Dr. Srinivas Rao Vadali, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the prestigious 2014 Dirk Brouwer award by the American Astronautical Society.
The Dirk Brouwer Award was established to honor significant technical contributions to space flight mechanics and astrodynamics and to recognize Brouwer's outstanding role in celestial mechanics and his widespread influence on workers in space flight and astrodynamics.
Brouwer was an inspiring leader in the field of celestial mechanics during a period that saw a revival and flowering of that discipline, from its purely academic and esoteric role, to one of widespread development and application in man's exploration of space. He was successful as a researcher, teacher and administrator. He always strove to make the growth of his subject truly international. The Space Flight Mechanics Committee selects the recipient of this award.
Vadali was honored for his contributions in spacecraft dynamics and control with significant advances in the state of the art in attitude control, momentum management, optimal control and formation flying. The award was presented at the 2015 AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting held in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Previous award winners from the department include Dr. John Junkins and Dr. Kyle T. Alfriend.