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December 2009
AEROSPACE AMERICA
DECEMBER 2009

The year in review

A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS

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toc.DEC09.qxd:AA Template 11/17/09 4:24 PM Page 1

Page 4

December 2009

EDITORIAL: Inching toward reform 3

OUT OF THE PAST 76 Page70

2009 SUBJECT AND AUTHOR INDEX 78

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 82
Page 30

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Adaptive structures 58 Hypersonic technologies Page 36
Aeroacoustics 5 and aerospace plane 75
Aerodynamic decelerators 8 Intelligent systems 30
Aerodynamic measurement Life sciences 64
technology 15 Lighter-than-air systems 23
Aerospace power 5 Liquid propulsion 38
Aerospace traffic management 74 Management 27
Air-breathing propulsion systems Materials 52
integration 43 Meshing, visualization and
Air transportation 16 computational environments 6
Aircraft design 17 Missile systems 60
Aircraft operations 18 Modeling and simulation 49
Applied aerodynamics 10 Multidisciplinary design
Astrodynamics 14 optimization 26
Atmospheric and space Nondeterministic approaches 54
environments 9 Nuclear and future flight
Atmospheric flight mechanics 11 propulsion 36 Page 60
Balloon systems 19 Plasmadynamics and lasers 12
Computer-aided enterprise Propellants and combustion 41
solutions 50 Sensor systems 32
Computer systems 33 Software systems 34
Design engineering 48 Space colonization 61 Page 16
Digital avionics 31 Space logistics 66
Economics 24 Space operations and support 69
Electric propulsion 44 Space resources utilization 63
Energetic components 46 Space systems 67
Flight testing 20 Space tethers 65
Fluid dynamics 4 Space transportation 68
Gas turbine engines 40 Structural dynamics 57
General aviation 21 Structures 59
Ground testing 51 Survivability 53
Guidance, navigation, and control 7 Systems engineering 28
High-speed air-breathing Unmanned systems 73
propulsion 37 Terrestrial energy 54 Page 24
History 25 Thermophysics 13
Homeland security 70 V/STOL 22
Hybrid rockets 42 Weapon system effectiveness 62

BULLETIN
AIAA Meeting Schedule B2
AIAA Courses and Training Program B4
AIAA News B5
Meeting Program B13
Calls for Papers B19 Page 48

Cover:Type by Jane Fitzgerald; image from space shuttle Columbia, 2003.

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dec09edit.qxd:AA Template 11/17/09
is a publication of the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Elaine J. Camhi
Editor-in-Chief
Patricia Jefferson
Associate Editor
Greg Wilson
Production Editor
Jerry Grey, Editor-at-Large
Christine Williams, Editor AIAA Bulletin
Correspondents
Robert F. Dorr, Washington
Philip Butterworth-Hayes, Europe
Michael Westlake, Hong Kong
Contributing Writers
Richard Aboulafia, John Binder, James
W. Canan, Marco Cáceres, Edward Flinn,
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STEERING COMMITTEE
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Maurice, AFOSR; Laura McGill, Raytheon;
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National Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion; Mary Snitch, Lockheed Martin
EDITORIAL BOARD
Ned Allen, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics;
Jean-Michel Contant, EADS; Eugene
Covert, Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy; L.S. “Skip” Fletcher, Texas A&M Uni-
versity; Michael Francis, United Technologies;
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Research; Douglas Yazell, Honeywell
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Send Letters to the Editor to Elaine Camhi
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December 2009, Vol. 47, No. 11
12:11 PM Page 1
Inching toward reform
As the new year began, a new administration and a new Congress opened a door
to long-sought efforts to rewrite the tangle of controls governing U.S. exports.
The International Traffic in Arms Regulations were enacted in 1976 and
closely mirrored laws in place in eastern bloc nations. Over the subsequent 30+
years, political winds have shifted, both domestically and internationally, and
those rules have been reinterpreted, refocused, and, in many cases, made even
more restrictive.
But recently many, particularly in the aerospace industry, have come to
recognize that the very regulations designed to protect the nation’s technologi-
cal edge and asymmetrical advantage over potential foes have, with their re-
strictions on the export of possible dual-use technologies, also hamstrung the
ability of the U.S. to participate in international trade in many areas only mar-
ginally related to defense.
International aerospace companies loath to endure the months of red tape
and deliberations required for the purchase of simple parts instead developed
their own capabilities. The rise of the “ITAR-free satellite” was not a one-off.
But with the new administration, there seemed to be genuine interest in re-
examining ITAR issues. Members of both houses of Congress began holding
hearings, and many who had been adamantly opposed to change came to un-
derstand the damage being done to trade and now simply urged caution in
moving forward. The House bill authorizing appropriations for the Dept. of
State, where ITAR issues reside, and containing a section on reform of export
controls was passed in June. (Unfortunately, its Senate equivalent remains
stalled.) And in August, President Obama announced a comprehensive review
of export controls.
This all might suggest a looming overhaul of the most trade-restrictive
parts of the laws. However, there are other troubles weighing heavily on the
president and the Congress. For example, even as the economy appears to be
turning around, unemployment is still rising. And the world clock is ticking on
climate change, as the longer we wait to act, the more damage will be done
and the more mitigation will be necessary.
But these issues do truly tie together. The longer it takes to modify the an-
tiquated sections of the export controls, the smaller the U.S. export market will
become. As more and more of those who were once our customers become
our competitors, that market shrinks, manufacturing numbers diminish, and the
workforce required declines.
Export controls also hamper U.S. participation in GEOSS, the Global
Earth Observation System of Systems. Climate change mitigation can only
happen when action is taken on a global scale. But according to a report issued
in 2008 by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, “Export control
regulations are a fundamental disincentive and significant structural impediment
to U.S. participation in international systems, to foreign cooperation with the
United States, and to the development of GEOSS.”
There are those who argue that ITAR reform must take a back seat as our
government grapples with the larger issues of the day. But a closer look would
suggest the opposite, that major strides in repairing what is broken or out-of-
date in ITAR would go a long way in helping solve those issues.
Elaine Camhi
Editor-in-Chief
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
Complete transition to turbulence
was initiated by one particular
transition mechanism for a
flat-plate boundary layer at
Mach 3. (Left) Isosurfaces of
the vortex identification criterion
“Q” and contours of spanwise
vorticity at one spanwise position
illustrate small-scale structures
close to the end of the
computational domain.
(Right) A close-up view shows
contours of the spanwise vorticity
(simulations carried out by the
University of Arizona).
by Lawrence Ukeiley
4 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:20 AM Page 2
Fluid dynamics
The year has brought many significant and ex-
citing developments in the study of fluid dy-
namic phenomena with a breadth of activities
spanning from hypersonics to low Reynolds
number regimes.
A significant development has been the es-
tablishment of three national hypersonics cen-
ters, overseen by NASA and the Air Force Re-
search Laboratory (AFRL) Office of Scientific
Research, to help forge a national direction
for studying hypersonic flight. One center, led
by Texas A&M University with several part-
ners, is called the National Center for Hyper-
sonic Laminar Turbulent Transition. It will
specialize in boundary-layer control research.
AFRL, Caltech, and the University of Min-
nesota have collaborated in a numerical and
experimental study on control of high-speed
boundary layers. The team has demonstrated
significant
delays in
transition
through the suppression of instabilities with
the injection of CO2. Researchers at the Uni-
versity of Minnesota, CUBRC, NASA Lang-
ley, Purdue, and AFRL used a combination of
stability analysis and ground test data to iden-
tify crossflow instability as a likely mechanism
for transition on the leeward side of the X-51
demonstrator aircraft.
Additional efforts involving highly resolved
numerical studies include a University of Ari-
zona program examining the entire process of
transition to turbulence in supersonic and hy-
personic flows. The goal is to enable im-
proved engineering and physical models for
transition during high-speed flight.
On space shuttle Discovery’s STS-119
and -128 missions, NASA flew a specially
modified tile and instrumentation package to
monitor heating effects from boundary-layer
transition during reentry. The airflow on the
port wing was deliberately disrupted by a pro-
tuberance built into a modified tile, enabling
the effects of a known roughness geometry on
the orbiter surface boundary layer to be quan-
tified for the first time. Regular orbiter instru-
mentation was augmented by high-resolution
calibrated imagery obtained by a Navy NP-3D
Orion aircraft using a long-range infrared op-
tical package known as Cast Glance.
In low Reynolds number aerodynamics,
work continues on unsteady flow phenomena
and control. Researchers at the University of
Michigan found that for low-aspect-ratio flap-
ping wings, tip vortices can increase lift by cre-
ating a low-pressure region near the wing tip
and delaying the shedding of the leading-edge
vortex (LEV). AFRL/RB researchers have
demonstrated, with a high-order implicit large-
eddy simulation (ILES) approach, that stall
suppression can be achieved with small-ampli-
tude high-frequency oscillations. The resulting
new flow regime has no LEV shedding or
thrust generation, and features the dramatic
spanwise breakdown of the dynamic-stall vor-
tex system. A joint effort by Caltech, Illinois
Institute of Technology, Princeton, and North-
eastern University has demonstrated signifi-
cant reduction of lift fluctuations in unsteady
flows through flow control, with
applications in gust alle-
viation. Balanced POD
(proper orthogonal de-
composition)/observer
models were shown to
stabilize vortex shedding
using only two velocity
sensors, with important benefits
for small autonomous air vehicles.
Control of the flow over a hemispheri-
cal turret for aerooptic applications is an im-
portant application of control of 3D flows, and
has received considerable attention this year.
Studies involving hybrid Reynolds-averaged
Navier-Stokes/ILES simulations by researchers
at AFRL, and experiments at AFRL, Syracuse
University, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and
the University of Florida demonstrated an ar-
ray of actuation strategies in both open and
closed loops.
Researchers at the University of Vermont
have teamed with NASA to study micropro-
pulsion and control of nanosats, to enable
new propulsion technologies for these very
small spacecraft using microfluidics.
Purdue and George Washington Univer-
sity, under FAA funding, conducted studies of
air circulation patterns and particle transport
in model aircraft cabins. A key finding is that
people walking in the aisles disrupt the de-
signed ventilation flow patterns and can pro-
mote the spread of airborne contaminants
over 10 rows.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:20 AM
Aeroacoustics
The development of civil supersonic aircraft
capable of operating within the threshold of
community noise regulations is continuing on
different fronts. Wyle Laboratories, in collab-
oration with Penn State University and Eagle
Aeronautics, has made significant strides in
calculating sonic boom footprints from super-
sonic flight vehicles. Enhancements include
sonic boom predictions over georeferenced
terrain encompassing varying ground imped-
ance, as well as distortions imposed by at-
mospheric turbulence.
Meanwhile, scientists at Stanford Univer-
sity, with support from NASA, are developing
large eddy simulations (LES) capable of pre-
dicting the radiated sound from heated and
unheated supersonic jets with complex
geometries. Databases obtained at the small
hot jet acoustic rig facility at NASA Glenn are
being used to validate these models. Similar
efforts at Boeing, under way since 2004, have
demonstrated continued progress in the de-
velopment and application of LES methodol-
ogy. Accurate spectral predictions of jet noise,
to within 2-3 dB over a meaningful range of
frequencies, have been achieved from com-
plex single-stream and dual-stream nozzle
geometries and a wide range of jet operating
conditions with the developed methodology.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign are developing new theo-
ries for the dominant mechanisms responsible
for the sources of core noise in aircraft en-
gines. This effort is part of an NRA from
NASA’s subsonic fixed-wing program. The
mechanism, often called “indirect combustion
noise,” is believed to be caused by thermody-
namic interactions (entropy fluctuations) with
the engine’s turbine blades. Nonlinear simula-
tions of the flow and acoustic radiation over an
idealized turbine blade support the new theory.
Other activities in computational aero-
acoustics and advanced measurement meth-
ods were sponsored this year by the Aeroa-
coustics Research Consortium. Managed by
the Ohio Aerospace Institute, the consortium
is a partnership among NASA Glenn, Boeing,
General Electric Aircraft Engines, Honeywell
International, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-
Royce. Its programs include assessing the ef-
fectiveness of using phased microphone ar-
rays to identify engine noise sources, the
development of computational methods to
predict high-speed jet noise, and the applica-
tion of LES to acoustic liners.
Page 3
The FAA sponsored an aircraft
taxi noise study performed by
A collaboration between GKN Aerospace Wyle Laboratories.
and Honeywell Aerospace brought continued
progress in reducing engine fan noise. The
two companies designed, fabricated, and
tested a seamless double-layer engine inlet
liner using a Hexcel HexWeb Acousti-Cap
honeycomb core with a perforated composite
facesheet. Far-field acoustic surveys on a full-
scale demonstrator engine at Honeywell’s
Acoustic Test Facility demonstrated compara-
ble results over a substantial range of engine
speeds for the new design when compared to
traditional liners. Testing also confirmed im-
provements in sound attenuation at high en-
gine power settings using the seamless liners.
The counterrotating open fan engine ar-
chitecture, successfully developed and flight
tested by GE in the 1980s, is a candidate for
the next generation of narrowbody aircraft.
To meet community noise regulations, CFM
International (a 50/50 joint partnership be-
tween GE and Snecma) has developed mod-
ern open rotor fan system designs using com-
putational aeroacoustic prediction tools. Joint
GE/NASA testing is scheduled to continue
through early 2010 to demonstrate these con-
cepts and validate the design tools.
In the area of space-based launch plat-
forms, existing liftoff acoustic models used by
NASA Marshall are being updated with new
empirical data. One such set of experiments,
conducted under a joint effort of NASA, Wyle
Labs, and ATK Launch Systems, comprised
three static firings incorporating more than 60
acoustic free-field microphones. The new
acoustic models will be used to predict the
liftoff acoustic environments of the Ares I and
Ares V launch vehicles. by Charles E. Tinney
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 5
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
The length scale ratio for the
coarse and medium meshes
in the Langley cell-centered
sequence is normalized by mesh
size so that the expected value
is one; the analysis suggests
that the medium mesh has
cells that are too large on the
surface of the fuselage.
In a comparison of one of the
two cell aspect ratios (roughly
spanwise to streamwise) for the
coarse and medium meshes
in the Langley cell-centered
sequence, with the exception of
a few small regions on the wing
and at the base of the tail, the
aspect ratio is nearly the same
for both meshes, as expected.
by Anthony C. Iannetti
6 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/12/09 11:20 AM Page 4
Meshing,visualization,
and computational
environments
The overall problem of elucidating the
interaction between mesh and solution
is large and complex. Recent work by
Carl Ollivier-Gooch of the University of
British Columbia seeks to address a
small but important part of the prob-
lem, that of determining whether a se-
quence of meshes truly constitutes a
mesh refinement sequence for a mesh
convergence study. Two meshes are
said to form an ideal refinement pair if their
cell sizes are uniformly proportional across
the entire domain, and if cell aspect ratio and
orientation are the same in anisotropic re-
gions of the mesh. The size, shape, and ori-
entation of a cell in an unstructured mesh can
be computed in more than one way; one vi-
able approach is to compute the moments
problem to find the size, aspect ratio, and
principal directions of the cell.
Once these quantities are known, a com-
parison between meshes can be accomplished
by projecting data from one mesh to another.
Although this is still a research tool, meshes
from a Drag Prediction Workshop held this
summer were analyzed successfully.
CRAFT Tech and CEI have jointly devel-
oped a computational environment that allows
users to predict, visualize, and reduce grid-in-
duced errors in CFD simulations. Through a
custom interface, the software system com-
bines an error quantification and unstructured
mesh adaptation code, CRISP CFD, with the
rendering capabilities of EnSight.
A variety of methods may be used to visu-
alize predicted errors obtained from the solu-
tion of error transport equations. Techniques
for simultaneous visualization of flow variables
and their associated errors include multiple
contours, multiple vectors or streamlines, tex-
turing, and error bubbles. Error sources may
be used to drive local adaptive mesh refine-
ment, directly from the user interface. The
system has been demonstrated for practical
turbulent flows on 3D unstructured meshes.
Mesh generation developers worldwide
came together to share
technical information
related to their re-
search at the Interna-
tional Meshing Round-
table (IMR), a yearly
conference devoted to
mesh generation and
general preprocessing
techniques. Started by
Sandia National Labo-
ratory in 1992, the
meeting continues to
be one of the premier
events focusing on
mesh generation for
field simulations and
graphical display. The AIAA began cospon-
soring the conference starting with the 18th
IMR held in Salt Lake City in October.
An award given each year by the AIAA
MVCE Technical Committee was renamed the
Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award for the
Outstanding Paper in the discipline. The
award was renamed in memory of a valued
contributor to the field of unstructured numer-
ical mesh generation. Pirzadeh, who died on
March 18, was best known for his work with
the VGRID unstructured mesh generator. His
many innovations included the advancing lay-
ers method and early adoption of the Carte-
sian background grid to control mesh spacing.
He was also the award’s first recipient.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:20 AM
Guidance,navigation,
and control
Rockwell Collins demonstrated a damage-tol-
erant flight control system for DARPA’s Joint
Unmanned Combat Aircraft Systems pro-
gram using an unmanned F/A-18 subscale
aircraft model with 60% wing loss. The flight
controller demonstrated automatic recovery
and autonomous landing.
Aurora Flight Sciences demonstrated au-
tonomous vertical takeoff, hover, and landing
of the Excalibur unmanned combat aircraft,
which combines high-speed flight with vertical
takeoff and landing (VTOL). Its VTOL system
gets its primary propulsion from a tilting jet
engine and supplemental thrust and pitch con-
trol with electric lift fans.
An X-plane pushing the limits of flight
control software is the tailless, X-48B blended
wing body built by Boeing with NASA and the
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The
X-48B’s flight controller is responsible for al-
locating the autopilot commands among 20
movable surfaces. The control surfaces are all
independently actuated and clustered along
the trailing edge. The centralized, highly cou-
pled, nonlinear flight control system also in-
corporates envelope protection algorithms via
limiters. More robust alpha and beta sideslip
limiter algorithms are being developed to pro-
vide better envelope protection against unex-
pected lateral-mode oscillations seen in stall
tests at high angles of attack.
NetFires completed the first moving target
test flight of the non-line-of-sight launch sys-
tem’s precision attack missile in July. Ray-
theon’s AIM-9X Sidewinder missile demon-
strated surface-to-air capability when it en-
gaged an unmanned air target in May. The
AIM-9X is a fifth-generation, high off-boresight
infrared-guided missile developed for the air-
to-air mission.
Lockheed Martin launched DAGR rockets
from an airborne AH-6 Little Bird helicopter
and hit the targets in two trials in July. Lock-
heed Martin and the Missile Defense Agency
demonstrated the ability of the Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense weapon system to de-
tect, track, and intercept a separating target
inside Earth’s atmosphere in March.
A Boeing Harpoon Block II missile
equipped with a redesigned guidance control
unit hit its land-based target in its first test
flight in September. The Arrow II interceptor,
produced by Boeing and Israel Aerospace In-
dustries, shot down a ballistic missile target in
Page 5
A Sidewinder missile
demonstrated surface-to-air
April in an operationally realistic test con- capability when it engaged
ducted in Israel by the Israel Ministry of De- an unmanned air target.
fense and the Missile Defense Agency.
Shuttle mission STS-126 delivered ISS
component modules that doubled the space
station’s crew capacity with new living quar-
ters, regenerative environmental controls, and
enhanced life support system. Follow-up STS
missions installed the final pair of solar panels,
several new multinational science laboratory
modules, and a new astronaut treadmill. On
July 30, two 5-in.-cube picosatellites, Aggie-
Sat2 (Texas A&M University) and Bevo-1
(University of Texas-Austin) were released
from STS-127 Endeavour. They are the first
of a series of test satellite pairs that will even-
tually demonstrate autonomous rendezvous
and docking.
On June 18, NASA launched LCROSS
(Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satel-
lite) and LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter).
In an effort to detect water ice traces in a lunar
polar crater, the LCROSS satellite flew into a
heavy debris plume created when its spent up-
per-stage Centaur rocket impacted the Moon’s
Cabeus A crater on October 9. It collected
and analyzed debris samples and relayed the
data to Earth. LRO’s one-year lunar surface
mapping mission for subsequent lunar expedi-
tions began when it entered its mapping orbit
September 17 and started relaying high-reso-
lution topographic imagery.
In October 2008, India launched its first
lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, which demon-
strated launch to Earth orbit, departure, trans-
fer, and insertion into low lunar orbit, finally
releasing a lunar impactor for surface analysis
missions. Chandrayaan-1 carried science pay-
loads for NASA and ESA, among others, and
completed its mission in June.
An AFRL experimental small satellite, Tac-
Sat-3, launched and deployed on May 19.
TacSat-3 hosts a hyperspectral sensor that
can be directly controlled by troops in the by Leena Singh,
field, an ocean data telemetry microsatellite Daniel J. Clancy, and
link, and a plug-and-play avionics package. Brett Ridgely
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 7
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
The Ares I recovery system will require parachutes that are much larger and
stronger than those used for the space shuttle.
The Mars Science Laboratory
parachute completed testing
this year.
by Elsa Hennings
8 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/12/09 11:20 AM Page 6
Aerodynamic decelerator
systems
2009 was a very productive year for para-
chute development. Notable accomplishments
include testing of the Mars Science Labora-
tory (MSL) parachute, the Ares I recovery sys-
tem, and the Max Launch Abort System
(MLAS), as well as significant work in the area
of autonomous payload delivery.
The MSL parachute finished its final test-
ing, successfully completing structural qualifi-
cation and flight lot workmanship verification
tests. The testing took place at the NASA
Ames Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex 80 x
120-ft wind tunnel. The parachute was de-
ployed at conditions that produced inflation
loads 25% higher than the maximum ex-
pected flight limit load and included multiple
inflations of the flight lot canopy. The final
tally resulted in a single canopy withstanding
14 inflations at peak inflation loads ranging
from 360 to 290 kN (81-65 klbf).
The Ares I solid rocket booster, which will
launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle
(CEV) following retirement of the space shut-
tle, is much heavier than the shuttle’s booster
and reenters the atmosphere at a much
higher velocity; hence the parachutes must be
larger and stronger. The 68-ft-diam drogue
parachute will experience a load of 500,000
lb, while the three 150-ft-diam main para-
chutes will experience 300,000-lb loads. The
final drogue parachute basic performance
drop test was completed this year, along with
a drop test of the clustered three main para-
chutes. The drogue drop test provided the
drag area at various reefing ratios along with
the corresponding opening loads and load fac-
tors. The cluster test provided the cluster
degradation factor for the main parachute’s
drag area, as well as an observation of the
parachute’s deployment, inflation, and cluster
interaction characteristics.
NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center
developed and tested MLAS as a risk-mitiga-
tion system should problems arise with
Orion’s launch abort design. The effort culmi-
nated in a highly successful July flight test.
During the test, two mortar-deployed para-
chutes separated the coast skirt from the for-
ward fairing, followed 3 sec later by two more
mortar-deployed parachutes reorienting the
fairing 180°, which placed the boilerplate
CEV crew module (CM) in the heat-shield-first
orientation. With the fairing stabilized, the
boilerplate CM was released from inside the
fairing. After a brief ride on two drogues, the
boilerplate CM released its simulated forward
bay cover and deployed four main parachutes.
This test demonstrated that the fairing
could be successfully reoriented and the CM
released without detrimental recontact. Thus
it showed that the MLAS system is a viable
concept should the baseline launch abort sys-
tem encounter significant difficulties during
development.
This year the Aerodynamic Decelerator
Systems Center at the Naval Postgraduate
School developed Snowflake, an autonomous
networking aerial delivery system for a 3-lb
payload. Networking capability allows target
assignment and tracking from anywhere in
the world through the Internet. Snowflake is
currently being integrated with the Arcturus T-
20 UAV, which will be able to carry up to 12
systems inside the payload bay and two pay-
load containers under the wings.
Aerial delivery remains an increasingly
critical and successful method of supply deliv-
ery for the military in all types of environ-
ments. Airdrops have nearly doubled every
year since 2005 in Afghanistan, and are on
track to exceed 30 million lb this year. The
JPADS (joint precision airdrop system) family
of autonomous air vehicle systems provides
payload capability ranging from 1 to 42,000
lb, with most already demonstrated or in use.
The largest precision airdrop demonstration
ever held, conducted by the Army Natick Sol-
dier Research, Development, and Engineering
Center, took place in the U.S. October 19-
22, 2008, allowing more than 500 U.S. and
allied participants the opportunity to witness
the capabilities and utility of precision airdrop
systems.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:20 AM
Atmospheric and space
environments
Advancements in the areas of atmospheric
and space environments continued, and this
year saw a wide variety of developments in
flight experiments, testing capabilities, terres-
trial guidelines, and space weather.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, NASA
Marshall, and Kyushu Institute of Technology
are collaborating with the Japanese Aerospace
Exploration Agency and the U.S. Naval Re-
search Laboratory (NRL) on a flight experi-
ment scheduled to launch aboard STS-134.
The PASCAL (primary arc effects on solar
cells at LEO) experiment will characterize the
cumulative effects of low-power plasma-in-
duced arcing on the performance of a variety
of typical and state-of-the-art space solar cell
technologies. PASCAL is part of the MISSE-8
(materials ISS experiment-8) and the first
PRELSE (platform for retrievable experiments
in a LEO space environment) program man-
aged by NRL. It will be an active experiment
on the station with a design life of least two
years and a goal of being returned to Earth for
ground processing. Results will aid spacecraft
designers, operators, and insurers responsible
for solar arrays operating in a space plasma
environment conducive to producing electro-
static discharges on the solar array surface.
The Air Force is currently developing a
new testing capability, the space threat as-
sessment testbed (STAT), at its Arnold Engi-
neering Development Center. STAT will en-
able ground testing of space systems in the
complex natural space environment at various
orbits and will also provide the ability to in-
duce man-made threats. An interactive con-
nection to satellite operations centers will be
included to bridge the gap between develop-
ment and operational testing of space sys-
tems. This connectivity will allow ground sta-
tion hardware, software, and operators to be
involved in realistic test scenarios.
NASA Marshall’s Natural Environments
Branch has published the latest revision to
Terrestrial Environment (Climatic) Criteria
Guidelines for Use in Aerospace Vehicle Devel-
opment (NASA/TM-2008-215633). This doc-
ument provides guidelines for the terrestrial
environment (Earth surface to 90-km altitude)
that are specifically applicable in the develop-
ment of design requirements and specifica-
tions, plus associated operational criteria, for
NASA aerospace vehicles, payloads, and as-
sociated ground support equipment.
Page 7
Google Earth displays an image
of the global ionosphere.
The document contains considerable in-
formation of general engineering and scien-
tific interest concerning the terrestrial envi-
ronment. It also has information on ground
and in-flight winds, atmospheric thermody-
namic models, radiation, humidity, precipita-
tion, severe weather, sea state, lightning, at-
mospheric chemistry, and seismic criteria. It
includes a model to predict atmospheric dis-
persion of aerospace engine exhaust cloud
rise and growth. It is available for download at
the NASA Technical Reports Server: http://
ntrs.nasa.gov.
Beginning this year, Utah State University
is hosting a new organization to develop com-
mercial space weather applications, with fund-
ing provided by the Utah Science Technology
and Research (USTAR) initiative. The USTAR
Center for Space Weather (UCSW) is devel-
oping innovative applications for mitigating
adverse space weather effects in technological
systems. Of the space environment domains
affected by space weather, the ionosphere is
the key region that impacts communication
and navigation systems. The UCSW has de-
veloped products for users of systems affected
by space-weather-driven ionospheric changes.
On September 1, in conjunction with
Space Environment Technologies, UCSW re-
leased the world’s first real-time space
weather via an iPhone app. Space WX dis-
plays the real-time current global ionosphere
total electron content along with its space
weather drivers. Also, the global assimilation
of ionospheric measurements system is now
being run operationally in real time at UCSW
by Dustin Crider and the
with the continuous ingestion of hundreds of AIAA Atmospheric
global data streams to dramatically improve and Space Environments
characterization of the ionosphere. Technical Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 9
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
A 4%-scale Boeing joined-wing
SensorCraft configuration was
optimized and tested in the
NASA Ames 11-ft wind tunnel.
Pressure-sensitive paint, port
side, is compared to CFD,
starboard side. Sublimation
and IR thermography were also
employed to detect the presence
of significant laminar flow on
the configuration.
by Gary Dale, Andrew
McComas, and the AIAA
Applied Aerodynamics
Technical Committee
10 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/12/09 11:20 AM Page 8
Applied aerodynamics
Heightened focus on energy and the environ-
ment has led to new activities in the aeronau-
tics community. NASA has initiated the Envi-
ronmentally Responsible Aviation project,
which focuses on integrated system-level re-
search aimed at simultaneously achieving na-
tional noise, emissions, and fuel burn goals for
N+2 (generation after next) civil aircraft.
NASA’s ongoing N+3 advanced concept
studies, involving four subsonic and two su-
personic civil missions, will be completed in
spring 2010. The Air Force Research Labora-
tory (AFRL) kicked off an 18-month study of
military transports, the Revolutionary Config-
urations for Energy Efficiency Program, to
identify ways of achieving 90% reductions in
fleet fuel usage by 2050.
The European Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft
Integrated Technology Demonstrator is pursu-
ing active wing technologies that adapt wing
shape based on sensed airflow, as well as new
aircraft configurations that can best incorpo-
rate these novel concepts.
An AFRL/Scaled Composites/Northrop
Grumman/university team is maturing swept-
wing laminar flow control technologies toward
revolutionary ISR (intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance) capabilities as part of the
SensorCraft concept. A variety of in-flight
measurement techniques have been used, in-
cluding infrared thermography and unique
self-contained, in-flight boundary-layer meas-
urement devices, to conduct flight tests of a
30-deg swept-wing test article attached to the
White Knight One aircraft.
As part of the AFRL Aerodynamic Effi-
ciency Improvement program, Boeing per-
formed CFD-based aerodynamic optimization
on a joined-wing SensorCraft configuration to
minimize the configuration drag and inlet dis-
tortion. With NASA support, a 4% scale
model of the optimized geometry was built
and tested in the Ames 11-ft wind tunnel.
Preparations continue for Ares I-X flight
tests. Development has relied heavily on CFD
to predict aerodynamic characteristics on the
pad, at liftoff, and during ascent, as well as to
predict trajectories of vehicle components to
ocean impact.
The Fourth Drag Prediction Workshop
centered around the NASA common research
model and emphasized trim drag and Rey-
nolds number effects. The model will be tested
to flight Reynolds numbers at NASA’s Na-
tional Transonic Facility. A test in the Ames
11-ft wind tunnel will follow.
Northrop Grumman conducted a series of
tests to evaluate step excrescence effects on
boundary transition in the presence of a pres-
sure gradient. Results indicate that the allow-
able height of a step excrescence is larger
than previously thought, enabling design of
full-scale, subsonic, low-sweep aircraft with a
better understanding of the tolerance require-
ments for laminar flow.
NASA and Georgia Tech Research Insti-
tute are collaborating on fundamental 2D cir-
culation control experiments to be used for
CFD validation. These data will provide the
physical characteristics associated with sepa-
ration and supercirculation flow control and
will lead to a refinement of turbulence models,
gridding techniques, and test techniques.
AFRL has begun an aggressive multidisci-
plinary project on micro air vehicle develop-
ment, to include the flight sciences (aerody-
namics, structures, and controls) and con-
stituent subjects such as efficient energy trans-
duction and storage. AFRL engineers are
combining wind/water tunnel testing, bench-
top testing, computations, and analysis to ex-
ploit unsteady aerodynamics for improved
flight performance and flight control. These
efforts will leverage the Air Force Office of
Scientific Research multidisciplinary research
on bio-inspired flight as well as the extensive
and multidisciplinary research now being per-
formed in the academic community. They in-
clude studies of bat flight, led by Brown Uni-
versity, and fundamental physics of flapping
wings, led by the University of Michigan.
Operational control units on flight projec-
tiles were tested at the wind tunnel of the
Army Armament Research, Development,
and Engineering Center (Picatinny Arsenal).
Full-scale models of various configurations
were tested at near-free-flight Reynolds num-
bers to validate performance. Testing resulted
in a working software fix being implemented
for a configuration that had failed during bal-
listic firing.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:21 AM
Atmospheric flight
mechanics
Boeing completed low-speed taxi tests on the
787 Dreamliner. These included evaluation of
the ground handling and braking system dur-
ing taxi speeds of up to 100 kt. The company
continues to address wing attachment struc-
tural issues before first flight, which is ex-
pected by year’s end. The latest variant in
Boeing’s largest aircraft, the 747-8, is sched-
uled to fly by early 2010. Design changes to
the wing and engine have improved fuel effi-
ciency, while the lengthened fuselage has in-
creased capacity by up to 51 seats.
Boeing is also continuing its successful X-
48B Blended Wing Body flight test program.
As of October 21, 70 flights designed to ex-
pand the flight envelope up to and beyond
stall and confirm the flight control software’s
capabilities, were successfully completed. The
Boeing X-48C, a low-noise variant of the X-
48B, completed a 300-hr test in the 30x60
wind tunnel facility at NASA Langley.
Currently under way are several efforts to
develop autonomous and augmented control
systems for general aviation aircraft. Hoh
Aeronautics and S-TEC have received a sup-
plemental type certificate for their stability
augmentation and autopilot unit, called Heli-
SAS, for the Robinson R44 helicopter. Flight
testing is in progress for Bell’s 206-B and 407
rotorcraft models.
For fixed-wing aircraft, Hawker Beech-
craft and Rockwell Collins Athena have com-
pleted initial flight testing of a fly-by-wire auto-
land system for the Beechcraft Bonanza. The
goal is to demonstrate adapting a UAV au-
topilot system to a manned aircraft to improve
flight safety.
Cessna has flown the first production, sin-
gle-engine model 162 Skycatcher, which is
manufactured in China. Development and
production continue despite two incidents with
prototype aircraft involving unrecoverable
spins. Cessna is reentering the primary train-
ing market with the aircraft, its first two-seat
design since 1985. Skycatcher complies with
the new LSA (light sport aircraft) category.
Roadable aircraft prototypes were an-
nounced and debuted, including Terrafugia’s
folding wing design and Maverick’s parachute
wing approach. Hybrid air-land vehicles face
conflicting design requirements and environ-
mental factors during the drive and flight
phases. Both these and other companies say
advancements in materials and systems enable
Page 9
a practical, dual-use
roadable aircraft.
Renewed interest
in dirigibles has led
one company to offer
Zeppelin tours over
San Francisco Bay and
the USAF to consider
it for a long-duration,
high-altitude mission.
The current design
uses a helium-filled hull
to provide buoyancy
and a solar panel array
for propulsion and sys- The IRVE has an inflatable
tem power. The USAF vehicle is expected to 10-ft-diam heat shield that
hover at 65,000 ft for 10 years providing per- generates sufficient drag to
enable controlled descent
sistent surveillance. through the atmosphere.
In an alternate approach to high-altitude (Photo by Sean Smith.)
persistent loiter, the 61-m-wingspan Solar Im-
pulse vehicle is being prepared for an initial
flight late this year. The large wingspan and
lightweight structure contribute to coupling
between the aerodynamic and structural
modes and offer unique handling qualities. An
autonomous option is planned for the aircraft,
which may compete with vehicles developed
for DARPA’s Vulture program.
Virgin Galactic conducted the inaugural
flight of WhiteKnightTwo, which will be used
to drop-test and eventually launch the com-
mercial space tourism vehicle SpaceShipTwo.
The spacecraft uses a morphing tail section to
reconfigure from a streamlined ascent geome-
try to a high-drag reentry shape.
The X-48C completed a 300-hr
test in the 30x60 wind tunnel
facility at NASA Langley.
(Photo by Bob Ferguson, Boeing.)
NASA Langley successfully tested the in-
flatable reentry vehicle experiment (IRVE),
whose inflatable 10-ft-diam heat shield gener-
ates sufficient drag to enable uncontrolled de-
scent through the atmosphere. Launched to
an altitude of 131 mi. using a Black Brant IX
rocket, the IRVE initiated inflation during de-
scent while passing through an altitude of 124
mi. This demonstrator’s success will lead to
larger, more advanced aeroshells designed to
withstand higher heat. Ultimately, a shield
may be used for safely landing larger payloads by Mujahid Abdulrahim
to higher surface elevations on Mars. and Dwayne F. Kimball
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 11
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
Fluorescence emanates from
a diode pumped alkali laser
experiment. (Courtesy Air Force
Research Laboratory.)
by Ron J. Litchford
and Timothy J. Madden
12 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/12/09 11:21 AM Page 10
Plasmadynamics and lasers
Development of electrodynamic heat shield
technology gained significant mo-
mentum this year, with some
groups now poised to un-
dertake pioneering flight
test experiments. The
basic idea is to pro-
ject magnetic fields
into the hypersonic
boundary layer sur-
rounding a reentry
vehicle and induce
strong magnetohy-
drodynamic interac-
tion effects to manipu-
late and control flow
structure. Potential hyper-
sonic flight applications include
active thermal protection systems,
guidance and flight path control for endoat-
mospheric maneuverability, and magnetohy-
drodynamic power extraction with in-flight en-
ergy storage and/or burst power utilization.
The basic technological concept was orig-
inally conceived in the 1950s as a potential
means of mitigating heat transfer to warhead
nose cones but was set aside following the
practical demonstration of ablative heat shield
materials. However, advancements in super-
conducting magnet and cryocooler technolo-
gies combined with a desire for enhanced ca-
pabilities have generated renewed interest in
the idea.
Detailed conceptual development has been
led primarily by the Institute of High Tempera-
tures in Russia. ESA, EADS Astrium Space
Transportation, and DLR have also invested in
experimental and theoretical research and re-
cently completed milestone demonstration ex-
periments in the L2K long-duration arc-heater
facility at DLR, with clear demonstration of
surface temperature reductions (16-44%) and
heat flux mitigation (46-85%).
The group’s current efforts focus on CFD
validation using high-accuracy experimental
data and flight test development. Flight tests
are necessary to cover the complete environ-
ment parameter space, which cannot be pre-
cisely simulated in ground-based facilities, and
to include the integrated effects of vehicle
flight dynamics. The suborbital flight test sce-
nario is based on submarine launch from the
Barents Sea using well-established Volna/
Volan hardware and infrastructure, with de-
scent phase test article deployment and land-
ing on the Kamchatka peninsula. Additional
flight test planning is under way at JAXA’s In-
stitute of Space and Astronautical Science,
with the aim of enhancing planetary aero-
braking capabilities.
This year has seen advances
on many fronts in high
power-laser technology
development. Empha-
sis is on developing
electrically powered
laser systems, includ-
ing bulk solid-state,
fiber lasers, and gas-
electric hybrid lasers.
Northrop Grumman,
under DOD’s Joint
High Power Solid-State
Laser program, demon-
strated a bulk solid laser with
106 kW of power, claiming the
record for the highest continuous wave
power produced by this type of laser. As part
of this demonstration, Northrop Grumman
also showed 19.3% electrical to optical con-
version efficiency with a beam quality of ap-
proximately 3.0. Similar in orientation to
DARPA’s High Energy Liquid Laser Area De-
fense System, these programs are pushing
bulk solid-state laser technology to higher
powers, better beam quality, and improved
specific power performance to enable place-
ment of these lasers on aircraft and mobile
ground platforms.
An alternative approach to bulk solid-state
laser technology that incorporates the cooling
function performed by the liquid into the gain
media involves optically pumping a gas with
diode sources to drive the lasing action. This
approach has the potential to combine the
beam quality and cooling advantages of gas
lasers with the compactness and logistics ad-
vantages of electrically powered solid-state de-
vices. Researchers at the Air Force Academy,
teamed with the Air Force Research Labora-
tory and General Atomics, made significant
demonstrations of increases in laser power in
laboratory devices with diode pumped alkali
lasers. While demonstrating increases in laser
power, a critical finding was a decrease in op-
tical input power to laser output power con-
version efficiency with increasing input optical
power, attributed to mounting losses to heat
release and kinetic quenching in the gas. With
this finding, it is clear that future development
of this technology will involve the application
of traditional aerospace technologies for con-
trolling heat release in a gas.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:21 AM Page 11

Thermophysics Plume heating is due to the roll control system.

