flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet.

The Ascension Aerospace plane, the FQ-1 Phoenix

During Spring 2009, AERO 401 and 402 faculty members Dr. Thomas Strganac, Dr. John Valasek and Dr. Jim Boyd guided three teams — Ascension Aerospace, Applied Industries and Manureva Aerospace — as they tested the models they designed and built. The models were tested in the 3 × 4 feet Low Speed Wind Tunnel at the H.R. Bright Building on campus.

The tests were performed to validate conceptual design parameters with scaled models as well as provide benchmark information for the scaled flight vehicles. Following the wind tunnel tests, the teams built and flew flying-scaled versions of their designs at the Riverside campus.

Applied Industries' plane, the XF-77 Dark Wolf

All three teams successfully completed the design-build-test-fly sequence. The Manuerva Aerospace team was awarded the Lowy Award for Spring 2009 because the selection committee agreed that Manureva’s airplane retained substantial elements of the team’s original design. For example, Manureva retained the original complexity of the wing taper, fuselage dimensions and tail configuration, and following the first flight tests, properly identified the modification necessary for the scaled version of their original design.

The following individuals are acknowledged for their assistance: John Bowling, pilot; Cecil Rhodes, mechanic/technician; and graduate research assistants Yogesh Babbar, Arun Surendran, Shalom Johnson and Drew Becket. Photos by Kasey Strganac.

Dr. Thomas Strganac, strganac@aero.tamu.edu

The Applied Industries team: (kneeling, l to r) Alexander Pankonien, Justin Wilkerson; (standing, l to r) Ainsley Vanrooyen, Professor Boyd, Jesse Mooney, Professor Valasek, Justin Freels, Professor Strganac (seated); not shown, Matthew Kuester.

The Ascension Aerospace team: (l to r) Randell Labio, Leyton McElduff, Professor Boyd, Professor Strganac (seated), Michael Yager, Professor Valasek, Brad Burgess, Chase Caruth, Daniel Greisser.

The Manureva Aerospace team: (back row l to r) Adam Sexton, Professor Strganac, Tyler Rudloff, Professor Valasek, Professor Boyd, Adam Campbell; (front row l to r) Edgar Wingo, Taylor Vaughn, Stephen Wells, Robert Keiser.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Dr. John Valasek

Dr. John Valasek, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and director of the Vehicle Systems and Control Laboratory at Texas A&M University, received the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award for 2009 from the aerospace engineering department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

The award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the field of aerospace engineering, was presented in a ceremony at the department’s 15th Annual Alumni & Student Awards Banquet, held June 6. Valasek was also the featured speaker at the banquet and presented results of his current research at Texas A&M.

Valasek has been with the Texas A&M aerospace engineering department for 12 years, where his research and teaching is focused on bridging the gap between traditional computer science topics and aerospace engineering topics. His interests encompass machine learning and multi-agent systems, intelligent autonomous control, vision based navigation systems, fault tolerant adaptive control, and cockpit systems and displays.

Valasek is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), member of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). He has received several teaching and education awards, including the university-level Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching in 2008, the college-level Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching in 2004, Scholar Of The Montague Center For Teaching Excellence in 2001, the B.P. Amoco Teaching Excellence Award in 2001 and 2003, and the Thomas U. McElmurry Teaching Excellence Award in the aerospace engineering department in 2001 and 2004. From 2006 to 2009 he served as the national president of Sigma Gamma Tau, the aerospace engineering honor society, and he received the National Faculty Advisor Award from AIAA in 2005.

Valasek earned the B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in 1986, and the M.S. degree with honors and the Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas, in 1991 and 1995 respectively.

Contact Dr. John Valasek, valasek@tamu.edu

Popularity: 66% [?]

Aerospace engineering senior Justin Wilkerson is the recipient of the 2009 Ammon S. Andes National Award from Sigma Gamma Tau, the Aerospace Engineering Honor Society.

Aerospace engineering senior Justin Wilkerson

This award honors him as the top aerospace engineering senior in the United States for 2009 based on his academic, service and extracurricular accomplishments. A panel of judges selected Wilkerson from a group of 53 of the top aerospace engineering seniors nationally. In addition to the national award, Wilkerson was recognized as the recipient of the Southwestern Region Award.

An honorarium in the form of a check for $1,000 and a plaque documenting the award were presented to Wilkerson at the Department of Aerospace Engineering Awards Banquet in May by Dr. John Valasek, the national president of Sigma Gamma Tau.

“Justin works hard on his studies, undergraduate research, service activities and publications. This is a fitting reward for his efforts that we can all be very proud of,” Valasek said.

Wilkerson was president of Texas A&M’s Sigma Gamma Tau student chapter for 2008-2009 and graduated in May. He will start graduate school in the aerospace engineering department this fall.

The Sigma Gamma Tau Undergraduate Awards serve to select outstanding aerospace engineering students at both the regional and national levels. Each of the ABET-accredited aerospace engineering departments with a Sigma Gamma Tau chapter are eligible to nominate one student per year for the award. A review board consisting of professional members selects eight regional finalists and the national finalist.