Ares I-X is the test flight for the CLV (crew

launch vehicle) Ares I. Its first launch occurred
on October 28 from NASA Kennedy in sup-
port of NASA’s Constellation program. The
vehicle’s first stage includes a standard solid
rocket booster from the space shuttle pro-
gram. The upper stage and crew exploration
vehicle portions of the craft are simulators,
with a similar outer mold line to Ares I, but no
active propulsion or crewed area in the upper
stages. Thermal modeling was performed for
Ares I-X to show that the vehicle design is
thermally robust, and that all components and
materials survive the expected conditions. everything from testing in the Vehicle Assem-
Several integrated product teams have bly Building, rollout, and on-pad sequences
come together to develop the Ares I-X first (nominal as well as extended hold and abort),
stage, upper stage simulator, crew module/ through ascent and descent.
launch abort system, avionics, and roll control Complex timelines of the avionics startup
system. are captured during the on-pad sequence
The Ares I-X achieved roughly Mach 4 be-
fore the separation of the upper stage from
the first stage. Thus the amount of aerody-
namic heating is relatively minor on most of
the craft. The highest aerodynamic heating is
at the pointed nose, where there is a probe in-
stalled to capture airspeed and angle of attack.
This probe is manufactured from stainless A bow shock forms around the
steel to withstand the heating. Other high Ares I-X traveling at supersonic
heating on the vehicle is from the roll control speed. The rocket produces 2.96
million lb of thrust at liftoff and
system, which will fire during ascent to main- goes supersonic in 39 sec. Liftoff
tain the vehicle in the proper orientation. Be- occurred on October 28.
cause of the velocity, the plumes from these
roll control engines blow back along the vehi-
cle, producing locally high heating. Thermal
protection system materials are used in those
locations to protect the vehicle skin.
Another thermal challenge for Ares I-X is
to maintain the vehicle and avionics tempera-
tures while on the launch pad and during roll-
out; there is no active environmental control
system during rollout or for several hours be- cases, and full mapping of skin-temperature
fore launch. The vehicle is painted white to dependent aerodynamic heating on the vehi-
limit absorbed solar heat flux, and fans and cle skin is done during ascent and descent.
conductive thermal grease are used to main- This vehicle includes the largest vented air vol-
tain the avionics temperatures within limit. ume ever launched by NASA. The behavior of
The vehicle thermal model has been devel- that air, including venting on ascent, is also
oped with input from four NASA centers and captured in the model. The thermal modeling
three contractors. The full model includes all shows that all components and materials are
parts of the 350-ft, 2-million-lb vehicle and the expected to remain within their specified ther-
pad structures, as well as all physical effects, mal limits during all phases of the mission.
such as solar heat flux, radiation exchange Lessons learned on this program about
with ground, sky, vehicle components, and large thermal model integration, analysis of
pad, natural and forced convection, contact on-pad conditions, and application of aerody-
conduction, and avionics self-heating. Over 40 namic heating should prove useful to future by John A. Dec
cases are run within the model and include programs. and Ruth M. Amundsen

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 13

AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December
AEROSPACE SCIENCES
A view of Iridium 33 and
Cosmos 2251 shows orbits and
debris 180 min after the two
communications satellites
collided. (Credit: T.S. Kelso.)
by L. Alberto Cangahuala
14 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/12/09 11:21 AM Page 12
Astrodynamics
On February 10, Iridium 33—an operational
U.S. communications satellite in LEO—was
struck and destroyed by Cosmos 2251, a
long-defunct Russian communications satel-
lite. The debris fragments generated by this
event, and by earlier on-orbit breakups, explo-
sions, and use of antisatellite weapons, will be
a growing hazard to much of the LEO satellite
population for many decades to come. With a
great increase in the number of expected
close approaches, it is more important than
ever to have widespread participation in shar-
ing the highest fidelity orbit data in order to
improve predictions of possible collisions.
There was significant activity related to
flight dynamics at the Moon over the past
year. The Chinese Chang’e spacecraft and the
Japanese Selenological and Engineering Ex-
plorer spacecraft made planned impacts to
the lunar surface in March and June, respec-
tively. The Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-1
arrived at the Moon and delivered a lunar
probe in late 2008, and conducted science
operations until it fell silent at the end of Au-
gust. It was joined in orbit by the Lunar Re-
connaissance Orbiter (LRO) in late June.
Three spacecraft began low-energy transfers
from the Earth to the Moon in 2009: the Lu-
nar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite,
which observed the impact of its upper stage
and then impacted itself on October 9, and
the two outermost THEMIS/MIDEX probes,
renamed ARTEMIS, which will achieve lunar
orbit in 2011.
The National Academies put out a call for
white papers focusing on how understanding
of the solar system may be advanced in the fu-
ture. In response, many members of the as-
trodynamics community made strong contri-
butions to several papers, advocating research
in several related areas (for example, on-board
navigation autonomy).
In addition, the community submitted a
paper focused on astrodynamics research and
analysis. This paper made the case that, while
astrodynamics research has both enabled and
greatly expanded the capabilities of numerous
planetary science missions, including Dawn,
Cassini-Huygens, and MESSENGER, funding
for this research has been largely limited to
the development and operations phases of
missions. NASA funding for general research
and analysis in astrodynamics would uncover
new techniques before the formulation of new
mission concepts and could motivate new
classes of missions. These new techniques
would not only enhance all sizes of missions,
but would also expand the feasible set for new
mission concepts.
In the area of low-thrust dynamics, the
Dawn spacecraft performed the first flyby
of another planet (Mars) by a spacecraft
equipped with solar-electric propulsion. The
Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft began thrust-
ing again in the final leg of its journey back to
Earth and is due to arrive in June 2010. Back
on Earth, the European Gravity Field and
Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer
launched in March. It is using electric thrusters
as part of a compensation system for all non-
gravitational forces acting on the spacecraft,
leading to improved spatial resolution of the
Earth’s gravity field.
Finally, the Centre National d’Etudes Spa-
tiales hosted the Fourth Global Trajectory Op-
timization Competition. The objective of this
international astrodynamics design contest
was to design a rendezvous mission to a given
asteroid while visiting the largest number of
other asteroids along the way. The winning
team for this year was from Moscow State
University. A workshop presenting the meth-
ods and results from the competitors was held
in Toulouse in September.
AS-1209rev.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:21 AM
Aerodynamic
measurement technology
University of Florida researchers presented a
microelectromechanical systems-based capac-
itive wall shear stress sensor for turbulence
measurements. It consists of a tethered float-
ing element structure with comb fingers for
electromechanical transduction, and employs
silicon-micromachining techniques to develop
a metal-plated, differential capacitive floating-
element-based design. A shear-induced sensor
motion results in a proportional capacitance
change, measured as a voltage. A simple fab-
rication process with two lithography steps is
used, with deep reactive ion etching on a sili-
con insulator wafer. The sensor exhibits a lin-
ear sensitivity up to the testing limit of 1.1 Pa
and a bandwidth of 6.2 kHz. The device has
the largest dynamic range and lowest noise
floor of any MEMS shear stress sensor to date.
The unsteady pressure-sensitive paint
(PSP) technique developed by the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was
applied to visualize changes in pressure distri-
bution on a wing in flutter. Fast-response an-
odized-aluminum PSP was coated on a thin
aluminum half wing model for flutter measure-
ments. The model was illuminated by a high-
power blue laser diode, and its PSP lumines-
cence was measured by a CMOS high-speed
camera at 4,000 frames per second. Time-
series PSP results revealed a limit cycle oscil-
lation (LCO) in which unsteady pressure be-
havior was observed. Downward deformation
of the wing caused positive angle of attack at
the wing tip because of the swept-back angle,
so that lambda-shaped shock structure was
clearly observed. No shock waves were ob-
served in upward deformation cases where
the angle of attack induced by the deforma-
tion was negative. Continuous time-series re-
sults produced by the unsteady PSP technique
are helpful in understanding the unsteady be-
havior of the global pressure field, including
shock waves in the LCO phenomena.
JAXA and Tohoku University jointly de-
veloped an innovative technique to measure
the spanwise distribution of lift and drag on a
wing by stereo particle imaging velocimetry
(PIV). The 2D Poisson equation for pressure
is solved using PIV velocity data in a measure-
ment plane perpendicular to the freestream
direction, yielding the static pressure distribu-
tion. Using the wake integral method, span-
wise distributions of profile and induced drag
and lift are obtained based on the derived
Page 13
pressure data and the three-com- Monash University and the LML
ponent velocity data from the PIV. obtained instantaneous data from
3C-3D PIV. Structures in green
This technique was applied to wind tun- represent vortices identified
nel tests of a Japanese regional jet, the MRJ using a high value of the second
(Mitsubishi Regional Jet), to support the aero- invariant of the velocity gradient
dynamic design. The technique provides pro- tensor; the blue regions represent
low-speed streaks.
file and induced drag distributions, which can-
not be supplied by conventional balance
measurements. The profile drag and induced
drag and lift data generated by aerodynamic
components (winglets, high-lift devices, en-
gine nacelle, and so on) have proven useful in
aerodynamic design studies.
Researchers at the Laboratory for Turbu-
lence Research in Aerospace and Combustion
(LTRAC) at Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia, led by Julio Soria, and at the Labo-
ratory for Mechanics Lille (LML) at the Ecole
Central de Lille, France, led by Michel Stanis-
las, have undertaken the first 3C-3D (three-
Using stereo PIV, JAXA and
component three-dimensional) velocity vector Tohoku University obtained
field measurements using accelerated multi- three-component velocity
distribution around a regional
ple-line-of-sight SMART-based Tomo PIV (de- jet model. Lift and drag profiles
veloped at LTRAC) of a turbulent boundary were computed from the PIV data.
layer. The measurements produced instanta-
neous quantitative 3C-3D velocity vector field
measurements in the boundary layer, reveal-
ing vortices and other flow structures.
Researchers at Ohio State and Iowa State
universities developed a MHz-rate nitric oxide
planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging sys-
tem. The system was demonstrated in the 31-
in. Mach 10 wind tunnel at NASA Langley,
where it was used to study the time evolution
of the transition to turbulence in hypersonic
boundary layers. In a separate experiment,
Langley researchers have demonstrated non-
invasive measurement of 2D oblique-shock
strengths (that is, pressure change) with two
independent optical methods, Doppler global
by Thomas P. Jenkins
velocimetry and laser-induced thermal acous- and the Aerodynamic
tics, finding excellent agreement between the Measurement Technology
two approaches. Technical Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 15
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AIRCRAFT AND ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS
US Airways A320 struck a flock
of geese and was forced to ditch
in the Hudson River.
by Steven J. Landry,
Chris Nutter, Frank Frisbie,
and Dan Salvano
16 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:17 AM Page 2
Air transportation
The World Geodetic System (WGS) is the co-
ordinate system used by GPS. The current
version, WGS-84, was last updated in 2004.
To implement worldwide satellite-based com-
munications, navigation, and surveillance sys-
tems—a key early component of NextGen ini-
tiatives—it is critical that the worldwide air
traffic system be referenced to WGS. This
year an important milestone was reached as
Mexico converted to the WGS-84 standard. In
addition, in the U.S. the number of published
Wide-Area Augmentation System Category I
approach procedures (1,333) surpassed that
of the prior-generation ground-based ones.
On January 12, USA Today reported a
new record for aviation: It had been two years
since the last passenger fatality on a U.S. car-
rier. On January 15, a US Airways A320
struck a flock of geese and was forced to ditch
in the Hudson River. Fortunately, no lives
were lost. However, in February the string was
broken when 48 passengers were killed after
a Continental Connection flight crashed near
Buffalo, N.Y. In March, a FedEx MD-11
crashed at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. In June, an
Air France A330 was lost over the Atlantic.
Also in June, a Yeminia Airways A310 went
down in the Indian Ocean. In July, a Cas-pian
Airlines Tu154 crashed in Iran. And in Au-
gust, a highly publicized crash occurred over
the Hudson River between a sightseeing heli-
copter and a private plane.
Although not atypical from a statistical
standpoint, the accident rate worldwide for
this year did not decline, and the breadth of
the accidents—occurring over all regulatory
segments of aviation—has raised safety regula-
tors’ concerns.
With the economy on the downturn, air
travel has declined, reducing arrival delays but
also putting pressure on the industry. The im-
pact has not been uniform, with some indus-
tries (the business aircraft market) hit harder
than others (the UAV market), and with some
airports (Cincinnati, Hong Kong, Munich) hit
harder than others (Abu Dhabi, Charles De
Gaulle, San Francisco). According to the Air
Transport Association, passenger traffic in the
fourth quarter of the year was expected to be
12.5 billion passenger miles, down about 13%
from the fourth quarter of 2000 and about
equal to the 12.1 billion mi. flown in the fourth
quarter of 2001 after the downturn associated
with September 11.
Because of this drop, airlines are cutting
service, focusing more on those routes that
cater to business travelers, who tend to pay
higher fares. Even some of the low-fare air-
lines are impacted, like Southwest, whose rev-
enue is down by about 5% and whose sched-
ule for 2010 is slightly reduced.
Efforts to integrate UAVs into the air-
space system saw progress this year. In Eu-
rope, several projects continued, including the
ASTRAEA program, whose goal is to flight
test a UAV in nonsegregated airspace in
2012. The FAA has begun a simulation proj-
ect for investigating UAV operations in the
U.S. airspace system, and the Performance-
Based Rulemaking Committee has delivered
its recommendations concerning small UAVs.
Once regulatory barriers to flying UAVs are
reduced, the market for commercial applica-
tions of these aircraft is expected to explode,
as it has for military applications.
The En Route Automation Modernization
(ERAM) system, successor to the FAA’s Host
system, was installed this year in 20 U.S. air
route traffic control centers, and software test-
ing has begun. The FAA expects to make a
decision on full deployment by year’s end.
ERAM is considered a key technology plat-
form for a number of NextGen initiatives, in-
cluding network-centric operations, weather
integration, automated conflict resolution, and
strategic flow management.
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:17 AM Page 3

Aircraft design airplane that uses

32% less fuel for a B-
777 mission. Contin-
Three themes for 2009 are hypersonics, mili- uing studies include
tary aircraft, and green aircraft. replacing the tail sur-
In hypersonics, DARPA is developing the faces with thrust vec-
Vulcan engine, which is capable of accelerat- toring and circulation
ing a vehicle from rest to Mach 4+. Vulcan control.
consists of an integrated constant volume In military air-
combustion (CVC) engine, a pulsed detona- craft, Lockheed Mar-
tion engine, and a current-production high tin rolled out the
Mach turbine engine—a Mach 2+ turbojet. Navy F-35C. The
The turbine operates from rest to Mach 2; the Marines’ STOVL F-
CVC engine from Mach 2 to Mach 4+. Vul- 35B has been under- The Vulcan engine program, HTV-2, and scramjet
flight testing are enabling DARPA’s vision of
can will enable reusable hypersonic cruise ve- going expanded flight hypersonic aircraft.
hicles for ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and testing, with its first
reconnaissance), strike, and access to space. vertical landing com-
DARPA plans to fly the Falcon HTV-2 hy- pleted. The Air Force CTOL F-35A is under-
personic vehicle 4,000 n.mi. from the ground going propulsion and aerial refueling testing.
at Mach 15-20, validating hypersonic thermal The first joint training wing has been created.
management, guidance, navigation, and con- Boeing unveiled the Navy P-8 Poseidon
trol systems. DARPA also plans to fly Boe- maritime patrol aircraft, a modified B-737-
ing’s X-51A WaveRider on a 5-min Mach 6 800ERX. Northrop Grumman Navy’s E-2D
flight to demonstrate scramjet propulsion, ad- Advanced Hawkeye
vancing sustained-use scramjet technology. completed operational
In green aircraft, one important initiative is assessment and has en-
the hybrid wing body (HWB) configuration, tered low-rate produc-
suitable for military transports. NASA, the Air tion. Northrop Grum-
Force Research Lab (AFRL), and industry are man’s Navy X-47B
developing HWB aircraft that, relative to to- UCAV is preparing for
day, will have 40% reduced fuel burn, noise first flight, completing
levels 42 dB below Stage 4, and 75% reduced static and dynamic
NOx emissions. Boeing’s X-48B Blended proof load testing that
Wing Body is completing low-speed flight test- validated the design
ing to evaluate handling qualities and develop and structural integrity.
a flight control system. Various key HWB General Atomics
The fighter-sized Navy X-47B
technologies are being studied, including light- flew the Avenger, faster and stealthier than UAV can conduct long-range,
weight stitched composite structures for non- the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. Skunk high-endurance missions including
circular fuselage, hybrid laminar flow control Works unveiled an advanced replacement for ISR and precision strikes.
for reduced drag, boundary layer ingesting these vehicles. The stealthy UAV design uses
serpentine engine inlets, ultra-high-bypass en- a hybrid propulsion system comprising em-
gines such as AFRL’s ADVENT/HEETE/ bedded jet engines for high transit and dash
AD-HEETE engines, landing gear plasma fair- speeds and a turbodiesel driving a propeller
ings for noise control, low-emissions combus- located between V-tails for longer, lower
tors, and advanced flight controls. speed loiter. Used together, the engines can
To ensure introduction of HWB aircraft by push the UAV to higher altitudes. The F-22-
2020, NASA’s Integrated Systems Research sized fuselage can be fitted with mission-
Program will mature, integrate, and test these specific modular wings: a shorter wing for the
technologies at the systems level, through medium-altitude hunter/killer role and a
simulations, ground testing, and flight testing. longer wing for high-altitude, high-endurance
Truss-braced-wing aircraft for commercial ISR missions.
transports enable an increased wingspan and AeroVironment made a breakthrough in
thinner wing with less sweep, resulting in re- nanotechnology, demonstrating controlled
duced induced drag and natural laminar flow. hovering flight of DARPA’s flapping wing
Multidisciplinary optimization is used to deter- Nano Air Vehicle. They will next build a 10-g
mine the proper balance between aerodynam- hummingbird-like spy vehicle that can travel
ics and structures. A NASA-funded Virginia indoors and outdoors using its flapping by Dyna Benchergui
Tech/Georgia Tech study has resulted in an wings. and Charlie Svoboda

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 17

AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AIRCRAFT AND ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS
NASA furthered development
of the EDA (en route descent
advisor), used here in a
simulation at Ames.
by the AIAA Aircraft
Operations Technical
Committee
18 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:17 AM Page 4
Aircraft operations
Working closely with the FAA and airline in-
dustry partners, NASA continued its research
across multiple airspace and operational do-
mains to increase the capacity and efficiency
of the National Airspace System. To optimize
departure operations, new algorithms were
created to assign aircraft to available depar-
ture queues and to schedule runway departure
times. These algorithms took into account
wake-vortex separation criteria, departure fix
constraints, and aircraft prioritization. Com-
putational optimization showed improve-
ments in runway throughput when minimizing
total airport delay. Total airport delay in a Dal-
las-Fort Worth traffic study was reduced by up
to 30 min over a 15-min scheduling horizon
compared to traditional first-come first-served
algorithms.
To avoid airspace congestion en route,
and to provide an equitable distribution of any
required delay among airspace users, NASA
developed and tested a generalized approach
for evaluating the effectiveness of different
traffic flow management strategies at both the
regional and national levels. Using this ap-
proach, 85 6-hr fast-time simulation experi-
ments examined tradeoffs between alter-
native optimization schemes,
planning horizons, replan-
ning intervals, and con-
trol techniques. In the
absence of weather
constraints, these
studies showed that
scheduling alone
was the most effec-
tive strategy for alle-
viating congestion. In
the presence of en
route weather hazards,
however, tactical rerouting
was shown to be the preferred
strategy for avoiding sector overload.
In the arrival domain, NASA furthered its
development of the EDA (en route descent ad-
visor) to help air traffic controllers plan opera-
tions that maximize throughput while reduc-
ing fuel consumption and environmental
emissions. New algorithms and human inter-
faces were developed to provide controllers
with idle-thrust descent solutions that prevent
traffic conflicts while satisfying time-based me-
tering constraints. Working with the FAA,
Boeing, United Airlines, and Continental Air-
lines, NASA conducted human-in-the-loop
simulations of EDA and collected field data
during flight operations at the Denver Air
Route Traffic Control Center. For large air-
craft operating in en route airspace under
heavy traffic conditions, simulation results
showed reductions in fuel consumption and
carbon dioxide emissions of up to 500 lb and
1,500 lb per flight, respectively, with EDA.
Results also showed a reduction of over 70%
in controller-pilot communications due to
EDA’s ability to resolve complex arrival prob-
lems with a comprehensive trajectory solution
that can be issued as a single air traffic control
clearance.
For arrival traffic within terminal airspace,
NASA conducted high-fidelity simulations in-
vestigating the feasibility of conducting closely
spaced parallel approaches to three runways—
spaced as little as 750 ft apart—under instru-
ment meteorological conditions. Using flight
deck displays depicting aircraft locations and
wake hazard regions, pilots flew trajectories to
the runway in an echelon formation while
maintaining precise spacing with one another.
Off-nominal events such aircraft blunders and
wake encroachments were tested. In the event
of an emergency situation, pilots were given
aural and visual alerts and shown the breakout
trajectory needed on their navigation display.
The pilots successfully completed all
simulated approaches with no
safety violations and with
adequate levels of situ-
ational awareness.
The minimum sep-
aration recorded
over all simulated
flights was 2,400
ft, well above the
FAA separation
criterion of 500 ft
for such operations.
A Monte Carlo-
based optimization model
was developed for using the prob-
abilistic forecast of stratus clearing time at San
Francisco to achieve benefits in terms of more
efficient ground delay programs (GDPs) by
better determining GDP end time and scope.
Model results indicate reductions of 29% of
unnecessary issued ground delay and 39% of
unnecessarily delayed flights over the GDPs.
This corresponds to a $2.8-million savings
per stratus season. The FAA is now funding a
field evaluation of this model during the stra-
tus season in 2010 as a cross-organizational
effort by the FAA, NASA, Mosaic ATM, and
MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:17 AM
Balloon systems
This year brought progress in balloon design
and operational techniques. This included sig-
nificant successes in large balloon flights,
which will increase the usefulness of balloon
platforms for scientific and military users. The
popularity of small balloons is gaining mo-
mentum. Reductions in payload weight and
power requirements make it possible to carry
out significant science missions using very
small hand-launched balloon systems.
NASA’s 2009 flight program supported a
robust manifest of 16 NASA flights and one
technology demonstration. Activities included
conventional zero-pressure flights from Fort
Sumner, N.M., as well as long duration bal-
loon (LDB) missions and superpressure bal-
loon flights launched from McMurdo, Antarc-
tica, and Esrange, Sweden. The ANITA LDB
mission launched in Antarctica achieved its
best trajectory thus far for the needed dwell
time over the deep ice of the East Antarctic
Plateau. This extended dwell time is necessary
for achieving the science goal of detecting
neutrinos. The CREAM (cosmic ray energet-
ics and mass) mission achieved almost 20
days’ flight duration, thus providing over 120
days’ cumulative exposure toward the project
goal of 1,000 days of flight. The Sunrise in-
strument launched from Esrange achieved ob-
servations previously unparalleled. NASA re-
alized a 100% mission success for the year.
The record-setting flight of a NASA-devel-
oped superpressure pumpkin balloon was suc-
cessfully launched from McMurdo on Decem-
ber 28, 2008. This roughly 201,000-m3 test
balloon was the largest successful single-cell
superpressure balloon ever flown. The flight
lasted over 54 days, with the balloon flying at
a stable altitude of 33.8 km. In the seven-plus
weeks at float, it circled the Antarctic conti-
nent almost three times with an altitude varia-
tion of only about ±170 m, more than an or-
der of magnitude decrease in altitude variation
from standard zero-pressure balloons. A
roughly 420,000-m3 balloon was also test
flown for a short flight from Sweden in June.
A longer duration flight of the same size bal-
loon will take place late this year from Mc-
Murdo Station.
These superpressure balloons will ulti-
mately carry large scientific experiments to
the brink of space for 100 days or more, and
may enable a new era of high-altitude scien-
tific research. The superpressure balloon was
highlighted in the National Research Council's
Page 5
NASA’s 7-million-ft3 balloon,
at float altitude of 110,000 ft,
decadal survey, Astronomy and Astrophysics is 274 ft in diameter. The balloon
in the New Millennium, and will play an im- circled the Antarctic continent
portant role in providing inexpensive access for 54 days during December
2008-February 2009.
to the near-space environment for science Photo credit: Michael S. Smith,
and technology. Aerostar International.
A JPL-led team continued to mature the
planetary balloon technology required for a
future mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. Sev-
eral hours of autonomous flight were accumu-
lated on a low-altitude blimp test bed using the
techniques of waypoint navigation, trajectory
following, and image-based motion estima-
tion. The team also successfully conducted
proof-of-concept experiments to collect small
amounts of soil from a low-altitude aerobot us-
ing a tethered sample acquisition device. CFD
simulations yielded design metrics for double-
walled Montgolfiere, or hot air, balloons suit-
able for use in the cryogenic environment at
Titan. A full-scale, 9-m-diam, double-walled
prototype Titan Montgolfiere balloon was also
successfully floated during an indoor test using
a conventional propane burner heat source.
Aerostar International has developed small
balloon command and control systems that
will allow small university groups and other
users to conduct long-duration balloon flights
above 100,000 ft with a minimal logistics
footprint. The system includes two-way
telemetry, ad hoc networking capabilities, re-
dundant flight termination systems, and mis-
sion planning software. The systems have
been used successfully on university and mili-
tary demonstration flights. Future develop- by the AIAA Balloon
ments will include precise altitude control sys- Systems Technical
tems and satellite modem communications. Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 19
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AIRCRAFT AND ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS
F-35 STOVL variant BF-2 refuels
from a Marine KC 130 tanker,
using the Navy probe and drogue
system.
The Advanced Composite Cargo
Aircraft, based on the Dornier
328 with new composite fuse-
lage and tail, had its first flight
out of Palmdale. Modified by the
LM Skunk Works, the ACCA is
proving the advantages of
out-of-autoclave production
of large airframe components.
Photo: Lockheed Martin/Carla
Thomas NASA Dryden.
by David Brown
20 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:17 AM Page 6
Flight testing
First flying at the end of 2008, Scaled Com-
posites’ White Knight Two will carry Space-
Ship Two to altitude before its launch into
space. Initial changes to the WK2 control sys-
tem, which is unpowered, included modifica-
tions to the rudder aero balances and the ad-
dition of vortex generators to the vertical tails.
Initial flights expanded the flight envelope to
140 kt and 18,000 ft. Further flights checked
pressurization and the electronic control sys-
tem, and altitude was increased to 52,000 ft.
WK2 is now being prepared for initial carriage
of SpaceShip Two.
The much-delayed first flight of Boeing
787 ZA 001 had been on track, aiming to fly
at the end of June, and the aircraft had com-
pleted initial taxi and braking tests when the
flight test program was delayed to embody
modifications to the wing-fuselage joint area
after tests on the static rig revealed delamina-
tion of the composite stringers. Following in-
corporation of fixes, first flight is planned for
the last quarter of this year.
The Boeing 747-8 freighter completed
power-on checks in August and is expected to
enter flight test during the last quarter. A fleet
of three aircraft will be used in the test pro-
gram. With a lengthened fuselage, a new wing
with raked wingtips, and GEnx engines (al-
ready flown on the GE 747-100 test bed), the
-8 will be a quieter, more efficient aircraft.
Several Lockheed Martin F-35s are now
in flight test. BF-1 will test initial STOVL flight
operations, short takeoffs, hovers, and verti-
cal landings. Hover pit testing involved an-
choring the aircraft to a metal grate 14 ft
above a sloped concrete floor, eliminating
ground effects and so simulating free flight.
The specially instrumented hover pit in Fort
Worth was used in March. Sensors measured
thrust and aircraft response to pilot inputs, in
addition to testing all the STOVL systems, and
to vector engine thrust. These tests confirmed
that the vertical thrust of 41,100 lb was avail-
able. Critical performance parameters were
measured. Results corresponded well with the
computer models for STOVL operations and
will lead to the in-flight transitions to STOVL
mode and the first vertical landing in the last
quarter of the year. However, an engine blade
design problem caused the aircraft to be
grounded until this fall.
BF-2, the second STOVL aircraft, first
flew on February 25. Initial flights were in
conventional mode, to be followed by STOVL
flights. On August 14, the first air refueling us-
ing the Navy probe and drogue system was
carried out with a KC-130 tanker. BF-2 will
also cover flutter envelope expansion, high-
angle-of-attack testing, performance and pro-
pulsion testing, and weapons and radar-signa-
ture testing. This aircraft will be deployed to
NAS Patuxent River, Md., later in the year.
BF-4, due to fly this year after an exten-
sive series of ground tests, is a STOVL variant
with full avionics, including the Northrop
Grumman AN/APG-81 active electronically
scanned array radar, electrooptical distributed
aperture system, and integrated communica-
tions, navigation, and identification suite, and
the BAe Systems electronic warfare system.
CF-1, the first F-35B for the USN, will
also fly late this year.
The advanced ballistic laser aircraft YAL-
1A, a modified 747-400, has been flying out
of Edwards AFB and on August 20 fired its
high-energy laser in flight. Further beam con-
trol and tracking tests will be completed be-
fore it fires at increasingly challenging targets,
culminating in the shoot-down of a boosting
ICBM.
Lockheed Martin flew the Advanced
Composite Cargo Aircraft in June. Based on
a Dornier 328, the vehicle features a new
composite fuselage, tail ramp, and tail. The
out-of-autoclave large composite structure
used for the fuselage promises to reduce pro-
duction costs drastically.
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:18 AM
General aviation
Following a slight decline in 2008, general
aviation shipments dropped dramatically in
the first half of this year. Overall, the number
was down 46% over the same period last
year, with only 1,037 aircraft delivered. Total
billings also dropped for the first time in over
a decade to 77% of last year’s record first-half
figure of almost $12 billion.
Hardest hit was the piston market, down
58% from the high of 1,034 aircraft in the
first half of 2008. Also, for the first time in
several years, business jet shipments dropped
by 38%. This trend was anticipated both from
the budget cuts of many industries and from
the bad press recently given to the use of busi-
ness aircraft, perceived by many as perks
strictly for executives.
The very light jet (VLJ) boom ended with
the bankruptcy of Eclipse, considered the
leader in this market. The Embraer Phenom
100 was certificated in late 2008 and began
deliveries this year, and the Cessna Citation
Mustang continues its deliveries. With gross
weight close to 10,000 lb, however, these air-
planes are not true VLJs, falling more into the
category of light jet. The Piper Jet, a single-
engine VLJ, continues in development. Both
Cirrus and Diamond are actively working to-
ward certification of their single-engine jets,
but consider them personal jets, designed as
step-up models from their piston lines.
Production of larger business jets has
been cut back, and Cessna suspended work
on the Columbus, its largest jet ever. As a re-
sult of this move and other cuts, Cessna laid
off almost 8,000 people. However, the com-
pany still remains the largest producer of gen-
eral aviation aircraft, both piston and jet, with
321 delivered in the first half of the year. In
July, Cessna announced the ASTM (American
Society for Testing and Materials) approval of
the Model 162 SkyCatcher, its entry into the
light sport aircraft (LSA) category, and ex-
pects deliveries before the end of the year.
Aimed primarily at the training market, this
aircraft is expected to boost both Cessna sales
and the LSA market overall.
Although a relatively small segment of
general aviation, LSA seems to be the one
bright spot in this market. With 70 companies
now producing such aircraft, new models con-
tinue to be introduced. Current U.S. registra-
tions of light sport airplanes now total over
1,600, up about 400 from last year. Many Eu-
ropean manufacturers have modified their lat-
Page 7
est models to appeal to
American taste, with fea-
tures such as toe brakes,
modern panels, and
leather interiors.
The prototype for the
Terrafugia Transition, a
roadable LSA, flew for the
first time in March. The
ICON A5, one of the more
impressive LSA amphib- Tecnam this year introduced to
ians being developed, completed the first se- the U.S. market the P2006T
light twin with economical
ries of flight tests this year. CubCrafters intro-
100-hp Rotax engines.
duced its Super Sport-Cub, boasting 180 hp
from its ECI O-340 engine. This airplane has
tremendous performance for an LSA, while
still meeting the 1,320-lb gross weight limit.
The production version of the Cessna 162 SkyCatcher was
unveiled in July after receiving LSA certification, and
deliveries are expected late this year.
A unique airplane introduced to the U.S.
market this year by the Italian manufacturer
Tecnam, a leading producer of LSA, is the
P2006T. This impressive twin high-wing uses
two of the lightweight 100-hp Rotax 912 en-
gines that are so popular in LSA. With feath-
ering constant-speed props and retractable
gear, ample single-engine performance, and
a fuel consumption of under 10 gph total,
this aircraft should be a boon to multiengine
training.
Following Cessna, Cirrus was the second
largest producer of general aviation aircraft,
with 121, all pistons. Bombardier/Learjet was
the second largest deliverer of jets, at 104,
and Diamond shipped 88 aircraft, the third
highest number of pistons. Although these
numbers show some reasonable activity, over-
all, the first half of this year was pretty disap-
pointing for general aviation. by Hubert C.“Skip” Smith
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 21
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:18 AM Page 8
AIRCRAFT AND ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEMS
V/STOL
UH-60 IBC testing in the Ames subsonic wind tunnel was successfully completed in
March. (Photo by Dominic Hart.)
This year brought progress in areas across the
spectrum of high-technology V/STOL pro-
grams, from the F-35B STOVL (short take-
off/vertical landing) Joint Strike Fighter to
Sikorsky’s X-2 coaxial twin rotor technology
demonstrator to V-22 tilt-rotor overseas de-
ployment to DARPA-funded full-scale wind
tunnel research on individual blade control.
The F-35B is in final preparations for ver-
tical landing. On September 4, the first Lock-
heed Martin F-35B Lightning II STOVL vari-
ant, known as BF-1, began a final series of
flights at the company’s Fort Worth plant be-
fore its scheduled transfer to the primary
STOVL test site at Naval Air Station Patuxent
River, Md. There, the test team will intensify
STOVL-mode flight operations—short take-
offs, slow landings, and hovers—until BF-1 ex-
ecutes a full vertical landing later this fall. BF-
2 is scheduled to arrive at Patuxent River in
December, shortly after BF-1. These aircraft
will be followed by BF-3, and the first avion-
ics-equipped F-35, BF-4.
In April, BF-1 demonstrated during testing
that it produces excess vertical thrust—more
than is required for carrying out its missions.
“The performance level measured was ab-
solutely exceptional,” says J.D. McFarlan,
Lockheed Martin F-35 air vehicle lead. “We
by E.R. Wood demonstrated 41,100 lb of vertical thrust
22 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
against our requirement of 40,550 lb.”
In January Bell Boeing was awarded
Phase I of a two-phase joint performance-
based logistics contract from Naval Air Sys-
tems Command. The $581-million contract
provides integrated logistics support for both
the Marine Corps MV-22 and Air Force CV-
22 over a five-year period.
The Air Force declared initial operational
capability for its CV-22 aircraft in March. By
the end of the summer, Air Force Special Op-
erations Command had deployed CV-22s
from its 8th Special Operations Squadron to
Iraq for the aircraft’s first operational deploy-
ment in support of a combatant commander.
April marked the end of an 18-month Iraq
deployment for 12 MV-22 Ospreys. The V-
22 fleet now has more than 60,000 flight
hours. Plans are to ramp up annual V-22 pro-
duction from 19 aircraft this year to 28 in
2010, and then to 36 in 2011 and beyond.
The X2 completed low-speed flight testing
at the Schweizer facility in Horsehead, N.Y.
Further flight testing was transferred to Sikor-
sky’s flight test development center in West
Palm Beach, Fla. There, tests were resumed
and, by the middle of October, Sikorsky’s X2
technology demonstrator had achieved a max-
imum speed of 106 kt. Phase III flight testing
was then to begin and the active vibration
control system was to be made operational.
To date, the aircraft has been flown in both
helicopter and auxiliary propulsion mode. The
pusher propeller has shown that it can pro-
vide the benefits of level flight acceleration
and deceleration. Flight testing will continue
until the aircraft reaches the maximum speed
achievable, currently calculated to be 250 kt.
On March 5, the UH-60A individual blade
control (IBC) test team successfully concluded
all testing in the NASA Ames 40x80-ft wind
tunnel. This wind tunnel test program is a col-
laborative effort of NASA, the Army, Sikorsky
Aircraft, and ZF Luftfahrttechnik GmbH to
demonstrate the benefits of IBC for a UH-60
rotor. (IBC is an active rotor concept providing
independent control of blade root pitch.) All
major test objectives were met, allowing for
the evaluation of IBC effects on power, noise,
vibration, loads, and flight characteristics.
During a four-week joint NASA/Army ex-
periment in July, flight dynamics and control
requirements for large rotorcraft were investi-
gated at NASA Ames in the facility’s Vertical
Motion Simulator. The purpose of the study
was to define response bandwidth and damp-
ing requirements in pitch, roll, and yaw in
hover for a large rotorcraft.
AT-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:18 AM
Lighter-than-air systems
Development of unmanned airships and
aerostats continues to dominate the lighter-
than-air field in terms of funding and ad-
vanced technology. Projects focus on the mil-
itary requirements of intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance. These requirements have
forced the development of very lightweight
materials for airship and payload structure.
They have also led to finding novel ways of in-
corporating payload and structure to combine
their functions, as in DARPA’s ISIS project.
High altitudes will be used to achieve wide ar-
eas of coverage. In April DARPA awarded
Lockheed Martin a $400-million contract to
proceed with Phase 3, which includes design
and construction of a one-third-scale demon-
strator airship slated to fly in 2012.
Lockheed Martin plans to fly its long-en-
durance demonstrator, HALE-D, in 2010.
Designed to fly for two weeks in the strato-
sphere while carrying a 50-lb payload, the
craft is a scaled version of the High Altitude
Airship, sponsored by the Army Space and
Missiles Command. The Army also an-
nounced its interest in rapidly acquiring a
long-endurance multipayload vehicle with a
2,500-lb package of sensors while on station
at 20,000-ft altitude.
Raytheon and TCOM, contractors for the
Army’s JLENS (joint land attack cruise missile
defense elevated netted sensor) project, have
completed a $1.4-billion contract to develop a
superior airborne sensing system. TCOM pro-
vides the 74-m, 650,000-ft3 tethered aerostats
to lift 7,000-lb radars to an altitude of 10,000
ft. Two aerostats are required for each operat-
ing system, one carrying a surveillance radar
and the other a fire control radar. The system
can detect missiles over the horizon 340 mi.
away flying at low altitude. Sixteen aerostats
equipped with the Raytheon radars are on or-
der. TCOM also has delivered 147 17-m tacti-
cal aerostats for the Army’s RAID program for
force protection.
The Polar 400 airship from Guardian
Flight Systems (formerly Blackwater Airships)
has demonstrated improved broad area per-
sistent surveillance carrying a megapixel com-
pound focal plane camera. The demonstration
was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary
of Defense, Advanced Systems and Concepts.
Sanswire-TAO has acquired the first en-
velope for its STS-111 multisegmented non-
rigid airship. A lightweight efficient engine has
been modified to operate the patented Fuel-
Page 9
The 71M Aerostat Test Balloon
is prepared for liftoff from the
Gas design for the midaltitude STS-111 au- Aerostat Test Bed at McGregor
Range, N.M.
tonomous airship.
Hybrid Air Vehicles in the U.K. is flight
testing its HAV3 scale demonstrator. Test re-
sults will be applied to the design of full-scale
20-200-ton payload aircraft.
In July Boeing and Skyhook International
reached a configuration freeze milestone on
the heavy-lift airship, establishing the aircraft’s
overall performance and layout. These in-
clude an added three-piece tail, integration of
lifting and thrusting propulsion systems, and
improved aerodynamics on the craft, which
combines helicopter and airship components. American Blimp has delivered
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik delivered its two A170s this year for display
NT-07 number 4 airship to Airship Ventures in advertising.
California in October 2008. Passenger sight-
seeing flights take place at Moffett Field near
San Francisco and at various local airports.
Longer excursions are flown to Monterey and
Los Angeles. Zeppelin’s passenger flights also
continue to be popular in Germany. A fifth
NT-07 airship is under construction.
American Blimp, through its subsidiary
The Lightship Group, has delivered A170 air-
ships to the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore,
Ala., and to Beijing Advertising in China.
Both airships are equipped with 70x30-ft
LED video screens.
The 21st Century Airships team in On-
tario has developed a 231-ft airship designed
for flight at midaltitude (15,000-20,000 ft).
The craft is controlled by three vectoring pro-
pellers and designed for manned and un-
manned flight. by Norman Mayer
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 23
ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:57 AM Page 2
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Economics
Factors that affected the broader aerospace
industry’s economic perspectives this year
ranged from the economic downturn and the
changes influenced by government fiscal real-
ities, to support for current space applications
and the promise of future opportunities.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
The proposed FY10 DOD budget
reflected a shift away from complex,
costly, and technologically “exquisite”
platforms toward solutions that are
more attainable given schedule,
budget, and risk constraints.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
The economic situation has created chal-
lenges across the industry, with aviation par-
ticularly affected. Despite lower jet fuel costs,
which averaged less than half of the 2008
peak cost of $4 per gallon, the commercial
aviation sector has been hurt. The Interna-
tional Air Transport Association is forecasting
that the global commercial aviation industry,
driven by declining traffic and pricing, will ex-
perience a 15% decline in revenues and $9
billion in losses this year. Aviation manufac-
turers also experienced significant impacts.
General aviation airplane shipments fell by
46% during the first half of the year, accord-
ing to the General Aviation Manufacturers As-
sociation. Substantial layoffs resulted, with
United Technologies, Boeing, and Cessna an-
nouncing layoffs of almost 30,000 workers.
The space industry was not immune to
the effects of the financial crisis, with Sea
Launch (launch services) and ICO North
America (mobile satellite services) filing for
bankruptcy because of their inability to obtain
needed financing.
Even defense markets reflected the gov-
ernment’s new fiscal realities and its need to
achieve more with less. The signing of the
Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act
into law marked renewed efforts to eliminate
waste and inefficiency in defense acquisition
by Marilee Wheaton by limiting cost overruns, strengthening over-
and Scott Isara sight and accountability, fostering competi-
24 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
tion, and reducing conflicts of interest. The
proposed FY10 DOD budget reflected a shift
away from complex, costly, and technologi-
cally “exquisite” platforms toward solutions
that are more attainable given schedule, bud-
get, and risk constraints.
Consistent with this perspective, the $26-
billion Transformational Satellite program was
canceled in favor of building two additional
Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satel-
lites, and production of the F-22 Raptor was
capped in favor of accelerated development
and increased purchases of the F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter. In addition, support for un-
manned vehicles, particularly UAVs, contin-
ued to grow, with proposed spending of $5.4
billion for this year, an increase of over 18%
from 2008.
In spite of the difficult economic environ-
ment, space applications saw continued prog-
ress. Use of GPS is expanding, largely driven
by the strong growth of GPS-enabled mobile
phones, predicted to reach almost 80 million
shipments this year. In capital markets, a
number of companies across the space ser-
vices industry were able to obtain substantial
financing, including $1 billion for Dish Net-
work, $738 million for Globalstar, and $526
million for Sirius XM. The commercial re-
mote sensing industry also took strides for-
ward with DigitalGlobe’s successful IPO,
GeoEye’s launch of the world’s highest com-
mercial resolution imaging satellite, and the
start of operations for RapidEye’s innovative
five-satellite constellation.
The future for space continues to be
promising, as evidenced by the entrepreneur-
ial opportunities being pursued. The privately
funded SpaceX achieved its first successful
commercial flight, placing the Malaysian
RazakSat satellite into orbit, while an Abu
Dhabi group invested $280 million in the
space tourism company Virgin Galactic. One
example of innovative government/commer-
cial partnerships was Intelsat’s agreement to
host an Australian military UHF payload on its
commercial Intelsat-22 satellite. Another was
the formation of U.S. Space LLC, which will
capitalize on defense market bandwidth short-
ages by building and operating privately
owned communications satellites to be leased
only to military customers.
As a year of economic uncertainty and ex-
citement comes to an end, the resilience and
creativity that have taken the aerospace in-
dustry through previous periods of difficulty
appear likely to lead it again to a brighter
future.
ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:58 AM Page 3

History hundred years after Galileo presented his in-

vention, which he used to discover Jupiter’s
moons, the Hubble Space Telescope received
This year marks the centennial of the birth of its final servicing, and on July 23 its lens
the aerospace industry. Today we can look turned to Jupiter, recording sharp images of
back 100 years to its beginning in 1909, the aftermath of a surface impact by a comet
when the Wright brothers set up the Wright or asteroid.
Company, to today, when exciting develop-
ments range from a new generation of com-
mercial airplanes to sophisticated space ex-
ploration activities. In 1909 it would have
been hard to project where the aerospace in-
dustry would be a century later.
In May of 1909 the Wrights were hailed as
heroes upon their triumphant return from
demonstration flights made the previous year
in Europe and at Fort Myer, Va. On October
4, 1909, Wilbur Wright made a 20-mi. flight
up the Hudson River and back in view of a mil-
lion people. Now, 100 years later, over three
million passengers a day travel in airplanes.
On July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot crossed
the English Channel, flying from Calais to
Dover in 37 min in a Blériot XI Monoplane.
The event had implications that would prove
devastating during the two world wars: Britain
was now vulnerable to air attack. Neverthe-
less, the flight was hailed as one of aviation’s
early triumphs. On July 27 of this year, to
commemorate the flight’s hundredth anniver-
sary, Frenchman Edmond Salis flew a restored
Blériot XI across the channel.
Another celebration that took place this
year was the 40th anniversary of the Apollo
11 landing. At a widely publicized event mark-
ing this achievement, Apollo 11 astronauts
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael
Collins were reunited, and each was awarded
a Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Lunar Reconnais-
On the eve of the 40th anniversary
sance Orbiter began its mission to map the lu- of Apollo 11’s Moon landing,crew-
nar surface with high-resolution cameras and Fifty years ago, the Mercury Seven—the members (from left) Michael
return pictures from the Apollo landing sites. first astronaut group—were selected to great Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz
Many museums and work sites around the fanfare. Meanwhile, the X-15 began early Aldrin gathered at the National
Air and Space Museum. Photo
country also celebrated the 1969 landing. A flight testing, with pilot Scott Crossfield at the Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
40th anniversary documentary film, Moon controls. The contrast between the two meth-
Beat, won the 2009 Special Jury Remi Award ods of early access to the edge of space is a
at the 42nd Annual WorldFest-Houston Inter- subject of continuing discussion.
national Film Festival. In addition, NASA an- This year AIAA sponsored the transcrip-
nounced the availability of remastered footage tion of three important oral histories, those of
of the initial TV broadcasts of the landing. Sam Iacobellis of North American-Rockwell;
This year is also the 400th anniversary of Jack Duffendack, who worked at Lockheed
Galileo’s introduction of the telescope. On from 1937 to 1977 and became its chief en-
August 25, 1609, Galileo gave a demonstra- gineer; and Les Jonkey, also of Lockheed
tion of his new optical device to several (1937-1984), where he was head of manufac-
prominent Venetian officials. The event was turing engineering for the Skunk Works.
celebrated by a PBS special, 400 Years of the These histories should be available to AIAA
Telescope, sponsored by Ball Aerospace. Four members in the near future. by Scott Eberhardt

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 25

ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:58 AM Page 4
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Multidisciplinary design
optimization
Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO)
synergistically considers the interests of multi-
ple, often competing, disciplines in the opti-
mal design of parts, products, and systems.
Advances in MDO span industry, government,
and academia—with a variety of emphases.
The University of Michigan’s Optimal De-
sign Lab extended the analytical target cas-
cading methodology for solving nonhierarchi-
cal problems and conducting reliability target
allocation (with Eindhoven University of Tech-
nology), and developed methods for market
simulation-based vehicle design. The lab also
investigated the impact of novel vehicle archi-
tectures on occupant safety and sustainability,
and derived relationships between coupling
and controllability in codesign problems.
Virginia Tech, Wright State Uni-
versity, and the Air Force Research
Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB
have teamed to form a collaborative
center on future aerospace vehicles.
The goal of the Virginia Tech-based
center is to improve aerospace vehicle
design methods. The center will specifi-
cally investigate multidisciplinary analysis
and design of several futuristic
The swift is one of
nature’s models for aircraft such as the joined-
morphing wings, a wing sensor craft, flapping
design challenge micro air vehicles, and super-
for MDO.
sonic long-range strike aircraft.
MIT researchers are developing MDO-
based methods for conceptual design of
supersonic and subsonic aircraft. This
includes a multifidelity optimization ap-
proach that achieves provable conver-
gence to a high-fidelity optimum
without requiring derivative in-
formation, a multifidelity geome-
try framework that permits
consistent representation of
evolving designs for MDO across design
phases, and an approach for including more
detailed controller design in the conceptual
design process.
At the University of Oklahoma, an exergy
destruction minimization approach has been
used for drag optimization of aircraft using air-
frame and operational variables. The develop-
ment of a large multilevel, multifidelity, multi-
objective MDO framework also continues.
The Aerospace Structures group at Delft
University of Technology is collaborating with
by Christopher A. Mattson aircraft manufacturers Airbus and EADS and
26 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
with the German Aerospace Institute DLR to
develop fast aeroelastic analysis and design
tools. These tools will be used for topology de-
sign, internal structure layout, and composite
skin design of fixed and rotary wings, and
wind turbine blades.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Caterpillar developed
a methodology to efficiently perform stress-
based topology optimization. The method al-
lows engineers to design mechanical compo-
nents via topology optimization by having
stress as a criterion instead of stiffness, thus
reducing stress concentrations.
The University of Bath has been develop-
ing efficient structural optimization capabili-
ties such as topology optimization in a con-
tinuum with uncertainties. They are also col-
laborating with Airbus and QinetiQ in design
and analysis capabilities for bistable compos-
ites with actuations as a concept mechanism
for morphing wings.
The Integrated Design Automation Labo-
ratory at Northwestern University has devel-
oped a multiscale design methodology for de-
signing multiscale engineering systems. Their
focus is on the design of hierarchical material
and product systems with the consideration of
random field uncertainty that propagates
across multiple length scales. Related research
at Brigham Young University has focused on
characterizing a mapping between manufac-
turing process, geometric design, and material
microstructure spaces to facilitate multiscale
MDO.
Penn State and the Applied Research Lab
continue to investigate the benefits of data vi-
sualization and visual steering tools that sup-
port decision-making. Recent findings demon-
strate that novice users—when properly
trained to work with higher dimensional visu-
alization tools—perform significantly better
than users without training and yield results
comparable to those of expert users.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo-
SUNY are studying the convergence charac-
teristics of multidisciplinary design process ar-
chitectures and have developed accurate
analytical predictions for certain classes of
process architectures.
Iowa State has developed a segmentation
algorithm to assist in tumor diagnosis and sur-
gical planning. The algorithm uses adaptive
fuzzy rules to extract tumor tissues from
healthy tissues in CT scans, and using virtual
reality, the segmented tumors can be viewed
in context with the original patient data to im-
prove decision-making.
ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:58 AM
Management
Whenever we enter a new era it is important
to consider where we have been, what factors
have been important, and where we want to
be. In the past, management—like other areas
of industry—was divided up and specialized.
Today it is entering an exciting new era that
has almost unlimited potential and is more
complex than ever.
Traditionally, management has the right
stuff in the right place at the right time. In to-
day’s globalized, hypercompetitive world,
where knowledge is transmitted literally at the
speed of light, this can be difficult to accom-
plish. Uncertainty abounds. What is the right
stuff—the right people, equipment, capital,
and other assets? Where is the right place—
not just geographically, but economically,
technically, environmentally, even socially?
When is the right time? The answers are es-
pecially important in the aerospace industry,
where risk is great, costs are high, and failure
can be devastating.
Today many complex issues seem to com-
plement and contradict. For example, many
believe aerospace (particularly its defense
component) is simply outdated. On the other
hand, some say it is simply in the downturn of
a cycle. Others point to politicians’ lack of en-
gagement on aerospace topics during our last
election and conclude that the populace does
not view aerospace as relevant to the health
of our nation. Yet the role of aerospace is as
important today as it has ever been. However,
unlike the changes in industries where con-
sumers impatiently wait for new product fea-
tures, changes in aerospace are not always
apparent. For example, people fly on air-
planes but do not “see” the new materials that
make air travel more viable and economical.
This is similarly true for defense.
The ability to take so much for granted
creates a real conundrum in discussing what
the role of this industry should be. Equally im-
portant is how aerospace fits in with and sup-
ports other industries. So, how should man-
agement meet the requirements of today’s
aerospace industry?
What is the right stuff? Because of out-
sourcing, the right stuff includes continuous
access to information, goods, and services,
many of which are produced in newly indus-
trialized countries, or NICs. Today, NICs pro-
vide most of the world’s industrial base and
have a growing presence in the technological
base. So the right stuff becomes sufficient re-
Page 5
sources (including energy), technology (includ-
ing knowledge, skills, and abilities), and de-
fense (protection) for an increasing number of
countries, including NICs.
Where is the right place? The drive to
lower costs has extended industrialized coun-
tries’ interests literally around the world. Not
every developing country will be industrial-
ized. However, for the acquisition or trans-
port of resources, for protection, or for other
reasons, the interests of NICs are frequently
tied to countries with which no apparent tie
to industrialized countries exists. The right
place becomes a world in which the flow of
information, goods, and services continues
uninterrupted.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
What is the purpose of expending
resources to develop new technologies
if they cannot be implemented because nuts
and bolts are lacking? What will it mean if
stopping development of fighter jet aircraft
ultimately reduces the defense of countries
we depend on, to the point where we cannot
obtain critical goods and services?
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
When is the right time? The answer is, all
the time. To ensure the continuous flow of in-
formation, goods, and services today, sustain-
able development around the world is vital.
What is the purpose of expending resources
to develop new technologies if they cannot be
implemented because nuts and bolts are lack-
ing? What will it mean if stopping develop-
ment of fighter jet aircraft ultimately reduces
the defense of countries we depend on, to the
point where we cannot obtain critical goods
and services?
Managing sustainable development re-
quires broadening the scope of deliberations
well beyond the boundaries of the past. To-
day, having the right stuff at the right time and
place will require a “holistic” approach in
which aerospace plays many roles. Corre-
spondingly, an expanded and more compre-
hensive approach by management will be
needed in order to fulfill the aerospace indus-
try’s requirements. by Marvine Hamner
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 27
ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:58 AM Page 6
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Systems engineering
In recent years, defense and aerospace pro-
grams have placed growing emphasis on sys-
tems engineering as a distinct technical disci-
pline. As a result, there has also been greater
emphasis on education and training in the
subject. In a Purdue University lecture, former
NASA administrator Michael Griffin proposed
that “systems engineering is a holistic, inte-
grative discipline, wherein the contributions of
structural engineers, electrical engineers,
mechanism designers, power engineers, and
many, many more disciplines are weighted
and considered and balanced, one against an-
other, to produce a coherent whole that is not
dominated by the view from the perspective of
a single discipline.”
The premise that a systems engineer func-
tions in a unique discipline, interacting with
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
“Systems engineering is a holistic, integrative
discipline, wherein the contributions of structural
engineers, electrical engineers, mechanism
designers, power engineers, and many, many
more disciplines are weighted and considered
and balanced, one against another, to produce
a coherent whole that is not dominated by the
view from the perspective of a single discipline.”
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
and relying on discipline-specific engineers,
has possibly led to increasing numbers of uni-
versities offering undergraduate degrees in this
area. This raises the question of how a student
can learn a multidisciplinary engineering ap-
proach to problem solving without the benefit
of a strong background in a single discipline.
For this reason, general opinion, supported
by publications, is not in favor of undergradu-
ate degrees in systems engineering.
To fill the growing number of systems en-
gineering positions made available in part
through the much-publicized aging of the
workforce, a number of universities now offer
undergraduate degrees in this field. These de-
grees have varied titles and are situated under
various departments within the universities.
by Michelle Bailey Brief scrutiny of some of the undergraduate
28 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
systems engineering curricula indicates simi-
larity to general engineering degrees that sim-
ply offer a broad but shallow engineering pro-
gram of study.
Other programs offer studies in engineer-
ing economy and scheduling that complement
work experience, yet still do not focus on the
problem-solving needs that so many systems
engineers face at work. The programmatic
side of systems engineering is easily over-
looked, and while a balance between perfor-
mance, cost, and schedule is a critical aspect
of a systems engineer’s job, isolated courses in
those subjects may not give a student sufficient
background to achieve that balance. Also, a
study of risk management, which by its nature
quantifies technical risk in terms of cost and
schedule impacts, could be of benefit to sys-
tems engineering curricula.
Several other publications have noted that
about five years after graduation, engineers
typically face a choice of continuing in their
discipline or migrating to a systems integra-
tion job. Employers typically aid the transition
to a systems career path with in-house train-
ing. There are many workplace opportunities
to receive training in systems engineering
once formal education has been completed.
Corporate universities offer various training
opportunities in systems engineering, natu-
rally focusing on the specifics of the organiza-
tions they serve. Traditional universities also
offer short-term certificate programs in sys-
tems engineering.
In addition, graduate degree programs
have long been offered in systems engineer-
ing, with the degree names varying widely
and the major focus being integration of tradi-
tional disciplines. The previously mentioned
lack of integrated programmatic problem-
solving course material still seems to exist at
the graduate level.
Every systems engineer operates in a
unique program development structure. Each
program faces integration challenges specific
to its system. In program failure studies, much
blame is placed on lack of adherence to rec-
ommended systems engineering practices.
However, those practices are nearly always
subject to tailoring or modification. Such
change, although warranted, does leave a lack
of structure to impart to systems engineering
students. In the future, systems engineering
competency will require a variety of funda-
mentals provided by traditional education,
combined with program-specific training to
grow the knowledge base for the community
as a whole.
ET-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/19/09 10:58 AM
Society and aerospace
technology
This spring, an interesting social experiment
began in space when the ISS attained its first
six-person international crew, the largest crew
ever to live in space together for a long period
of time. While there have been larger crews
on space shuttle missions, these only last a
couple of weeks, and ISS tours of duty can last
up to six months.
Arriving in March aboard a Soyuz space-
craft were two of the crewmembers, Russian
Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA
physician Michael Barratt. Japan’s first full-
time crewmember, Koichi Wakata, also ar-
rived in March, on the shuttle Discovery. In
May, the three were joined by Russia’s Roman
Romanenko, Frank De Winne, who repre-
sents ESA’s 11 member countries, and Cana-
dian Space Agency shuttle veteran Robert
Thirsk. For the first time, all five space agen-
cies building the station were represented by a
full-time crewmember.
Until now, three-person crews have spent
large amounts of time building and maintain-
ing the station. One of the main reasons for
having a larger crew on the international lab is
to increase the number of hours devoted to
science experiments from 20 to 70 hr a week.
In addition to increasing the science return,
having a larger crew is a tremendous social ex-
periment. The Russians and Americans, who
have been rotating crews aboard the station
since 2000, have now been joined by a team
representing different cultures.
In talking about some of the challenges,
the crew have compared it to having in-laws
visiting for the holidays, except the crew is liv-
ing in a space about the size of a jumbo jet
and sharing limited bathrooms, food prepara-
tion areas, and sleeping quarters that are lo-
cated in various modules throughout the ISS.
As they live and work together in space,
the crewmembers themselves are performing
an important set of social experiments, includ-
ing a formal one called Interactions, which
records the crew’s feelings and examines the
influences of culture on their stay in space.
This experiment has been running since the
station’s early days. Investigators also collect
anonymous data from ground control person-
nel for comparison with the data collected
from crewmembers on orbit.
In addition to the station’s assigned crew,
spacefarers from around the world will be vis-
iting the ISS, temporarily bumping up crew
Page 7
ISS Expedition 20 crewmembers
share a meal in the station’s
Unity node with visiting space
sizes to as high as 13. This will be a test for shuttle Discovery crewmembers.
recently installed sophisticated life support sys- While the two craft were docked
tems. These space travelers will be arriving on during STS-128, 13 people lived
vehicles launched from Russia and the U.S., on the ISS (NASA photo).
but cargo also will arrive on new transport ve-
hicles designed by Europe and Japan. The ISS
has become the first global port for space-
ships, involving the hardware needed for
spacefaring societies and people—the “soft”
ware at the heart of human exploration. This
reality is the focal point of astrosociological re-
search and clearly points to the need for col-
laboration between the natural/physical sci- ISS Expedition 20 crewmembers
from Canada, Europe, Russia,
ences and the social sciences. and the U.S. monitored the
Perhaps most important, a space crew unpiloted Japanese H-II transfer
now reflects, for the first time, the global na- vehicle (HTV) in its first approach
ture of our world. Eventually the international to the ISS. Once the HTV was in
range, they used the station’s
crews will staff the station for up to six Canadian robotic arm to grab
months, simulating the time periods for longer the cargo craft and attach it to
space journeys. The international partners the ISS Harmony node, built by
the U.S. (NASA photo).
have indicated they
would like to con-
tinue ISS opera-
tions until 2020,
enabling hundreds
of astronauts from
around the world
to staff and visit
the global outpost.
Since interna-
tional cooperation
will more than likely
make longer space
missions possible,
the crews and their
social interactions
may well involve the
most important area of research, one that helps
pave the way for explorations and settlements by Tracy McMahan
farther away from Earth. and Jim Pass
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 29
IL-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MIT developed an iPhone inter-
face for controlling small UAVs.
by the AIAA Intelligent
Systems Technical
Committee
30 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:30 AM Page 2
Intelligent systems
This was a year of substantive advances for in-
telligent systems. MIT’s Humans and Automa-
tion Lab developed an iPhone interface for
controlling small autonomous helicopters in
indoor/outdoor urban settings. MAV-VUE
(micro air vehicle visualization of unexplored
environments) supports a map display, real-
time camera imagery with panning capability,
health and status monitoring, and novel vehi-
cle control capabilities. Operators with no
specialized training use a touch-enabled dis-
play to command an unmanned small heli-
copter through high-level, goal-based way-
points or fine-grained “nudge” gestures
leveraging built-in accelerometers.
Researchers in the Vehicle Systems and
Control Laboratory at Texas A&M developed
an approach for synthesizing adaptive learn-
ing flight control laws for morphing air vehi-
cles. They demonstrated the ability to learn
the shape-changing policy for an air vehicle
with up to 14 independent controllable shape-
changing degrees of freedom using a Q-
Learning approach with an adaptive action
grid and coupling it with structured adaptive
model inversion control. Accurate trajectory
tracking and stability were achieved while
morphing during aggressive maneuvering.
The approach is being extended to real-time
learning and flight control.
Researchers at Penn State developed the
Cognitive Robotics System (CRS) to study the
use of a computational psychology method for
control of unmanned vehicles. CRS uses a
Soar cognitive architecture agent to navigate
to a target while avoiding different types of ob-
stacles. CRS realized when simple approaches
to avoiding complex obstacles were not work-
ing, and employed a more complicated ap-
proach to avoid more challenging obstacles.
CRS can be expanded with more software
systems, additional perceptual capabilities,
and more sophisticated agents.
In another effort to use psychological prin-
ciples to control robotic systems, the Army
Research Laboratory developed a Symbolic
and Sub-Symbolic Robotics Intelligence Con-
trol System (SS-RICS). The system’s major
thrust has been the integration of knowledge
representation and organization theories
within the field of cognitive psychology. SS-
RICS is a hybrid cognitive system; its contin-
uum of knowledge is intended to represent
the complete spectrum of cognition.
NASA’s Ares I rocket program has several
intelligent systems components. The Ares I-X
ground diagnostic prototype (GDP) monitored
the first-stage thrust vector control and associ-
ated ground hydraulics in the Vehicle Assem-
bly Building and on the launch pad. GDP
combines the TEAMS diagnostic tool from
Qualtech Systems, the inductive monitoring
system (IMS) anomaly detection tool from
NASA Ames, and the SHINE rule-based ex-
pert system from the Jet Propulsion Lab.
GDP was deployed to Kennedy Space Center,
where it received live data from the rocket and
ground hydraulics. IMS’ model-based reason-
ing, machine learning, and data mining tech-
niques are also used to establish a baseline,
then monitor and report abnormal behavior
on F/A-18 jet engines and on the space sta-
tion’s control moment gyros and external
thermal control.
Finally, JPL is using dynamic landmarking
for change detection to autonomously detect
transient surface features from orbit, such as
dust devil tracks or dark slope streaks on Mars.
The approach operates on visually salient
landmarks, not pixel-based change detection,
to provide a sparse, semantic representation
of image content. Automated methods were
developed to identify landmarks, classify them
using a machine learning classifier, then
match landmarks between images using graph
matching algorithms. New or vanished land-
marks appear as unmatched items on images
from the Mars orbiter camera on Mars Global
Surveyor and the thermal emission imaging
system on the Mars Odyssey orbiter.
IL-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:30 AM Page 3

Digital avionics B Out reports from other aircraft as well as

ADS-R and TIS-B uplinks from the ADS-B
ground stations. This allows a flight crew to be
As the FAA moves toward the Next Genera- aware of other traffic. ADS-B In was not in-
tion Air Transportation System (NextGen), it cluded in the original NPRM. The responses
has defined a transformational program to the NPRM have suggested that a strategy
known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance- for incorporating ADS-B In should be defined.
Broadcast (ADS-B). ADS-B Out is easier to install than ADS-B
ADS-B is the NextGen surveillance tech- In. For Out, aircraft only need a Mode-S ex-
nology that allows aircraft and air traffic man- tended squitter or UAT radio; there are no sig-
agement to know the location of each partici- nificant modifications to the flight deck instru-
pating aircraft. Instead of relying completely
on ground-based primary and secondary sur-
veillance radar (SSR) systems to track aircraft,
NextGen will rely on each aircraft to broad-
cast its GPS position periodically.
The FAA Surveillance and Broadcast Serv-
ices Program Office is the organization re-
sponsible for the ADS-B program. ITT is the
ADS-B prime contractor that is performing
system installation and will be responsible for
system operation. ITT is scheduled to have
nationwide ADS-B service ready by 2013.
The FAA has mandated two different
datalinks for ADS-B. Air carrier and larger
general aviation aircraft are already equipped
with a 1,030-MHz uplink/1,090-MHz down-
link datalink. Smaller general aviation aircraft
are more likely to be equipped with the uni-
versal access transceiver (UAT) that operates
at 978 MHz. Since there are two datalinks,
the ADS-B ground system incorporates ADS-
R (ADS-B Rebroadcast), which rebroadcasts
the transmission on the other datalink.
Nonparticipating aircraft, those that are
not equipped with ADS-B, will still be tracked
with primary radar and SSR. The position in- This ADS-B ground station is
located in southern Florida.
formation for nonparticipants is provided to (Photo courtesy ITT.)
ADS-B-equipped aircraft through Traffic In- mentation. For In installation, the flight deck
formation Services (TIS) to ensure that the air- needs a cockpit display of traffic information
craft have a complete picture of other traffic. capability, a user interface, and optional inter-
TIS-B data will be uplinked through the ADS- faces to display weather information.
B datalinks. In late 2008, the ADS-B ground system
Aircraft equipage has been separated into was installed and tested in Miami and southern
two different capabilities: ADS-B Out and In. Florida. This year installations were completed
ADS-B Out capability requires that an aircraft in Louisville, Philadelphia, Juneau, and the
be equipped for broadcasting its GPS position Gulf of Mexico. The gulf installation includes
once a second. With ADS-B Out-equipped air- 16 total ground stations that will provide the
craft broadcasting their position, the air traffic initial operational capability (IOC). These sta-
control system can start relying on ADS-B tions are fairly evenly split between nine land-
rather than radar for surveillance. A notice of based sites located around the coast of the
proposed rule making (NPRM) issued in 2007 gulf, and seven oil-platform installations. All of
mandated the use of ADS-B Out by 2020. these stations were operational at the end of
Responses to the NPRM were collected in September 2009 in preparation for a Decem-
2008, and publication of a final rule is ex- ber IOC. Sometime after IOC, an additional
by James Rankin,
pected in 2010. five oil platform installations will be added to
Chris Watkins, and the
ADS-B In enables aircraft to receive traffic increase the overall availability of the system in AIAA Digital Avionics
and weather information. It can listen to ADS- the gulf. Technical Committee

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 31

IL-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A University of Colorado-led
team deployed an Aerosonde
A-20 UAV at McMurdo Station,
Antarctica, collecting data on
weather conditions and ice
coverage.
by Michael J. Martin,
Wei-Jen Su, and
Stephen Horowitz
32 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:30 AM Page 4
Sensor systems
The challenges in designing sensor systems
for aerospace applications are complex. The
sensor must demonstrate accuracy and relia-
bility, and must be integrated into both the
sensor system and the overall vehicle architec-
ture. As vehicles move into more demanding
environments, the sensors themselves must
become more robust. Recent developments in
sensors for military, scientific, and commercial
applications show the variety of challenges
that must be met. The rewards include greater
safety, better vehicle performance, and previ-
ously unobtainable scientific data.
Helicopters operating away from paved
fields are vulnerable to brownout, a loss of vis-
ibility during takeoff or landing due to dirt or
sand kicked up by the vehicle. Sikorsky is
leading the development of the Sandblaster
System. This DARPA-funded effort integrates
Sierra Nevada’s millimeter-wave radar, Hon-
eywell’s data processors and synthetic vision
technology, and Sikorsky’s flight control sys-
tems to allow safe rotorcraft operation under
these conditions. A similar system developed
by CAE uses laser radar for sensing.
Deploying sensors on UAVs, removing the
human presence entirely, is a second option
for improved safety. While military UAV ap-
plications have become routine, the applica-
tion of UAVs to other tasks also enhances
safety. Using UAVs to take scientific measure-
ments in the harsh polar environment offers
better data, with less risk to humans, than us-
ing conventional aircraft. NOAA-university
partnerships led to progress in both polar re-
gions this year. In May and June, for example,
researchers from NOAA’s National Marine
Mammal Laboratory, working with the Uni-
versity of Alaska’s Unmanned Aircraft Pro-
gram, demonstrated the shipboard use of an
Insight A-20 UAV to survey seal populations
in the Bering Sea. In September, researchers
from the University of Colorado’s Coopera-
tive Institute for Research in Environmental
Sciences flew an Aerosonde UAV in the
Antarctic winter. In spite of temperatures be-
low -35 C, the UAV successfully measured lo-
cal weather conditions and ice coverage in
Terra Nova Bay.
Monitoring of ocean conditions in temper-
ate environments is useful for both climate
modeling and routine weather prediction. The
Flying Fish UAV, under development by a
DARPA-funded team at the University of
Michigan, is designed to supplement existing
buoys with an autonomous air vehicle capable
of repositioning itself as needed. Unlike con-
ventional UAV sensor systems, the avionics
sensors are combined with the environmental
sensor suite. The integrated sensor package
offers greater reliability and lower power con-
sumption than conventional arrangements.
An area that presents sensor systems with
another set of challenges is vehicle health
monitoring. Sensor systems designed to mon-
itor propulsion systems must function in envi-
ronments of extreme temperatures, high vi-
bration loads, and corrosive chemicals. At the
low-temperature extreme, Accellent Tech-
nologies is developing sensor systems to de-
tect structural failures in the cryogenic fuel
systems of liquid propellant rocket engines
during operation. At higher temperatures, a
team at NASA Glenn demonstrated the use
of magnetic measurements of tip clearance
for the compressor and turbine stages of
combustion turbines.
Adapting existing sensors for the space
environment requires that the design be re-
evaluated for the extreme conditions. Lab-on-
a-chip microdevices, developed for terrestrial
medical diagnostics, offer the capability to
search for life in extraterrestrial environments.
JPL, NASA Ames, and the University of Cali-
fornia at Berkeley are partners in developing
the Urey instrument for ESA’s 2016 ExoMars
mission. Urey includes two microfabricated in-
struments: the Mars oxidant instrument and
the microcapillary electrophoresis instrument.
The Mars oxidant instrument uses chemically
sensitive solid-state films to detect oxidants.
The microcapillary electrophoresis instrument
not only detects amino acids, but also deter-
mines the chirality, indicating if they have a bi-
ological origin. Technical challenges include
development of materials for the spacecraft
environment, packaging, and ensuring system
reliability.
IL-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:30 AM
Computer systems
This year saw several notable developments in
radiation-hardened electronics, designed to
operate through the harsh radiation environ-
ment of space. Broad Reach Engineering an-
nounced BRE440, a PowerPC 440 imple-
mentation using the 0.15µ Honeywell HX-
5000 semiconductor technology. BRE440
raises the bar for rad-hard computing through
an on-chip L2 cache and enhanced memory
access features.
Just as personal computers bolster their
central processing units (CPUs) with auxiliary
devices such as graphics processing units,
more space systems are finding it essential to
enhance their CPUs (such as the BRE440 and
the Rad 750) with powerful coprocessors.
Custom integrated circuits have often fulfilled
this need, but more systems are moving to re-
configurable FPGAs (field-programmable gate
arrays) for this purpose.
The Air Force TacSat 3 satellite, launched
earlier this year, used an array of Xilinx Virtex
4 devices to handle number-crunching tasks
for a hyperspectral imager camera. Although
such FPGAs were not specifically designed for
use in space, under a separate Air Force Re-
search Laboratory program an even more ad-
vanced FPGA, based on the Xilinx Virtex 5
(FX130), was created in rad-hard form. At
nearly 1 billion transistors, the prototype chips
produced this year represent the most com-
plex rad-hard chip ever developed.
Computers without memory are useless.
Fortunately, this year brought other break-
throughs in rad-hard memory. BAE an-
nounced a 4-Mbit rad-hard nonvolatile mem-
ory, based on a (chalcogenide) phase change
material. TI debuted a 16-Mbit SRAM, based
on a radiation-hardening technique (patented
by Silicon Space Technology) that allows ex-
isting commercial fabrication lines to build
rad-hard chips. This breakthrough is particu-
larly exciting because it may make TI’s vast
catalog of intellectual property accessible in
rad-hard form.
Not only will this year be remembered as
one of global struggle with the economic
downturn, but also as one of startling
changes in acquisition. It was the year the be-
leaguered $20-billion TSAT (transformational
satellite) program was formally canceled. The
fate of some of NASA’s most significant ini-
tiatives remains murky. It was also a year
when (at the time of this writing) the pur-
chases of Wind River Systems by Intel and
Page 5
Sun Microsystems by Oracle seem likely to
happen, raising concerns over the impacts to
VxWorks and the Java programming lan-
guage, respectively, used in a variety of aero-
space computing systems.
We make note that this year the first inter-
planetary Internet site was established aboard
ISS, and the new high-water mark in
supercomputing is now 2,793
TFLOPS (about one-
tenth a “human
brain equiv-
TacSat 3, launched earlier this
year, features this on-board
processor.
alent” or HBE), thanks to the Berkeley BO-
INC system. Some still groan at hearing “se-
mantic web,” despite Microsoft’s hilarious tel-
evision ads for their revamped Bing search
(no, decision) engine. Cloud computing to
some may be the answer (what became of
“grid computing”?), but some of us are not
sure about the question.
We should not, however, remain despon-
dent, when the future holds so much promise.
Intel now believes that Moore’s Law can truck
on to at least 2022, with chips having transis-
tors with 4-nm features. TSVs (through-silicon
vias) are now ushering in the possibility of 3D
integrated circuits with more than 1 M con-
tacts/cm2 interconnecting stacked chips. Cof-
fee-cup-sized plug-and-play “designer” Cube-
sats may crowd the skies (although the
unprecedented collision of an Iridium and
Russian satellite stresses the need to manage
the clutter in space). Finally, DARPA and the
Air Force Office of Scientific Research have
each launched initiatives in the ultimate com-
putation fabric—programmable matter—in
which the line between information and mate-
rial may itself become blurred in a “Termina-
tor-2”-like future of morphable systems. by Jim Lyke
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 33
IL-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
by Stephen Blanchette Jr.
In November 2008, Airbus an-
nounced that its A400M would
be delayed by problems with the
software for the full-authority
digital engine control unit.
Then, in May, a software error
was noted in some multimode
GPS receivers, which might
throw off flight deck clocks.
34 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:30 AM Page 6
Software systems
Security and privacy issues in aerospace soft-
ware systems took center stage this year.
Other problems and achievements demon-
strated that software is as important as any
other element of aerospace systems and must
receive commensurate attention to ensure
success.
Perhaps the biggest story in aerospace
software came in April, when it was reported
that unknown persons had hacked into the
Air Force’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program
and stolen terabytes of information. Rather
than U.S. government computers, it was JSF
prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s network
that was attacked. The compromised informa-
tion was not critical, and no classified data was
accessed. Nevertheless, the event highlighted
the increasing threat of cyber attacks. The
threat is to civil systems as well: In May, the
inspector general of the DOT cited vulnerabil-
ities in the air traffic control system.
Another widely reported security incident
occurred late in 2008, when a software worm
infiltrated an Army network. Worms are com-
puter programs that replicate themselves
across a network to perform malicious ac-
tions. In this incident, the worm was intro-
duced via a thumb drive, prompting the Army,
followed shortly by the entire Dept. of De-
fense, to ban the use of all removable media.
NASA issued restrictions on personally owned
devices a few weeks later. The extent of any
damage was not clear.
Frequently cited in these reports are inad-
equate safeguards for networked systems and
inadequate controls on commercially devel-
oped software products. As aerospace sys-
tems increasingly rely on software for their de-
velopment and operations, software security
issues must be placed on a par with aerody-
namics and other traditional aerospace con-
cerns. The robustness of products, services,
and operations depends on doing so.
Meanwhile, lost in the noise of high-profile
security news came a September 2008 report
of new software technology being developed
at JPL to identify individuals by applying gait
analysis techniques to satellite imagery of their
shadows. The premise is that a person’s nor-
mal walking patterns are difficult to fake.
Shadows are used because direct imagery
records only the tops of people’s heads.
While much more development is needed
to make the concept operationally useful, pri-
vacy advocates undoubtedly will raise con-
cerns that will have to be addressed—recall the
outcry over early use of public video surveil-
lance. The aerospace software community
must consider its ethical responsibilities in ap-
plying recognition technologies.
Problems in aerospace software ranged
from significant to annoying. In November
2008, Airbus announced that its A400M mil-
itary airlifter would be delayed nearly six addi-
tional months by problems with the software
for the full-authority digital engine control unit.
In May of this year, the European Aviation
Safety Agency noted a software error in some
multimode GPS receivers from one manufac-
turer. This error caused the units to compute a
date 512 weeks in the past upon transitioning
from June 20 to 21. While no errors in navi-
gation precision resulted, the bug had the po-
tential to throw off flight deck clocks and
cause other anomalies.
On a more positive note, data from various
Mars probes were incorporated into the
Google Earth application in February, provid-
ing scientists and lay users a unified view of the
red planet. Moon content from Apollo mis-
sions was added in July to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the Moon landing. While scien-
tific data sharing is important in its own right,
these advances doubtless will inspire a new
generation to all manner of aerospace careers,
and may even stimulate public interest in, and
support for, continued manned spaceflight.
 Inspire | Challenge | Enable
The AIAA Foundation is a nonprofit, and classroom grants, we seek to inspire the

tax-exempt educational organization next generation with a passion for science

founded in 1996. Through scholarships, and engineering. Aided by donations large

student conferences, design competitions, and small, we invest in the future.

For more information or

to make a tax-deductable donation
visit www.aiaafoundation.org
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
A nuclear rocket could deliver
the crew to the orbiting Mars
Transfer Vehicle prior to Earth
departure.
by Bryan Palaszewski
and the AIAA Nuclear and
Future Flight Propulsion
Technical Committee
36 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
9:57 AM Page 2
Nuclear and future flight
propulsion
Atmospheric mining in the outer solar system
was investigated as a means of fuel production
for high-energy propulsion and power. A nu-
clear fusion fuel, Helium 3 (3He), can be
wrested from the atmospheres of Uranus and
Neptune and used in situ for energy produc-
tion and/or propulsion.
Five teams from the Case Western Reserve
University Dept. of Mechanical and Aero-
space Engineering participated with NASA
Glenn Research Center in the study. Four
teams addressed cruiser-based and balloon-
based 3He mining vehicles, and one focused
on 3He mining on an outer planet moon.
Team 1 created a conceptual 3He mining
cruiser for Uranus. An inertial-electrostatic
confinement (IEC) nuclear fusion reactor was
used for propulsion, operating as an air-
breathing engine during subsonic cruise in the
atmosphere and operating on stored liquid hy-
drogen as propellant during ascent to orbit.
The overall vehicle dry mass was approxi-
mately 40,000 kg. The mass was estimated
based on past designs and estimates of the
IEC engine from Robert Bussard’s research.
The overall mission delta-V to climb from the
low mining altitude to the 5,000-km altitude
was 16.23 km/sec. The engine specific im-
pulse was approximately 6,000 sec. The min-
ing time was 28.3 days.
In NASA’s recently completed Mars DRA
(design reference architecture) 5.0, payload
and transportation system options for a hu-
man Mars mission after 2030 were exam-
ined. Recent work detailed the analysis of a
nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) that will reduce
the number of Ares V heavy-lift launchers.
The NTR was selected over chemical propul-
sion for in-space transportation because of its
higher specific impulse, increased tolerance
to payload growth, and lower initial mass in
LEO, which is important for reducing the
number of heavy lifters.
All three NTR vehicles use a common core
propulsion module with three 25,000-lb-thrust
“composite fuel” NERVA (nuclear engine for
rocket vehicle applications) -derived engines to
perform all primary mission maneuvers.
NERVA-derived engine features include an exit
temperature of roughly 2,700 K, chamber
pressure of about 1,000 psia, specific impulse
of around 900 sec, and engine thrust-to-
weight ratio of about 3.43.) Two
cargo flights, using minimum en-
ergy paths, deliver a cargo lander
to the surface and a habitat lander
into a 24-hr elliptical parking or-
bit where it remains until the ar-
rival of the crew during the next
mission opportunity (about 26
months later). The cargo ele-
ments aerocapture into Mars orbit
and are enclosed within a large
triconic aeroshell, which is a pay-
load shroud during launch, then
an aerobrake and heat shield dur-
ing Mars orbit capture and in en-
try, descent, and landing on Mars.
The gasdynamic mirror (GDM)
is a magnetic device where fusion plasmas are
heated to ignition by the reaction products re-
sulting from the “at-rest” annihilation of an-
tiprotons in uranium 238. Unlike terrestrial fu-
sion power systems, where large Q values
(ratio of fusion power to injected power) are
required, only modest Q values are needed for
spaceflight. Recent work at the University of
Michigan focused on a bimodal fusion propul-
sion system in which Q values near unity are
used and the GDM serves as a neutron source.
Fusion reactions are neutron rich but energy
poor, while fission reactions are energy rich
but neutron poor. This fact led to a system in
which the GDM device serves as a fast neutron
source surrounded by a blanket of thorium
232, which is used to breed uranium 233 and
simultaneously burned to produce energy.
For a reasonable blanket size and deuter-
ium-tritium plasma density, size, and temper-
ature, the hybrid system can produce tens of
gigawatts of thermal power per centimeter.
When heating hydrogen fuel, a 7-m-long en-
gine can generate a specific impulse of about
59,000 sec at a thrust of about 8 MN at a
fuel flow rate of about 130 kg/sec.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:57 AM Page 3

The X-51A SED-WR is poised to

High-speed air-breathing demonstrate the first-ever
sustained flight beyond Mach 6
propulsion of a hydrocarbon-fueled and
-cooled air-breathing engine.

In the area of ramjet/scramjet powered flight,

the X-51A scramjet engine demonstrator
WaveRider (SED-WR) is poised to demon-
strate later this year the first-ever sustained
flight beyond Mach 6 of a hydrocarbon-fueled
and -cooled air-breathing engine. The SED-
WR program team consists of Boeing and
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR). The ef- is helping the nation master the fundamental
fort is funded by the Air Force Research Lab- physics required for routine air-breathing-
oratory (AFRL) and DARPA. propulsion-powered aerospace vehicle flight.
Also under Air Force funding, Alliant Tech- The TBCC technology development element
systems (ATK) successfully completed testing has progressed significantly, where turbine-to-
for a new class of ramjet propulsion systems scramjet transition is being studied. The initial
that will enable high-speed strike systems and small-scale mode transition study showed high
UAVs to travel at Mach 5+. The most recent performance for both flow paths during the
tests involved flight-weight, fuel-cooled TTRJ transition process. NASA Glenn is leading the
(thermally throated ramjet) technology built design and development of a large-scale
with conventional materials and manufacturing model capable of accommodating both the
processes, and burning readily available JP-10 turbine engine and the dual-mode scramjet en-
jet fuel. ATK ran the fuel-cooled hardware gine. This model is being developed in part-
through multiple 2-min-long test periods to nership with AFRL, ATK, Boeing, Williams
demonstrate full thermal equilibrium, thus en- International, and Spiritech. The large-scale
suring required engine durability and accumu- inlet mode transition experimental module
lating more than 44 min of hot operating time. has completed the design phase and is being
In the area of combined cycle engines, readied for initial test entry into Glenn’s
PWR successfully demonstrated the full range 10x10 supersonic wind tunnel facility.
of power required for a turbine-based com-
bined-cycle (TBCC) vehicle. The PWR-9221FJ
dual-mode ramjet (DMRJ) successfully sus-
tained stable combustion at Mach 3, 4, and 6
in ground tests. Testing was conducted at
Arnold Engineering Development Center after
a 10-year effort to upgrade a high-speed, high-
temperature blow-down ground test facility.
“This test was significant,” says Matthew
Bond, test manager of AEDC’s Aerodynamic
and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU). “The Mach-
6 run on June 24 was the first-ever scramjet
propulsion test at AEDC. It was an actual test
of the DARPA Falcon combined-cycle engine
technology [FaCET] dual-mode ramjet using
APTU’s recently acquired combustion air
heater, Mach-6 nozzle, and JP-7 fuel heater.”
Building on the success of the FaCET The first-ever scramjet propulsion
test at AEDC took place when the
DMRJ tests, PWR and Lockheed Martin are In March, JAXA and Hokkaido University DARPA FaCET was tested in the
working together under Phase 1 of the mode conducted flight tests of a rocket-based com- center’s Aerodynamic and
transition demonstrator program, a DARPA- bined-cycle (RBCC) engine, using a cascaded Propulsion Test Unit. (USAF
photo.)
funded activity. This new program will include multistage impinging jet-type hybrid rocket.
both the low-speed (turbine) and high-speed The RBCC is being studied for an air-breath-
(DMRJ) elements of the TBCC propulsion ing launch vehicle. The flight test data will be
system and will demonstrate the transition be- used for evaluating the ejector system design
tween the two modes of operation. code. In July, JAXA also succeeded in the
At NASA, the hypersonic propulsion ele- ground firing of a precooled turbo-engine
ment of the fundamental aeronautics program model being studied for Mach-5 cruise flight. by Tom Kaemming