The award was created and named for Ammon S. Andes in 1976 to bestow upon Professor Andes a recognition of his 12 years of service to the society as its national executive secretary-treasurer from 1964 to 1976. Texas A&M University is tied with Purdue University for the most Ammon S. Andes National Award recipients all time, at four each. More Aggie seniors have also been regional winners (19) than any other university.

Written by Dr. John Valasek, valasek@tamu.edu

Popularity: 69% [?]

Aggies always aim high, and some Aggies are aiming for the skies-186 miles above Earth in fact!

For two years, the AggieSat Lab has been working on the picosatellite AggieSat2, a 5-inch cube, and it’s now ready for launch.

AggieSat2, shown being weighed before being shipped off, is scheduled to travel into space on Space Shuttle Endeavour on July 11.

The AggieSat Lab is a Student Satellite Program under the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.

“AggieSat2 is built from scratch by our students; it’s a student-made student-operated satellite” says John Graves, a graduate student who worked on the satellite.

AggieSat2 is one of two satellites that is slated for launch on July 11 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The other satellite, Bevo-1, has been built by students from the University of Texas.  Both satellites differ in design but are identical in function.

This mission-DRAGONSAT-is the first of four missions planned for an eight-year campaign, called LONESTAR, with NASA’s Johnson Space Center to demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking (ARD), a process in which space crafts that are apart in space meet (rendezvous) and join to form a single unit (docking) without human control. The first three missions will test the sensors, computers, navigation system, control system, communications system and GPS that will be required for the final mission. The final mission will conclude with the successful docking of two satellites. NASA plans to use ARD in its Constellation Program for unmanned cargo vehicles and in space assembly.

This first mission is intended as an “ice-breaker to get students used to building satellites” Graves explains. Students from the two universities worked closely to design pin systems needed for the satellites to lock into each other and spring-loaded antennas that would allow the satellites to separate.

AggieSat2 and Bevo-1 will be joined when they are launched into space on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle will visit the space station, and 15 days later, the satellites will be released. The satellites will then separate and go into orbit, around 186 miles above Earth. Once in orbit, AggieSat2 and Bevo-1 will beam information about their position by using the on-board GPS, called DRAGON, developed by Johnson Space Center. Information from the satellites will be transmitted to a ground control station-the ground station for AggieSat2 is set up on the Riverside campus- and collected by students. The information will be sent to NASA, where it will be compared with NASA’s predictions to check the new GPS for accuracy. The mission will be considered a success after this information has been completely received by the ground control station and delivered to NASA.

(Left to right): Paul Lucas, John Graves, Becky Sewell, Devin Stancliffe and Lasse Maeland with AggieSat2 prior to shipment to NASA.

“Building AggieSat2 provided students with an unparalleled learning experience,” Graves says. “It’s easy to conceptualize on paper, but building AggieSat2 provided a real-world experience that cannot be obtained in classrooms. We had to deal with every little problem at every stage and ensure that the satellite passed rigorous testing.”

The AggieSat Lab was set up in 2005 by Dr. Helen Reed, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The lab aims to provide students with hands-on engineering experiences. Students apply concepts learned in classes, learn about systems engineering and industry practices, and create novel technologies.

“The launch of AggieSat2 is a tribute to the dedication, creativity, and teamwork of our students,” says Dr. Reed, the lab’s principal investigator and primary mentor.  “Our students have had to pass every review with NASA that a usual satellite would. What an accomplishment to be able to say that you have launched a satellite while in school!”

The AggieSat Lab is sponsored by NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Lockheed Martin, MEI Technologies, Oceaneering Space Systems, PM&AM Research, Department of Defense Space Test Program and Spreadsheet World.

The AggieSat Lab will be tracking, communicating with, commanding, and collecting data from AggieSat2 through the Riverside ground station.  For more information on the latest launch and updates on mission operations, visit: http://aggiesat.org.

Written by: Marissa Doshi

Additional Coverage:

The Bryan-College Station Eagle

The Battalion

KBTX

Austin American Statesman

Fox 7 Austin

Houston Chronicle

Popularity: 34% [?]

The Oran W. Nicks Low Speed Wind Tunnel (OWN LSWT) at Texas A&M University will host the 45th International Subsonic Aerodynamic Testing Association (SATA) conference beginning Sunday and running through June 12.

The OWN LSWT is a part of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES). The wind tunnel is located across from the general aviation terminal at Easterwood Airport.

Engineers from Asia, Europe, South Africa and North America will meet to exchange knowledge, ideas and processes used for the operation and maintenance of Low Speed Wind Tunnels. The conference will include presentations by the various representatives as well as tours of A&M laboratory and testing facilities.

SATA started in 1965 and the OWN LSWT is a charter member. The OWN LSWT, which was built in the mid 1940s, last hosted the conference in 1983. An upgrade on the tunnel was started in the late 1950s and it opened in its current state in 1960. The main parts of the wind tunnel have not changed, but all the controls and data acquisition have been modernized to state-of-the-art technology.

The LSWT is in the center of the new wind tunnel complex, which supports research by faculty and students in aerospace. Low speed wind tunnels are used to test the aerodynamic characteristics of objects and were started mainly as a tool for airplane design. They still fill this role, but have expanded to test spacecraft, missiles, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, oil platforms, buildings, outdoor structures and even golf clubs and golf balls.

Popularity: 8% [?]