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 37

PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
In Japan, the LE-8 LOX/natural
gas rocket demonstrated its
flight feasibility in tests this
summer.
The MR-80 Ares roll control engine
undergoes testing at Aerojet.
by the AIAA Liquid
Propulsion Technical
Committee
38 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
9:57 AM Page 4
Liquid propulsion
It was a good year for liquid propulsion. Al-
though a liquid rocket engine on the Long
March 3B failed in August, the U.S., the Eu-
ropean Union, and Japan had stellar liquid en-
gine performance and made technology
progress on many fronts.
A Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
TR408 100-lbf oxygen/methane thruster
demonstrated pulsed and steady-state per-
formance using a heat exchanger chamber at
extreme propellant conditions. At NASA Mar-
shall, the TR202 lunar descent engine with
pintle injector demonstrated 10:1 throttling
with excellent combustion stability, using liquid
oxygen (LOX) and gaseous hydrogen. Further
TR202 testing is planned to optimize per-
formance and chamber heat transfer.
Aerojet completed environmental and hot-
fire testing of two prototype 600-lbf-thrust
monopropellant engines for NASA’s Ares roll
control system, demonstrating five times mis-
sion life. In support of the Constellation pro-
gram, Aerojet began testing of an advanced
5,500-lbf LOX/liquid methane rocket engine.
And for unmanned spacecraft, development
testing of the AMBR (advanced materials
bipropellant rocket) demonstrated specific im-
pulse of 333.5 sec with 150 lbf thrust using
storable propellants.
Orbital Technologies completed initial sea-
level tests of its Maelstrom L-3 thrust chamber
assembly (TCA). The 3,000-lbf-class, vortex-
cooled TCA burns LOX and subcooled pro-
pane. Further development of the Maelstrom
L-3 under an Air Force contract will lead to
flight demonstrations of the TCA in 2011.
AMPAC In-Space Propulsion developed a
modular hydrazine subsystem suitable for
plug-n-play SmallSat applications. The design
incorporates off-the-shelf components with
several cost and risk reducing features: a 1-N
thruster with adjustable mount (allowing thrust
vector tuning any time before launch), an effi-
cient low-cost propellant tank, two-zone ther-
mal control, and electrical/mechanical inter-
faces designed for ease of integration.
Separately, AMPAC-ISP demonstrated a
small divert engine, attitude control thruster,
and aluminum diaphragm propellant tank for
use in flight experiments to mature missile de-
fense technologies.
New propulsion concepts and technolo-
gies for very small launch vehicles are in de-
velopment by a joint team from California
State University, Long Beach and Garvey
Spacecraft. This team conducted the first
flight demonstration of a rocket burning LOX
and propylene, building on their previous ex-
perience with LOX and methane. Such alter-
native hydrocarbon fuels have the potential to
improve performance over conventional RP-
1. In parallel, the university collected flight
data on aerospike performance in overex-
panded, transonic flight conditions—despite
an ignition failure of one of the 10 aerospike
thrust modules.
On August 21, Ariane 5 accomplished its
32nd consecutive successful flight, delivering
two communication satellites to geosynchro-
nous transfer orbit. The previous month, an
Ariane 5 lifted the heaviest commercial satel-
lite ever built (weighing 6,910 kg). Meanwhile,
ESA continued to evolve its engine designs.
The 180-kN upper stage Vinci expander cycle
engine accumulated 4,672 sec of test time
over 31 hot firings on the P4.1 test facility at
DLR/Lampoldshausen, Germany. High-fre-
quency stability margin was demonstrated in
“bomb” testing. Separately, ESA engaged
EADS/Astrium for development of an in-
space engine in the 3-8-kN thrust range; first
firing is expected in 2011.
A focus area for ESA’s future launcher
preparatory program is main-stage propulsion
for next-generation launchers. The program is
testing a demonstration 40-kN staged com-
bustion subsystem using a coupled preburner/
main combustion chamber that can be pow-
ered by LOX/H2 or LOX/methane. EADS/
Astrium and Snecma cooperated in hot firing
with LOX/methane, achieving combustion
pressures of 200 bar in the preburner and
150 bar in the main chamber.
The Japanese 100-kN-class LOX/liquid
natural gas engine (to be named LE-8) demon-
strated its flight feasibility during the summer.
In more than 11 tests, 2,200 sec of on-time
were accumulated—including two 500-sec mis-
sion duty tests and a 600-sec overduty test.
The prototype engine performed flawlessly; al-
titude testing is scheduled for next year.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:57 AM Page 5
Aerospace power systems
Lightweight solar arrays having the highest
specific power ever achieved are under devel-
opment and in use on advanced missions.
ATK’s UltraFlex solar array contributed to the
success of the Mars Phoenix lander. Its 2.1-m-
diameter wings achieved a power density ex-
ceeding 118 W/kg using Spectrolab 28.3%
efficient UTJ solar cells. Larger diameter ver-
sions of the UltraFlex wing are being devel-
oped, with successful vacuum deployment of
a 5.5-m, 175-W/kg wing prototype in a
ground demonstration. Further scale-up to
5.9-m-diam UltraFlex wings is envisioned as a
planned power platform for NASA’s Orion
CEV and other missions.
Concentrating photovoltaic arrays are the
focus of a DARPA Phase 2 development
award to Boeing for design, analysis, and fab-
rication of a multikilowatt ground demonstra-
tion article. Boeing is teamed with DR Tech-
nologies, Northrop Grumman, and Emcore to
create the Fast Access Spacecraft Testbed
(FAST) high power generation system, includ-
ing solar concentration, power conversion,
power management and distribution, heat re-
jection, and structures, along with necessary
deployment, pointing, and tracking mecha-
nisms. When combined with state-of-the-art
electric propulsion systems, FAST will form
the technological basis for a lightweight, high-
power, highly mobile spacecraft platform, with
scalability to 175 kW, and at a high system
specific power level of 130 W/kg, more than
three times those of conventional systems.
The advanced solar cells also have benefits
on Earth. Both Boeing and Emcore are offer-
ing concentrator systems that reduce the size
of the solar cell and the associated cost per
watt so that utility-scale systems can take ad-
vantage of space quality and performance.
This year saw a new world efficiency record
set by Spectrolab for a concentrator solar cell
converting 41.6% of concentrated terrestrial
sunlight to electricity.
NASA is developing energy storage tech-
nology, including fuel cells and batteries, to
meet the expected needs of a lunar outpost.
“Non-flow-through” proton-exchange-mem-
brane fuel cell stacks and electrolyzers coupled
with low-permeable membranes are being de-
veloped and integrated with reactants stored
at pressures over 2,000 psi. These technolo-
gies form the basis for a regenerative fuel cell
module providing 3 kW for 10,000 mainte-
nance-free hours, for application to a lunar
The Mars Phoenix Lander uses
outpost. Key advanced battery technologies ATK’s UltraFlex solar array wings.
include silicon composite anodes, lithiated
mixed-metal-oxide cathodes, and low-flamma-
bility electrolytes providing tolerance to elec-
trical and thermal abuse. They are being de-
veloped to achieve a specific energy of 150
W-hr/kg and 320 W-hr/liter. With 80% ca-
pacity retention after 2,000 cycles, these
safety-enhanced cells are ideal for mobility
systems such as EVA suits and lunar rovers.
Lithium-ion battery technology is achiev-
ing wide application for spacecraft and launch
vehicles, with flight-ready systems offered by
ABSL Space Products, AEA Technology, and
Saft. ABSL has provided lithium-ion battery
technology for over 60 vehicles, including the
NASA Kepler space telescope, Lunar Recon-
naissance Orbiter, and Lunar Crater Observa-
tion and Sensing Satellite, launched this year.
Radioisotope power systems are facing
critical challenges to continued efficient use of
nuclear power in space, including a U.S.
shortage of plutonium-238 for radioisotope
thermoelectric generators. Increasing the sup-
ply of radioisotope sources and development
of higher efficiency advanced Stirling radioiso-
tope generators are being proposed to enable
the nuclear power option for missions such as
the Outer Planets Flagship 1.
NASA and the Dept. of Energy continue
to conduct research and subsystem testing of
fission surface power technologies. An initial A 3-kW non-flow-through fuel
cell stack is being designed to
focus of the joint project is to develop a 40- help meet the needs of a future
kWe nuclear reactor that could power the pro- lunar base.
posed Shackleton Lunar Base and to enhance
the potential to power a Mars base. Critical
subsystem technology developed at NASA
Glenn includes a lightweight composite full-
scale radiator panel built by Material Innova-
tions, successfully tested in a vacuum chamber
down to –125 C. At NASA Marshall, Stirling
engines built by Sunpower were producing
over 2 kW of electricity at a gross thermal ef- by the AIAA Aerospace
ficiency of about 32% using pumped liquid Power Systems
metal at 550 C. Technical Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 39
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:58 AM Page 6
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
Gas turbine engines
Energy and the environment topped the
year’s highlights in the field of turbine en-
gines. Efforts focused on improving fuel effi-
ciency and on development and demonstra-
tion of alternative fuels, with activities across
the federal government and industry.
In May the FAA issued a solicitation aimed
at developing CLEEN (continuous lower en-
ergy, emissions, and noise) technologies for
civil aircraft to help achieve Next Generation
Air Transportation System (NextGen) goals.
The focus of this effort is to mature noise,
emissions, and fuel burn reduction technolo-
gies to expedite their introduction into current
and future aircraft and engines, and to assess
the benefits of alternative “drop in” fuels and
advance their introduction. Awards are ex-
pected by year’s end.
NASA alternative fuels experiments
were conducted in a DC-8 aircraft Under its subsonic fixed wing project,
at NASA Dryden. NASA has partnered with DOD to examine
the performance and emissions of the NASA
Dryden DC-8 aircraft using a series of Fischer-
Tropsch (FT)-derived test fuels. Conducted in
January of this year in Palmdale, Calif., the
AAFEX (alternative aviation fuel experiment)
engaged NASA, DOD, EPA, and FAA re-
searchers. They found that burning FT fuel did
not appreciably affect engine performance,
by the AIAA Gas Turbine but did lead to aircraft and storage tanker fuel
Engines Technical leaks due to seal shrinkage from exposure to
Committee aromatic-hydrocarbon-free fuels. The greatest
40 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
effect of the synthetic fuels, however, was to
reduce engine black carbon emissions by more
than 75% relative to JP-8.
Several projects made significant progress
this year in the versatile affordable advanced
turbine engines (VAATE) program, a DOD-led
effort to develop and demonstrate advanced
turbine engine technologies. The ADVENT
(Air Force adaptive versatile engine technol-
ogy) program completed Phase I in Septem-
ber following a number of key component
technology demonstrations and detailed de-
signs for variable cycle engines by GE Avia-
tion. The Air Force kicked off Phase II for a full
engine demonstration, including a 25% reduc-
tion in specific fuel consumption, by 2013. At
the same time, the Air Force is pursuing criti-
cal components of the HEETE (highly efficient
embedded turbine engines) program to
demonstrate an improvement of up to 25% in
the thermal efficiency of turbine engines.
Also under VAATE, the AATE (ad-
vanced affordable turbine engine) pro-
gram seeks to provide advanced
propulsion capability for Army Cur-
rent and Future Force rotorcraft, with
goals including a 65% increase in
horsepower-to-weight, a 25% im-
provement in specific fuel consump-
tion, and more than 35% reduction in
production and maintenance costs.
The program includes two competing
3000-HP demonstrator engines from
GE Aviation and ATEC (Advanced
Turbine Engine Company), a joint
venture of Honeywell and Pratt &
Whitney. Initial design efforts were
completed this year, and ongoing rig
tests will validate the individual com-
ponent designs before gas generator
testing, with engine demonstrations
planned in 2012.
The Navy initiated several activities
under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, including plans to
flight test an F-18E/F on a biofuel JP-5 in
summer 2010. The Navy team is working
with Canadian and Australian partners to
make the biofuel certification of the F-18 an
international effort.
Williams International completed testing of
alternative fuel in a small gas turbine engine.
An FJ44-3 engine was powered by 2,000 gal
of coal-based alternative fuel for 118 cycles
during 21 hr of testing. The synthetic fuel per-
formed well; engine performance was identi-
cal to using Jet-A fuel and required no special
engine or test cell modifications.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:58 AM Page 7
Combustion
and propellants
Efforts to address the challenges of climate
change, energy security, and energy-efficient
high-speed propulsion brought significant
progress in the development of next-genera-
tion low-carbon transportation fuels, ad-
vanced propulsion technologies, and experi-
mental facilities for space exploration.
An Energy Frontier Research Center for
Combustion Science has been established at
Princeton University by the Dept. of Energy in
an effort to advance fundamental understand-
ing and quantitative modeling of renewable
transportation fuels. The ultimate goal is to
develop a validated, predictive, multiscale
combustion modeling capability to optimize
the design and operation of evolving fuels in
advanced engines for transportation applica-
tions. The investigation will cover all the myr-
iad time and length scales involved in combus-
tion, from the scale of the electron to that of
the largest turbulent motion in engines.
The center, funded at $4 million a year
for five years, consists of 15 principal investi-
gators from seven academic institutions (Cor-
nell, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and the uni-
versities of Connecticut, Minnesota, and
Southern California) and the Sandia and Ar-
gonne national laboratories, with expertise in
quantum chemistry, chemical kinetics, com-
bustion theory and modeling, and correspon-
ding experimentation.
At Princeton, a next-generation jet fuel
project funded by NetJets has identified a sus-
tainable pathway for synthesis of zero net car-
bon cycle transportation fuels from biomass
and coal using carbon capture and storage
and coproduction of low-emission electricity.
Other activities include system analysis for en-
ergy conversion economics and carbon emis-
sions; energy and policy analysis for sustain-
ability; and combustion technology assess-
ment of this and other means of producing
renewable transportation fuels.
A DOD multiuniversity research initiative
called “Fundamental Mechanisms, Predictive
Modeling, and Novel Aerospace Applications
of Plasma Assisted Combustion” was awarded
to a research team from five universities (Ohio
State, Princeton, Drexel, Georgia Tech, and
Penn State) to study nonequilibrium plasma-
assisted combustion for novel applications in
scramjet and gas turbine engines. The objec-
tive is to investigate elementary reactions and
nonequilibrium kinetic processes using ad-
vanced laser diagnostics and experimentation
tools in plasma-assisted ignition, and stabiliza-
tion of flames at extremely high air velocities
and elevated pressures.
As the ISS nears completion, studies of
fuel and material flammability have now be-
gun on the station under the leadership of
NASA Glenn. The goals are to improve fun-
damental understanding of combustion and
enable improvements for fire safety in space
and in terrestrial applications.
JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata,
Expedition 19/20 flight
A multiuser facility, the combustion inte- engineer, works on the flame
grated rack (CIR), was installed on the ISS in extinguishment experiment
Destiny, the U.S. laboratory module, in late in the combustion integrated
rack on the ISS.
2008. This combustion facility provides a gas
delivery system, cameras, and a 100-liter
chamber into which a variety of experiments
can be installed. It can be commanded re-
motely from a control center at NASA Glenn.
Operations with the first CIR effort, the flame
extinguishment experiment (FLEX), began
early this year. FLEX is a direct successor to
the droplet combustion experiment conducted
on space shuttle missions in 1997 and 2003.
Leading the multiuniversity FLEX research
team is the University of California-San
Diego. The objective is to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of suppressants on microgravity
flames in atmospheres under consideration
for future spacecraft. CIR will also be used in
ACME (advanced combustion via microgravity
experiments) for studies of gaseous laminar
diffusion flames.
Combustion research has also been initi-
ated in the ISS microgravity science glovebox
(MSG), a general-purpose facility enabling a
variety of studies. Early this year, SPICE
(smoke point in coflow experiment) became
the first combustion experiment to be con-
ducted in the MSG. More MSG investigations
are planned for 2010, including studies of by Yiguang Ju
flame stability and solid fuel flammability. and Joanna Austin
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 41
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:58 AM Page 8
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
Hybrid rockets
Several organizations made important contri-
butions to hybrid rocket research this year. In
May, Scaled Composites successfully com-
pleted the first phase of static firing tests of
the hybrid rocket motor for SpaceShipTwo.
The vehicle, which is under development by
Virgin Galactic, will be transported by a new
composite aircraft to the upper atmosphere,
where the hybrid motor will ignite and propel
space tourists, scientists, and payloads into
space. Suborbital trajectories to altitudes of up
to 65 mi. are expected.
The University of Wuppertal
investigated the effect of
simple diaphragm mixing
devices using a hybrid test
motor.
Orbital Technolo-
gies (ORBITEC) recently
conducted initial testing of
a 10,000-lb thrust class
vortex hybrid motor.
The tests took
place at OR-
BITEC’s Rocket
Test Facility in Wiscon-
sin. The 14-in.-diam motor uses
HTPB (hydroxyl-terminated polybutadi-
ene)-based solid fuel and liquid oxygen. The
LOX is injected in a swirling fashion to gener-
ate a vortex flow field in the fuel port to drive
fuel regression rates that are both fast and ax-
ially uniform. The high regression rates allow
for a single-port, cartridge-loaded fuel grain
approach. The test program aims to demon-
strate the functionality of the vortex hybrid de-
sign, stable and efficient combustion, high re-
liability, and the potential for low recurring
costs. Additional testing is planned for the
near future and will include both HTPB and
alternative fuels. ORBITEC also conducted
smaller scale vortex hybrid motor develop-
ment and testing efforts this year using stor-
able oxidizers.
by Steven Frolik The Purdue hybrid rocket project com-
42 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
pleted the design and development of a flight
weight, 900-lbf-thrust, 90% hydrogen-perox-
ide/LDPE hybrid rocket motor that was suc-
cessfully hot-fire tested in vertical configura-
tion five times at the Purdue Vertical Rocket
Test Facility. In addition, the first-generation
hybrid flight vehicle was launched successfully
in June and reached an altitude of 6,100 ft at
Mach 0.6. This was an important first step to-
ward flight operations for this series of hybrid
rocket technology demonstrators. The Purdue
hybrid sounding rocket is the largest hydro-
gen-peroxide hybrid rocket launched to date.
A second-generation high-propellant-mass-
fraction flight vehicle is currently being devel-
oped for supersonic flights to altitudes exceed-
ing 30,000 ft at Mach 2.
Aerospace Corporation is measuring the
structural properties of paraffin-based fuel for-
mulations as a function of temperature. In ad-
dition, a small motor evaluation cell has been
built and test fired. Regression rate measure-
ments are also planned.
The University of Wuppertal in Germany
investigated the effect of simple diaphragm
mixing devices, consisting of one- or four-hole
perforations located at the beginning or along
the fuel grain. The propellants used for the fir-
ing of the 225-lb thruster were supercharged
nitrous oxide and microcrystalline paraffin.
The mixing device increased combustion effi-
ciency up to 12% compared to the control,
which had no mixing device. Fuel regression
rate downstream of the diaphragm increased
up to 80% compared to the tests conducted
without a mixing device.
The cryogenic solid propellant (CSP) test
motor was developed and manufactured at
the Aerospace Institute in Berlin with funding
from ESA and the German Aerospace Cen-
ter (DLR). Cryogenic multilayer internal hy-
brid combustion was successfully demon-
strated with this test rocket motor holding 1
kg of CSPs. The experimental goal of enrich-
ing hydrogen peroxide to more than 90%
was achieved through the development of a
process based on fractionated crystallization.
Beginning with 87.5%, hydrogen peroxide
greater than 99.4% concentration was suc-
cessfully produced on a scale of kilograms.
This high-concentration hydrogen peroxide
was used in combination with different poly-
mer fuels for various lab-scale ignition and
combustion experiments under pressure. Cur-
rent activities focus on the preparation of
CSP test motor firings with higher concentra-
tion hydrogen peroxide and less subcooled
propellant grain.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:58 AM Page 9
Air-breathing propulsion
systems integration
This year NASA collaborated with General
Electric Aviation to investigate new open-
rotor propulsion systems. Open rotors had
been studied by a NASA/GE team in the late
1980s and early 1990s. NASA has rebuilt
and modernized a counterrotation propeller
test rig used during that campaign with mod-
ern data systems and controls technology. In
September, this one-fifth-scale open-rotor
propulsion rig began a new test campaign in
the NASA Glenn anechoic wind tunnel to
investigate a series of advanced propeller fan
blade designs. A total of seven blade sets will
be tested to determine aerodynamic efficiency,
and mechanical and aeroelastic stability.
Performance information such as fan thrust
and torque, and diagnostic information such as
blade loading profiles and flow field turbulence,
will be obtained for the baseline configuration.
The information will be used to compare and
validate computer-based design, analysis, and
optimization. This propulsion test rig, com-
bined with modern materials and manufactur-
ing techniques, will be used to produce im-
proved 3D fan blade designs that enhance
performance and reduce noise. Open rotors
are projected to save 10% in fuel compared to
current turbofan engine technology, and ulti-
mately up to 25% with advanced designs.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter
program passed major propulsion/airframe in-
tegration milestones this year, highlighted by
validation of short takeoff/vertical landing
(STOVL) vertical thrust during tests in April.
The propulsion system includes an F135 or
F136 turbofan engine, a drive shaft leading
from the engine face to a gear box and clutch
connecting to a counterrotating lift fan, a
three-bearing swivel duct at the rear that vec-
tors engine thrust downward and provides yaw
control, and a roll control nozzle under each
wing. Through testing at a specially instru-
mented “hover pit” facility, the F-35B STOVL
variant demonstrated over 41,000 lbf of verti-
cal thrust and validated the performance of air-
craft software, controls, thermal management,
STOVL system hardware, and other systems
required for vertical flight. This is the final se-
ries of ground tests before airborne STOVL
testing, to take place by year’s end.
This year AFRL, NASA, and Aerojet col-
laborated on further testing of the advanced
combined-cycle integrated inlet, first tested at
NASA Langley in 2007 over the Mach range
In Europe, a study of an environ-
mentally friendly high-speed
of 2.3-4.6. Subsonic and transonic operation aircraft featured low-speed wind
tunnel testing.
from Mach 0 to Mach 2.0 was investigated in
the NASA Glenn 8x6-ft wind tunnel. The test
series gave insight into low-speed perform-
ance and operability, including contraction ra-
tio limits, bleed effects, and mass flow redistri-
bution characteristics.
In July EADS Defence & Security success-
fully tested its Barracuda UAV at Goose Bay
AFB in Canada. With a takeoff weight in the
3-ton class, it is currently the largest un-
manned aerial system ever designed and built
in Europe. Powering the aircraft is a Pratt &
Whitney Canada JT15D-5C. The advanced
aerodynamic propulsion integration includes a In September, a one-fifth-scale
diverterless intake design with low observable open-rotor propulsion rig began
a new test campaign in the
characteristics and an ejector nozzle. NASA Glenn anechoic 9x15-ft
A four-year study of an environmentally wind tunnel.
friendly High Speed Aircraft (HISAC) within
the European Union’s Sixth Framework
ended in October. The project assessed the
technical feasibility of an 8-16-passenger
commercial supersonic transport aircraft un-
der environmental constraints. Aerodynamic
propulsion integration is among the key tech-
nologies that enable a successful design. Con-
figurations featuring afterbody and underwing
integrated propulsion systems with ramp in-
lets were intensively studied in supersonic
wind tunnel tests in France and Russia. CFD
simulations were performed for a variety of by Hayden Reeve,
Chris Hughes,
propulsion integration solutions with different
Keith Blodgett,
inlet types mounted at the fuselage or the Jeffrey Hamstra,
wings. Low-speed wind tunnel tests took place Roderick Daebelliehn,
in Switzerland. and Thomas Berens
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 43
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
The University of Michigan and
Air Force Research Laboratory
developed and operated the first
concentric Hall thruster, called
the X2 for its two channels.
(Courtesy of the University of
Michigan.)
Snecma’s products include this
thruster module assembly.
(Courtesy of Snecma, Vernon
operations.)
by Joshua L. Rovey
44 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
9:58 AM Page 10
Electric propulsion
This was an active year for electric propulsion
in flight and R&D programs. The 30-cm
NSTAR ion thrusters manufactured by L-3
Communications for NASA’s Dawn space-
craft have been operated for a total of 8,000
hr and have provided a total impulse of 2.6
MN-sec. Dawn is scheduled to rendezvous
with the asteroid Vesta in August 2011. Ja-
pan’s Hayabusa asteroid explorer restarted its
four microwave discharge ion engines for a
delta-V maneuver in February. The engines
have operated over 35,000 hr in deep space;
the satellite is scheduled to return to Earth in
2010. ESA’s Gravity Ocean Circulation Ex-
plorer satellite was launched in March with a
pair of ion thrusters manufactured by QinetiQ.
ESA’s LISA Pathfinder, scheduled for
launch in 2011, will use both colloid and field
emission EP for disturbance reduction and at-
titude control. Busek and JPL delivered colloid
micro-Newton thruster flight units to ESA,
while Alta will supply the cesium field emis-
sion system. Snecma completed acceptance
testing of four PPS-1350 stationary plasma
thrusters for ESA’s Alphasat and was selected
to supply eight EDB Fakel SPT-100 thrusters
for the ESA Small GEO satellite. An Israeli
Hall-effect thruster manufactured by Rafael
was integrated onto the joint Israeli and
French VENμS spacecraft.
L-3 Communications launched four 25-
cm ion thrusters onboard a Boeing 702 satel-
lite, with another four thrusters in satellite in-
tegration and 12 in production. Space Sys-
tems/Loral launched five spacecraft with sta-
tionary plasma thrusters, with another three
subsystems delivered and six scheduled for
delivery.
NASA’s evolutionary xenon thruster
(NEXT) long-duration test has accumulated
over 24,300 hr of operation, processed over
434 kg of xenon, and demonstrated a total
impulse in excess of 16 MN-sec. Plans call for
extending the test to demonstrate first failure
mode (accelerator grid wear-through), pro-
jected at 750 kg at full power. The Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency is developing
a 20-mN ion engine for the super-low-
altitude satellite. L-3 Communications is de-
veloping a throttleable 8-cm XIPS thruster
that operates at 100-350 W, with 2-14 mN of
thrust. Busek demonstrated three small RF
gridded ion thrusters delivering 0.2-, 2-, and
11-mN thrust with specific impulse ranging
from 1,300 to 3,800 sec.
Aerojet delivered the engineering model of
NASA’s high-voltage Hall accelerator. It will
begin performance acceptance tests, environ-
mental tests, and ultimately a long-duration
test where it is anticipated to operate for more
than 15,000 hr. Michigan Tech University
demonstrated Hall-effect thrusters using light
metallic elements for propellant. A nominally
2-kW thruster was operated on both magne-
sium and zinc. ElectroDynamic Applications
designed a helicon Hall thruster that was then
manufactured by Aerojet. It is a two-stage
thruster with helicon ionization first stage cou-
pled to a Hall accelerator stage to provide
high thrust-to-power operation. The Univer-
sity of Michigan and Air Force Research Lab-
oratory developed and operated the first con-
centric Hall thruster, named the X2 for its two
channels. It is designed to reduce specific
mass and maximize power during high thrust-
to-power operation.
MSNW demonstrated the ELF (electrode-
less Lorentz force) thruster, a new concept for
pulsed electromagnetic propulsion that uses
rotating magnetic fields to create a high-den-
sity, magnetized plasmoid called a field-re-
versed configuration. Operation on air and
xenon from 1,000 sec to 5,000 sec specific
impulse at energy levels suitable for 20-100-
kW steady-state operation was demonstrated.
Ad Astra Rocket operated the first stage, heli-
con section, of the VX-200 200-kW VASIMR
engine at full power with maximum magnetic
field. A record power of almost 150 kW was
added to the plasma with the second-stage,
RF booster. And the Ecole Polytechnique in
France is currently developing the PEGASES
(plasma propulsion with electronegative gases)
thruster. It produces and accelerates both pos-
itively and negatively charged ions, which re-
combine and form a neutral beam. This tech-
nique is expected to reduce plasma-spacecraft
interactions.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 9:58 AM Page 11
Terrestrial energy systems
Terrestrial energy research activities in the
past year have become more interdisciplinary,
involving collaboration by government, indus-
try, and academia as well as international co-
operation. Considerable efforts have focused
on developing green energy resources, using
fuels more efficiently, finding alternate fuels to
compensate the increasing demand, and re-
ducing aircraft noise.
Among alternate fuels, biofuels offer im-
mediate potential. In particular, instead of pro-
ducing biofuels from edible plants such as
corn and soybeans, or from oils and resources
that have other uses, choosing nonedible oils
and cellulosic materials will be the most sensi-
tive alternative. To this end, the Office of
Naval Research has begun a new initiative on
production of biojet fuels from nonedible oil,
waste, and cellulosic materials. The methodol-
ogy created under this effort will be useful in
developing biodiesel and other fuels for trans-
portation and power generation. There is
worldwide interest in this area, and the Asian
nations have large government and industry
programs. In South Africa, several private
wind farms are now at various stages of devel-
opment, including a proposed 3-GW venture
by Eskom (South Africa’s national utility com-
pany) in the Western Cape.
In the field of combustion for terrestrial ap-
plications, the focus has been on coordinated
computation, analytical, and experimental ap-
proaches with innovations in CFD and diag-
nostics. Diagnostic tools with improved tem-
poral and spatial resolution have been
researched to enable measurement of the
multiphase flows in complex systems such as
multitube detonation engines and high-tem-
perature, high-speed exhaust systems for mil-
itary aircraft. Particular attention has been
given to measuring several species or parame-
ters simultaneously.
Research on CFD is taking place at many
institutions globally. In the area of terrestrial
energy systems there are notable develop-
ments at the University of Illinois at Chicago,
where chemically reacting flows are studied in
dump combustors. Researchers at San Diego
State University are studying flow separation
and fuel droplet dynamics in liquid-fuel com-
bustors. South African universities are also
active in renewable energy research, and in
2006, the Center for Renewable and Sustain-
able Energy Studies was established at Stel-
lenbosch University as the national hub for
Eskom is developing wind farms in
the Western Cape in South Africa.
graduate studies on green energy. The Uni-
versity of KwaZulu-Natal has a Renewable
Energy Research Group focusing on solar
thermal applications, broadband radiometry,
and wind power. The University of Johannes-
burg has a similar research group on thin-film
photovoltaics.
Several novel ideas have been considered
for controlling the flow in combustors to in-
crease fuel efficiency and reduce emissions or
noise. One idea that has shown some prelim-
inary success involves implementing various
fluidic control devices such as countercurrent
flow and microjets. These devices are attrac-
tive because of their simplicity and low en-
ergy requirements. For example, researchers
at the University of Minnesota and the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Chicago have obtained
preliminary results that indicate injecting
high-velocity air through tiny orifices (on the
order of 500 µm) could lead to an increase in
overall heat release.
Similarly, researchers at Florida State Uni-
versity have used water microjets to manipu-
late turbulence level and thus reduce noise in
exhaust plume. Investigations of bevel nozzle
and other innovative technologies such as
chevron and internal corrugation have led to
unprecedented reductions in noise. Internal
corrugation and microjet injection offer imme-
diate potential for reducing noise in the en-
gine exhaust and platforms, respectively.
To reduce the environmental impact of
combustion systems, continuing research in-
volves the use of porous inserts in the com-
bustion chamber. Researchers at the University
of Maryland are further developing distributed
(colorless or flameless) combustion for applica-
tions in gas turbine combustion, which can si-
multaneously reduce emission of hazardous
pollutants, energy consumption, CO2 emis-
sions, and noise, also obtaining a good pat-
tern factor for the quest to achieve a uniform
thermal field in the entire combustor. by Farzad Mashayek
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 45
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
The first stage solid motor
is used in the Ares I.
The Ares I first stage motor
undergoes test firing in Utah.
by Donald Jackson
and the AIAA Energetic
Components and Systems
Technical Committee
46 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
9:58 AM Page 12
Energetic components and
systems
The corporate consolida-
tion of the energetic com-
ponents and systems indus-
try continued this year with
the Chemring Group acqui-
sition of Hi-Shear Technol-
ogy. Once the acquisition is
completed, Hi-Shear will
join Scot, Kilgore Flares,
Alloy Surfaces, and Techni-
cal Ordnance in providing a
wide spectrum of energetic
devices for military and
commercial applications. Hi-Shear’s decades
of experience with initiators, safe/arm de-
vices, and cartridge actuated devices, coupled
with the low energy reactive thin film bridge
initiators it is now developing, significantly en-
hances Chemring’s existing capabilities in en-
ergetic materials and components.
This continues to be a busy year for NASA
ELV missions. However, after 55 straight suc-
cessful NASA launch missions, the agency’s
Orbiting Carbon Observatory, launched in
February on a Taurus XL, crashed into the
ocean near Antarctica when the rocket’s fair-
ing (a shroud designed to protect the space-
craft) failed to separate and release its payload.
The failure investigation identified several po-
tential causes, one of them related to an ener-
getic component. The observatory was a new
satellite designed to map Earth’s carbon diox-
ide levels.
NASA’s “workhorse” ELV has been the
Delta II, which has an unsurpassed record of
over 99% reliability in 144 launches, with no-
table payloads including the Mars Pathfinder
and Exploration rovers and the Deep Impact
spacecraft. Delta began as an improved ver-
sion of the Thor, and recorded its first suc-
cessful mission August 12, 1960. The Delta II
was developed by McDonnell Douglas in re-
sponse to an Air Force request for proposals
following the loss of the space shuttle Chal-
lenger in 1986, as a means of clearing the re-
sulting backlog in the launch manifest. Be-
cause it is being phased out as a launch
vehicle, there are only four remaining NASA
LSP Delta II missions.
All launch vehicles rely on the successful
operation of many energetic components for
numerous different functions, such as motor
ignition, staging, payload fairing and payload
separation, gas and fluid management, and, in
the case of an unacceptable condition, flight
termination.
NASA and industry engineers lit up the
sky at ATK Space Systems’ Brigham City fa-
cility on September 10 with the initial full-
scale, full-duration test firing of the first stage
motor for the Ares I crew launch vehicle in de-
velopment for NASA’s Constellation pro-
gram. This is the largest solid rocket motor in
the world (154 ft long), holding 1.4 million lb
of propellant and producing 370 million lb-
sec of vacuum impulse over a burn time of
126 sec. The motor will deliver the Ares I to
an altitude of about 35.5 mi. and a speed of
Mach 5.7. After this the motor will be sepa-
rated from the remaining vehicle and fall back
toward the ocean.
At approximately 15,000 ft, the aeroshell,
a protective heat shield, will be ejected and
the parachute recovery system deployed for
safe recovery of the booster and motor com-
ponents, which will be inspected and refur-
bished for reuse.
Ares incorporates over 400 energetic de-
vices in dozens of different systems.
The Joint Strike Fighter, designated the F-
35 Lightning II in July 2006, also enjoyed nu-
merous successes throughout the year, com-
pleting first flight for the BF-1 VSTOL aircraft
and the 100th test flight of the AA-1 aircraft.
This supersonic multirole fifth-generation
fighter combines advanced stealth with fighter
speed and agility, at lower operational and
support costs. The F-35 uses energetic com-
ponents and systems for many functions, in-
cluding fire suppression, countermeasure de-
ployment, and crew emergency egress. The
ejection seat alone uses over 25 energetic
components and systems.
PE-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/17/09 10:44 AM Page 13
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:33 AM Page 2
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND STRUCTURES
Design engineering
The Global Observer HALE vehicle is under development for the Special Operations Command.
Technology advances in design engineering
emerged in many products and design con-
cepts this year. From enhancements in design
tools to exciting new aerospace projects to
lessons learned from process failures, the year
brought noteworthy products and events that
continue to advance the design process.
Improved design tools continue to provide
the design engineer with more capability to
execute the design process efficiently. Human
factors are often an important consideration,
and there are many computer applications
available to assist design engineers with this.
These tools can measure attributes such as
hand and tool access, dexterity requirements,
and ergonomics. They are also critical in de-
veloping procedures for the manufacturing
process.
Closing the gap between design tools and
these manufacturing tools even further, to-
day’s CAD applications are now including hu-
man models as part of the design space. This
allows concurrent design and assessment of
human factors issues such as ergonomics and
safety and compares the results against indus-
New materials and design ideas
were integrated into the design
and development of the Zephyr
HALE UAV.
by E. Russ Althof
48 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
try standards quickly and in real time. In addi-
tion, interaction with workstations, machines,
and even other people can now be evaluated
easily and quickly within the design.
Engineering advances in the design of
UAVs continue to evolve at a fast pace as
more emphasis is placed on the use and ap-
plications of such aircraft. These advances,
along with new materials and power plant
concepts, allow for larger combinations of
payload and duration to create high-altitude,
long-endurance (HALE) vehicles.
The Zephyr is a current example of inte-
grating new materials and design ideas in the
design and development of a HALE aircraft.
By having solar panels integrated into the ve-
hicle structure and using ultra-lightweight ma-
terials, the Zephyr is capable of maintaining
flight for up to six months without sacrificing
aircraft structure or weight. Another example
is the Global Observer, under development for
the U.S. Special Operations Command. This
UAV uses a liquid hydrogen power plant and
can carry up to 400 lb of payload with a dura-
tion of 5-7 days at 65,000 ft.
Additional advances in guidance electron-
ics and situational awareness information cre-
ate opportunities for the aerospace design en-
gineer to enhance UAV capabilities further
with autonomous flight and even coordinate
“swarms” of UAVs to achieve complicated
mission objectives.
Several noteworthy process failures have
also occurred in aerospace products. The Air-
bus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner pro-
vide high-profile examples of critical process
failures that have delayed deliveries of both
new vehicles. The design engineer must take
note of the lessons learned from these failures
and apply appropriate corrective actions as
the aerospace design and manufacturing pro-
cess continues to evolve.
For example, the A380 wiring design cre-
ated a major problem when it switched to alu-
minum wire and did not correctly account for
the increased bend radii and wire diameter re-
quirements of the two different versions of de-
sign software in use at the various design fa-
cilities. The 787 recently suffered a structural
anomaly that was induced by using the wrong
component models in the stress analysis. Nei-
ther of these were major design issues, but a
lack of configuration management in the de-
sign process led to both of these problems
and ultimately caused delays in each program.
Proper configuration management of designs,
models, and processes is critical, especially as
the level of design complexity increases.
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:33 AM
Modeling and simulation
The International Working Group (IWG)
formed under the auspices of the Royal Aero-
nautical Society (RAeS) has completed its re-
vision and expansion of Volume I of the Man-
ual of Criteria for the Qualification of Flight
Simulation Training Devices (FSTD), Edition
3, International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) Document 9625. Published on July 1,
it is now available in English from the ICAO
Online Store (http://store1.icao.int/document
ItemView.ch2?ID=7673).
Volume I of the manual covers the qualifi-
cation criteria for airplane FSTD. Work con-
tinues on Volume II, which will address the cri-
teria for rotary wing FSTD. The rotary group
of the IWG expects to present its draft to
ICAO and the RAeS in early 2010 to be pub-
lished late that year. Both volumes contain
three parts.
Part I, “Training Task Derived Flight Sim-
ulation Requirements,” is based on an analysis
of airline pilot training needs and lists the fea-
tures (such as cues) and fidelity levels required
to support each task.
Part II, “Flight Simulation Training Device
Criteria,” lists criteria for standard examples
of FSTD derived from Part I, supporting de-
fined training types such as MPL1 (Multicrew
Pilot License Phase 1) core flying skills. Vol-
ume I defines seven FSTD examples. Volume
II is expected to offer three or four helicopter
FSTD examples.
Part III, “Flight Simulation Feature and Fi-
delity Level Criteria,” serves to define the
qualification and validation testing require-
ments for feature fidelity levels determined in
Part I. It will allow operators and manufactur-
ers to design purpose-built devices that do not
correspond to any of the standard examples
defined in Part II. It will also permit currently
qualified FSTD to be upgraded to meet new
regulations by comparing their features with
those defined in Part I.
In Volume I, the challenge of defining ob-
jective criteria for the evaluation of motion
systems leaves this area subject to further
study. Similarly, the lack of technical solutions
for simulating a full air traffic control environ-
ment requires further research. Nevertheless,
the document addresses both items.
The challenge for the helicopter group
working on Volume II has been evaluating the
constraints imposed by the use of collimated
visual systems versus the problems arising
from direct view visual systems such as dome
Page 3
projected displays. The solution may depend
on the type of helicopter and its cockpit lay-
out. The roles of motion and vibration and
their integration with visual systems have also
received particular attention.
Publication of Document 9625, Volume I,
provides the National Aviation Authorities
(NAA) with guidance materials for updating
their regulations for the initial and periodic
qualification and evaluation of airplane FSTD.
Several states have indicated an intent to do so
in the interest of international harmonization.
In the U.S., 14 CFR FAR (14 Code of Fed-
eral Regulations Federal Aviation Regulation)
Part 60, Flight Simulation Device Initial and
Volume I of the revised manual
covers simulators for fixed-wing
Continuing Qualification and Use, has under- craft, like this one for the
gone no changes this year, although the NAA Boeing 737. (Image courtesy
737flightsimulator.co.uk.)
are considering incorporating at least some
provision of Document 9625 in the future.
On January 12, the NAA finally published 14
CFR Parts 65, 119, 121, and others (“Quali-
fication, Service, and Use of Crewmembers
and Aircraft Dispatchers Proposed Rule”) to
replace FAR Part 121 Subparts N and O. The
original comment period was extended and
expired on August 10.
The Administrative Procedures Act re-
quires the regulations to be published within
16 months of the expiration of the comment
period, with an effective date of one month
later—that is, no later than early 2011. As of
by the AIAA Modeling
this writing, the NAA are determining how to and Simulation
expedite this process. Technical Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 49
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:33 AM Page 4
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND STRUCTURES
Computer-aided enterprise
solutions
At the end of last year there was much discus-
sion of the Aerospace Industries Association’s
recommendation “that AIA members and
companies transition to standards-based inter-
operability solutions based on the Product
Lifecycle Support Standard (PLCS).” At the
time, the AIA was also developing “best prac-
tice guidelines to help organizations develop
their own business cases for transitioning to
standards-based data exchange and optimiz-
ing their business processes.”
Using PLCS within aerospace companies
in accordance with the published AIA best
practices guidelines is now becoming widely
accepted. Boundaries have been crossed to
create a consortium consisting of AIA, the Eu-
ropean Aerospace and Defense Association,
and standards organizations to work as
LOTAR International. Its purpose is to investi-
gate and develop approaches using standards
for the long-term archiving of digital product
data. PLCS will be a key component of this
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
PLCS can be seen as the standards glue that
allows PLM, ILS, and other specifications to
communicate effectively without the high
development and software support costs
of custom integrations.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
activity and will address the requirement to
archive product data in such a way that it is
usable decades from now.
What exactly is PLCS and how does it tie
in to other standards to advance interoperabil-
ity within or between organizations and help
improve their business? Ask people creating
and consuming engineering and CAD data
what STEP (standard for the exchange of
product model data) is, and 95% of them will
correctly state that it is used for translating
parts or assemblies between CAD formats.
These files are often known as application
protocol (AP) 203 or AP214. PLCS repre-
sents the portion of the STEP standard ad-
dressing product lifecycle management (PLM)
data interoperability in addition to lifecycle
by Jim Martin support of products. As aerospace companies
and Mike R. Jahadi have expanded the use of product data man-
50 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
ager/PLM systems for management of highly
configured products, PLCS interoperability
needs have increased.
Currently, the most widespread application
of PLCS is in the area of specification and
control of support activities throughout a com-
plex product’s life. When you examine the
scope of PLCS, also known as AP239, there
is the concept of OASIS data exchange sets
(DEXs) and other reference data. A DEX is a
subset of PLCS capability suited for a particu-
lar business process and enables the use of
Web-based technology. A sample of existing
DEXs for logistics support would include:
•DEX1: Product breakdown defines the
PLM product structure relationship to a logis-
tics control number or other structures used to
manage support, and provides links to rele-
vant documents.
•DEX3: A task set for the exchange of a
set of task descriptions, to support a work
plan, or for use in multiple support solution
definition.
PLM systems are now communicating via
PLCS with systems that extend far beyond the
traditional design and manufacture lifecycle
management capabilities of PLM systems.
PLCS is expanding the definition of product
lifecycle to a position long desired—inclusion
of the lifecycle portion after production for
maintained and supported products.
As affirmed in PLCS DEX1, there are rel-
evant documents or electronic processes that
must be linked and controlled between PLM
and ILS (integrated logistics systems) for main-
tenance and support.
PLCS-based repositories often tie together
PLM, ILS, and document or international
specifications such as these, which are critical
to logistics and maintenance of air, land, and
sea products:
•S1000D: Technical documentation utiliz-
ing a common source database.
•S2000M: Material management and inte-
grated data processing for military equipment.
•S3000L: Activities and requirements gov-
erning the logistic support analysis process.
•S4000M: Procedure handbook for the
capture of maintenance for military aircraft.
PLCS can be seen as the standards glue
that allows PLM, ILS, and other specifications
to communicate effectively without the high
development and software support costs of
custom integrations. PLCS can free organiza-
tions from legacy approaches to product life-
cycle support and enable them to meet the dy-
namic technical and business needs of the
aerospace world today.
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:33 AM
Ground testing
The past year has been tumultuous, with con-
tinued support for efforts like NASA’s Con-
stellation program and the USAF Joint Strike
Fighter, and cancellation of other programs
such as the hypersonic Blackhawk HTV-3X.
Even the continuing programs experienced
funding and deployment uncertainties that re-
sulted in schedule stretch-outs. Testing for re-
search continued, although limited budgets for
fundamental aeronautics research remained at
significantly depressed levels compared with
those of earlier decades.
System development for new, “major”
weapon system aerospace programs is in de-
cline, although momentum for technology de-
velopment associated with environmentally
responsible aviation has increased. R&D for
technologies associated with UAVs has been
on the increase, especially at the system and
subsystem levels.
The availability of test facilities remained
challenging, as owners balanced readiness
and uncertain workloads with managing aging
infrastructure, static maintenance budgets,
and targeted investments in improvements
and modernization. Ground testing of aero-
space systems encompasses services for a
wide variety of products, requiring an equally
wide variety of test capabilities.
This year there were several facility and
testing highlights:
•Testing in NASA’s Ares and Orion pro-
grams included launch abort vehicle separa-
tion testing in the Langley 14x22-ft subsonic
wind tunnel, high-Reynolds-number testing at
the National Transonic Facility, Ares I-X and
pad testing for ground winds at Langley’s
transonic dynamics tunnel, and a successful
test of the Orion launch abort motor at ATK’s
Utah facility.
•A 2-Axis Test Facility is under construc-
tion at NASA Glenn in support of the Ares I
upper stage thrust vector control engineering
program to evaluate the TVC integrated hy-
draulic system, control dynamics, and various
failure-mode and off-nominal behaviors.
•The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
completed a series of firing tests of a hyper-
sonic precooled turbojet engine at its Taiki
Aerospace Research Field on Hokkaido Island.
•A NASA Mars Science Laboratory para-
chute was tested at the Glenn 10x10-ft su-
personic wind tunnel.
•Store separation testing of the F/A-18E/F
took place at the Arnold Engineering Devel-
Page 5
NASA and ATK successfully test
an Orion launch abort system
opment Center (AEDC) 16-ft transonic wind motor in a 5.5-sec test in the
Utah desert at Promontory.
tunnel.
•As part of the series of 787 tests required
before flight clearance, Boeing successfully
completed a high-pressure airframe static test
to 150% of expected maximum service pres-
sure at its Everett, Wash., facility.
•An acoustics research investigation of an
ultra-high-bypass fan rig was accomplished at
the NASA Glenn 9x15 low-speed wind tun-
nel, including tests of various fan rubstrips and
“soft” vanes for noise attenuation.
•AEDC fielded a new test technique that
essentially “flew” an Army projectile model in
its 4-ft transonic wind tunnel via continuous
measurement, feedback, and remote control
that positioned control surfaces based on
measured loads.
•In the first customer test since a multiyear
facility upgrade at its Aerodynamic and Pro-
pulsion Test Unit, AEDC accomplished a suc-
cessful freejet test on a dual-mode combined
ramjet/scramjet hypersonic engine for
DARPA’s Falcon combined cycle engine test.
Additional highlights included a recent suc-
cessful Ares first-stage motor firing at the ATK An engineer inspects part of the
Utah facility, continued construction of the simulated launch tower between
scale model tests of NASA’s Ares
new A-3 test stand at NASA Stennis, closing I-X rocket in the Langley tran-
of the Langley full-scale tunnel this fall, con- sonic dynamics tunnel.
tinued ground testing of JSF systems (airframe
and propulsion systems) as flight testing pro-
ceeds, and aviation-safety-related icing re-
search conducted regularly at the Glenn Icing
Research Tunnel.
Ground testing growth markets likely in-
clude unmanned air systems, environmentally
responsible aviation research, commercial
space transportation, component and weap-
ons/stores integration for USAF fighter sys-
tems, and improvements and research in ma-
terials, acoustics, planetary reentry flow
physics, and aviation safety. by Steven Dunn
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 51
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND STRUCTURES
A long-exposure picture shows a 30,000-amp strike with incandescent CFRP debris.
by Edward H. Glaessgen
52 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:34 AM Page 6
Materials
Recent advances in the manufacturing, analy-
sis, and characterization of materials by
NASA, the Air Force, academia, and industry
will lead to lighter and more durable aero-
space structures.
NASA has initiated an advanced compos-
ites technologies project to develop compos-
ite materials and structures technologies for
Ares V and Altair applications. This effort in-
cludes participation from six NASA centers,
industry, and universities. The project is work-
ing collaboratively with the Air Force Re-
search Laboratory to develop out-of-auto-
clave (OOA) composite processing technology
for large aerospace structures. A demonstra-
tion of the potential for OOA technology was
part of the Air Force’s Advanced Composite
Cargo Aircraft (ACCA), which developed an
OOA composite fuselage for a Dornier 328J
that flew in June 2008. Manufactured by
Lockheed Martin, the ACCA had 90% fewer
parts and 98% fewer fasteners than the origi-
nal aircraft.
The effects of lightning strike on aero-
space structures made of composite materials
are an ongoing concern. Although aluminum
airframe structures are highly conductive, car-
bon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have
very low electrical conductivity because of the
dielectric nature of the polymeric matrix. A
large amount of energy is delivered very rap-
idly during a lightning strike, which may cause
the ionized channel to expand with supersonic
speed and the temperature of the neighboring
material to rise dramatically; it may even cause
explosive vaporization of the resin. As a result,
damage from lightning strikes to CFRPs can
vary from degradation of the fiber-resin inter-
face to fragmentation of the laminate.
To address these issues, the Automobili
Lamborghini Advanced Composites Structures
Laboratory in the Dept. of Aeronautics & As-
tronautics at the University of Washington has
opened a new facility that can simulate the ef-
fects of lightning strikes on CFRP. The labora-
tory’s 44-kV generator can generate up to
100,000 amps and can release it in less than
50 microsec. The generator is used to study
the fundamental interactions of lightning strike
on CFRP specimens, including the effects of
material characteristics, lightning strike protec-
tion systems, and repair methodologies. The
lightning damage tolerance characteristics of
CFRP carbon fiber composite structures are
being evaluated in a manner consistent with
the framework of impact damage characteriza-
tion, including visibility thresholds and allow-
able damage limits for repair as well as regula-
tory agency load requirements.
NASA Marshall has recently manufactured
a friction stir welded (FSW) Al-Li 2195 dem-
onstration article for the Ares I rocket. This is
the first time a complex curvature dome has
been welded using the FSW technique. This
innovative process produces high-strength,
high-quality welds without melting the alloy.
The dome, completed in July, is the first de-
velopment hardware assembled for the Ares I
upper stage liquid hydrogen fuel tank. The as-
sembly took place at Marshall’s Weld Devel-
opment Facility using a specially designed ro-
botic weld tool. FSW will be used for all of the
major structural welds on the Ares I upper
stage, including welds at difficult angles re-
quired for the bulkhead and other large metal-
lic structures.
As part of NASA’s subsonic fixed wing
project, metallic open-cell foams are being de-
veloped for use in aircraft engines because of
their ability to reduce engine noise, absorb im-
pact, and reduce structural weight. Work is
under way at NASA Glenn to identify and cor-
relate the relationship between key character-
istics of the foam microstructure and impor-
tant acoustic properties such as the noise
attenuation parameter. Detailed quantitative
measurements are currently under way at
Glenn to characterize the microstructures of
FeCrAlY and stainless steel foams and to cor-
relate them with the acoustic impedance char-
acteristics and the pressure flow resistance of
the foams.
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:34 AM Page 7

Survivability jettisoned from the ISS in 2007 burned and

disintegrated during reentry more than 15
months later on November 3, 2008. Then, in
The twin-prop, fixed-wing tactical Joint Cargo January of this year, a Russian nuclear-pow-
Aircraft was subjected to triservice live fire test ered satellite, Cosmos-1818, partially disinte-
and evaluation (LFT&E) under the auspices of grated, posing both debris and radiation haz-
the mandatory Title 10 testing requirement. ards. And this February, debris was splashed
The Army tested the flight controls, armor, into orbit from the accidental collision of two
energetic materials, and oxygen systems communications satellites, one Russian and
against ballistic threats. The Air Force tested one U.S., over Siberia. Overall, it is estimated
the engine nacelle fire extinguishing system that 19,000 debris pieces larger than 10 cm
and made initial evaluations of the wing lead- are floating in orbit (among 300,000 pieces
ing- and trailing-edge dry bays. The Navy as- larger than 1 cm). They are monitored closely
sisted by evaluating wing fire, hydrodynamic at NASA Johnson by the agency’s Orbital De-
ram effect, and propeller vulnerabilities to bal- bris Program Office. NASA, ESA, and the
listic threats. The Air Force also performed U.N. have held meetings recently to consider
LFT&E on the four-engine fixed wing mod- formulating regulations to curb collisions and
ernized Super Galaxy C-5M transport aircraft protect satellites and space vehicles.
to evaluate its survivability against potential
fire initiation and sustainment in the engine A tool bag lost in space by an
pylon areas due to ballistic threats. Endeavour astronaut during a
spacewalk to repair the ISS
After the January 15, 2009, multiple bird
solar panel on November 18,
strike to the US Airways aircraft resulted in 2008,orbited for more than
complete loss of power in its two jet engines eight months before burning
and an emergency landing on the Hudson during its reentry on August 3.
River in New York City, bird strike warning
devices began receiving more attention for
civilian aircraft survivability and safety. The
New York Airport Authority is preparing to in-
stall and test a bird radar (very much like any
other radar) at JFK airport. If it proves suc-
cessful, LaGuardia and New Jersey’s Newark
airport will each receive one. The FAA is re-
fining a system at Seattle’s airport first, to en-
sure that the device does not “see” too much
or too little. Other avian radars are now also
being developed by some vendors.
Space debris is becoming a serious prob-
lem. In October 2008, NASA celebrated its
50th anniversary with a proposed vision cen-
tered on establishing a permanent manned lu-
nar station as a base for further planetary ex-
ploration. This vision must take into account
survivability against space debris, an issue that
literally exploded into the front pages follow-
ing several major incidents in 2008 and
2009.
First, the ISS had to use thrusters on Au-
gust 27, 2008, in a maneuver to avoid a piece
of space junk that NASA described as part of Other survivability-related R&D efforts
the Cosmos-2421 satellite that had separated continued this year. The Air Force is studying
the previous March. Next, a 30-lb repair tool the degradation in composite materials due to
bag was lost in space on November 18, 2008, brief but intense fuel fires. Also, an aircraft fire
by an astronaut of the Endeavour space shuttle prediction model is being validated through a
during a spacewalk to repair the ISS. The bag series of tests involving ballistic impacts
orbited for more than eight months before it against generic fuel tank and dry-bay configu- by Ameer Mikhail,
burned during reentry on August 3. Third, a rations. The goal is to enhance fire survivabil- Adam Goss, and
1,400-lb refrigerator-sized ammonia servicer ity after impact. Dan Cyphers

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 53

SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND STRUCTURES
NDA can be used to propagate
uncertainty through a model
and compute the sensitivity of
the outputs to input parameters.
by Eric Tuegel
54 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:34 AM Page 8
Nondeterministic
approaches
Nondeterministic approaches (NDA) are es-
sential for the effective application of model-
based simulations in engineering. A 2009
World Technology Evaluation Center (WTEC)
panel report, “International Assessment of
Research and Development in Simulation-
Based Engineering and Science” (SBE&S),
emphasized the importance of SBE&S for fu-
ture technical and economic development,
and the necessity of NDA both for quantifying
uncertainty in SBE&S models and for verifica-
tion and validation (V&V). The panel noted
the strong leadership shown in NDA develop-
ment by the DOE and DOD, but pointed out
the lack of organizational structures in the
U.S. for further developing and capitalizing
on it. The panel also decried the worldwide
lack of graduate curricula in stochastic model-
ing and simulation.
A critical frontier for development identi-
fied by the WTEC panel is the development of
sophisticated approaches toward V&V, uncer-
tainty quantification (UQ), and risk assessment
to provide confidence in SBE&S. Develop-
ments in these three areas occur in islands of
excellence at national labs and universities.
Sandia National Laboratories has been ac-
tively working these areas for years and con-
tinues to do so. Techniques for reducing the
discretization (mesh) dependence in physics
models where results do not deterministically
converge with mesh refinement were investi-
gated. In addition, Sandia and partner institu-
tions worked to improve the efficiency of
propagating uncertainties in input parameters
through models to estimate the uncertainty in
output variables.
Universities are responsible for many of
the mathematical developments in V&V, UQ,
and risk assessment. Improvement of a global,
full-field sensitivity analysis method continued
at the Naval Academy, together with the
Army Cold Regions Research and Engineer-
ing Laboratory. This method provides sensi-
tivity information throughout both the spatial
and parameter domains of a computational
mechanics model based on sampling of surro-
gate models. Researchers at the University of
Arizona are developing techniques for con-
structing explicit nonlinear limit state func-
tions using support vector machines (SVM), a
type of supervised machine learning. The
SVM-based limit state functions are developed
with both computational and experimental
data, and form the basis for an efficient relia-
bility-based design optimization algorithm for
problems with competing failure modes.
NDA techniques and nondeterministic
SBE&S made headway in real-world applica-
tions this year as the desire to lower operating
costs drove operators to consider alternate
ways of doing business. Nondeterministic serv-
ice life management tools developed by VEX-
TEC are being used to establish the warranty
periods and maintenance intervals for indus-
trial equipment, automotive fleets, and aero-
space vehicles. Southwest Research Institute
(SwRI) assessed the impact of condition-based
maintenance on the reliability of dynamic hel-
icopter components. In collaboration with the
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and
Naval Air Systems Command, SwRI devel-
oped a probabilistic methodology to predict
the risk of fracture of engine disks subjected to
fretting fatigue, a major source of damage in
aircraft turbine engine components.
Engineers also looked at NDA to improve
the efficiency of products by reducing the
weight resulting from overly conservative de-
signs. SwRI and AFRL developed a rigorous
probabilistic framework to assess turbine en-
gine reliability when multiple (competing) fail-
ure mechanisms, each involving multiple
anomalies, are simultaneously active at multi-
ple locations. The purpose was to provide a
more accurate estimate of lower bound lives,
eliminating the overconservatism that may oc-
cur when failures resulting from different
mechanisms are lumped together into a single
population.
SwRI also worked with NASA and other
team members to develop practical guidelines
for performing probabilistic fracture mechan-
ics assessments. The ability to identify and cat-
alog overconservative design margins result-
ing from applying safety factors on top of
other safety factors using NDA is being
demonstrated by VEXTEC and Vanderbilt
University.
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SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:34 AM
Structural dynamics
Every few decades, structural dynamicists get
an opportunity to conduct a modal survey test
on an integrated launch vehicle to verify the
dynamic loads and control models in prepara-
tion for the first flight. This summer provided
that rare chance. Engineers and analysts from
NASA Glenn, Johnson, Langley, and Mar-
shall converged on Kennedy Space Center to
perform such a test on the Ares I-X flight test
vehicle, a 327-ft-tall, 1.8-million-lb rocket
constrained to the mobile launch platform at
four hold-down locations. NASA recently
completed Ares I-X stack subassembly modal
tests, followed by a full vehicle test. The ac-
quired data verify the accuracy of Ares I-X dy-
namic models for loads prediction and vehicle
control analyses.
NASA Marshall is preparing for the Ares I
integrated vehicle ground vibration test
planned for 2012. The test will verify fre-
quencies, modes, and damping for the Ares I
launch vehicle at five points in flight (full stack
liftoff, full stack first stage end-of-burn, and
three upper stage flight points) to support
guidance, navigation, and control as well as
loads requirements. The landmark Marshall
Dynamic Test Stand (TS4550) has undergone
extensive renovations. The access platforms
used for the shuttle are being replaced with a
“mast climber” for the Ares I test.
Sandia developed new computational
tools for massively parallel structural dynamics
analysis, and evaluated a novel wind turbine
blade design. These tools enable high-fidelity
finite-element analysis of structural-acoustic
systems. A quadratic eigenvalue solver and
mesh tying options for structure-acoustic in-
terfaces were implemented in Salinas, San-
dia’s massively parallel code, for better cou-
pled analyses. Sandia has been developing
innovative concepts for structurally efficient
turbine blades. The 27-m STAR (sweep-twist
adaptive rotor), developed with Knight and
Carver, is one such blade.
First-of-a-kind computations were con-
ducted at NASA Ames for rotor blades using
RUNEXE, a C++ based process that facili-
tates time accurate coupling of CFD and rotor
blade CSD (computational structural dynam-
ics) codes. Unlike works that rely on linear
aerodynamics codes and the measured thrust
coefficient, validations were performed by us-
ing only primitive independent parameters:
rotating and forward speeds.
The Air Force Research Laboratory com-
Page 11
The STAR blades on a Zond Z-48
turbine are one example of
structurally efficient turbine
blades.
pleted a three-year study on the effects of
power and signal cables on the dynamic re-
sponse of large precision structures. The
study aimed to discover practical ways of up-
dating dynamical models of cabled structures.
Modal models treating cables as nonstructural
masses cannot capture high frequencies.
Hence a more complex, yet practical, ap-
proach to cable modeling was studied. Exper-
imental and computational techniques were
developed to extract structural properties of
cables used in the space industry and create
an extensive database.
Flapping wing micro air vehicles could rev-
olutionize information gathering in areas such
as environmental monitoring and homeland
security. At the University of Michigan, new
computational tools have been created for pre-
dicting aeroelastic effects on these vehicles. In July, ULA and Ball Aerospace
interns launched four rockets to
Using high-fidelity finite-element simulations,
various altitudes.
these tools can determine the amount of wing
flexibility for enhancing aerodynamic perform-
ance. A low-order framework, involving non-
linear beam, potential flow aerodynamics, and
nonlinear flight dynamics, is used for coupled
flight dynamic and aeroelastic simulations.
United Launch Alliance and Ball Aero-
space summer interns held their annual high-
power rocket launch event in July, launching
four rockets that attained above-ground-level
altitudes of 4,494 ft, 4,000 ft, 8,809 ft, and
4,632 ft. The third one exceeded Mach 1.
The last one, 20 ft 4 in. tall and weighing 137
lb, successfully deployed its main payload at
apogee. Then, at 1,700 ft, an egg drop con-
traption was ejected and deployed a para-
chute that returned it safely to the ground. In
just 10 weeks, the 60 interns built the rocket
and payloads, built a load test fixture, and
conducted avionics validation tests. by Suresh Shrivastava
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 57
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:34 AM Page 12
AEROSPACE DESIGN AND STRUCTURES
Adaptive structures
Rotorcraft technology was an area of signifi-
cant activity this year in the field of adaptive
structures. The Army and Sikorsky will dem-
onstrate an adaptive rotor system that im-
proves rotor performance, reduces vibration
levels, and lowers acoustics. Technologies in-
clude active trailing-edge flaps, leading-edge
slats, and a hub-mounted vibration suppres-
sion system. Full-scale hardware will be tested
on the Sikorsky rotor whirl stand and in the
National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex
wind tunnel at NASA Ames.
Eurocopter and EADS Innovation are also
investigating active trailing-edge actuator con-
cepts. The actuator is a multimorph bender
including piezoelectric ceramics and glass
fiber-reinforced plastics. Advantages of the
Penn State and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
developed a novel clapping-wing nano airframe
concept are smoothly deflected contours in
chordwise and spanwise direction. Eurocopter
has built a blade segment for testing. DARPA
is leading a mission adaptive rotor program
that could enable morphing of the rotor and
possibly boost payloads by 30% and range by
40%, reduce sound by 50%, and decrease vi-
bration by 90% compared to the usual fixed
rotor blades.
NASA is using adaptive structures technol-
ogy for airframe noise reduction and engine vi-
bration reduction. Noise produced by unsteady
flow around gaps, cavities, edges, and articula-
tion mechanisms associated with multielement
airfoils of transport aircraft has emerged as an
important contributor to airport community
noise. Research is directed at developing prac-
tical concepts and prototypes for low-noise
transport wing structures. Notional solutions
include slat-cove filler, drooped leading-edge,
and conformal trailing-edge link concepts.
Vibrations in engines lead to thicker blade
design, fatigue, and reduced life. NASA has
by David Voracek developed and demonstrated a smart adap-
58 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
tive damping technology to reduce vibrations
in fan, compressor, and potentially turbine
blades, using piezoelectric materials, plasma-
sprayed damping coatings, and high-damp-
ing, high-temperature shape memory alloy
materials.
The Adaptive Structures Team at the Air
Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has fabri-
cated representative morphing skin concepts
to demonstrate single-material shape-memory
polymer solutions that allow morphing with
minimal strain energy while maintaining outer
mold line integrity. They have also investi-
gated thermally activated actuation of a de-
ployable system using available ambient heat
caused by high-speed delivery. The concept
relies on thermal switches and internal heat
storage in phase-change materials before ac-
tivation of the deployment mechanism.
For micro air vehicles (MAVs), AFRL con-
tinues to investigate poststall transient aerody-
namics loads for perching MAV concepts, and
anticipates mechanism, vehicle, and control
design to begin late this year.
Another element of adaptive structures is
structural health monitoring. Arizona State
University developed an adaptive prognosis
model based on improved kernel functions to
enhance on-line Gaussian process models and
physics-based models. The team is investigat-
ing multiscale modeling of woven composites,
optimal sensor placement, and sensor fusion.
Alpha STAR and the University of California
developed a diagnostic prognostic system us-
ing optical fiber sensing, wireless strain gauge,
and remote data transmission. Software was
developed to determine the failure location,
failure cycle/load, and the contributing failure
mechanisms. University of Michigan research
focused on the design of directional transduc-
ers for efficient guided wave excitation, em-
phasizing composite materials. Damage inter-
rogation approaches are using a composite
long-range variable-length emitting radar
transducer, which is able to inspect a com-
plete structural surface from a central location.
Penn State and the Air Force Office of Sci-
entific Research and have developed a novel
4-cm-wingspan, 1-g clapping-wing nano air-
frame. The aircraft’s four wings are driven by
three piezoelectric T-beam actuators monolith-
ically fabricated from bulk 1-mm-thick PZT-
5H. A hinge and lever mechanism amplifies
the small actuator displacements to produce
60-deg wing motions from DC to 12 Hz using
0.4 V/μm applied electric field. The polymer
wings clap together at the end of the stroke to
amplify thrust.
SD-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 11:34 AM
Aerospace structures
Advanced flying wing configurations like the
blended wing body offer superior operating
economics, but such benefits will not material-
ize until fundamental structural challenges in-
volving pressurization and producibility are
solved. NASA Langley and Boeing are devel-
oping pultruded rod stitched efficient unitized
structure concepts. Complex stitched panel
assemblies are built without exacting toler-
ances, and then accurately net molded in sin-
gle oven-cure operations. Soft-tooled fabrica-
tion methods, where bagging films conform to
inner moldline surfaces, eliminate current
costly tooling.
At MIT, numerous advances are continuing
to drive nanocomposite research upward in
scale and complexity to aerospace structural
applications. Taking advantage of scale and
exceptional properties of carbon nanotubes
(CNTs), thin films and hierarchical materials
are now being realized. Examples include na-
noengineered composites—hybrid composites
with 3D aligned CNT reinforcement.
Mississippi State is using multiscale design
methodologies to investigate nanoreinforce-
ment effects on primary structure fiber-rein-
forced composite properties. Critical issues in-
clude selection of key combinations of fibers,
matrix materials, and nanoreinforcements;
fabrication of fine- and coupon-scale testing
samples; and multiscale material modeling stra-
tegies for assessing high-performance nano-
composites material processing influences.
Arizona State University, in collaboration
with the AFRL/RB/Boeing structural hot-
spots program, is researching structural health
management (SHM) and damage prognosis
for existing and future structures. A multi-
scale-modeling framework has been devel-
oped for tracking the nucleation of damage in
metallic materials from grain level to structural
failure. Other efforts include the development
of robust online/offline SHM and prognostic
tools using system identification and Bayesian
statistics.
NASA’s integrated vehicle health manage-
ment program has brought significant accom-
plishments in multiscale modeling, guided-
wave-based damage detection, and novel sig-
nal processing techniques for information
management. Through the use of machine
learning and data reduction techniques, sen-
sor signals and training time storage require-
ments have been reduced. High-velocity im-
pact research is under way to determine
Page 13
woven and braided composite
responses.
The Air Force Institute of
Technology conducted impact
studies at 108 Joules of titanium
and titanium boride monolithic
and functionally graded com-
posite plates. A finite-element
model was developed to com-
pare with material response us-
ing a local random distribution
of constituents. Hawk moths
have proven to be valuable mod-
els for MAV design.
Ball Aerospace is emphasiz-
ing high-g-level shock testing
and analysis for electronic com-
ponents and assemblies. Its re- Ares I-X stands on launch pad
39b at the Kennedy Space Center
searchers have tested numerous board config- on Oct. 26 awaiting its flight
urations, creating software tools, engaging test launch. (Photo Credit:
experts, and implementing the most current NASA/Bill Ingalls.)
data reduction techniques. The program also
focuses on practical uses of “pseudo velocity”
techniques, which can bring crucial insight in
deciphering test results.
NASA’s Orion crew exploration vehicle is
a complex state-of-the-art spacecraft that will
have more capability, flexibility, and adapt-
ability than any previous vehicle. The full-sized
module will be ground tested in vibration,
acoustics, and water landing loadings equiva-
lent to flight environments. The initial weld
joined an aluminum-lithium 2195 cone panel
and AL 2219 longeron using an innovative
friction stir welding process.
In June 2008, AFRL and Lockheed Mar-
tin launched a new era of aircraft manufactur-
ing technology and performance with the suc-
cessful demonstration flight of the advanced
composite cargo aircraft (a modified Dornier
328J). Lacking traditional rivet fasteners, the
composite structure is aerodynamically clean.
The fuselage is wider and stronger, and the
vertical tail features integrally stiffened skin.
Fuselage materials and processes reduced the
number of parts by an order of magnitude
over metallic designs.
NASA Glenn spent two years designing
and building the upper stage Ares I-X rocket
simulator (which has since been delivered to
the launch pad and had its first test launch).
Glenn examined many transportation options
because of the sheer part sizes. Twelve trac-
tor-trailer rigs were used to load the 11 18-ft-
wide, under 10-ft-tall cylinders, each weighing
between 24,000 and 60,000 lb. The 100-
yard-long Delta Mariner is designed to navi-
gate both rivers and oceans. by Harry H. Hilton
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 59
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:04 PM Page 2
SPACE AND MISSILES
Missile systems
This was an exciting and productive year for
new rocket and missile systems and for those
nearing completion. The laser-guided Zuni,
the LOGIR (low-cost guided imaging rocket),
and the HSAD (high-speed antiradiation dem-
onstration) programs all completed significant
tests. As a result, there is continuing accelera-
tion toward use of new elements with proven
technology to create weapons that meet war-
fighters’ current needs.
The laser-guided Zuni, a high-performance
forward-firing semiactive weapon, incorpo-
rates a baseline 5-in. Zuni rocket motor with
a laser guidance kit attached. In a very suc-
cessful test, the weapon made a direct hit on a
target board less than 1 m from the laser spot.
LOGIR, as its name implies, is designed to
provide a low-cost guidance enhancement ca-
pability for unguided rockets. Its technology
will significantly reduce a pilot’s exposure to
attack by improving standoff and reducing en-
gagement timelines, as well as enhancing the
Navy’s ability to deal with asymmetric threats.
A LOGIR firing test was conducted this year
against a representative fast inshore attack
craft target. When the rocket was fired, the in-
ertial measurement unit (IMU) reset as a con-
sequence of pyroshock, and the weapon im-
pacted the sea shortly thereafter. Even so, the
test proved invaluable for understanding the
launch environment of the rocket motors and
the limitations of low-cost IMUs. Based on the
findings from this firing, the weapon is under-
going design changes, and a repeat test is
scheduled for early 2010.
The HSAD program included the success-
ful flight demonstration of an integral rocket
ramjet propulsion system, which incorporates
a nozzleless booster and variable flow ducted
rocket ramjet technologies. This project’s ob-
jective was to flight test a near-tactical-config-
ured vehicle with an advanced propulsion and
control system. The focus was on increased
range and reduced time of flight at critical dis-
tances, as well as compatibility with evolving
guidance, navigation, and control compo-
nents. The ultimate goals were performance
simulation models and an “as-built” design
data package, to be validated starting from the
component level all the way through vehicle-
level free flight tests.
Arnold Engineering Development Center
by Jeannie Lee Borden,
(AEDC) accomplished testing on the Falcon
Rick Gamble, Shawn
Hertz, Ronald Miller, combined cycle engine technology (FaCET)
and Randy Sturgeon program. FaCET is a pathfinder dual-mode
60 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
A laser-guided Zuni impacts the target board.
ramjet demonstrator supporting a turbine-
based combined cycle hypersonic vehicle.
Over 30 test runs were completed at Mach 3,
4, and 6. The Mach-6 runs were also the cen-
ter’s first hypersonic air-breathing propulsion
test of a near-flight scale engine, and thus rep-
resent a significant milestone for AEDC.
Joint rocket/missile tests and launches
proved to be effective. A USAF Minotaur I
rocket launched the Air Force Research Lab’s
TacSat-3 satellite, and NASA’s PharmaSat
microsatellite and CubeSat technology dem-
onstration experiments into LEO in May. This
mission marked the third launch of a Minotaur
I launch vehicle from NASA Wallops and the
eighth Minotaur I mission.
The MDA, U.S. Pacific Fleet ships, and
their crews successfully conducted an Aegis
ballistic missile defense at-sea firing event in
July. It was the 19th successful intercept in 23
at-sea firings for the Aegis BMD program.
Also completing successful intercept tests this
year were THAAD (terminal high-altitude
area defense), a mobile system now in devel-
opment and designed to intercept short-to-
medium-range ballistic missiles, and a ground-
based interceptor missile.
The Air Force conducted routine opera-
tional tests of a strategic missile from Vanden-
berg AFB as part of a continuing program to
evaluate and demonstrate the operational
readiness of a ground-based strategic deter-
rent force. These tests also were used as tar-
gets of opportunity for MDA to conduct im-
portant exercises and obtain extensive data
without incurring the expense associated with
launching a test-specific target missile.
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:04 PM
Space colonization
Progress toward future space settlement is
measured in small ways, mostly as incremen-
tal changes in perception and advances in tar-
geted applied engineering that supports infra-
structure development. The past year contin-
ues this trend.
It has long been recognized that although
space settlement/colony development may be
technically feasible, it is economically and po-
litically unlikely in the foreseeable future. Sev-
eral books published just this year indicate a
more general acceptance of the concept that
space settlements are natural extensions of
human civilization. These include Living in
Space by the Aerospace Technology Working
Group, Lunar Outpost—The Challenges of Es-
tablishing a Human Settlement on the Moon
(Seedhouse; Springer/Praxis), and Space En-
terprise: Living and Working Offworld in the
21st Century (Harris; Springer/Praxis). The re-
cently concluded Review of US Human Space-
flight also reports on a strong consensus to
“...the ultimate goal: charting a path for hu-
man expansion into the solar system.”
Evidence of popular acceptance of space
settlement concepts is increasing. The AIAA-
sponsored International Space Settlement De-
sign Competition involved more than 1,000
high school students worldwide in designing
large space settlements in Earth orbit, in lunar
orbit, and on the lunar surface. Similarly, the
Space Design Contest, a competition organ-
ized by the National Space Society (NSS), at-
tracted hundreds of entries, primarily from in-
dividual students.
Space settlement concepts and infrastruc-
ture supporting future space settlement were
featured topics at the AIAA Space 2009
Conference, the 47th AIAA Aerospace Sci-
ences Meeting, and the NSS International
Space Development Conference. A Space El-
evator Conference provided conceptual de-
sign refinements for a transportation system
that could reduce costs to GEO to $3,000/
kg, although some challenges were identified.
These include space debris and the realization
that carbon nanotubes may not be as strong
as originally thought.
Private and commercial projects press for-
ward toward enabling more people to visit
LEO and live above the Earth’s atmosphere.
Bigelow Aerospace advocated an “Orion Lite”
spacecraft to enable tourist visits to LEO. The
Mars Society’s simulated missions in arctic Ca-
nada are becoming more sophisticated—these
Page 3
included UAV flights, remote rover operation,
and an in-situ resource utilization demonstra-
tion recovering water and plaster of Paris
from local minerals.
Automated ISS resupply capability demon-
strated by European and Japanese space ve-
hicles are welcome signs of cooperation and
cost-sharing in these tough economic times.
Similarly, the launch of remote sensing mis-
sions to the Moon by other nations new to the
space arena is refreshing. Tantalizing evi-
dence of the presence of surface water on the
Moon was found recently, and the eagerly
awaited results from the NASA Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite mission
may provide a new boost to the Moon-first
scenario for space exploration.
As space shuttle operations prepare for
another year and start to wind down, work
continues on the Ares I and Ares V vehicles,
Although space settlement may
be technically feasible, it is still
economically and politically
unlikely in the foreseeable future.
(Image produced for NASA by
John Frassanito and Associates.)
and a test flight has been conducted for the
Ares I-X mission. Work continues on the Al-
tair lunar lander and its ascent and descent en-
gines. The year also brought progress in work
on evaluating the benefits of a small nuclear
reactor to provide surface power on the
Moon. Any long-term lunar mission will
clearly benefit from augmented power for fu-
ture lunar surface operations.
In the short term, the most significant influ-
ences on U.S. national space policy will likely
come from responses to recommendations by
the Augustine commission, which have had a
mixed reception in the public forum. The one
consistent theme in the commission’s work—
that NASA budgets are insufficient to do every-
thing the agency is presently attempting, and
only barely enough to do useful parts of it—is
right on target. These discussions are of critical
interest to the space settlement community:
Space infrastructure is an initial condition for
establishing space settlements, and decisions by Anita Gale
made today establish the foundations of to- and Narayanan
morrow’s space infrastructure. Ramachandran
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 61
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
SPACE AND MISSILES
A Battalion Tactical Operations
Center relies on constantly
updated information. The tactical
readouts are vital for today’s
Army. (Photo courtesy USA.)
by James D. Walker
62 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
12:04 PM Page 4
Weapon system
effectiveness
Topics of emerging interest are the network
and networks of networks, often falling under
the heading of network-centric warfare. Mili-
tary systems have been developed that handle
large amounts of in-
formation, and work
is ongoing to link
these various systems
together in a usable
fashion. On the posi-
tive side, these net-
works of networks
can convey more in-
formation at a faster
rate than ever be-
fore. It is these net-
works, for example,
that enable the sig-
nificant success of
UAVs in the battle-
field, from support-
ing their flights through command and control
to distributing the collected information to sol-
diers. It is the networks that enable requests
for battlefield support and calls for air strikes—
and that are allowing soldiers to maintain con-
tact with their homes and families during their
deployments.
There are great hopes for networks of net-
works and the ability to provide even more in-
formation. This year U.S. Army Natick an-
nounced its Future Soldier 2030 Initiative,
with 25% of the described program goals
falling under the headings of “network” and
“sensors.” In the current theater, pilots are
asking for iPhones in the cockpit so that they
can be updated continuously regarding devel-
opments on the ground to assist in close-in air
support. They would like to see what is hap-
pening on the ground and have clear identifi-
cation of targets in dynamic, adverse environ-
ments, and these needs for information can
only be achieved by having more bandwidth
and data handling capabilities. In other words,
by having improved networks.
Networks have a number of downsides,
however. One is cost. This year, the Future
Combat Systems, a system of systems includ-
ing networks linking vehicles and soldiers to-
gether on the battlefield and with command
centers in theater and stateside, had its pro-
curement phase canceled by Secretary of De-
fense Gates due to cost. The follow-on pro-
gram, Brigade Combat Team Modernization,
will hopefully include some of the information
technology and network elements, but many
of the platforms will no longer be procured in
their originally planned design.
Another downside of networks is their vul-
nerability to either disruption or other forms
of breakage. Research is ongoing into the sur-
vivability of networks of networks and under-
standing critical paths and how information
crosses networks of networks. Included in
these networks are not just the dedicated mili-
tary hardware but also civilian and commercial
networks over which the military passes infor-
mation. To better understand some of the
weaknesses, this year the military held several
“day without space” exercises to examine the
ability of information to be transferred if the
physical networks of certain space assets were
no longer effectively passing information.
Given the importance of communications
and other information processes typically han-
dled by spacecraft, there are a number of op-
erational thrusts aimed at making these por-
tions of the networks more robust. Oper-
ationally Responsive Space (ORS), a joint pro-
gram office, is coordinating the development
of satellites with common spacecraft compo-
nents that can be quickly assembled and
placed in orbit to address specific needs in a
very short time.
On May 19 an Orbital Minotaur I rocket
launched Tactical Satellite-3 from Wallops Is-
land as part of the ORS initiative. TacSat-3 in-
cluded a hyperspectral imager, a communica-
tions package, and an avionics experiment.
Also, work is ongoing looking at blimps, air-
ships, and high-altitude UAVs to act as relays
or otherwise replace the information creation
and handling roles of various space assets.
These platforms will be able to maintain net-
work links in an adverse environment.
Also of concern are direct, intentional
electronic attacks on the networks themselves,
not just physical attacks on the various nodes.
In November 2008 the military restricted the
use of thumb drives due to difficulties in en-
suring that they were not propagating viruses
and worms. Controlling access into a network
is one way to prevent cyber attacks, but as the
networks become larger and more interlinked
other methods are being explored to make
network communications more robust and re-
silient, regardless of the physical means of
transference of information. These ideas and
programs are aimed at integrating the net-
works and ensuring their success and thus fall
squarely in the vision and areas addressed by
weapon system effectiveness.
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:04 PM
Space resource utilization
The ability to use local resources will be an en-
abling technology for future exploration of the
Moon and beyond. This year was very excit-
ing and marked important achievements for
several lunar resource utilization technologies.
A field demonstration was held at the lunar
analog test site on the slopes of Mauna Kea,
Hawaii, from November 1 to 16. The test
site, operated by PISCES (Pacific International
Space Center for Exploration Systems), is lo-
cated at an elevation of 9,000 ft and serves as
a lunar analog in terms of terrain and soil
composition. The RESOLVE, ROxygen, and
PILOT projects all successfully operated pro-
totype systems during the field demonstration.
The RESOLVE system combined a rover
and a drill to identify and extract water ice and
volatile gases such as hydrogen, helium, and
nitrogen that may exist in the permanently
shadowed craters of the Moon’s poles. Equip-
ment from the Northern Centre for Advanced
Technology extracted and crushed core drill
samples that were then heated in a high-tem-
perature reactor from NASA Glenn. The prod-
ucts released from the samples were analyzed
using a gas chromatograph and captured with
absorbent beds provided by NASA Kennedy
and Johnson. The entire system was mounted
aboard a rover built by Carnegie Mellon Uni-
versity. The field demonstration tested the ca-
pabilities of all the systems in this lunar
prospector in a full end-to-end (roving, drilling,
processing) operation.
The ROxygen project conducted by John-
son and Kennedy and the PILOT project from
Lockheed Martin both demonstrated proto-
type systems to extract oxygen from lunar re-
golith using the hydrogen reduction process at
a scale large enough to support a lunar out-
post. During the test, Glenn’s CRATOS rover
was used to collect and deliver soil to the
ROxygen system for processing. Lockheed
Martin used a bucket drum excavator to col-
lect and deliver soil to the PILOT system for
processing. Both projects successfully ex-
tracted oxygen from the test site soil.
Two alternative methods to extract oxy-
gen from the lunar regolith were also further
developed. ORBITEC demonstrated the first
carbothermal reduction of lunar regolith simu-
lant to produce oxygen using direct solar en-
ergy. The carbothermal reactor is designed to
be operated remotely and is scaled to produce
oxygen at a rate of 1 MT/year. Physical Sci-
ences built the hardware to collect and trans-
Page 5
The Honeybee Robotics/NASA
Kennedy pneumatic mining
system was tested on a NASA
Ames robotic rover in a vacuum
chamber with GRC-1 lunar soil
simulant.
mit the concentrated so-
lar energy to the reactor
through fiber optic ca-
bles. The integrated sys-
tem will be tested at the
PISCES lunar analog test
site in February 2010.
Molten Regolith Elec-
trolysis, a joint NASA/
ASRC Aerospace/MIT/
Ohio State University proj-
ect, accomplished electro-
winning of silica with an The PILOT system and the
inert anode and performed withdrawal of Lockheed Martin bucketwheel
molten ferrosilicon alloy from the reactor. excavator were field tested.
Five NASA in-situ research utilization proj-
ects were awarded reduced gravity aircraft
flights under the FAST (Facilitated Access to
the Space Environment for Technology De-
velopment and Training) program. These proj-
ects studied size sorting methods and hopper
design assisting regolith flow using a pulsed
magnetic field, tribocharged beneficiation of
regolith, a pneumatic regolith transport device
with electrostatically enhanced cyclone sepa-
rators, and gas fluidization in a mock reactor.
All projects were successfully tested. The data
are being analyzed and the results are feeding
directly into the next-generation ISRU oxygen
production plants.
Honeybee Robotics, partnered with NASA
Kennedy, developed pneumatic and percus-
sive approaches to regolith excavation and
transport. The pneumatic approach utilizes
low-pressure gas to sort and loft regolith parti-
cles over long distances, while the percussive
approach uses a high-frequency hammer to
drive a scoop into regolith or push a dozer
blade across the regolith surface. The main
advantages of the pneumatic system are its
lack of moving parts and high efficiency. The
percussive system significantly reduces the ex-
cavation force required. by Robert Gustafson
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 63
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
SPACE AND MISSILES
At NASAJohnson, a simulated
crew performs suit loop testing of
CAMRAS, an open-loop system for
CO2 removal.
by Bernadette Luna
and the AIAA Life Sciences
and Systems Technical
Committee
64 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
12:04 PM Page 6
Life sciences and systems
The life sciences and systems community is
conducting numerous aerospace-related ef-
forts, with a major focus on enabling human
exploration of space.
At NASA centers across the country, sys-
tems needed to maintain breathable air in
spacecraft are being developed. Researchers
at Johnson have confirmed the functionality
of pressure swing amine bed technology in-
tended for Orion, Altair, EVA, and lunar elec-
tric rover applications. Complementary devel-
opment of air revitalization systems for long
duration missions is also under way at NASA
Ames, where a closed-loop CO2 removal sys-
tem is being built incrementally to reduce
power associated with water recovery and to
integrate CO2 compression with the CO2 re-
moval function. NASA Marshall held a loop
closure technical interchange meeting, kicking
off the effort to “close the air loop” by recov-
ering oxygen from CO2.
Northrop Grumman is supporting space
radiation shielding research critical to vehicle
and habitat design as part of mission planning
for the Constellation project. Ground-based
particle accelerators produce beams of pro-
tons and heavier ions characteristic of the
most hazardous elements of space radiation.
These beams are directed at materials under
consideration for use in spacecraft and lunar
habitats, including structural applications, ded-
icated shielding, and lunar soil and regolith. In
2008, researchers measured radiation trans-
port in lunar soil simulants and Apollo sam-
ples. Shielding properties of carbon foam and
ballistic fiberglass were studied this year.
BioServe Space Technologies, a research
center at the University of Colorado in Boul-
der, provided payload support for the ISS Na-
tional Lab, which was designated under the
NASA Authorization Act of 2005. Seven dif-
ferent biotechnology investigations took place
this year in BioServe payloads flown on four
shuttle flights under the auspices of the Na-
tional Lab Pathfinder missions. The commer-
cially sponsored experiments focused on vac-
cine development and control of cellular
replication and differentiation processes. The
fate of ISS utilization after 2010 remains un-
certain; however, NASA and the National In-
stitutes of Health partnered to release a solici-
tation for proposals aimed at space-based
biomedical research on board the ISS.
ORBITEC demonstrated the first carbo-
thermal reduction of lunar regolith simulant to
produce oxygen using direct solar energy.
The carbothermal reactor, which is designed
to be operated remotely, is scaled to produce
oxygen at a rate of 1 metric ton a year. Phys-
ical Sciences built the hardware to collect the
concentrated solar energy and transmit it to
the carbothermal reactor through fiber optic
cables. The integrated system will be tested at
the PISCES (Pacific International Space Cen-
ter for Exploration Systems) lunar analog test
site in February 2010.
This year saw the initiation of two major
efforts for evaluation of current national pol-
icy. The National Research Council undertook
a “Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical
Sciences in Space” in response to congres-
sional legislation. The objective of the study is
to set clear priorities for microgravity research
for the coming decade, incorporating biologi-
cal, physical, and engineering disciplines to
address a wide range of issues in basic and ex-
ploration-driven research.
On a broader scale, the Obama adminis-
tration established a special committee to con-
duct an independent review of ongoing U.S.
human spaceflight plans and programs, as
well as alternatives, to ensure that the nation
is pursuing a safe, innovative, affordable, and
sustainable trajectory for human spaceflight.
The life and physical sciences community sub-
mitted a public statement to this committee
regarding the importance of recreating robust
ground and flight programs in biological and
physical research.
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:04 PM
Space tethers
In this past year, the space tethers community
has been preparing for several upcoming
flight experiments and developing new sys-
tems, applications, and technologies.
Early next year, an international team
headed by the Kanagawa Institute of Technol-
ogy/Nihon University, will launch a Japanese
Space Tether Experiment called T-Rex (previ-
ously Fortissimo) that will be a suborbital test
of a new type of electrodynamic tether (EDT)
that may lead to a generation of propellantless
propulsion systems for LEO spacecraft. T-Rex
will launch from Uchinoura, Kagoshima, Ja-
pan on an S-520 sounding rocket. During as-
cent, and above approximately 100 km alti-
tude, the 300-m-long tape tether will be
deployed at a rate of approximately 8 m/sec.
Once deployed, the tether will serve as an an-
ode, collecting ionospheric electrons that will
be expelled into space by a hollow cathode
device, thereby completing the circuit and al-
lowing current to flow. The interaction of the
tether current with Earth’s magnetic field cre-
ates a drag propulsive force.
Drag propulsion is also the principle be-
hind the “terminator tape” deorbit module
that Tethers Unlimited (TUI) is developing for
microsatellites at altitudes above 1,000 km.
The module is a “pizza-box”-shaped device
that mounts to any face of a satellite. The host
spacecraft, once it has completed its mission,
will activate the system, which will then de-
ploy a 50-150-m-long conductive tape. The
tape significantly increases the aerodynamic
drag on the system and also generates passive
electrodynamic drag, which deorbits the satel-
lite within 25 years.
The Naval Research Laboratory is also
conducting research on spacecraft propulsion
using EDTs. NRL has a first flight experiment
now in space on board the CP6 CubeSat de-
veloped by CalPoly, launched on TacSaT-3 in
May. NRL’s experiment will demonstrate and
evaluate techniques for collection and emis-
sion of electrons in Earth’s plasma. Planned
for flight in 2012, the next experiment being
developed at NRL is the use of CubeSats as
the end masses for a complete 1-km-long
EDT system.
AFOSR has funded a team from Penn
State, University of Michigan, and TUI to ex-
amine the use of EDTs for energy harvesting
on spacecraft. The goal is to develop a better
understanding of the power generation capa-
bilities of EDT systems on various scales, and
Page 7
The T-Rex test of a new EDT may lead to a generation of
propellantless propulsion systems.
to develop system concepts, key elements,
and technology road maps for their use.
A student team from the University of
Glasgow in Scotland and the KTH Royal Insti-
tute of Technology in Sweden are designing
and constructing a tether-based space web
structure. The system consists of a central hub
that deploys and stabilizes the web, a specially
designed reaction wheel with full control, and
four daughter units at the web corners provid-
ing web tension and containing inertial meas-
urement units for measuring the system’s
forces acting during deployment and stabiliza-
tion. The structure will be launched on a
REXUS sounding rocket from Esrange, Ki-
runa, Sweden in early 2010.
Through proof-of-concept studies and ini-
tial experiments, the Jet Propulsion Labora-
tory has been investigating tethered systems
that deploy an end-effector tens to hundreds
of meters from a spacecraft, collect a few kilo-
grams of asteroidal regolith, and return the
sample to the spacecraft. Utilizing shape
memory alloys allows controlled small-body
sampling at a much longer distance with lower
risk to the spacecraft and longer sampling du-
rations than are possible with existing articu-
lated arms and booms.
North Carolina State University is design-
ing a tether-ballast system for diverting the tra-
jectory of potentially hazardous asteroids
(PHAs). By using detailed dynamic computer
models, they have determined parametrically
the tether length and ballast mass necessary to
divert the asteroids currently cataloged in
NASA’s PHA database. The system works by
changing the location of the center of mass of by Sven G. Bilén and the
the system and changing the asteroid’s trajec- AIAA Space Tethers
tory to a non-Keplerian orbit. Technical Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 65
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December
SPACE AND MISSILES
HTV performed its first
successful berthing at the
ISS on September 17.
(Photo courtesy JAXA.)
by Olivier de Weck
66 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11/16/09 12:04 PM Page 8
Space logistics
This year the most complex space logistics
project ever conceived continued to unfold be-
fore our eyes. Assembly of the ISS is nearing
its 2010 completion date after a multidecadal
international design and construction effort.
Maintaining this human outpost in a healthy
and productive state is an unprecedented logis-
tics challenge. Coordinating flight schedules,
cargo manifests, docking port availability, and
reverse logistics is an enormous task for NASA
and its international partners. Maintaining a
robust set of spares and high closure rates for
consumables is also a major challenge.
With just six space shuttle missions re-
maining and six crew members permanently
living on the ISS, excitement is mounting for
the maiden flights of the “visiting vehicles”
that will soon carry most of the U.S. and in-
ternational cargo to the station. These vehi-
cles include the Japanese H-II transfer vehicle
(HTV), SpaceX’s Dragon, and Orbital Sci-
ences’ Cygnus. HTV executed its first success-
ful berthing on September 17.
On its first mission, the HTV transported
nearly 6,000 kg of supplies to the ISS. Up to
4,500 kg of this was pressurized cargo; the re-
mainder was unpressurized external cargo re-
movable by the ISS robotic arm. HTV will stay
berthed at ISS for up to 45 days; undocking
ocurred as scheduled on November 1. HTV
will undock from ISS with as much as 6,000
kg of waste cargo to be burned up during re-
entry. The next of the new cargo vehicles
scheduled to fly to ISS, the SpaceX Dragon,
has three demonstration missions scheduled
for 2010. The third mission will be a full ISS
rendezvous, berthing, cargo delivery, and re-
turn mission. The third new craft slated to fly
to the station is Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus
cargo vehicle. Its demonstration mission to
rendezvous, berth, and deliver cargo to ISS is
currently scheduled for early 2011.
The high resupply demand associated with
maintaining six full-time crewmembers on the
ISS means these vehicles, in addition to the
Russian Progress and the European ATV, are
critical to the success of the ISS beyond 2010.
Much work and logistics research are un-
der way in other areas of the space enterprise.
The NASA Constellation program is continu-
ing the process of creating detailed plans for
the development of Orion and Ares systems
as well as lunar surface systems and a lunar
outpost, potentially beginning in 2020. This
effort includes the definition of an ILS (inte-
grated logistics system) to populate a single
system with data that identifies the entire
transportation, habitation, and mobility sys-
tem. This includes estimates of reliability and
maintainability for use in spares and support
equipment projections, and time-based data
for provisioning planning and consumables
management.
On the research front, progress continues
in the area of space exploration campaign
modeling, with a number of software tools
such as CMAT (NASA Langley) and SpaceNet
(MIT/JPL) maturing rapidly. Commercial lo-
gistics services in Earth orbit and beyond con-
tinue to attract interest and draw increasing
levels of investment. These activities range
from resupply services for cargo to the ISS and
potential extension to shuttle services for hu-
man crews, to the establishment of fuel depots
in Earth orbit, to futuristic plans for resource
mining of the Moon and other locations.
The Air Force and other military services
continue to invest in space-related assets and
capabilities, with logistics (including supporta-
bility) over the life cycle playing a major role.
Among the areas of particular interest to DOD
is the development of a partially reusable
launch vehicle as part of an operationally re-
sponsive space capability. Researchers at the
Air Force Institute of Technology and the Air
Force Research Laboratory have made signifi-
cant progress in simulating flight performance
and integrated ground operations, including
manpower requirements.
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:04 PM
Space systems
In an otherwise tumultuous year of financial
crises, space systems quietly provided en-
abling capabilities to ensure mission success
on hundreds of platforms throughout the so-
lar system. As the economic downturn of the
last year forced many to downsize where pos-
sible, it seemed appropriate to highlight some
“downsized” advances in space systems that
offer huge “upsize” capabilities.
Demonstrating low-cost satellite design
and operations, the Aprizesat-3 and Aprize-
sat-4 microsatellites, built by SpaceQuest,
Fairfax, Va., were launched in July. Space-
Quest built, tested, and delivered the 25-lb,
10-in.-cube satellites in only 10 months for
Aprize Satellite, a provider of low-cost wire-
less services for worldwide asset tracking and
data monitoring.
Aprize will offer low-cost satellite data
services such as monitoring the fuel level of
propane tanks, mobile tracking of shipping
containers and rail cars, and space-based au-
tomatic identification system (AIS) data serv-
ices to the global maritime community. The
AIS signal decoder operates in real time, in
contrast to more costly large satellite systems
that require the download of digitized AIS data
files that must be postprocessed to recover the
user data. Both satellites were commissioned
autonomously on first orbit and commenced
global AIS operations on the second orbit.
In August 2008 the commercial five-satel-
lite RapidEye constellation was launched, pro-
viding multispectral imagery at 6.5-m resolu-
tion. The cost of the complete constellation
with a “daily imaging” capability is consider-
ably less than that of a single U.S. Landsat
satellite. All five satellites were developed by
Surrey Satellite Technology, U.K.
To achieve high performance at low cost,
the Surrey team leveraged commercial elec-
tronics along with materials science such as
carbon fiber and silicon carbide structures. In
addition, the use of a novel optical design re-
duced the size and mass of the payload. Use
of better detectors on the focal plane incorpo-
rating programmable time delay and integra-
tion allowed the use of smaller apertures.
Armadillo Aerospace completed the two
successful flight tests with their SCORPIUS ve-
hicle in September, using PRESSUREMAXX
helium tanks. Scorpius Space Launch of Haw-
thorn, Calif., sponsored the Armadillo Team
in its quest for the Lunar Lander Challenge
prize and provided all-composite tanks that en-
Page 9
SSTL-150 satellites will comprise the RapidEye constellation.
abled them to achieve a factor of two mass re-
duction. PRESSUREMAXX technology was
given the Award for Excellence and Innovation
in Composites Engineering by the American
Composites Manufacturers Association.
Developed in cooperation with Micro-
cosm, the technology employs a monolithic
linerless unibody construction offering supe-
rior performance and significant weight re-
duction compared to conventional carbon-
fiber-overwrapped metal tanks, achieving an
unmatched performance index of more than
2,000,000 in.
The Operationally Responsive Space
(ORS) Office located at Kirtland AFB is lever-
aging these types of space system technolo-
gies in an effort to corral costs of DOD space
systems and shorten their development cycle
times to the “speed of need.” Established in
May 2007, the ORS Office is taking a new
approach to risk and mission assurance to
rapidly deploy affordable capabilities that are
“good enough” to satisfy warfighter needs.
One significant milestone in this daunting
effort was the successful launch of the TacSat-
3 spacecraft on a Minotaur-I rocket from Wal-
lops Island in May. This small satellite carried
a Raytheon-built hyperspectral sensor and a
panchromatic imager developed by the Air
Force Research Lab. Currently, the ORS Of-
fice is collaborating with the AFRL. The
Space Development & Test Wing located at
Kirtland is operating the TacSat-3 spacecraft
while assessing its utility to support combatant
commanders. by Jerry Jon Sellers
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 67
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09
SPACE AND MISSILES
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V
rocket blasted off with NASA’s
LRO/LCROSS mission from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.,
on June 18. (Photo courtesy
ULA/Pat Corkery.)
by Carl Ehrlich and the
AIAA Space Transportation
Technical Committee
68 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
12:05 PM Page 10
Space transportation
The global launch community continued to
see high success rates.
The space shuttle’s STS-119 mission de-
livered the final set of solar arrays to the inter-
national space station. This completes the
ISS’s solar power system, which will support
the station’s expanded crew of six. The STS-
125 crew made repairs and upgrades to the
Hubble telescope. Hubble is
now capable of at least five
or more years of research.
STS-127 installed the JAXA
Kibo laboratory complex at
the station. STS-128 will
carry the Leonardo supply
module to ISS, with science
and storage racks, a research
sample freezer, a new sleep-
ing compartment, and the
Colbert treadmill. STS-129
will deliver the first two Ex-
press logistics carriers with
an array of spare parts.
Shuttle launch pad 39B
was turned over to the Con-
stellation program in June.
Initial development testing of
the new five-segment booster
was conducted in Septem-
ber, confirming performance
predictions. The Orion crew
module passed its prelimi-
nary design review. The Ares
I-X was moved to the launch
pad and was launched on
October 28.
The Human Space Flight
Plans Committee, led by
Norm Augustine, conducted
an independent review of
ongoing U.S. human space-
flight plans and programs, as
well as alternatives. The
committee’s final report was
released on October 22. Key alternatives in-
clude, in part: fund shuttle through 2011,
when the current manifest will be completed;
possibly extend the shuttle to close the human
spaceflight gap; or focus on technology plus
heavy-lift launch capability. It endorsed com-
mercial crew launch to LEO.
As of September 14, United Launch Al-
liance had conducted 12 successful launches
this year with its Delta II (7), Delta IV (2), and
Atlas V (3) rocket systems. Up to 4 missions
remain before the end of the year. Notable
missions include the final Air Force Delta II
flight, launching the GPS IIR-21 satellite;
launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Or-
biter/LCROSS by an Atlas V; and launch of
the Delta IV Heavy carrying a national secu-
rity payload.
SpaceX’s second successful launch of its
Falcon 1 rocket orbited Malaysia’s Razak-
SAT satellite. Falcon 1 is the first all-liquid-fuel
commercial vehicle to reach orbit.
In international news, the
Ariane V has delivered two as-
tronomical satellites to the L2
Lagrange point, the largest
telecommunication satellite
(the 6.9-ton TerreStar-1) to a
geostationary orbit, and six
other communications satel-
lites. Two more launches are
scheduled by year’s end.
The first Soyuz flight from
the Kourou launch site is
planned for early 2010. This
version of the Soyuz was flight-
qualified in Russia in 2008,
while the new, smaller Vega
launcher completed its third-
and fourth-stage ground quali-
fication tests in 2009.
Japan has ground qualified
the dual H-IIB LE7 first stage
engines. The H-IIB will be
used to launch the HTV auto-
matic servicing module to the
ISS in September.
NASA announced a plan
to invest stimulus funding in
the commercial sector toward
development of human orbital
spaceflight capability. These
competitively awarded/funded
agreements would be for com-
mercial crew concepts.
WhiteKnightTwo, the car-
rier aircraft for Virgin Galac-
tic’s SpaceShipTwo, made its
flying debut for the general public at the
annual EAA Oshkosh air show. The eight-
seat SpaceShipTwo is expected to roll by
year’s end.
XCOR has finished a series of wind tunnel
tests of the aerodynamic design of its Lynx
suborbital launch vehicle. The Armadillo
Aerospace Super Mod successfully completed
Level 2 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar
Lander Challenge, qualifying for the $1-mil-
lion first prize.
SM-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/16/09 12:05 PM
Space operations
and support
This year the increasing number of countries
making space operations headlines demon-
strated clearly that the world now has more
than just a handful of spacefaring nations. The
greatest number of firsts occurred in the area
of satellite launch capability: In February Iran
was added to the list of countries confirmed to
have this capability; it launched its Omid satel-
lite in April. North Korea’s discounted claim
to its first successful satellite launch was the
most serious attempt to date by that country’s
regime to perform such a test. Although their
spacecraft failed to reach a stable orbit due to
a fairing separation malfunction, South Korea
joined the list of countries with launch capa-
bility, sending its KSLV-1 aloft in August. Asia
saw other significant space activity as well,
with China’s successful launch of its second
geostationary navigation satellite and a re-
mote sensing spacecraft; ISRO’s successes
with radar imaging RISAT-2 and student-built
ANUSAT in April; and Malaysia’s RazakSAT
launch in July, marking the fifth SpaceX Fal-
con 1 launch and Malaysia’s second launch
this year, following MEASAT in June.
With more nations participating in the
space adventure, and more satellites with no
or limited maneuver capability, there is also a
growing need to address the issue of safe con-
trol and disposal of space assets at the end of
their operational life. One incident in particu-
lar again highlighted the issue of space debris
and the vulnerability of critical orbits to such
events, namely, the unprecedented February
collision of Kosmos-2251 with Iridium-33,
adding a significant debris cloud across low
Earth orbits. The event itself called attention
to the deficiencies in the world’s tracking and
reporting mechanisms for space.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
(LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and
Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) were launched in
June on a mission critical to future human lu-
nar operations: the search for lunar water.
The LCROSS part of the mission centered on
its Centaur upper stage crashing into the
Cabeus crater to create a plume through
which it could pass to take in-situ measure-
ments. The plume was considerably smaller
than predicted—a possible clue to its proper-
ties—but LCROSS successfully collected data
looking for water.
In August, LRO and India’s Chandrayaan-
1 flight operations teams attempted to coordi-
Page 11
nate their respective
spacecraft for a radar ex-
periment that could have
taken advantage of the
unique, bistatic radar re-
sponse of water ice. The
effort was an attempt to
increase the chances of
detecting the substance
on the Moon’s polar
caps. However, the two
spacecraft could not
reach the needed align-
ment, and the experi-
ment failed. One week
later the Chandrayaan-1
failed completely because
of overheating. Hope for
finding water on the
Moon, which will repre- Flight operations teams for LRO
sent a quantum leap forward toward a human and Chandrayaan-1 attempted
outpost and eventual settlement, now rests to coordinate their spacecraft
for a bistatic radar experiment
with these three spacecraft. The LRO radar to detect water ice on the
mission is ongoing and continues its search. Moon’s polar caps.
Post-mortem analysis of Chandrayaan-1 radar
data is ongoing. All nine instruments aboard
LCROSS successfully captured each phase of
the impact sequence, and analysis of its data
may yet uncover the signature of water.
Several events that occurred this year,
taken collectively, could be seen as the sign of
a space industrial revolution. In June, Space-
port America broke ground in Upham, N.M.,
soon to be home of Virgin Galactic. SpaceX
announced the formation of a new Astronaut
Safety and Mission Assurance Dept., with
former NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox as
vice president. The third commercial astro-
naut corps, after Scaled Composites and Vir-
gin Galactic, was formed this year. Two com-
mercial space operations companies, Galactic
Suite (GS) and Excalibur Almaz (EA), an-
nounced their intent to offer on-orbit destina-
tions for private space travel. (EA’s impres-
sive leadership includes Walter Cunningham
of Apollo 7, Leroy Chiao of ISS Expedition
10, and Vladimir Titov, as well as several al-
liances with space contractors such as United
Space Alliance. Both GS and EA are well po-
sitioned to make good on their offers.)
In addition, NASA’s Commercial Crew
Development contract was awarded. Finally,
the Augustine committee has among its op-
tions that of pumping $2.5 billion into com-
mercial human transport, and turning the ISS
over to a private contractor. These events
could well mark a new paradigm for commer- by J. Paul Douglas
cial human spaceflight. and Franz Newland
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 69
PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
PROGRAM COMMITTEES
On March 27, 2009, Thomas Muir
briefed DHS Secretary Napolitano
about the flooding in North
Dakota and Minnesota at the
National Operations Center.
(DHS Photo/Barry Bahler.)
by the AIAA Homeland
Security Program
Committee
70 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
1:29 PM Page 2
Homeland security
The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), with
its prevention and response goals, continues
its aggressive pursuit of the tools it needs to
meet these responsibilities. From geospatial to
man-portable air defense systems to critical in-
frastructure risk assessments, DHS is leaning
hard within the aerospace domain to equip its
fledgling agency with both the understanding
and the technology it needs to fulfill its mis-
sion. The quest spans the spectrum of acade-
mia, DOD, and the public sector contractors
for these needs. DHS needs extend far be-
yond aerospace, requiring flexible teaming
among aerospace, systems, maritime, and
communications experts.
To support the component agencies
within DHS, providing technology solutions to
meet these complex needs, DHS has estab-
lished the DHS Directorate of Science and
Technology (DHS S&T). The directorate is or-
ganized under three directors and six division
heads. The director of research oversees long-
term research needs to support DHS mission
areas that will provide the nation with an en-
during capability in homeland security. The
research portfolio includes the Office of Na-
tional Labs, the Office of University Programs,
and the Program Executive Office—Counter
Improvised Explosives Devices.
The director of innovation is responsible
for putting advanced capabilities into the
hands of DHS agencies/operators via the
Homeland Security Advanced Research Proj-
ects Agency, which concentrates on home-
land security research and development that
could lead to significant technology break-
throughs and greatly enhance departmental
operations. Within the innovation portfolio is
the Small Business Innovation Research Of-
fice and Homeworks.
Finally, the director of transition focuses
on delivering capabilities that department
components and first responders can rely on
to meet their operational needs. The transi-
tion portfolio includes the Commercialization
Office, Tech Clearinghouse, and the Safety
Act Office.
Among the six divisions, five apply directly
to aerospace. The Borders and Maritime Se-
curity Division develops and transitions tools
and technologies for the largest civilian air
force in the world. The Command, Control,
and Interoperability Division concerns itself
with interoperable communication for opera-
tors, transmission and control of images and
data from air- and space-based platforms, and
automated capabilities to recognize and ana-
lyze potential threats. The Explosives Division
develops the technical capabilities to detect,
interdict, and lessen the impacts of non-
nuclear explosives used in terrorist attacks
against mass transit, civil aviation, and critical
infrastructure.
The Human Factors Behavioral Sciences
Division applies the social and behavioral
sciences to improve detection, analysis, and
understanding and response to homeland se-
curity threats. The Infrastructure and Geo-
physical Division focuses on identifying and
mitigating the vulnerabilities of the 17 critical
infrastructure assets that keep our society and
economy functioning, including our air trans-
portation and shipping infrastructure.
Besides the directors and divisions, addi-
tional DHS S&T offices dealing with aero-
space include the Homeland Security Insti-
tute, Interagency Programs, International
Programs, Operations Analysis, Special Pro-
grams, Test & Evaluation, and Standards.
Within the new administration and DHS
leadership, one primary focus is mission inte-
gration. This focus is of utmost importance in
order to draw together the various agencies
and technologies/capabilities that must work
together when responding to crises/emergen-
cies. These interagency imperatives contribute
strongly to integration efforts.
PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 1:30 PM Page 3

Space station ations of microbial growth rates, antibiotic re-

sistance, microbial invasion of host tissue,
organism virulence (the relative ability of a mi-
The past year has seen tremendous achieve- crobe to cause disease), and genetic changes
ments and progress in the capability, function, within the microbe. Understanding how the
and use of the ISS. There is now less than one space environment affects microorganisms is
year remaining before assembly is complete critically important for understanding the risks
and full utilization begins. The ISS is a collab- they pose for future spaceflight missions.
orative international space venture that in- During ISS Increments 18, 19, and 20,
cludes partnerships between NASA, the numerous physical and life sciences experi-
Canadian Space Agency, ESA, Roscosmos ments have taken place. The major NASA-de-
(Russian Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan veloped physical science facilities, namely the
Aerospace Exploration Agency). These part- combustion integrated rack, the fluids inte-
ners have been responsible for the assembly grated rack, and the materials science re-
that has taken place in space for the past 11
years. Besides demonstrating long-term multi-
national collaboration and commitment to
building the largest and most complex occu-
pied space station to date, the ISS is a labora-
tory that allows for expanding knowledge of
how the space environment affects biological
and physical systems, and for testing the tools
needed to expand human exploration and set-
tlement of space.
In 2008 the addition of ESA’s Columbus
and JAXA’s Kibo scientific modules to the
U.S. Destiny and Russian segment modules
tripled the station’s laboratory space and re-
search facilities. NASA is currently working
on launching and installing the remaining ma-
jor research facilities that will be housed in the
Destiny, Columbus, and Kibo modules. These
facilities will include physical sciences hard-
ware for combustion, fluid physics, and mate-
rials science research, as well as additional
multipurpose and supporting infrastructure.
The ISS also had its crew size doubled to six
members in May. These changes are already
contributing to a major increase in the num-
ber of research experiments conducted on the
station. From September 2000 through April Astronaut Michael Barratt tends
of this year (Expedition 18), more than 400 search rack, now are also installed on the ISS. to science hardware in the U.S.
Laboratory. (NASA photo.)
investigations have taken place on the ISS, These facilities will enable the conduct of sig-
with participation by more than 600 scientists nificant experiments for the life of the station.
from nations across the world. The ISS also promotes the commercializa-
ISS science and technology facilities are tion of space through programs such as
designed to accommodate a broad range of NASA’s COTS (commercial orbital transpor-
experiments, from cell biology to human tation services) and the U.S. ISS National Lab-
physiology to materials and physical science oratory designation. As the era of the space
studies, as well as tests of technologies and shuttle comes to an end, commercial resupply
systems support for human exploration. vehicles will be key to the launch and return of
Among the most exciting biological results samples from this unique laboratory. Although
reported from ISS research is the confirma- constraints on up-mass to orbit and crew avail-
tion that common pathogens change and be- ability on the station have limited the scope of
by Jacob Cohen, Julie
come more virulent during spaceflight. The research during assembly, the science return
Robinson, and the AIAA
space environment has been shown to induce to date provides strong evidence for the high Microgravity and Space
key changes in microbial cells that play a di- potential of ISS science return after assembly Processes Technical
rect role in infectious disease, including alter- is complete. Committee

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 71

PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
PROGRAM COMMITTEES
The Boeing 787, with its bleedless architecture, is evidence of the reality of the
more-electric aircraft.
by Elena Garcia
72 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
1:30 PM Page 4
Energy optimized
aircraft and equipment
systems
The search for aircraft with better efficiencies
has never been more vital than it is today as
fuel prices rise and environmental constraints
tighten. That search for efficiency has led air-
craft manufacturers and their suppliers to re-
consider traditional systems architectures and
seek alternative equipment technologies.
Hybrid hydraulic/pneumatic/mechanical/
electrical energy architectures are deeply en-
trenched in today’s aircraft designs. This tra-
ditional approach is nearly tapped out, making
it increasingly difficult to improve capacity and
efficiency. “More-electric” technologies, on
the other hand, have the potential to be more
efficient due to fewer losses, being “on-de-
mand” in nature, and more dependable since
they are easier to maintain. It is important to
note that more-electric technologies and ar-
chitectures continue to evolve and show po-
tential, although not yet achieved, platform
benefits for modern highly integrated plat-
forms that conventional/mature methods can-
not offer.
More-electric equipment systems are al-
ready in use for aircraft flying today. The Air-
bus A380, for example, includes electrohy-
drostatic flight control actuators, powered and
controlled electrically with only local hy-
draulics, as well as electromechanical actua-
tion of its thrust reverser. But this consists of
no more than a conventional aircraft equip-
ment system layout with a few hydraulic users
replaced by electrical ones. Indeed, the con-
clusions reached by the Power Optimised Air-
craft project, sponsored under the 5th EU
Framework Programme that concluded in
2006, indicate that within conventional archi-
tectures, electric technologies yield only a
fraction of potential benefit, and functional
thinking is needed for true integration.
The need for integration and the impor-
tance of architectural choices were highlighted
again this year during the TEOS III (technolo-
gies for energy optimized aircraft equipment
systems) Forum and the MOET (more open
electrical technologies) Project Consortium
meeting, both held in Barcelona this Septem-
ber. The TEOS Forum included a presentation
from the USAF regarding its INVENT (inte-
grated vehicle energy technology) Program,
which seeks to enable an energy optimized
aircraft in the short term and revolutionary
more electric aircraft in the future.
INVENT seeks to accomplish this by fo-
cusing on five main areas of research:
•High-performance electric actuation sys-
tems to ensure fault resistance and an appro-
priate treatment and eventual reuse of regen-
erative power.
•Robust electrical power systems less sen-
sitive to external conditions and power quality
issues.
•Adaptive power and thermal manage-
ment taking advantage of the potential versa-
tility of electrical systems.
•Smart integration of these aircraft subsys-
tems with advanced propulsion systems.
•Integrated modeling and simulation envi-
ronment with hardware in the loop.
The integration approach using both mod-
eling and simulation and hardware test facili-
ties was echoed by the MOET Project consor-
tium sponsored by the EU under the 6th
Framework Programme and including over
62 industrial and research partners. While
much of the project was dedicated to the ex-
ploration of enabling technologies, cross-cut-
ting working groups were also organized to
consider system architectures and modeling
and simulation concerns. Two integration test
rigs were built as part of the project: one for
larger aircraft at Airbus that “powered on” in
March, and one for smaller aircraft at Alenia.
The preliminary conclusions from the
MOET Project, which will end this year, high-
light the criticality of architectural choices in
intermediate hybrid more-electric solutions,
and the need for further technological devel-
opment in the weight and thermal efficiency
of system components.
The MOET conclusions see the all-electric
aircraft as a relevant long-term trend, espe-
cially in light of tightening environmental reg-
ulations. For now, more-electric aircraft are
indeed a reality, with the F-35 JSF currently
undergoing flight test, and the Boeing 787
with its bleedless architecture scheduled to fly
by the end of the year.
PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 1:30 PM Page 5
Unmanned systems
The exploitation of unmanned air systems
(UAS) in military operations abroad, especially
in southwest Asia, continued to expand, as did
reliance on these systems for intelligence, re-
connaissance, and surveillance (ISR) informa-
tion. Global Hawk, the premier unmanned
ISR platform, surpassed a milestone of
25,000 flight hours.
At home, access to the National Airspace
System (NAS) remains the major challenge for
the development of a viable “beyond-military”
UAS market in the U.S. This year saw an in-
creasing emphasis on addressing the integra-
tion of nonmilitary UAS operations into the
NAS. For small UAS, this was highlighted
with the FAA Small Unmanned Aircraft Sys-
tem Aviation Rulemaking Committee recom-
mendations for the operation of civil (com-
mercial) unmanned aircraft with gross takeoff
weight of 55 lb or less. FAA anticipates that
the recommendations will provide a frame-
work for regulatory changes that enable the
safe operations of unmanned aircraft in the
national airspace.
FAA and AAI announced a cooperative re-
search and development agreement for a sim-
ulation test bed that will include AAI’s Shadow
with a GE Aviation advanced flight manage-
ment system to simulate the interactions of
manned and unmanned aircraft in the NAS.
After last year’s purchase of ScanEagle
manufacturer Insitu, Boeing Integrated De-
fense Systems announced its new Unmanned
Airborne Systems Division. The acquisition of
small UAS manufacturer Advanced Ceramics
Research (ACR) by BAE Systems continued
this trend of acquisition of successful small
UAS manufacturers by large airframe and sys-
tems companies. ACR manufactured three
small unmanned aircraft systems for military
and civilian agency customers—the gas/electric
Silver Fox, the gas-powered Manta, and the
Coyote, an electric mini aircraft designed to be
deployed from a sonobuoy tube or from a heli-
copter in flight.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) Unmanned Aircraft Operations Center
of North Dakota officially opened in February
in Grand Forks. Predator B UAS continue to
operate from this center to conduct patrols
along the Canadian border. The arrival of a
CBP Predator B at the Oshkosh air show this
year marked the first time a UAS of this type
had been flown to a nonmilitary air show,
possibly a bellwether for the operation of civil-
ian UAS in the NAS. Predator B manufac-
turer General Atomics rolled out the Predator
C Avenger, the company’s first turbofan-pow-
ered unmanned aircraft.
The Air Force presented its Unmanned
Aircraft Systems Flight Plan, which lays out a
roadmap to the year 2047, the 100th anni-
versary of the Air Force, while the second edi-
tion of the DOD 2009-2034 Unmanned Sys-
tems Integrated Roadmap “…represents the
department’s first truly synchronized effort
that increases the focus on unmanned sys-
tems, and through interoperability with
manned systems, establishes a vision of sup-
port of our warfighters.”
As an example of efforts to coordinate
UAS development for the armed forces, the
Navy reportedly announced that it will award
a sole-source contract to Northrop Grumman
for the development of a sense-and-avoid ca-
The Predator B that flew at the
Oshkosh air show this year was
pability with a common autonomous system
the first UAS of this type to be
for its high-altitude, long-endurance Air Force flown to a nonmilitary air show.
RQ-4B Global Hawk and the Navy derivative,
the RQ-4N Broad Area Maritime Surveillance
aircraft.
After receiving two Global Hawks, NASA,
in partnership with NOAA, unveiled the first
of these systems to be transitioned to nonmil-
itary use, with initial flights over the Pacific
now planned for next year. On the opposite
end of the size scale, after demonstrating its
hurricane penetration capabilities that in-
cluded probing of the eyewall of Hurricane
Noel in 2007, AAI announced a blanket pur-
chase agreement with NASA to provide by the AIAA Unmanned
aerosonde systems and crews for time-sensi- Systems Program
tive missions. Committee
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 73
PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09
PROGRAM COMMITTEES
In the cockpit display for the Traffic
Information Service-Broadcast in the
Anchorage Bowl area, round nosed
targets are radar targets, arrow
nosed targets are ADS-B equipped
aircraft.
by Frank L. Frisbie
74 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
1:30 PM Page 6
Air traffic management
The Next Generation Air Transporta-
tion System (NextGen) and Single
European Sky ATM Research
(SESAR) continue to dominate
the air traffic management
landscape. The technolo-
gies—satellite navigation, de-
pendent surveillance, digital
communications, and netcen-
tric operations—are the focus
of the industry and of the aca-
demic communities concerned
with air transportation. The U.S.
deployment of ADS-B (Automatic De-
pendent Surveillance-Broadcast) is well under
way, with the immediate prospect of lower al-
titude surveillance coverage of equipped air-
craft over the Gulf of Mexico and the Rocky
Mountain west.
Less promising is the issue of broad user
equipage that requires aircraft operators to
make the investment in money and down time
to fit their airframes with NextGen avionics
and to train pilots/crews in the operation.
This hesitancy is not restricted to general avi-
ation but is also manifest in the behavior of
commercial carriers and the military, for
whom the business case has not yet proved
persuasive. Thus there appears to be growing
recognition that some form of rule
making will be needed to acceler-
ate compliance.
Another challenge to the
world’s aircraft navigation
service providers (ANSPs)
is the proliferation of un-
manned aircraft systems
(UAS) of all shapes and
sizes. Spurred by their util-
ity for military uses, these
vehicles are now being pro-
posed for missions in the civil
arena. Generally the proposed
uses are for missions that would be
risky or boring for human pilots: fire fight-
ing, pipeline surveillance, border patrol, vol-
cano monitoring. With safeguards, the latter
applications can be viewed as nonintrusive by
civil aviation authorities because they would
take place where other flights either would not
operate or where the activity of manned air-
craft operations is very low. However, there is
growing recognition that UAS have commer-
cial potential for high-value or urgent cargos.
The net result of all of this activity is that
the FAA and ANSPs around the world face
the prospect of UAS flights sharing the air-
space with planes whose pilots are on board.
This is a technical challenge in that, to be fully
integrated, the UAS must be able to “see and
avoid” other traffic and to collaborate with air
traffic control. More significant, however, is
the psychological barrier to making conces-
sions to technology in an area where the hu-
man pilot has always had the preeminent role.
On the safety front, several commercial
accidents—most notably the miracle landing in
the Hudson River off Manhattan—have raised
concerns about safety issues. In the US Air-
ways crash, birds were ingested by the engines
on takeoff, causing the loss of power and sub-
sequent controlled water landing. The issues
raised ranged from bird control at airports to
operational control and emergency proce-
dures in the metroplex area.
Other accidents raised concerns over au-
tomation complexity and pilot proficiency.
The common concern is to question our abil-
ity to foresee problems and take effective ac-
tion before an adverse event. These issues
will only become more relevant as NextGen
and SESAR bring into reality the system of
systems era, where ground and airborne au-
tomation are closely linked to achieve capac-
ity improvements.
PC-1209.qxd:AA-December 11/12/09 1:30 PM Page 7
Hypersonic technologies
and aerospace plane
Plans for four Air Force/DARPA X-51A flight
tests are under way. Each X-51A vehicle is
built and mated with a flow-through interstage
and a modified ATACMS booster. The X51-A
stack has been ground tested, and its compat-
ibility with a B-52H is being checked. The first
captive flight on the B-52H over the Edwards
AFB flight range and a dress rehearsal flight
over the Pacific were planned for this fall, be-
fore the X-51A’s first powered flight.
The DARPA/Air Force Falcon hypersonic
technology vehicle (HTV-2) program has de-
veloped several key technologies: efficient
aerodynamic shaping for a high lift-to-drag ra-
tio; lightweight and durable high-temperature
materials; thermal management techniques;
and advanced autonomous navigation, guid-
ance, and control. These technologies will be
demonstrated and evaluated with two HTV-2
vehicle hypersonic flight tests. After overcom-
ing numerous challenges in the process of fab-
ricating the HTV-2 aeroshells, the first one
was completed, for first flight before the end
of this year.
The DARPA FaCET (Falcon combined
cycle engine technology) program developed
and ground-demonstrated elements of a tur-
bine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion
system. The freejet engine ground test used
an approximately 70%-scale propulsion sys-
tem model. Freejet engine tests were com-
pleted first at Mach 3, 4, and 6. Preliminary
test results at Mach 4 indi-
cated that the overall mea-
sured engine performance
matched pretest predictions.
DARPA’s MoTr (mode transi-
tion) demonstration program is for
ground testing a TBCC propulsion sys-
tem. MoTr will demonstrate transition from
low-speed turbojets to high-speed scramjets in
a single flowpath.
MoTr takes advantage of the single TBCC
flowpath developed under FaCET and high-
Mach turbine engines from the HiSTED (high-
speed turbine engine demonstration) pro-
grams. A facility survey was completed, and
the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA
Glenn was selected. Modifications needed to
execute the ground demonstration were iden-
tified. The program conceptual design review
was completed successfully.
DARPA’s Vulcan program is changing di-
rection radically for the demonstration of a
TBCC propulsion system. In Phase 1, de-
sign reviews were successfully completed to
enable hypersonic aircraft with a TBCC en-
gine, consisting of a constant-volume com-
bustion (CVC) engine and an aviation tur-
bine engine. Based on compelling outcome
from a business-case analysis, Phases 2 and
3 of the program will focus on demonstrat- The X-51A stack is mated to
ing a TBCC system consisting of a CVC a B-52H with a JDAM interface.
combustor and a marine turbine engine. This
system is expected to cut specific fuel con-
sumption significantly and generate additional
electrical power for Navy ships.
The European Commission is pursuing
LAPCAT II to develop and validate engine-air-
frame integration and cycle analysis tools, to
experimentally evaluate the design, and to
study off-design performance of engine and
airframe.
SHEFEX (sharp edge flight experiment) II
represents DLR’s next step toward develop-
ment of technology for atmospheric entry and
hypersonic flight. The critical design review
was finalized for all subsystems. The flight test
is planned at Woomera in Australia.
MBDA and Rosoboronexport signed a
contract to flight test the LEA hypersonic ex-
perimental vehicle, jointly developed by
MBDA and ONERA. The test will use an ex-
isting Russian supersonic bomber, liquid
rocket booster, and test range.
A total of nine flights are planned under
the joint Australian DSTO and USAFRL
HIFiRE (hypersonic international flight re-
search experimentation) program. The first,
HIFiRE 0, flew at Woomera in Australia, with
the objective of testing approximately
60% of the technologies needed for the
rest of the program. The flight
was almost 100%
successful.
The Test
Resource
Management
Center of the OSD is con-
ducting the short duration propul-
sion test and evaluation program.
The objective is to resolve the The SHEFEX II will perform a
consequence of the duration of the controlled hypersonic flight up
to a Mach number of 11.
test flow and the effects of the test
medium on dual-mode scramjet engine
performance. The program will use numerous
facilities to address this objective. by Unmeel Mehta
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 75
OOP-layoutDEC09.qxd:AA Template 11/13/09
25 Years Ago, December 1984
Dec. 13 Piloted by Chuck Sewell, the
experimental forward-swept-wing
Grumman X-29 flies for the first time,
from Edwards
AFB, Calif.
The inherently
unstable air-
craft features
digital fly-by-
wire controls
and the unique wing to test the valid-
ity of the forward-swept-wing con-
cept for highly maneuverable combat
aircraft. Use of such wings was not
possible before the advent of ex-
tremely stiff graphite composite struc-
tures, because conventional metal
structures would deflect too much.
The aircraft is essentially a Northrop
F-5 fighter with the new wings and
flight control system installed. The
test program is successful, although
the design is not adopted. NASA,
Astronautics and Aeronautics 1979-
84, p. 522.
Dec. 15 The USSR launches Vega 1
in a heliocentric orbit toward Venus.
The craft is also to perform a flyby
mission to observe Halley’s comet us-
ing a scanner. Upon encountering Ve-
nus, Vega’s aeroshell opens and re-
leases a lander, while a French-built
balloon carrying an instrumented
probe transmits meteorological and
other atmospheric data back to
Earth. NASA, Astronautics and Aero-
nautics, 1979-84, p. 681.
76 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
11:50 AM Page 2
50 Years Ago, December 1959
Dec. 2 BOAC inaugurates its Comet service to Johannesburg, with stops
in Khartoum and Nairobi. The Aeroplane, Dec. 11, 1959, p. 589.
Dec. 4 The third all-solid-propellant Little Joe test vehicle, which
uses the rocket cluster principle, is successfully launched at NASA’s
Wallops Island, Va., facility. The vehicle carries a 7-lb rhesus mon-
key named Sam to an altitude of 55 mi., then recovers the animal
from the ocean after the capsule lands by parachute. The Little Joe
is normally used to test the launch escape system and other ele-
ments on boilerplate models for the Project Mercury manned Little Joe
space program. Flight, Dec. 18, 1959, p. 741; Aerospace Year Book 1960, p. 457.
Dec. 7 A Navy McDonnell F4H Phantom II twin-engine all-weather long-range
supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber, flown by Cmdr. Lawrence E. Flint,
sets an unofficial altitude record of 98,558 ft. Aerospace Year Book 1960, p. 23.
Dec. 7 At The Hague, Netherlands, nine countries including the USSR approve a
new charter for COSPAR (Committee on Space Research), in which membership
is opened to all national academies of science engaged in space research.
E. Emme, ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics 1915-60, p. 115.
Dec. 9 A Kaman H-43B Huskie sets a new world record for helicopters, at
30,100 ft. E. Emme, ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics 1915-60, p. 115.
Dec. 11 NASA announces the cancellation of the Vega rocket, stating that other
vehicles will be used to launch satellites and space probes originally planned for
Vega. Replacing it will be the Atlas-Agena, the Atlas serving as the first stage
and the Lockheed Agena, incorporating the Bell Hustler rocket engine, as the
second. Flight, Dec. 25, 1959, p. 772.
Dec. 12 The second stage of the Titan ICBM is launched successfully from the
Atlantic Missile Range at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The first and second stages
delivered 300,000 and 80,000 lb of thrust, respectively. E. Emme, ed.,
Aeronautics and Astronautics 1915-60, p. 115.
Dec. 15 A Lockheed F-104C Starfighter, flown over the Mojave Desert in
California by Capt. Joe B. Jordan, establishes a new world altitude record of
103,395.5 ft. This beats the previous record of 98,558 ft, set by a Navy
McDonnell F4H Phantom II on Dec. 7, and a previous mark of 94,658 ft set on
July 14 by Vladimir Ilyushin flying a Russian Tu-431. The Aeroplane, Dec. 25, 1959,
p. 648; The Aerospace Year Book 1960, p. 23.
F-104C Starfighter
Dec. 30 The USS George Washington submarine,using the
all-solid-fuel Polaris fleet-ballistic missile, is commissioned. Originally named the
USS Scorpion, the ship was lengthened during its construction by the insertion of
the 130-ft-long missile section and then re-
named. On July 20, 1960, while submerged, it
will successfully launch the first Polaris missile.
E. Emme, ed., Aeronautics and Astronautics
1915-60, p. 116.
OOP-layoutDEC09.qxd:AA Template 11/19/09
And During December 1959
—The first successful firings of the
liquid oxygen-liquid hydro-
gen LR115 rocket engine,
developed by Pratt & Whit-
ney, are announced. Two of
the engines will power the
Centaur upper stage. Flight,
Dec. 18, 1959, p. 741; The
Aeroplane, Dec. 11, 1959, p. 588.
75 Years Ago, December 1934
Dec. 4 The first Australian rocket
mail experiment takes place at Bris-
bane, conducted by Alan H. Young
under the auspices of the Queens-
land Air Mail Society in connection
with a visit by the Duke of Gloucester.
The solid-fuel rocket, propelled by
gunpowder and carrying about 900
souvenir letters, is launched from
the deck of the Canonbar toward
Pinkenba on the Brisbane River. J.
Ellington and P. Zwisler, eds., Elling-
ton-Zwisler Rocket Mail Catalog, p. 1.
Dec. 16 Giulio Macchi, 67, famed
Italian airplane designer, dies at Varese,
Italy. Macchi was known for the
outstanding performance of his rac-
ing seaplanes in the Schneider Trophy
races. The Macchi M-39, which won
the Schneider Cup in 1926, is consid-
ered the prototype of the modern
high-speed machine of the era. A low-
wing monoplane, it featured floats as
part of the wing-bracing system and
has a very powerful engine. The
Aeroplane, Dec. 19, 1934, p. 755.
Dec. 25 Raymond Delotte celebrates
Christmas by setting a new interna-
tional speed record at Istres Airport,
France, when his low-wing Caudron
monoplane, fitted with a new 370-hp
Renault six-cylinder in-line air-cooled
engine, flies at an average speed of
314.3 mph over a regulation course.
The previous record was 305 mph,
set a year earlier by U.S. pilot James
10:45 AM Page 3
An Aerospace Chronology
by Frank H. Winter, Ret.
and Robert van der Linden
National Air and Space Museum
Weddell, who flew an 800-hp supercharged Wasp-powered racer of his own
design. Flight, Jan. 3, 1935.
Dec. 28 A record long-distance air mail delivery is made
when a de Havilland D.H. 88 Comet carrying 300 lb of
Christmas packages and letters returns to Brussels after
having left that city on Dec. 20 for Leopoldville, Belgian
Congo. The 8,000-mi. trip is covered in less than 45 hr of
flying time at an average speed of 195 mph. The British
pilot, Ken Waller, and the Belgian pilot, Maurice Franchomme, receive
congratulations from the Belgian king and queen. Waller receives the Order
of the Lion of Africa, Belgium’s highest honor. Flight, Jan. 3, 1935, p. 7.
Dec. 31 Edward Henry
Hillman, the British air
transport pioneer who
founded Hillman’s Air-
ways, dies at age 45. A
farmer’s son, he was a
cavalryman during WW I,
a chauffeur, and a bicycle
repairman. In 1928 he
started a motor coach
De Havilland Dragon service and raised enough
funds to begin his air
transport company in 1931 with two de Havilland Puss Moths that he offered
for charter. At his suggestion, the economical two-motor
de Havilland Dragon biplane with a comfortable
passenger cabin was developed and successfully used
for air transport. The Aeroplane, Jan. 2, 1935.
And During December 1934
—The new Martin M-130 flying boat, three of which
have been purchased by Pan American Airways for its proposed transpacific
mail and passenger service, undergoes its initial tests. The all-metal seaplane,
which features four 800-hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial engines, has
accommodations for 50 passengers and a crew of six with a 1,200-mi. range,
or 14 passengers and 2,000 lb of mail for a 3,000-mi. range. The aircraft
subsequently becomes Pan American’s regular Pacific transport. The maximum
speed of the 51,000-lb seaplane is 180 mph, with a cruising speed of 163 mph.
The Aeroplane, Jan. 23, 1935, p. 98.
100 Years Ago, December 1909
—DELAG, the German Airship Transport Corp., is formed to carry passengers on
Zeppelins between Baden-Baden, Mannheim, Munich, Leipzig, Cologne, Düssel-
dorf, Berlin, Dresden, Essen, and Frankfurt. In effect, it is the world’s first airline,
although it does not provide regularly scheduled service. From 1910 until 1914,
five Zeppelins carry some 35,000 passengers over 170,000 mi. without any fatal-
ities. The Aeroplane, May 12, 1915, p. 474; C. Gibbs-Smith, Aviation, p. 152.
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 77
DEC2009_INDEX.qxd:2003 index.final 11/16/09
2009 INDEX
Subjects
AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
All-electric aircraft research speeds up, Jan., p. 4.
F-35’s shadow grows longer, March, p. 18.
Antarctic balloon launch lifts research hopes, March,
p. 22.
UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
Soaring on a Solar Impulse, May, p. 32.
The 787 and the A350: Teasing out the facts, June,
p. 32.
Fuel efficiency improvements escalate, July/Aug.,
p. 4.
Industry’s strength offers options in downturn,
July/Aug., p. 24.
Airborne laser aims at final tests, July/Aug., p. 44.
A blueprint for defense cooperation, Sept., p. 4.
Jetliners wait for hard times, Sept., p. 16.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.
EASA: Moving toward proactive regulation, Sept.,
p. 38.
Europe looks for UCAV synergies, Oct., p. 4.
Air freight revival: Real or a mirage?, Nov., p. 4.
Defense giants reshape UAV industry, Nov., p. 10.
Military acquisitions: The shifting trend, Nov., p. 25.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Aeroacoustics, Dec., p. 5.
Aerospace 2009: Aerodynamic decelerators, Dec.,
p. 8.
Aerospace 2009: Aerodynamic measurement
technology, Dec., p. 15.
Aerospace 2009: Air traffic management, Dec., p. 74.
Aerospace 2009: Air transportation, Dec., p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Aircraft design, Dec., p. 17.
Aerospace 2009: Aircraft operations, Dec., p. 18.
Aerospace 2009: Applied aerodynamics, Dec., p. 10.
Aerospace 2009: Computer-aided enterprise
solutions, Dec., p. 50.
Aerospace 2009: Energy optimized aircraft and
equipment systems, Dec., p. 72.
Aerospace 2009: Flight testing, Dec., p. 20.
Aerospace 2009: General aviation, Dec., p. 21.
Aerospace 2009: Ground testing, Dec., p. 51.
Aerospace 2009: Hypersonic technologies and
aerospace plane, Dec., p. 75.
Aerospace 2009: Lighter-than-air systems, Dec., p. 23.
Aerospace 2009: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: Unmanned systems, Dec., p. 73.
Aerospace 2009: V/STOL, Dec., p. 22.
AVIONICS AND ELECTRONICS
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
Aerospace 2009: Aerospace traffic management,
Dec., p. 74.
Aerospace 2009: Digital avionics, Dec., p. 31.
Aerospace 2009: Guidance, navigation, and control,
Dec., p. 7.
COMMUNICATIONS
National security imperatives for a new
administration, March, p. 26.
GEO comsats up, launch programs down, April, p. 20.
78 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
12:15 PM Page 2
COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE
Electronic design speeds virtual prototyping, Feb.,
p. 20.
National security imperatives for a new
administration, March, p. 26.
One-stop shop for design and analysis, April, p. 24.
The digitized paper chase, June, p. 18.
Cloud computing: Coming full circle, Nov., p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Computer-aided enterprise
solutions, Dec., p. 50.
Aerospace 2009: Computer systems, Dec., p. 33.
Aerospace 2009: Intelligent systems, Dec., p. 30.
Aerospace 2009: Meshing, visualization, and
computational environments, Dec., p. 6.
Aerospace 2009: Modeling and simulation, Dec.,
p. 49.
Aerospace 2009: Multidisciplinary design
optimization, Dec., p. 26.
Aerospace 2009: Software systems, Dec., p. 34.
ECONOMICS
The aviation market boom ends, Jan., p. 24.
F-35’s shadow grows longer, March, p. 18.
Satellite navigation newcomers: Cooperation or
competition?, March, p. 32.
Liquidity crisis looms for Europe’s aerospace
companies, April, p. 4.
GEO comsats up, launch programs down, April,
p. 20.
UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
Airbus looks to U.S. for A350 XWB suppliers, May, p. 4.
The economy stays in the forefront, May, p. 8.
Airbus and Boeing: Beyond head-to-head, May, p. 18.
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
Fears of protectionism grow in Europe, June, p. 4.
Navigational satellites fuel payload growth, June,
p. 14.
The 787 and the A350: Teasing out the facts, June,
p. 32.
Fuel efficiency improvements escalate, July/Aug., p. 4.
Industry’s strength offers options in downturn,
July/Aug., p. 24.
Business aircraft market falls hard, July/Aug., p. 26.
A blueprint for defense cooperation, Sept., p. 4.
Jetliners wait for hard times, Sept., p. 16.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
Growing fuels for greener skies, Sept., p. 32.
Europe looks for UCAV synergies, Oct., p. 4.
Air freight revival: Real or a mirage?, Nov., p. 4.
Defense giants reshape UAV industry, Nov., p. 10.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Air transportation, Dec., p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Economics, Dec., p. 24.
Aerospace 2009: General aviation, Dec., p. 21.
ENVIRONMENT
All-electric aircraft research speeds up, Jan., p. 4.
Planetology and the future of our species, Jan.,
p. 20.
Antarctic balloon launch lifts research hopes, March,
p. 22.
Addressing climate change, with help from abroad,
April, p. 3.
From data to knowledge: A sea change, April, p. 26.
Climate change and national security—Parts of a
whole, June, p. 26.
Fuel efficiency improvements escalate, July/Aug., p. 4.
GOCE adds gravity to ESA’s agenda, July/Aug., p. 32.
Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.
Growing fuels for greener skies, Sept., p. 32.
Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Atmospheric and space
environments, Dec., p. 9.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNOLOGY
RAX Cubesats: Keeping a weather eye on space,
Jan., p. 28.
Delicate dance for Mango and Tango, Feb., p. 16.
Satellite System F6: Divide and conquer, Feb., p. 30.
Antarctic balloon launch lifts research hopes, March,
p. 22.
Satellite navigation newcomers: Cooperation or
competition?, March, p. 32.
UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
Airborne laser aims at final tests, July/Aug., p. 44.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
NASA coating helps keep hearts beating, Oct., p. 22.
Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science, Nov.,
p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Aerodynamic decelerators, Dec.,
p. 8.
Aerospace 2009: Aerodynamic measurement
technology, Dec., p. 15.
Aerospace 2009: Aerospace traffic management,
Dec., p. 74.
Aerospace 2009: Fluid dynamics, Dec., p. 4.
Aerospace 2009: Lighter-than-air systems, Dec., p. 23.
Aerospace 2009: Missile systems, Dec., p. 60.
Aerospace 2009: Plasmadynamics and lasers, Dec.,
p. 12.
Aerospace 2009: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: V/STOL, Dec., p. 22.
INTERNATIONAL
All-electric aircraft research speeds up, Jan., p. 4.
Launches “R” Us, Jan., p. 8.
Angara boosts Russia’s launch prospects, Jan., p. 36.
Defense cuts threaten military programs, Feb., p. 4.
Commercial satellites get bigger—and smaller, Feb.,
p. 12.
Delicate dance for Mango and Tango, Feb., p. 16.
Running out of runways, March, p. 4.
ISS: Closing in on completion, March, p. 16.
F-35’s shadow grows longer, March, p. 18.
National security imperatives for a new
administration, March, p. 26.
Satellite navigation newcomers: Cooperation or
competition?, March, p. 32.
Addressing climate change, with help from abroad,
April, p. 3.
Liquidity crisis looms for Europe’s aerospace
companies, April, p. 4.
China on course in space, April, p. 8.
From data to knowledge: A sea change, April, p. 26.
UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
Airbus looks to U.S. for A350 XWB suppliers, May,
p. 4.
Airbus and Boeing: Beyond head-to-head, May, p. 18.
ExoMars: Europe rises to the challenge, May, p. 38.
Fears of protectionism grow in Europe, June, p. 4.
Navigational satellites fuel payload growth, June,
p. 14.
Climate change and national security—Parts of a
whole, June, p. 26.
The 787 and the A350: Teasing out the facts, June,
p. 32.
Soyuz investigation lands with a thud, June, p. 38.
DEC2009_INDEX.qxd:2003 index.final 11/16/09
Joining the space race, carefully, July/Aug., p. 8.
Business aircraft market falls hard, July/Aug., p. 26.
GOCE adds gravity to ESA’s agenda, July/Aug., p. 32.
A blueprint for defense cooperation, Sept., p. 4.
Jetliners wait for hard times, Sept., p. 16.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
EASA: Moving toward proactive regulation, Sept.,
p. 38.
Europe looks for UCAV synergies, Oct., p. 4.
Southeast Asia reaches toward space, Oct., p. 8.
Space debris: A growing challenge, Oct., p. 30.
Air freight revival: Real or a mirage?, Nov., p. 4.
Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science, Nov.,
p. 16.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
LIFE SCIENCES
ExoMars: Europe rises to the challenge, May, p. 38.
NASA coating helps keep hearts beating, Oct., p. 22.
Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science, Nov.,
p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Life sciences, Dec., p. 64.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
MANAGEMENT
Running out of runways, March, p. 4.
The digitized paper chase, June, p. 18.
The 787 and the A350: Teasing out the facts, June,
p. 32.
EASA: Moving toward proactive regulation, Sept.,
p. 38.
Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct., p. 24.
Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
Military acquisitions: The shifting trend, Nov., p. 25.
Choosing the pathway to space, Nov., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: Air traffic management, Dec., p. 74.
Aerospace 2009: Computer-aided enterprise
solutions, Dec., p. 50.
Aerospace 2009: Ground testing, Dec., p. 51.
Aerospace 2009: Homeland security, Dec., p. 70.
Aerospace 2009: Management, Dec., p. 27.
Aerospace 2009: Multidisciplinary design
optimization, Dec., p. 26.
Aerospace 2009: Systems engineering, Dec., p. 28.
MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES
Soaring on a Solar Impulse, May, p. 32.
Soyuz investigation lands with a thud, June, p. 38.
Growing fuels for greener skies, Sept., p. 32.
NASA coating helps keep hearts beating, Oct., p. 22.
Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science, Nov.,
p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Adaptive structures, Dec., p. 58.
Aerospace 2009: Computer-aided enterprise
solutions, Dec., p. 50.
Aerospace 2009: Design engineering, Dec., p. 48.
Aerospace 2009: Materials, Dec., p. 52.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
Aerospace 2009: Nondeterministic approaches,
Dec., p. 54.
Aerospace 2009: Sensor systems, Dec., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
Aerospace 2009: Space tethers, Dec., p. 65.
Aerospace 2009: Structural dynamics, Dec., p. 57.
Aerospace 2009: Survivability, Dec., p. 53.
12:15 PM Page 3
MILITARY SYSTEMS
The aviation market boom ends, Jan., p. 24.
Angara boosts Russia’s launch prospects, Jan.,
p. 36.
Defense cuts threaten military programs, Feb., p. 4.
Satellite System F6: Divide and conquer, Feb., p. 30.
F-35’s shadow grows longer, March, p. 18.
Satellite navigation newcomers: Cooperation or
competition?, March, p. 32.
UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
Gates dominates defense debate, June, p. 8.
Endurance near and (really) far, June, p. 22.
Industry’s strength offers options in downturn,
July/Aug., p. 24.
Airborne laser aims at final tests, July/Aug., p. 44.
A blueprint for defense cooperation, Sept., p. 4.
JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed, Sept., p. 20.
Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.
Europe looks for UCAV synergies, Oct., p. 4.
Southeast Asia reaches toward space, Oct., p. 8.
Defense giants reshape UAV industry, Nov., p. 10.
Military acquisitions: The shifting trend, Nov., p. 25.
Aerospace 2009: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 42.
Aerospace 2009: Hypersonic technologies and
aerospace plane, Dec., p. 75.
Aerospace 2009: Missile systems, Dec., p. 60.
Aerospace 2009: Survivability, Dec., p. 53.
Aerospace 2009: Weapon system effectiveness,
Dec., p. 62.
MISSILES
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
Aircraft protection heats up, May, p. 22.
Southeast Asia reaches toward space, Oct., p. 8.
Aerospace 2009: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 42.
Aerospace 2009: Guidance, navigation, and control,
Dec., p. 7.
Aerospace 2009: Missile systems, Dec., p. 60.
Aerospace 2009: Weapon system effectiveness,
Dec., p. 62.
POLICY
Building a better engineer, Jan., p. 3.
Launches “R” Us, Jan., p. 8.
Return to the Moon: Shaping a new exploration
agenda, Jan., p. 30.
Sense and security, Feb., p. 3.
Defense cuts threaten military programs, Feb., p. 4.
Washington in a time of change, Feb., p. 8.
Finding the right balance, March, p. 3.
Taking off in turbulent times, March, p. 8.
National security imperatives for a new
administration, March, p. 26.
Addressing climate change, with help from abroad,
April, p. 3.
Changing course in a deepening crisis, April, p. 10.
From data to knowledge: A sea change, April, p. 26.
Lost in space, May, p. 3.
The economy stays in the forefront, May, p. 8.
Science, technology, and the new Congress, May,
p. 12.
Asking the right questions, June, p. 3.
Fears of protectionism grow in Europe, June, p. 4.
Gates dominates defense debate, June, p. 8.
Climate change and national security—Parts of a
whole, June, p. 26.
A winning combination, July/Aug., p. 3.
Looking to new leaders, July/Aug., p. 12.
The promise of thinking green, Sept., p. 3.
Waiting for new directions, Sept., p. 8.
Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.
EASA: Moving toward proactive regulation, Sept.,
p. 38.
Our future in space, Oct., p. 3.
Europe looks for UCAV synergies, Oct., p. 4.
Aviation and spaceflight under scrutiny, Oct., p. 10.
Is human spaceflight optional?, Oct., p. 18.
Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct., p. 24.
Space debris: A growing challenge, Oct., p. 30.
Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
Nuclear propulsion—The affordable alternative,
Nov., p. 3.
Controversy and doubts in defense and space, Nov.,
p. 6.
Transforming human spaceflight, Nov., p. 12.
Military acquisitions: The shifting trend, Nov., p. 25.
Choosing the pathway to space, Nov., p. 32.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Inching toward reform, Dec., p. 3.
Aerospace 2009: History, Dec., p. 25.
Aerospace 2009: Homeland security, Dec., p. 70.
PROPULSION AND POWER
Constellation testing progresses on two fronts, May,
p. 30.
Soaring on a Solar Impulse, May, p. 32.
Endurance near and (really) far, June, p. 22.
Fuel efficiency improvements escalate, July/Aug.,
p. 4.
A hot rod for the solar system, July/Aug., p. 38.
Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.
Growing fuels for greener skies, Sept., p. 32.
Nuclear propulsion—The affordable alternative,
Nov., p. 3.
Aerospace 2009: Aerospace power, Dec., p. 39.
Aerospace 2009: Air-breathing propulsion, Dec.,
p. 43.
Aerospace 2009: Electric propulsion, Dec., p. 44.
Aerospace 2009: Energetic components, Dec., p. 46.
Aerospace 2009: Energy optimized aircraft and
equipment systems, Dec., p. 72.
Aerospace 2009: Gas turbine engines, Dec., p. 40.
Aerospace 2009: High-speed air-breathing
propulsion, Dec., p. 37.
Aerospace 2009: Hybrid rockets, Dec., p. 42.
Aerospace 2009: Hypersonic technologies and
aerospace plane, Dec., p. 75.
Aerospace 2009: Liquid propulsion, Dec., p. 38.
Aerospace 2009: Nuclear and future flight propulsion,
Dec., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Propellants and combustion, Dec.,
p. 41.
Aerospace 2009: Terrestrial energy, Dec., p. 45.
Aerospace 2009: Thermophysics, Dec., p. 13.
ROBOTICS
Delicate dance for Mango and Tango, Feb., p. 16.
One-stop shop for design and analysis, April, p. 24.
ExoMars: Europe rises to the challenge, May, p. 38.
Endurance near and (really) far, June, p. 22.
Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct., p. 24.
Aerospace 2009: Space logistics, Dec., p. 66.
Aerospace 2009: Space resources utilization, Dec.,
p. 63.
AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 79
DEC2009_INDEX.qxd:2003 index.final 11/16/09
2009 INDEX
SPACE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE
Planetology and the future of our species, Jan., p. 20.
RAX Cubesats: Keeping a weather eye on space,
Jan., p. 28.
Return to the Moon: Shaping a new exploration
agenda, Jan., p. 30.
A space truck for the Moon, Feb., p. 32.
ISS: Closing in on completion, March, p. 16.
Antarctic balloon launch lifts research hopes, March,
p. 22.
Addressing climate change, with help from abroad,
April, p. 3.
From data to knowledge: A sea change, April, p. 26.
ExoMars: Europe rises to the challenge, May, p. 38.
Endurance near and (really) far, June, p. 22.
Climate change and national security—Parts of a
whole, June, p. 26.
GOCE adds gravity to ESA’s agenda, July/Aug., p. 32.
Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct., p. 24.
Space debris: A growing challenge, Oct., p. 30.
Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science, Nov.,
p. 16.
Choosing the pathway to space, Nov., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: Astrodynamics, Dec., p.14.
Aerospace 2009: Atmospheric and space
environments, Dec., p. 9.
Aerospace 2009: Atmospheric flight mechanics,
Dec., p. 11.
Aerospace 2009: Balloons, Dec., p. 19.
Aerospace 2009: Plasmadynamics and lasers, Dec.,
p. 12.
Aerospace 2009: Space colonization, Dec., p. 61.
Aerospace 2009: Space operations and support,
Dec., p. 69.
Aerospace 2009: Space resources utilization, Dec.,
p. 63.
Aerospace 2009: Space systems, Dec., p. 67.
Aerospace 2009: Thermophysics, Dec., p. 13.
SPACE STATION
ISS: Closing in on completion, March, p. 16.
Aerospace 2009: Space logistics, Dec., p. 66.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
SPACE TRANSPORTATION
Launches “R” Us, Jan., p. 8.
Return to the Moon: Shaping a new exploration
agenda, Jan., p. 30.
Angara boosts Russia’s launch prospects, Jan., p. 36.
Taking wing: Liftoff for public space travel, Feb., p. 24.
GEO comsats up, launch programs down, April, p. 20.
Ares I-X: Getting Constellation off the ground, May,
p. 26.
Constellation testing progresses on two fronts, May,
p. 30.
Soyuz investigation lands with a thud, June, p. 38.
Joining the space race, carefully, July/Aug., p. 8.
Four test flights that boosted Apollo 11, July/Aug.,
p. 20.
A hot rod for the solar system, July/Aug., p. 38.
Is human spaceflight optional?, Oct., p. 18.
Transforming human spaceflight, Nov., p. 12.
Choosing the pathway to space, Nov., p. 32.
Aerospace 2009: Hypersonic technologies and
aerospace plane, Dec., p. 75.
Aerospace 2009: Nuclear and future flight propulsion,
Dec., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Space logistics, Dec., p. 66.
Aerospace 2009: Space transportation, Dec., p. 68.
80 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009
12:15 PM Page 4
SPACECRAFT
RAX Cubesats: Keeping a weather eye on space,
Jan., p. 28.
Commercial satellites get bigger—and smaller, Feb.,
p. 12.
Delicate dance for Mango and Tango, Feb., p. 16.
Taking wing: Liftoff for public space travel, Feb., p. 24.
Satellite System F6: Divide and conquer, Feb., p. 30.
A space truck for the Moon, Feb., p. 32.
GEO comsats up, launch programs down, April, p. 20.
Aerospace industry in the Middle East, April, p. 38.
ISS: Closing in on completion, March, p. 16.
Satellite navigation newcomers: Cooperation or
competition?, March, p. 32.
Ares I-X: Getting Constellation off the ground, May,
p. 26.
Constellation testing progresses on two fronts, May,
p. 30.
Navigational satellites fuel payload growth, June,
p. 14.
Climate change and national security—Parts of a
whole, June, p. 26.
Soyuz investigation lands with a thud, June, p. 38.
Four test flights that boosted Apollo 11, July/Aug.,
p. 20.
Industry’s strength offers options in downturn,
July/Aug., p. 24.
GOCE adds gravity to ESA’s agenda, July/Aug., p. 32.
A hot rod for the solar system, July/Aug., p. 38.
Southeast Asia reaches toward space, Oct., p. 8.
Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct., p. 24.
Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
Transforming human spaceflight, Nov., p. 12.
Military acquisitions: The shifting trend, Nov., p. 25.
Choosing the pathway to space, Nov., p. 32.
Defining a subsidy, Nov., p. 36.
Aerospace 2009: Space station, Dec., p. 71.
Aerospace 2009: Space tethers, Dec., p. 65.
Aerospace 2009: Space transportation, Dec., p. 68.
INTERVIEWS
With George C. Nield, Jan., p. 16.
With Rep. Dave Weldon, Feb., p. 14.
With Jean-Yves Le Gall, March, p. 12.
With Elon Musk, April, p. 14.
With Günter Verheugen, May, p. 14.
With Mike Gold, June, p. 10.
With Ken Hodgkins, July/Aug., p. 14.
With Edward J. Weiler, Sept., p. 12.
With Graham Love, Oct., p. 16.
Authors
A CANAN, J., National security imperatives for a new
ABOULAFIA, R., The aviation market boom ends,
Jan., p. 24.
ABOULAFIA, R., F-35’s shadow grows longer, March,
p. 18.
ABOULAFIA, R., Airbus and Boeing: Beyond
head-to-head, May, p. 18.
ABOULAFIA, R., Business aircraft market falls hard,
July/Aug., p. 26.
ABOULAFIA, R., Jetliners wait for hard times, Sept.,
p. 16.
B
BINDER, J., Electronic design speeds virtual
prototyping, Feb., p. 20.
BINDER, J., One-stop shop for design and analysis,
April, p. 24.
BINDER, J., The digitized paper chase, June, p. 18.
BINDER, J., Cloud computing: Coming full circle,
Nov., p. 16.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., All-electric aircraft
research speeds up, Jan., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Defense cuts threaten
military programs, Feb., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Running out of runways,
March, p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Satellite navigation
newcomers: Cooperation or competition?, March,
p. 32.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Liquidity crisis looms for
Europe’s aerospace companies, April, p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Airbus looks to U.S. for
A350 XWB suppliers, May, p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., With Günter Verheugen,
May, p. 14.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Fears of protectionism
grow in Europe, June, p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Fuel efficiency
improvements escalate, July/Aug., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., A blueprint for defense
cooperation, Sept., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., EASA: Moving toward
proactive regulation, Sept., p. 38.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Europe looks for UCAV
synergies, Oct., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., With Graham Love, Oct.,
p. 16.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Air freight revival: Real or
a mirage?, Nov., p. 4.
BUTTERWORTH-HAYES, P., Defining a subsidy, Nov.,
p. 36.
C
CÁCERES, M., Commercial satellites get bigger—and
smaller, Feb., p. 12.
CÁCERES, M., GEO comsats up, launch programs
down, April, p. 20.
CÁCERES, M., Navigational satellites fuel payload
growth, June, p. 14.
CÁCERES, M., Transforming human spaceflight,
Nov., p. 12.
CAMHI, E., Sense and security, Feb., p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Finding the right balance, March, p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Lost in space, May, p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Asking the right questions, June, p. 3.
CAMHI, E., A winning combination, July/Aug., p. 3.
CAMHI, E., The promise of thinking green, Sept.,
p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Our future in space, Oct., p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Nuclear propulsion—The affordable
alternative, Nov., p. 3.
CAMHI, E., Inching toward reform, Dec., p. 3
CANAN, J., With George C. Nield, Jan., p. 16.
CANAN, J., With Elon Musk, April, p. 14.
administration, March, p. 26.
CANAN, J., With Ken Hodgkins, July/Aug., p. 14.
CANAN, J., Cloudy forecast for NPOESS, Oct., p. 38.
D
DAVID, L., Return to the Moon: Shaping a new
exploration agenda, Jan., p. 30.
DAVID, L., Taking wing: Liftoff for public space
travel, Feb., p. 24.
DEC2009_INDEX.qxd:2003 index.final 11/16/09 12:15 PM Page 5

DAVID, L., Space debris: A growing challenge, Oct.,
p. 30.
DORR, R., Change and continuity, Jan., p. 12.
DORR, R., Washington in a time of change, Feb., p. 8.
DORR, R., Taking off in turbulent times, March, p. 8.
DORR, R., Changing course in a deepening crisis,
April, p. 10.
DORR, R., The economy stays in the forefront, May,
p. 8.
DORR, R., Gates dominates defense debate, June,
p. 8.
DORR, R., Looking to new leaders, July/Aug., p. 16.
DORR, R., Waiting for new directions, Sept., p. 8.
DORR, R., Aviation and spaceflight under scrutiny,
Oct., p. 10.
DORR, R., Controversy and doubts in defense and
space, Nov., p. 6.
F WILSON, J., Satellite System F6: Divide and conquer,
FINNEGAN, P., Industry’s strength offers options in
downturn, July/Aug., p. 24.
FINNEGAN, P., Defense giants reshape UAV industry,
Nov., p. 10.
FLINN, E., RAX Cubesats: Keeping a weather eye on
space, Jan., p. 28.
FLINN, E., Delicate dance for Mango and Tango,
Feb., p. 16.
FLINN, E., Antarctic balloon launch lifts research
hopes, March, p. 22.
FLINN, E., Constellation testing progresses on two
fronts, May, p. 30.
FLINN, E., Endurance near and (really) far, June, p. 22.
FLINN, E., NASA coating helps keep hearts beating,
Oct., p.22.
FLINN, E., Phantom torso takes solar blasts for science,
Nov., p. 16.
OBERG, J., Soyuz investigation lands with a thud,
June, p. 38.
P SUGAR, R., From data to knowledge: A sea change,
PIRARD, T., With Jean-Yves Le Gall, March, p. 12.
R
ROCKWELL, D., Aircraft protection heats up, May,
p. 22.
ROCKWELL, D., JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed,
Sept., p. 20.
S challenge, May, p. 38.
SCHECHTER, E., Aerospace industry in the Middle
East, April, p. 38.
SCHONS, C., Science, technology, and the new
Congress, May, p. 12.
SIETZEN, F., A space truck for the Moon, Feb., p. 32.
SIETZEN, F., A hot rod for the solar system,
July/Aug., p. 38.
SIETZEN, F., With Edward J. Weiler, Sept., p. 12.
SIETZEN, F., Growing fuels for greener skies, Sept.,
p. 32.
SIETZEN, F., Mars laboratory lands on red ink, Oct.,
p. 24.
SIETZEN, F., Choosing the pathway to space, Nov.,
p. 32.
p. 26.
W
WESTLAKE, M., Launches “R” Us, Jan., p. 8.
WESTLAKE, M., China on course in space, April, p. 8.
WESTLAKE, M., Joining the space race, carefully,
July/Aug., p. 8.
WESTLAKE, M., Southeast Asia reaches toward
space, Oct., p. 8.
WILLIAMSON, M., ExoMars: Europe rises to the
Feb., p. 30.
WILSON, J., UAV worldwide roundup 2009, April, p. 30.
WILSON, J., The 787 and the A350: Teasing out the
facts, June, p. 32.
WILSON, J., GOCE adds gravity to ESA’s agenda,
July/Aug., p. 32.
WILSON, J., Airborne laser aims at final tests,
July/Aug., p. 44.
WILSON, J., Military acquisitions: The shifting trend,
Nov., p. 25.

GREY, J., Addressing climate change, with help from

abroad, April, p. 3.

JONES, T., Planetology and the future of our species,

Jan., p. 20.
JONES, T., ISS: Closing in on completion, March, p. 16.
JONES, T., Ares I-X: Getting Constellation off the
ground, May, p. 26.
JONES, T., Four test flights that boosted Apollo 11,
July/Aug., p. 20.
JONES, T., Is human spaceflight optional?, Oct.,
p. 18.

LAURENZO, R., Soaring on a Solar Impulse, May, p. 32.

LAUTENBACHER, C., Climate change and national
security—Parts of a whole, June, p. 26.
LEWIS, M., Military aviation goes green, Sept., p. 24.

MOMIYAMA, T., Building a better engineer, Jan., p. 3.

OBERG, J., Angara boosts Russia’s launch prospects,

Jan., p. 36.

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 81

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86 AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009

AA_DEC2009_COPP.qxd:Layout 1 11/20/09 10:57 AM Page 7

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

The Department of Aerospace Engineering in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College
Park is a vibrant and growing department with research in hypersonics, microsystems, rotorcraft, smart materials and structures,
and space robotics. It has 20 faculty, six chaired faculty positions, an annual research expenditures of over $19M, and highly ranked
undergraduate and graduate programs (“top ten”). While the department is looking for highly qualified tenure-track faculty starting
in June 2009 or thereafter in all areas related to Aerospace engineering, applicants in the following areas are particularly encouraged:
‘Green’Aviation, Energy, Autonomous Systems, Structural Health Monitoring, Low Reynolds Number Aerodynamics, Hypersonics,
and Space Robotics.
Candidates should have an earned doctorate in aerospace engineering or a closely related field at the time of the appointment.
Applicants are being sought primarily at the Assistant Professor and Associate Professor level, but extremely qualified candidates at
the Full Professor level are also invited to apply. Candidates should have, or must have shown, a high potential for both teaching and
research excellence.
For best consideration a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and education plan, and the names of at least four references should
be submitted to the chair of the search committee no later than January 15, 2010:
Dr. Inder Chopra (chopra@umd.edu)
Chairman Search Committee
Aerospace Engineering Department
Department of Aerospace Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Information on the Department is available at the following website: www.aero.umd.edu. This is an ongoing search for highly qualified faculty
members.The University of Maryland and the Department of Aerospace Engineering are an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer with a
strong commitment to the principle of diversity. In that spirit, applications from members of minority groups and women are especially invited.

AEROSPACE AMERICA/DECEMBER 2009 87

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6th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference
20–22 Apr AIAA Infotech@Aerospace 2010 Atlanta, GA Jun 09 23 Oct 09
25–30 Apr SpaceOps 2010 Conference: Delivering on the Dream Huntsville, AL May 09 1 Aug 09
Hosted by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and organized by AIAA
4–6 May† ASTRO 2010—15th CASI Astronautics Conference Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Contact: G. Languedoc, 613.591.8787, www.casi.ca
11–12 May Inside Aerospace—An International Forum for Aviation and Space Leaders Arlington, VA
12 May 2010 Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala Washington, DC
13–15 May† Fifth Argentine Congress on Space Technology Mar del Plata, Argentina
Contact: Pablo de Leon, 701.777.2369, Deleon@aate.org,
31 May–2 Jun† 17th St. Petersburg International Conference on Integrated Saint Petersburg, Russia (Contact: Prof V. Peshekhonov,
Navigation Systems www.elektropribor.spb.ru, elprib@online.ru)
1–4 Jun† 4th International Conference on Research in Air Transportation Budapest, Hungary
(ICRAT 2010) Contact: Andres Zellweger, dres.z@comcast.net, www.icrat.org
7–9 Jun† 16th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference Stockholm, Sweden
Contact: Hans Bodén, hansbod@kth.se
8–10 Jun† 3rd International Symposium on System and Control in Aeronautics Harbin, People’s Republic of China
and Astronautics (ISSCAA 2010) Contact: Zhenshen Qu, ocicq@126.com, http://isscaa.hit.edu.cn
14–18 Jun† ASME TurboExpo 2010 Glasgow, Scotland, UK (Contact: www.turboexpo.org)
28 Jun–1 Jul 27th AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Chicago, IL Jun 09 5 Nov 09
Testing Conference
28th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference
40th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference
41st AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference
42nd AIAA/ASME Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference
5th AIAA Flow Control Conference
28 Jun–2 Jul† 8th International LISA Symposium Stanford, CA. (Contact: Sasha Buchman, 650.725.4110,
www.stanford.edu/group/lisasymposium)

B2 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

 DATE MEETING LOCATION CALL FOR ABSTRACT
(Issue of AIAA Bulletin in PAPERS DEADLINE
which program appears) (Bulletin in
which Call
for Papers
appears)
30 Jun–3 Jul† ICNPAA 2010—Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil
Aerospace and Sciences Contact: Prof. S. Sivasundaram, 386.761.9829, seenithi@aol.com
11–15 Jul 40th International Conference on Environmental Systems Barcelona, Spain Oct 09 2 Nov 09
18–25 Jul† 28th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research Bremen, Germany
(COSPAR 2010) Contact: www.cospar2010.org
25–28 Jul 46th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit Nashville, TN Jul 09 19 Nov 09
25–28 Jul 8th International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference & Exhibit Nashville, TN Jul 09 19 Nov 09
2–5 Aug AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jul 09 27 Jan 10
AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference
AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies Conference
AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference
AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Conference
7–13 Aug† 2010 International Heat Transfer Conference Washington, DC
Contact: Avram Bar-Cohen, 301.405.3173;
abc@umd.edu; www.nano.org/ihtc14.pdf
31 Aug–2 Sep AIAA SPACE 2010 Conference & Exposition Anaheim, CA Dec 09 1 Feb 10
28th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC–2010)
13–15 Sep 10th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Fort Worth, TX Sep 09 8 Feb 10
(ATIO) Conference and
13th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization Conference
19–24 Sep† 27th Congress of the International Council of the Nice, France 31 Jul 09
Aeronautical Sciences Contact: www.icas.org
27 Sep–1 Oct 61st International Astronautical Congress: Space for Human Prague, Czech Republic
Benefit and Exploration www.iac2010.cz
5–7 Oct 2010 International Powered Lift Conference Philadelphia, PA Dec 09 1 Mar 10
16–18 Nov AIAA Missile Sciences Conference (SECRET/U.S. ONLY) Monterey, CA
2011
3–6 Jan 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Orlando, FL 1 Jun 10
Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition
13–17 Feb 21st AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting New Orleans, LA
Contact: Peter Lai, 310.336.2367, www.space-flight.org/
AAS_meetings/2011_winter/2011%20winter.html

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.

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B3

 DATE COURSE VENUE LOCATION

2009
1 Dec–30 Apr 10 Introduction to Computation Fluid Dynamics Distance Learning
1 Dec–30 Apr 10 Advanced Computation Fluid Dynamics Distance Learning
1 Dec–30 Apr 10 Computational Fluid Turbulence Distance Learning
1 Dec–30 Apr 10 Heat Transfer* Distance Learning

2010
8–9 Jan Best Practices in Wind Tunnel Testing* Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Computational Multiphase Flow Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Fluid–Structure Interaction Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Flow Control for Specialists Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Large Eddy Simulations: Theory, Applications, and Advanced Topics Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, Fundamentals and Applications Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Modeling Flight Dynamics with Tensors Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
8–9 Jan Systems Engineering Fundamentals Aerospace Sciences Conference Orlando, FL
18–19 Jan Making Decisions in Missile Defense* Strategic and Tactical Missile Conf Monterey, CA
18–19 Jan Tactical Missile Design-Integration Strategic and Tactical Missile Conf Monterey, CA
31 Jan–1 Feb Experimentation, Validation, and Uncertainty Analysis T&E Days Conference Nashville, TN
31 Jan–1 Feb Systems Engineering Fundamentals T&E Days Conference Nashville, TN
1 Feb–31 Jul Introduction to Spaceflight Distance Learning
1 Feb–31 Jul Fundamentals of Aircraft Performance & Design Distance Learning
10–11 Apr Aeroelasticity: State-of-the-Art Practices Structures et al. Conferences Orlando, FL
10–11 Apr Modern Modeling of Aircraft Structures* Structures et al. Conferences Orlando, FL
10–11 Apr The Fundamentals of Composite Structure Design* Structures et al. Conferences Orlando, FL
10–11 Apr Introduction to Non-Deterministic Approaches Structures et al. Conferences Orlando, FL
10–11 Apr Tensegrity Systems* Structures et al. Conferences Orlando, FL
18–19 Apr Unmanned Aviation in the 21st Century Infotech@Aerospace Atlanta, GA
26–27 Jun Modern Design of Experiments Fluids Conferences Chicago, IL
26–27 Jun Basic Fluids Modeling with Surface Evolver Fluids Conferences Chicago, IL
26–27 Jun Computational Heat Transfer (CHT) and Thermal Modeling Fluids Conferences Chicago, IL
26–27 Jun Stability and Transition: Theory, Modeling and Applications Fluids Conferences Chicago, IL
29–30 Jul Liquid Propulsion Systems Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
29–30 Jul Hydrogen Safety Course* Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
29–30 Jul NPSS: A Practical Introduction* Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
29–30 Jul Advanced Solid Rockets Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
29–30 Jul Air Breathing Pulse Detonation Engine Technology* Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
29–30 Jul Tactical Missile Design-Integration Joint Propulsion Conference Nashville, TN
31 Jul–1 Aug System Identification Applied to Aircraft—Theory and Practice GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Jul–1 Aug Robust and Adaptive Control Theory GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Jul–1 Aug Automated Modelling and Simulation of Dynamic and Control Systems Using GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
the Bond Graph Method in Aerospace Applications*
31 Jul–1 Aug Advanced Space Vehicle Control and Dynamics* GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Jul–1 Aug Emerging Principles in Fast Trajectory Optimization GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Jul–1 Aug Mathematical Introduction to Integrated Navigation Systems with Applications GNC Conferences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* = New Course
To receive information on courses listed above, write or call
AIAA Customer Service, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344;
800.639.2422 or 703.264.7500 (outside the U.S.). Also accessible via the internet at www.aiaa.org/courses.

B4 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

 AIAA’S COMMITMENT TO
EDUCATION OUTREACH
Mark J. Lewis, AIAA President-Elect
“What exactly does the President-
Elect do?” That’s a question I have
been asked almost on a weekly
basis since you chose me for this
position. And my glib answer has
been “well so far, pretty much
whatever they tell me to do.”
But as I discovered last spring,
the position of President-elect
comes with a list of expectations
and opportunities, most of which
involve supporting the current
President and learning about our great organization in preparation
for my own year as President. I can dutifully report that this has
been an incredibly rewarding experience, in very large measure
because of the wonderful colleagues and support staff at AIAA.
You the members have selected a talented leadership team that
works extremely well together, especially under the exceptional
guidance of our current President, Dave Thompson. But even six
months along, I’m still learning new details about the role of the
President-Elect; in fact, I only recently discovered that this posi-
tion comes with another pleasant opportunity—that of addressing
you from the pages of the AIAA Bulletin. So without further ado,
allow me to present my first official note to you …
As I write this, we are mourning the recent passing of one
of our pioneers, Richard Whitcomb. As you may know, Richard
Whitcomb made many seminal contributions to aerodynamic
design, including the development of the transonic area rule,
invention of the supercritical airfoil, and the practical understand-
ing of winglets. Any one of those accomplishments would have
been a substantial contribution, but to have been responsible
for all three and more is truly remarkable. I first met Richard
Whitcomb when I was a brand new faculty member at the
University of Maryland, and he accepted an invitation to speak in
our department. In the years that followed, I found that Richard
was always eager to meet and talk with aerospace students (and
new faculty members!). That’s an attitude that I believe character-
izes most of our “greats”—famed test pilot Scott Crossfield was
another aerospace legend who was never too busy to visit our
campus, as long as he could speak to students. I believe that the
strong desire we all have to give back to the next generation is
one of our defining attributes as a profession.
It is therefore entirely fitting that AIAA has such a strong focus
on student programs, not only at the graduate and undergraduate
level, but in the K–12 realm as well. Many of our members will
be familiar with our student branches—167 and counting in 26
countries around the globe. In fact, your own first connection to
CAREER AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE OF
AEROSPACE
Join the Career and Workforce Development Committee in
this exciting workshop. Beginning with Keynote Speaker Jim
Skakoon, author of Unwritten Laws of Engineering, the morning
sessions are focused on personal development topics and activi-
ties focused on enhancing your career. The afternoon sessions
shift to workforce development topics and activities to develop
and grow the aerospace workforce for the near and long term. If
you are interested in laying the foundation for your next career
move or in helping cultivate the next generation of aerospace
engineers, this is the workshop to attend.
AIAA may have been as a student member. Our approximately
7000 student members reside in 45 countries, with locations as
far reaching as Japan, Australia, Ireland, Israel, and even exotic
College Park, Maryland, to name a few. If you have never partici-
pated in one of our regional student conferences, where students
from local AIAA branches meet and compete with research pre-
sentations, I urge you to do so. One exposure to the quality of
the work being done and presented by our student members will
renew your faith in our future generation.
AIAA provides real support to colleges and universities, provid-
ing the dollars that make student conferences possible, as well
as offering a wide range of scholarships to aerospace students
through our Foundation. But AIAA’s educational outreach doesn’t
stop at the graduate and undergraduate levels; we offer programs
that support teachers at levels from kindergarten through high
school. AIAA provides educational material, online tools (including
the ever-popular Internet “ask an aerospace engineer”), class-
room grants, and teacher training. The list goes on.
This past year, we hosted two significant educational outreach
events that I would like to highlight. Our “Passport to the Future”
held in conjunction with the 45th Joint Propulsion Conference
in Denver, brought teachers together to learn best practices
for bringing science, technology, engineering, and math into
the classroom. Sponsored by a generous grant from corporate
member Lockheed Martin, “Passport to the Future” was extraor-
dinarily successful in training and motivating an amazing group
of elementary, middle school, and high school educators. In
September, at the Space 2009 Conference in Pasadena, CA,
the AIAA Precollege Outreach Committee sponsored “Education
Alley,” where students were invited to meet our members and
view displays from many government agencies and aerospace
companies. The students also participated in special sessions
and received tours of the main exhibit hall. Sponsors of this year’s
Education Alley were our members: The Aerospace Corporation,
The Boeing Company, the National Institute of Aerospace,
SpaceX, Raytheon, Wyle, and the XPrize Foundation. We had
over 2200 students, teachers, and parent chaperones participate,
and by any standard it was a rousing and loud success!
It is activities such as Passport to the Future and Education
Alley that will help motivate and educate our next generation of
aerospace engineers. Perhaps the engineer who will design the
first rocket engine that delivers astronauts to the asteroid belt
will have gotten her inspiration at Education Alley. Maybe the
engineer who leads the design of the first operational hypersonic
aircraft will have been motivated by a teacher who trained at
Passport to the Future. Something new to watch for: in January,
we will be kicking off a new endeavor to get our members
engaged with students. I encourage you to consider investing
your time when you see this new program unveiled.
We can never know precisely what seeds we plant, but we can
all share a measure of pride in our Institute for its investment in
tomorrow. After all, aerospace engineering is about the future.
Keynote Speaker Jim Skakoon, author of Unwritten Laws of
Engineering
Networking
Navigating Unplanned Career Changes
Developing Goals & Setting the Course
Career Enhancement Tools & Resources—The AIAA Toolbox
Building a Great Resume
Enhancing Career Value
Planting the Seeds—Engineers as Mentors
Supply Chain Management—Repairing STEM Education
Comparison & Analysis of Degrees for the Aerospace Field
AIAA Resources for Education Outreach / Workforce Development
This workshop will be held on Tuesday, 5 January, in conjunc-
tion with the 48th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit in
Orlando, FL.
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B5
AIAA SIGNS PUBLISHING AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA
On 16 October 2009, AIAA signed agreements that will allow
selected books published by AIAA to be translated into Chinese
and published in China. Through these agreements AIAA
licenses the Aviation Industry Press (AIP) to translate three
AIAA book titles into Chinese for publishing and distribution
in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The
first three titles to be translated under this partnership are:
Composite Materials for Aircraft Structures, 2nd Edition by Alan
Baker, Stuart Dutton, and D. Kelly; Flight Vehicle Performance
and Aerodynamic Control by Frederick Smetana; and Black
Hawk: The Story of a World Class Helicopter by Ray Leoni.
These three titles were selected by AIP. The AIAA Publications
Committee gave the proposed relationship careful consideration
and sought the support of the authors before proceeding. The
committee views these agreements as an initial engagement
that will grow potentially over time.
The agreements were signed by AIAA Executive Director Bob
Dickman and China Aviation Media Group President Liu Xin in
Beijing. With these agreements and other future agreements, Forefront: China Aviation Media Group President Liu Xin (left) and AIAA
AIAA hopes to deepen its penetration in the Chinese aviation Executive Director Bob Dickman (right) sign translation agreements for
and aerospace markets for publications. three AIAA book titles. Also pictured in the background are: Shi Jinlei,
Founded in 1985, AIP is a specialized publishing house under AIP Senior Editor; Wang Yingjie, President of the Establishment of
the Ministry of Aerospace Industry of China. It is engaged in Economic & Technology, AVIC and President of ADR; Zhang Xin Guo,
publishing scientific and technical literature, such as books, text- Executive Vice President, AVIC; Megan Scheidt, AIAA staff; Yin Yunhao,
books, and periodicals in aviation research and development, Vice President of ADR.
production, and education. AIP publishes more than 200 books a
year and various magazines. AIP has had a working relationship Research Center of China (ADR), Aviation Industry Corporation
with McGraw-Hill Aviation Week Group since 1987. of China (AVIC), and the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and
While in China, Dickman met with various groups to discuss Astronautics. Groups representing the space industry were the
potential areas of collaboration for AIAA in China. Groups repre- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Chinese
senting the aviation industry were Aviation Industry Development Society of Astronautics, and Astronautic Publishing House.

B6 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

OBITUARIES
AIAA Fellow Saeks Died in October
Dr. Richard “Dick” E. Saeks,
an innovative scientist, engineer,
and teacher, passed away on 12
October. He was 67 years old.
Dr. Saeks obtained his B.S.
in Electrical Engineering from
Northwestern University, M.S. in
Electrical Engineering from Colorado
State University, and Ph.D. from
Cornell University. He then taught
electrical engineering for 25 years
in a number of distinguished posi-
tions in academe, serving as Dean
of Engineering and Motorola Professor at the Illinois Institute of
Technology, Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering at Arizona State University, and Paul
Whitfield Horn Professor of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics,
and Computer Science at Texas Tech University. He started his
academic career at Notre Dame University in Indiana.
When Dr. Saeks passed away, he was the Vice President
and Chief Technology Officer of Accurate Automation
Corporation in Chattanooga, TN. For the past 17 years, he
developed advanced systems for the government under grants
and contracts from the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA,
and National Science Foundation (NSF). He was a world-class
electrical engineer who was an expert in control theory, fault
diagnosis, systems theory, and plasma technologies. As an
international authority on control, large-scale systems, fault anal-
ysis, and mathematical system theory, Dr. Saeks had three pat-
ents on ion doping, sensor fusion, and tiperon control systems.
Dr. Saeks also wrote four technical books on Systems Theory
and was the author of over 300 academic papers.
Dr. Saeks was an AIAA Fellow, and a Fellow in the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was also
elected to be President of the IEEE Systems, Man and
Cybernetics Society. He held numerous honors including the
IEEE Third Millennium Award and 2 Tibbetts Awards from the
U.S. Small Business Administration.
AIAA awards were recently presented during the 28th Digital Avionics Systems Conference in Orlando, FL.
Recipient of the AIAA Information Systems Award, Charles Jorgensen
(left) of NASA, with AIAA Director James Niedhoefer (right).
Innovative Designer Whitcomb Died in October
Mechanical engineer Richard Whitcomb died on 13 October.
He was 88 years old. Whitcomb’s work changed the way we fly
today with three design innovations that made airplanes fly far-
ther and faster using less fuel.
In 1943, Whitcomb graduated from Worcester Polytechnic
Institute with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He
got a job with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(NACA) laboratory in Langley as a researcher helping to design
the B-29 bomber. In 1951, he made a discovery that changed jet
design. Until Mr. Whitcomb’s improvement, the bodies of most
jet airplanes were cigar shaped. He developed a body design
that allowed jet planes to travel faster using the same engine
and same amount of fuel: the “Coke-bottle” shape, otherwise
known as a “wasp waist.” His innovation became known as
the “area rule,” and at age 34, Mr. Whitcomb was awarded the
National Aeronautic Association’s Collier Trophy for the “great-
est achievement in aviation in 1954.”
Mr. Whitcomb’s innovation earned him unprecedented carte
blanche and the freedom to design as he pleased. Whitcomb
made two other improvements to wing design that furthered the
efficiency of airplanes traveling in the transonic region. In 1969,
Mr. Whitcomb designed a wing that eliminated the resistance
planes encountered as they neared the sound barrier. The new
wing had a thick, blunt leading edge, a flat top, a bulging under-
side, and a tail edge that hooked downward with a tip that looked
like anextended flap. The new design was called the “supercriti-
cal wing,” and is incorporated in almost every commercial airliner
flying today. His third innovation was small wings attached to the
tips of wings at inclined angles. These “winglets” diffuse small
vortexes on the wingtips that create significant drag on the plane.
The design increased fuel efficiency by as much as 6–7%.
Mr. Whitcomb retired from NASA in 1980, but continued to
work as a consultant for NASA and other aerospace compa-
nies. Besides the Collier Trophy in 1954, Mr. Whitcomb was the
recipient of several other prestigious awards: Reed Aero Award,
1970; the National Medal of Science,1973; Wright Brothers
Trophy Award, 1974; and the Guggenheim Award, 2001. He
joined AIAA in 1971, and was an Honorary Fellow. He was
also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the
National Academy of Engineering.
Robert Strain (left) of The MITRE Corporation with AIAA Director James
Niedhoefer (right) after accepting the AIAA Dr. John C. Ruth Digital
Avionics Award. Not shown are co-recipients John C. Moody, Doyle
Peed, and Warren Wilson,The MITRE Corporation.
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B7
WINNERS OF THE 2009 UNDERGRADUATE DESIGN
COMPETITIONS ANNOUNCED
AIAA is pleased to announce the winners of the AIAA
Foundation’s annual Undergraduate Design Competitions.
Team Engine Design
The competition required the development of a variable cycle
engine for subsonic transport applications. Teams winning
awards are:
First Prize: University of Kansas, for their design “JACKT-524
Smart Variable Cycle”: Dr. Saeed Farokhi, faculty advisor; team
members: Carl Amerine, Jake Bowden, Kodi Caster, Travis
Cravens, and Adam Saverino. The team will receive a $2,500
prize from the AIAA Foundation.
Second Prize: University of Kansas, for their design “Janus”:
Dr. Saeed Farokhi, faculty advisor; team members: Matthew
Brown, Piyush Mehta, Thai Nguyen, William Pflug, Leslie Smith,
and Andrew Lake Wooten. The team will receive a $1,500 prize
from the AIAA Foundation.
Third Prize: Brigham Young University, for their design “A
Variable Cycle Engine Solution for AIAA”: W. Jerry Bowman,
faculty advisor; team members: Scott Egan, Terrence Hess, Matt
Hortin, Gordon Reese, Stephen Taylor, Brandon Woodland, and
Bobby Yen. The team will receive a $1,000 prize from the AIAA
Foundation.
Team Space Transportation Design
The Undergraduate Team Space Transportation Design
Competition challenged teams to design a viable commercial
space transportation system, to move crew and cargo from earth
to the International Space Station. The winners are:
First Prize: The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, for their design “Hippaforalkus”: Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh,
faculty advisor; team members: Steven Box, Michael Creaven,
Kris Curtis, Ryan Hubbard, Andrew Lyford, Philip Maloney, Lake
Singh, and Chris Smith. The team will receive a $2,500 prize
from the AIAA Foundation.
Second Prize: University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, for
their design “Pyxis”: Rodney L. Burton, faculty advisor; team
members: Wilbur Chang, Colin Das, Austin Ellis, Isaac Han,
Michael Kevorkian, David Szybilski, Patrick Walsh, and Hoong
Chieh Yeong. The team will receive a $1,500 prize from the
AIAA Foundation.
Third Prize: University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, for
their design “Black Sky Transit Systems”: Rodney L. Burton,
faculty advisor; team members: Nirag Amin, Daniel Anderson,
Mallory Casperson, Michael Ciffone, Matthew Cruce, Michael
Day, Andrew Wallace, and Jessica Wayer. The team will receive
a $1,000 prize from the AIAA foundation.
Team Space Design
The competition asked teams to design an Integrated Crew
Health Care System for Lunar Outpost Missions. The panel
judging the competition ultimately chose not to award first prize
or third prize.
Second prize was awarded to The Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, for their design “Crew Assisted
Response & Biomedical Outpost”: Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh, faculty
advisor; team members: Jessica Bradt, Ryan Costa, Brian Elliot,
Dane Evans, Jamal Gibson, Ryan Hubbard, John Kiefer, and
Sarah Over. The team will receive a $2,000 prize from AIAA.
Team Aircraft Design
The AIAA Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Competition
B8 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
asked teams to design an environmentally compatible, 150-seat
transport aircraft. Teams winning awards were:
First Prize: The Virginia Polytechnic and State University, for
their design “Aerohead-Aeronautics SB-01”: Dr. Mayuresh Patil,
AIAA advisor, Dr. William Mason, faculty advisor; team mem-
bers: Daniel Aiken, John Blizard, Matthew Freeze, Brian Leslie,
Robert Lewandowski, and Robert Yager. The team will receive a
$2,500 prize from AIAA.
Second Prize: California Polytechnic Institute, for their design
“Tersus”: Robert McDonald, faculty advisor; team members:
Ashley Evans, Kevin Lovell, Marko Pavlov, Jason Stavro, and
Jonathon Wilson. The team will receive a $1,500 prize from AIAA.
Third Prize: The Georgia Institute of Technology, for their
design “R09 Ecoliner”: Dr. William Mikolowsky, faculty advi-
sor; team members: Brandon Cullum, Darryl Dewart, Tarek
Elghorouly, David Nelson, Eriks Osvalds, Lynley Brooke Pitman,
Phillip Richards, Charles Tyndall, Andrew Urig, and Mark
Weiland. The team will receive a $1,000 prize from AIAA.
Individual Aircraft Design
The AIAA Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
Competition asked individuals for a fixed-wing, two-seat, Light
Sport Aircraft, with maximum capability near the upper limit (120
knots, sea level, full power) allowed by the LSA rules, yet rugged
enough for STOL operations into unimproved landing zones.
Third Prize: The University of Kansas, for their design
“Cooper—LSA”: Dr. Ron Barrett, AIAA advisor, designer: Emily
Arnold. Ms. Arnold was awarded $1,000.
For more information on the AIAA Foundation Undergraduate
Team Undergraduate Engine Design Competition, please con-
tact Stephen Brock at 703.264.7536 or stephenb@aiaa.org.
ENGINEERS LEARN TO BE EDUCATORS
In September, the Engineers as Educators Workshop was held
at the Space 2009 Conference and Exhibit in Pasadena, CA,
taught by Sharon Freeburn, a master teacher from the Space
Grant Education and Enterprise Institute and the San Diego
Section. Workshop attendees learned tricks to construct age-
appropriate presentations, use simple hands-on activities to
demonstrate uses of math and science in new and fun ways,
and how to talk with students and teachers to get the maximum
impact with their classroom visits. The Precollege Outreach
Committee plans to repeat workshops like this during the year.
To learn how you or your section could benefit from this work-
shop, please contact Lisa Bacon at lisab@aiaa.org.
Participants learn how to interact with students and teachers at the
Engineers as Educators Workshop held at the Space 2009 Conference
and Exhibit.
DR. TALLEY SUCCEEDS YANG AS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF
THE JOURNAL OF PROPULSION AND POWER
On 13 November 2009, AIAA President David W. Thompson,
formally appointed Dr. Douglas G. Talley to succeed Vigor Yang
as editor-in-chief of AIAA’s Journal of Propulsion and Power
(JPP). Dr. Talley is Senior Research Physical Scientist with
the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate
Aerophysics Branch, Edwards AFB, CA. He has served the past
four years as an associate editor of JPP and has sat on the edi-
torial board of Atomization and Sprays since 2003. In addition to
being a Senior Member of AIAA, he is member of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, and serves as treasurer of the
Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems (Americas).
Dr. Talley received his bachelor’s in engineering from
Oakland University, Rochester, MI, in 1976. Following gradua-
tion, he served for four years as an engineering office aboard a
U.S. Navy nuclear submarine. In 1980, he began his graduate
career at Carnegie Mellon University, completing master’s and
doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering. He then joined
the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Michigan. Since 1991, he has been with AFRL’s Propulsion
Directorate, where he has built and managed a fundamental and
applied research group in rocket combustion.
Dr. Talley’s general area of expertise is multiphase combus-
tion and heat transfer, and he is currently engaged in basic
research and exploratory development in liquid rocket propul-
sion. While at AFRL, he developed expertise in pulsed detona-
tion rocket engines and pioneered an experimental program in
high-pressure sprays and combustion related to liquid rocket
engines that has impacted several national programs. He is par-
ticularly well known for his work on injection and combustion at
pressures exceeding the critical pressure of the propellants.
Dr. Talley, who will commence a three-year editorial term
on 1 January 2010, was selected from a competitive pool of
applicants. Following Yang’s notice not to serve an additional
term, AIAA Vice President of Publications Dr. Michael Bragg
appointed an ad hoc search committee chaired by Dr. John
W. Daily of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The search
committee represented the broad interests of JPP’s scope tak-
ing into consideration the traditional technical strengths of the
journal, its peripheral but critical technologies, as well as new or
emerging technical areas that will impact the journal’s near- and
long-term success. The committee also reflected all segments of
the industry, perspectives from within the AIAA Publications and
Technical Activities, as well as an international perspective.
Dr. Talley becomes the fourth editor-in-chief of JPP following in
the proud heritage of Gordon Oates, R. H. Woodward Waesche,
and Vigor Yang. Of his mentor Yang, Talley commented
Vigor Yang always sought to deliver the best and encouraged the
highest quality in associate editors and in the papers published by
the journal. He also sought to ensure not only that the fundamental
science was well documented, but also that emerging developments
in technology were thoroughly covered as well. For a journal as
broad in scope as JPP, achieving that consistently over nine years is
an impressive accomplishment. It is a great honor to be selected to
be the next editor-in-chief of the Journal of Propulsion and Power.
Bragg, who chaired the 2008 search to replace Dr. Elaine
Oran as editor-in-chief of AIAA Journal and has now overseen
this search as VP-Publications, observed: “Having now shared
in this responsibility twice, it is a serious undertaking to identify
the right individual to be the editor-in-chief of an AIAA journal. In
the future I call upon all members to support the effort to identify
worthy candidates.” Bragg went on to say of Yang and Talley:
Dr. Yang represents a tireless editor-in-chief who raised the bar for
his journal and will be long-remembered for his contribution to the
many fields of propulsion and power and to AIAA. I look forward
to many more years of service and new contributions from him.
Although Dr. Talley will take charge of a well-respected and well-run
journal, he will face a changing technical landscape as new energy
and propulsion technologies emerge and the search for energy-effi-
cient and environmentally responsible propulsion solutions become
reality. I am confident he will be an outstanding editor-in-chief.

2–4 February 2010

Gaylord Opryland Resort
and Convention Center
Nashville, Tennessee

Early Bird Deadline: 5 January 2010

Hosted by

Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC)

American Institute of
A
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
A

Supported by
Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC)
46th Test Wing at the Air Armament Center (AAC)
Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC)
Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development
and Test Wing (SDTW)
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
Air Combat Command (ACC)
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Air Mobility Command (AMC)
09-0637

www.aiaa.org/events/tedays

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B9

CALL FOR AWARD 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 2010.
The nomination form can be downloaded from www.aiaa.org,
or AIAA members may submit nominations online by logging into
www.aiaa.org, “MY AIAA.”
Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award
Presented to recognize important contributions in the field of
guidance, navigation, and control.
Aerospace Power Systems Award
Presented 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 Award
Presented to a design engineer or team for the conception,
definition, or development of an original concept leading to a sig-
nificant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.
de Florez Award for Flight Simulation
This award is presented for an outstanding individual achieve-
ment in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training,
research, and development.
Energy Systems
Presented 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 Award
This award honors the achievements in space transportation
by Dr. George M. Low, who played a leading role in planning
and executing all of the Apollo missions, and originated the
plans for the first manned lunar orbital flight, Apollo 8.
Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical
Program Management
The award is presented to an individual for outstanding contri-
butions in the management of a significant aeronautical or aero-
nautical related program or project.
Mechanics and Control of Flight Award
This award is presented for an outstanding recent technical
or scientific contribution by an individual in the mechanics, guid-
ance, or control of flight in space or the atmosphere.
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award
Presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to the
development and/or application of techniques of multidisciplinary
design optimization in the context of aerospace engineering.
Otto C. Winzen Lifetime Achievement Award
The award is presented for outstanding contributions and
achievements in the advancement of free flight balloon systems
or related technologies.
B10 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
Piper General Aviation Award
This award is presented for outstanding contributions leading
to the advancement of general aviation.
Space Science Award
The Space Science Award is presented to an individual for
demonstrated leadership of innovative scientific investigations
associated with space science missions.
Space Operations and Support Award
This award is presented for outstanding efforts in overcoming
space operations problems and assuring success, and recognizes
those teams or individuals whose exceptional contributions were
critical to an anomaly recovery, crew rescue, or space failure.
Space Systems Award
The Space Systems Award is presented to recognize out-
standing achievements in the architecture, analysis, design, and
implementation of space systems.
von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program
Management
This award gives national recognition to an individual(s) for
outstanding contributions in the management of a significant
space or space-related program or project.
AIAA proudly participates with other technical societies and
organizations in the selection of recipients for the following
awards. The deadline date for nominations is shown below.
Robert J. Collier Trophy Award
Nominations due to AIAA by 15 January
Presented for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or
astronautics in America, with respect to improving the perfor-
mance, efficiency, or safety of air or space vehicles, the value of
which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during
the preceding year. NAA and AIAA sponsor the award.
J. Leland Atwood Award
Nominations due to AIAA by 1 January
This award is bestowed annually upon an aerospace engi-
neering educator in recognition of outstanding contributions to
the profession. AIAA and ASEE sponsor the award.
Daniel Guggenheim Medal
Nominations due to AIAA by 1 February
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.
Elmer A. Sperry Award
Nominations due to AIAA by 1 February
The award is given in recognition of a distinguished engineer-
ing contribution, which, through application proved in actual
service, has advanced the art of transportation whether by land,
sea or air. AIAA, IEEE, SAE, ASME, SNAME, and ASCE spon-
sor the award.
William Littlewood Memorial Lecture
Nominations due to AIAA by 1 February
The William Littlewood Memorial Lecture perpetuates the
memory of William Littlewood, who was renowned for the many
significant contributions he made to the design of an opera-
tional requirements for civil transport aircraft. The topics for the
Lecture, which is presented in even years, shall deal with a
broad phase of civil air transportation considered of current inter-
est and major importance.
For further information, contact Carol Stewart, Manager, AIAA
Honors & Awards, at carols@aiaa.org or at 703.264.7623.
AIAA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS, JOINED JULY/AUGUST 2009 (CONTINUED FROM NOVEMBER)
Region III Oklahoma Los Angeles Christopher K. McKenzie Valerie Hullier Japan
Fritz Robinson Bryan Adams Saghir Munir Michel Humbert Masayoshi Doi
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David Stapleton Ethan A. Barbour Bassam Musaffar Jerome Lacaille Claus Gwiggner
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Richard Bartell Paul R. Griesemer Brandon Ho Daniel G. Schauerhamer Valerie Lhullier Shinichi Iwamoto
Benjamin H. Downing Matthew Juarez Dan Liu Christopher Silva Carole Martin Hiroaki Kajiura
Justin Earley Prachet Mokashi Jennifer Schlitter Jeffrey D. Smith Emmanuel Radenac Tatsuya Kimura
Marvin L. Gale Bradley Pedersen Derek Seibel Ashok N. Srivastava Pascal Sinaud Yoji Koda
Daniel G. Goddard James Simonds Laura Speckman Sebastian D. Timar Germany Makoto Kojima
Joseph Gspandl Andrew Ryan Straus Samantha Un Stefan Bindl Nobuyuki Kojima
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Steven A. Brown Peter Dzung Nguyen
David Sigthorsson Philippe Matthieu Bardet Volker Grewe Yuichi Noguchi
Neil Carson Tony Nguyen
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James Michael Ceney Mark Pieczynski
Sibylle F. Walter Mike Chainyk Detlev Konigorski Akihisa Sato
Yongjun Choi Suzanne Stephen
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Frank-Cyrus Roshani Yoshihiro Yamano
Todd Allen Lovell Bryan Hoke Cynthia Davis
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James Negro Jay Hurley Theodore Dibble Mexico
Ron Bates Konstantinos Vorilas
Tyler Wood Michal Katz Shahrokh Hafizi Enrique Pacheco
Mike Carter Marco Weis
Kris Piotr Kilian Mehul Patel
Michigan Gerald R. Cutler Netherlands
Steve Kominek Adrienne Rivera Great Britain
Jesse Hoagg Keihan Ebrahimi David Abbink
Tenny Albert Lindholm Kathryn Royka Libish K. Balachandran
Ilya Kolmanovsky Namsoo Kim Roy Arents
Bernard Masterson Alan Richard Steichen Richard Brankin
Myron J. Maurer Mark E. Liffring Henrikus Bank
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Andrew Madar Marco De Rosa
Northern Ohio John Monahan Simon Chelton
Arty Makagon Utah S. S. A. Ghijs
David Fischer Mark Morehead Richard Crowther
Kurt Mueller Brett Hussey Jian Guo
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Chris Pellegrino Mark D. Parsons Tim Leeuwerink
Allen Plautz David Owenby Michael Kearney
Timothy Frank Rahmes Kelly Perry Alvaro Martinez Barrio
Lisa Reagan Darrell Phippen Jonathan Mills
Michael S. Smith Deborah Pilkey Stef Van Asperen
James L. Sanzi Binyamin Rubin Ben Nye
Jeffrey A. Schmidt Phoenix George J. Torres W. W. A. Beelaerts van Blokland
Joseph Robert Saus Gareth Padfield Frank M. van der Zwan
Robert Schmitz Daniel Alexander Vandenberg Ian C. Quayle
Michael Spronz
Len Shepard Kris Downey Colt Deckard Ray P. Thompson Pakistan
Scott D. Wilson
Elizabeth Sholes William Kurkoski Melissa C. Huffman Stuart Vale Umair Najeeb Mughal
Scott Wilson
Michael Simon Leo Martinez, Jr. Ronald Allen Nott Ingrida Valiusaityte
Region IV Michael Newman Russia
Kandler Smith Carl Wilson
Kyung Taik Yoon Region VII Alexander Efremov
Albuquerque Matthew E. Smith Robert Wright
Neal Starkey Australia Saudi Arabia
Stephen Booher Point Lobos Hong Kong
Margareta Stefanovic Sandy Clovis Tirtey Tariq Ali Alghamdi
Tien Bui Mark Karpenko Maxence Chi Ming Leong
Gene Hertel Lee Sutherland Jules Prendergast Austria Slovakia
Diana Loree Brent Via Wolfgang Hoedl India
Sacramento Peter Gasparovic
William Manning Seth Wagenman r Shashi Verma
Amy Day Belgium
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Robert Franklin Wright, Jr. Matthew S. Kistler James Shasteen Nicolette Engelbrecht
Theodore Ortiz Ali Talebi
Katherine Prestridge James Ponzo Brazil Rory Yorke
St. Louis Ireland
Barry Prins Karie Quiggle Alexandre Roberto Lima
Kenneth Bernier Vincent P. T. Lawlor, Sr. South Korea
Don Seeley Christopher M. Chadwick San Diego Antonio Soares Kyung Jun Han
Teri Tavella Nicholas J. Kramer Clint Gile Israel In-Tae Kim
Canada
Milton Vernon James O’Neill Matthew Guinness Helfrick Gisele Amow Amir Adler Jang Hwi Kim
Michael P. Wilkinson William M. Kromydas Amnon Ben David Jin Kon Kim
Twin Cities Rosa N. Weber
William R. Zimmerman Paul Wynns Pavel Bruk Hee-Cheryl Lee
Eric Engstrom
China (PRC) Yosef Davan Eui-Joon Moon
Houston William Flood San Fernando Pacific Guozhu Liu Arie Fishbein Hee Jang Moon
Hugo Bonjour Kevin Le Voir Joshua Eugene Coleman HuiFeng Tan Yaakov S. Levy
Louis Cano Jeff VanLangendon Jerry Fuller Spain
Yoram Liran
Harmon Everett Ziming Wang Sandeep Gupta Colombia Luis Delgado
Chaim Moriya
Jack David Fischer Wichita Maiya Jordan Carlos Rodriguez Aron Moss Carlos Lozano
Sabbir A. Hossain Eric Braun Moshe Patel Damián Rivas
San Francisco Czech Republic
Judith A. Jeevarajan Steven R. Hansen Sharo Pickman
Anthony Applewhite Vaclav Hlavac Sydney
Steven Jordan Dwayne Kimball Eran Shelly
Binaifer Kadwa Ali Azadani Denmark Peter Gervase Nicholson
Region VI Sourav Banerjee Zalman Shpund
Michael Mahoney Spren Christiansen Haim Shugrun Switzerland
Ronald Pechcek Antelope Valley James C. Biggers Simon Petersen
Eric Boyajian Limor Tevet-Deree Aurèle Vuilleumier
David Spangler James Enault Ole Thorhauge
Misty D. Davies Israel Tzurdeker
Carolyn K. Standridge Kurt Kloesel Taiwan (ROC)
Bhaskar Durvasula Estonia Eitan Yariv
Michael Thomas Suffredini David Scharfe Kuo-Chih Chang
David Wang Isaac Wesley Ekoto Urmas Uska Italy
Courtney Wright Thailand
Evan Goldstein Finland Cosimo Capodieci
North Texas Arrowhead Qi Gong Chesda Kiriratnikom
Jorma Olavi Lemmetyinen Marco Ciarcià
Robert Cisneros Joerg Nowak Katy Griffin Krissanapong Wongsawarng
Antti Pankkonen Pasquale Conte
Hilary Ann Genevish Michael Schweiger Mark J. Isaacson France Alessio Fattore Turkey
Bryan Perkins Vinoj Zachariah Paul Keas Chamayou Bernard Tonino Genito Tuna Balkan
Carl Taylor, Jr. China Lake Michael Kupfer Philippe Cheoux-Damas Gianni Pellegrini Yigit Yazicioglu
Jeffrey Tooley Jordan Gaskey Hyunjae Lee Isabelle Gibek
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B11
New and
Forthcoming Titles
AIAA eBooks!
More than 200 AIAA books—including formerly out-of-print titles—are now available in e-book format for viewing online
or downloading to your computer. Purchase chapters or the entire book. Check them out today at http://ebooks.aiaa.org.

From RAINBOW to GUSTO: Stealth and the Design of the Computational Modelling and Simulation of Aircraft and
Lockheed Blackbird the Environment: Volume I: Platform Kinematics and
Paul A. Suhler Synthetic Environment
Library of Flight Series Dominic J. Diston
2009, 300 pages, Paperback AIAA Education Series
ISBN-13: 978-1-60086-712-5 2009, 384 pages, Hardback
AIAA Member Price: $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-60086-704-0
List Price: $39.95 AIAA Member Price: $74.95
List Price: $94.95
Out of This World: The New Field of Space Architecture
A S. Howe and Brent Sherwood, with cover art by Syd Mead Finite Element Structural Analysis: New Concepts
J.S. Przemieniecki, Air Force Institute of Technology (Ret.)
Library of Flight Series
2009, 400 pages, Hardback AIAA Education Series
ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-982-3 August 2009, 138 pages, Hardback
AIAA Member Price: $89.95 ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-997-7
List Price: $119.95 AIAA Member Price: $69.95
List Price: $89.95
Proceedings of the 50th Colloquium on the Law of Outer
Space Fundamentals and Applications of Modern Flow Control
Conference Proceeding Series, 1 volume Ronald D. Joslin and Daniel Miller
2008, Hardback Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, Vol. 231
ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-962-5 2009, 231 pages, Hardback
AIAA Member Price: $89.95 ISBN: 978-1-56347-983-0
List Price: $140.00 AIAA Member Price: $79.95
List Price: $104.95
Aircraft Engine Controls: Design, System Analysis, and
Health Monitoring Link Fundamentals of Kalman Filtering: A Practical Approach,
Link C. Jaw, Scientific Monitoring, Inc. and Jack D. Third Edition
Mattingly, Mattingly Consulting Paul Zarchan and Howard Musoff, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
AIAA Education Series Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, Vol. 232
2009, 384 pages, Hardback 2009, 882 pages, Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-60086-705-7 ISBN: 978-1-60086-718-7
AIAA Member Price: $74.95 AIAA Member Price: $104.95
List Price: $99.95 List Price: $134.95

Analytical Mechanics of Space Systems, Second Edition Selected Aerothermodynamic Design Problems of
Hanspeter Schaub, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Hypersonic Flight Vehicles
University and John L. Junkins, Texas A&M University Ernst H. Hirschel and Claus Weiland
AIAA Education Series Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, Vol. 229
2009, 800 pages, Hardback 2009, 540 pages, Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-60086-721-7 ISBN: 978-1-56347-990-8
AIAA Member Price: $79.95 AIAA Member Price: $89.95
List Price: $104.95 List Price: $119.95

Small Satellites: Past, Present, and Future

View complete descriptions H. Helvajian and S. Janson, The Aerospace Corporation
and order 24 hours a day at Aerospace Press Series
2009, 876 pages, Hardback
www.aiaa.org/new ISBN: 978-1-884989-22-3
AIAA Member Price: $114.95
List Price: $149.95

B12 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

 13th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference
Igniting the Space Economy
10–11 February 2010
Crystal Gateway Marriott
Arlington, VA

Synopsis
For the past 12 years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation has hosted the
Commercial Space Transportation Conference in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. 2010 marks the 13th year that this confer-
ence will provide a forum for policy makers and technical experts to share their insights and discuss developments in commercial space
transportation and other related industries.
The 13th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference will be held on Wednesday–Thursday, 10–11 February 2010,
at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. Conference panel sessions, designed to amplify the conference theme of “Igniting
the Space Economy,” have been categorized into three tracks: Commercial Space Technologies, Commercial Space Business, and
Commercial Space Regulatory Concerns.
Keynote speakers for the conference include FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt (confirmed) and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden,
Jr. (invited). Specific panel sessions include:
• Safety Related Enabling Technologies, moderated by Nick Demidovich, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
• Future Technologies, moderated by Kyu Hwang, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
• Investment in Innovation, moderated by Paul Eckert, The Boeing Company
• COTS/ISS CRS: Launching Into the Future, moderated by Chuck Larsen, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
• Accident Planning, moderated by Robert S. Dickman, AIAA
• Regulatory Role of Enabling the Space Economy, moderated by Ken Wong, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
• and many more

Special Events Cancellations must be received no later than 24 January

Luncheons 2010. There is a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel
Luncheons for conference participants will be held beyond this date or fail to attend the conference will forfeit the
Wednesday and Thursday, 10 and 11 February 2010, at the entire fee.
Crystal Gateway Marriott. The cost of the luncheons is included Please contact Sandra Turner, conference registrar, at
in the conference registration fee where indicated. Additional 703.264.7508 or sandrat@aiaa.org, with any questions.
tickets may be purchased upon registration or at the AIAA on- Registration fees are as follows:
site registration desk. By 11 Jan 12 Jan–5 Feb On-Site
Networking Coffee Breaks Option 1: Full Conference for AIAA Member/Government/
Networking coffee breaks for conference participants will be Nonmember
held Wednesday and Thursday in the morning and afternoon. $680 $780 $880
Times are indicated in the program. Includes sessions and Wednesday and Thursday luncheons.
Nonmember rate does not include AIAA membership.
Registration
AIAA is committed to sponsoring world-class conferences on Option 2: Full-Time Undergraduate Student (AIAA Member
current technical issues of the day in a safe and secure environ- or Nonmember)
ment. As such, beginning January 2010, all delegates will be $0 $10 $20
required to provide conference registrars with identification prior Includes sessions only. Nonmember rate does not include
to receiving a conference badge and associated materials. All AIAA membership.
delegates need to provide a valid photo ID (driver’s license or
passport) when they check in. Students are also required to show Option 3: Full-Time Undergraduate Student Plus Function
a valid student ID. We thank you for your participation and look Tickets (AIAA Member or Nonmember)
forward to a continued program of excellence in safe and secure $100 $110 $120
environments. Includes sessions and Wednesday and Thursday luncheons.
All participants are urged to register online at www.aiaa.org/ Nonmember rate does not include AIAA membership.
events/ast, or you may use the registration form found on page Option 4: Full-Time Graduate or Ph.D. Student (AIAA
B17. Registering in advance says conference attendees up to Member or Nonmember)
$200. A check made payable to AIAA or credit card information $40 $50 $60
must be included with your registration form. A PDF registration Includes sessions only. Nonmember rate does not include
form is also available on the AIAA Web site. Print, complete, and AIAA membership.
mail or fax the form with payment to AIAA. Address information
is provided. Option 5: Full-Time Graduate or Ph.D. Student Plus Function
Early bird registration forms must be received by 11 January Tickets (AIAA Member or Nonmember)
2010, and regular registration forms wlll be accepted until 5 $140 $150 $160
February 2010. Preregistrants may pick up their materials at the Includes sessions and Wednesday and Thursday luncheons.
advance registration desk. All those not registered by 5 February Nonmember rate does not include AIAA membership.
2010 may do so at the on-site registration desk.

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B13

 Option 6: Full-Time AIAA Retired Member
$40 $50 $60
Includes sessions and Wednesday and Thursday luncheons.
Option 7: Discounted Group Rate
$612 per person $612 per person $612 per person
10% discount off AIAA member rate for 10 or more persons
from the same organization that register and pay at the same
time with a single form of payment. Includes sessions and all
catered events. Completed, typed list of registrants must be sub-
mitted to registrar prior to event or onsite.
Extra Tickets
Wednesday Luncheon $50
Thursday Luncheon $50
On-Site Registration Hours
On-site registration will be held as follows:
Wednesday, 10 February 0700–1700 hrs
Thursday, 11 February 0700–1645 hrs
Hotel Reservations
AIAA has made arrangements for a block of rooms at the
Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, VA 22202, phone: 703.920.3230 or 800.228.9290.
Room rates are the prevailing government per diem per night
for single or double occupancy. You are encouraged to book
your hotel room early. These rooms will be held for AIAA
until 8 January 2010 or until the block is full. After 8 January,
any unused rooms will be released to the general public.
Please identify yourself with the AIAA/FAA Commercial Space
Transportation Conference. You will need a valid credit card
number with expiration date to make your reservation. The hotel
does not accept non-guaranteed reservations.
AIAA Foundation
Associate Fellows Dinner
195 Institute members have recently been elected to the grade
of Associate Fellow. These new Associate Fellows will be inducted
during the AIAA Foundation Associate Fellows Dinner, which
will be held at 1900 hours, Monday, 4 January 2010, in Orlando,
FL. 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.
B14 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
Executive Chair
George C. Nield
Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
General Co-Chairs
Doug Graham
Office of Commercial Space
FAA
Susan Lender
Office of Commercial Space
FAA
Help Keep Our Expenses Down (And Yours Too!)
AIAA group rates for hotel accommodations are negotiated as
part of an overall contract that also includes meeting rooms and
other conference needs. Our total event costs are based in part
on meeting or exceeding our guaranteed minimum of group-rate
hotel rooms booked by conference participants. If we fall short,
our other event costs go up. Please help us keep the costs of
presenting this conference as low as possible—reserve your
room at the designated hotel listed in the Preliminary Program
and on our Web site, and be sure to mention that you’re with the
AIAA conference. Meeting our guaranteed minimum helps us
hold the line on costs, and that helps us keep registration fees
as low as possible. All of us at AIAA thank you for your help!
Certificate of Attendance
Certificates 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.
09-0021
Please support your colleagues, and join us for the induction of
the 2010 Associate Fellows. Tickets to this prestigious event are
available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be purchased
for $75 via the 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting registration
form, or on-site based on availability. Business attire is requested.
 Preliminary Program
Wednesday, 10 February Panelists:
Jess Sponable, DARPA, Arlington, VA
0900 hrs
Joe Shaw, C/RASTE, Cleveland, OH
Opening Remarks
Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO
Speaker: George Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial
Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration,
Space: What Is It Good For?
Washington, DC
Moderator: Brooke Owens, Office of Commercial Space
0915 hrs Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC
Welcome Remarks Panelists: TBD
Speaker: The Honorable Randy Babbitt, Administrator, Federal
Aviation Administration, Washington, DC Thursday, 11 February 2010

0945 hrs 0800 hrs

Keynote Speaker Keynote Address
Speaker: The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords, U.S. House of Speaker: The Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator,
Representatives, Washington, DC (invited) National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC
(invited)
1030 hrs
Networking Coffee Break 0845 hrs
Break
1045 hrs
Concurrent Sessions I: Safety-Related Enabling 0900 hrs
Technologies Concurrent Sessions IV: COTS/ISS CRS: Launching Into the
Moderator: Nick Demidovich, Office of Commercial Space Future
Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC Moderator: Chuck Larsen, Office of Commercial Space
Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC, and Ken Gidlow, FAA,
Panelists: Houston, TX
J. E. Mazur, The Aerospace Corporation, Chantilly, VA
Jerome Pearson, Star Technology and Research, Inc., Mount Panelists:
Pleasant, SC Alan Lindenmoyer, Commercial Crew and Cargo Programs,
NASA, Houston, TX
Investment in Innovation Kathryn Lueders, ISS Cargo Integration Office, NASA,
Moderator: Paul Eckert, The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA Houston, TX
Panelists: TBD Gwynne Shotwell, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation,
Hawthorne, CA
1200 hrs Frank Culbertson, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, VA
Break Human Spaceflight
Moderator: Melchor Antuñano, FAA Civil Aerospace Medical
1230 hrs
Institute, Oklahoma City, OK
Keynote Luncheon
Speaker: The Honorable Raymond “Ray” LaHood, Secretary, Panelists:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC (invited) William Mitchell, Environmental Tectonics Corporation,
Southampton, PA (invited)
1400 hrs Stacey Tearne, Space Adventures/c/AERO/ZERO/AERO-G,
Break Vienna, VA (invited)
Vernon McDonald, Wyle, Houston, TX (invited)
1415 hrs
Concurrent Sessions II: Student Research Presentations 1030 hrs
Moderator: Pamela Underwood, FAA, Patrick AFB, FL Networking Coffee Break
Panelists: TBD
1045 hrs
Commercial Space Product Development Concurrent Sessions V: The Regulatory Role of Enabling
Moderator: Eleanor Aldrich, AIAA, Reston, VA the Space Economy
Moderator: Ken Wong, Office of Commercial Space
Panelists:
Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC
Carissa Bryce Christensen, Managing Partner, The Tauri Group,
Alexandria, VA Panelists:
Jeffrey Manber, Alexandria, VA (invited) Laura Montgomery, Regulations Division Office of Chief
Misuzu Oruki, New Space Consultant, Tokyo, Japan Counsel, FAA, Washington, DC
Mike Gold, Bigelow Aerospace, Washington, DC
1530 hrs Will Whitehorn, Virgin Galactic, London, U.K. (invited)
Networking Coffee Break Jeff Greason, XCOR Aerospace, Mojave, CA
1545 hrs Space Traffic Management
Concurrent Sessions III: Future Technologies Moderator: Kelvin Coleman, Office of Commercial Space
Moderator: Kyu Hwang, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC
Transportation, FAA, Washington, DC

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B15

Panelists: Panelists:
Eugene Stansbery, Orbital Debris Program Office, NASA, Robert Benson, National Transportation Safety Board,
Houston, TX Washington, DC
William Ailor, Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies, Joe Sedor, National Transportation Safety Board,
The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA Washington, DC
Brian Weedon, Secure World Foundation, Boulder, CO Cassie Kloberdanz
Col. Shawn Bornis, Air Force Space Command, Brig Gen Ed Bolton, Commander, 45 Space Wing and Director,
Peterson AFB, CO Eastern Range, Patrick AFB, FL
Hooper Harris, Office of Accident Investigation, FAA,
1200 hrs Washington, DC (invited)
Break
1530 hrs
1230 hrs Networking Coffee Break
Keynote Luncheon
Speaker: Ken Bowersox, Vice President of Astronaut Safety 1545 hrs
and Mission Assurance, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Closing Keynote Speaker
(SpaceX), Hawthorne, CA (invited) Speaker: Gen. C. Robert Kehler, USAF, Commander, Air Force
Space Command, Peterson AFB, CO (invited)
1345 hrs
Break 1630 hrs
Closing Remarks
1400 hrs Speaker: George Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial
Session VI: Managing the Mishap Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration,
Moderator: Robert S. Dickman, AIAA, Reston, VA, and David Washington, DC
Gerlach, FAA, Washington, DC

Visit www.aiaa.org/events/ast for the most

up-to-date list of speakers and program information.

48th AIAA Aerospace

Sciences Meeting www.aiaa.org/events/asm
Including the
New Horizons Forum
and
Aerospace Exposition
4–7 January 2010
Orlando World Center Marriott
Orlando, Florida

Early Bird Registration Deadline: 7 December 2009

09-0509

09-0509.indd 1 10/21/09 12:13:17 PM

B16 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

13th Annual FAA Commercial Space
Transportation Conference

Arlington, Virginia 10–11 February 2010

REGISTRATION FORM (or register online at www.aiaa.org)
All registrants please complete the information below.
Select your registration options below. Payment by check, credit
2 card, or money order—payable to AIAA—must accompany
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good standing.
104016B

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AIAA_PeopleAd_8.124x10.875HRcymk:AIAA_PeopleAd_8.125x10.875HR 4/22/09 13:28 Page 1

AIAA SPACE 2010 Conference & Exposition
28th AIAA International Communications Satellite
Systems Conference (ICSSC-2010)
31 August–2 September 2010
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, California
Abstract Deadline: 1 February 2010
Abstract Submittal Procedures
Abstract submissions will be accepted electronically through
the AIAA Web site at www.aiaa.org/events/space and www.
aiaa.org/events/icssc. Once you have entered the conference
Web site, on the right-hand side, click “Submit a Paper” and fol-
low the instructions listed. Abstracts must be a minimum of 250
words, but extended abstracts of 600 words or more are encour-
aged. The deadline for receipt of abstracts via electronic submit-
tal is 1 February 2010.
If you have questions regarding the submission crite-
ria or questions about AIAA policy, please contact Institute
Administrator Ann Ames at anna@aiaa.org or 703.264.7549. If
you have any difficulty with the submittal process, please e-mail
ScholarOne Technical Support at ts.acsupport@thomson.com or
call 434.964.4100 or (toll-free, U.S. only) 888.503.1050.
Questions pertaining to the abstract or technical topics should
be referred to the corresponding Track Chair. General inquiries
concerning the program format or policies of the conference
should be directed to the corresponding conference Technical
Program Chair.
Authors will be notified of paper acceptance or rejection on or
about 7 April 2010. Abstracts not accepted for a session may
be included in a poster session. Instructions for preparation of
final manuscripts will be provided for accepted papers.
“No Paper, No Podium” and “No Podium, No Paper”
Policies
If a written paper is not submitted by the final manuscript
deadline, authors will not be permitted to present the paper at
the conference. It is the responsibility of those authors whose
papers or presentations are accepted to ensure that a represen-
tative attends the conference to present the paper. If a paper is
not presented at the conference, it will be withdrawn from the
conference proceedings. These policies are intended to elimi-
nate no-shows and to improve the quality of the conference for
attendees.
Publication Policy
AIAA will not consider for presentation or publication any
paper that has been or will be presented or published else-
where. Authors will be required to sign a statement to this effect.
Final Manuscript Guidelines
An Author’s Kit containing detailed instructions and guide-
lines for submitting papers will be made available to authors of
accepted papers. Authors must submit their final manuscripts via
the conference Web site no later than 9 August 2010.
Warning—Technology Transfer Considerations
Prospective authors are reminded that technology transfer
guidelines have considerably extended the time required for
review of abstracts and completed papers by U.S. government
agencies. Internal (company) plus external (government) reviews
can consume 16 weeks or more. Government review if required
is the responsibility of the author. Authors should determine the
extent of approval necessary early in the paper preparation pro-
cess to preclude paper withdrawals and late submissions. The
conference technical committee will assume that all abstracts
papers and presentations are appropriately cleared.
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. nation-
als (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.
Exposition
AIAA SPACE 2010 is AIAA’s premier conference on space
technologies, systems, programs, and policy. Exhibit space is
available to showcase your company’s products and services
before an influential audience of aerospace decision makers. To
reserve your booth space now, please contact:
Fernanda Tilleria
AIAA Exhibit Sales Manager
703.264.7622 • 703.835.5798 (Cell)
E-mail: fernandat@aiaa.org
Sponsorship Opportunities
Raise the profile of your company by becoming a prominent
industry sponsor of AIAA SPACE 2010. A variety of sponsor-
ship opportunities are available to achieve your overall branding
objectives. For information regarding AIAA SPACE 2010 spon-
sorship, please contact:
Cecilia Capece
AIAA Sponsorship Program Manager
703.264.7570
E-mail: ceciliac@aiaa.org
AIAA SPACE 2010 CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION—
SPACE: IMAGINE, INNOVATE, COLLABORATE
Technical Topics
The conference organizers welcome the submittal of abstracts
on all aspects of space systems and technologies. The program
is structured around 14 technical tracks:
1) Commercial Space
2) National Security Space
3) Robotic Technology and Space Architecture (AIAA SARTC
and AIAA SATC)
4) Space and Earth Science
5) Space Colonization and Space Tethers (AIAA SCTC and
AIAA STETC)
6) Space Exploration
7) Space History and Society (AIAA HISTC and AIAA SATTC)
8) Space Logistics (AIAA SLTC)
9) Space Operations (AIAA SOSTC)
10) Space Resources (AIAA SRETC)
11) Space Systems and Sensors (AIAA SSTC and AIAA SENTC)
12) Space Systems Engineering and Economics (AIAA SETC
and AIAA ECOTC)
13) Space Transportation and Reusable Launch Vehicles (AIAA
STTC and AIAA RLVPC)
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B19
 www.aiaa.org/events/space www.aiaa.org/events/icssc

Co-Chaired by
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center

Organized by AIAA

Sponsored by
The Boeing Company Lockheed Martin Corporation

Technical Program Co-Chaired by

AIAA Technical Activities Committee (TAC) Space & Missiles Group
The Aerospace Corporation

Supported by California Space Authority

Official Media Sponsors

Aerospace America
Space News

AIAA SPACE 2010 Program Committee

Executive Chairs
Charles Elachi Lt Gen John T. Sheridan
Director Commander
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center

Roger Krone Joanne Maguire

President, Network and Space Systems, Integrated Defense Systems Executive Vice President
The Boeing Company Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

General Chairs
Jeff Trauberman John Jacobson
Vice President, Business Development, Network and Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
Integrated Defense Systems
The Boeing Company
Deputy General Chair
Allison Schneider
The Boeing Company
Technical Program Chairs
Peter Montgomery Tom Duerr
Aerospace Testing Alliance/Arnold Engineering Development Center The Aerospace Corporation
Administrative Chair
Karen Sklencar
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Program Committee
Grant Aufderhaar Virendra Sarohia
The Aerospace Corporation NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Joe Betser Trevor Sorensen

The Aerospace Corporation University of Hawaii at Manoa
AIAA TAC Space & Missiles Group Director
Roberta Ewart
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Steve Trejo
The Boeing Company
Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink
The Boeing Company Col Don Wussler
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center
John Petheram
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

AIAA ICSSC 2010 Program Committee

General Chair
Chris Hoeber
Space Systems Loral

Technical Program Chair

Eric Butte
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

B20 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

Track Descriptions
Commercial Space
The growing visibility of “Commercial Space” has been further
heightened by the recent release of the “Augustine Commission”
report on U.S. human space flight plans. “Commercial Space”
may mean different things to different people, but the exis-
tence of a new, emerging, commercial space sector cannot
be denied. Recent evidence includes the two million dollars in
prizes awarded in the NASA Centennial Challenges/Northrop
Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, which drew competitors
including Armadillo Aerospace, Unreasonable Rocket, TrueZer0,
BonNova, and Masten Space Systems. The Commercial Space
track will not only focus on the history, current activities, and hot
topics of established commercial space sectors such as ground
stations, remote sensing, and telecommunications, but will also
provide a forum for open exchange with the leading players in
emerging commercial space arenas.
For questions, please contact:
Ken Davidian
FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
E-mail: ken.davidian@faa.gov
National Security Space
The National Security Space track is looking for papers sup-
porting the following areas:
• Advanced Concepts: Including advanced CONOPS, material
solutions, and architectural solutions
• Technology Transition: Including updates on existing pro-
grams working on technology transition from any partner
toward the NSS customer
• Enterprise Architecting Analysis: Including requirements anal-
ysis, military utility analysis, multimission analysis and one-on-
one engagement analysis, acquisition simulation analysis, and
procurement
• Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations: Including cross-government,
cross-commercial, international with the NSS, and applicable
policy
• Prototypes and Demonstrations: Including updates on existing
prototypes in the NSS pipeline
• Space Acquisition Trends: Including policy discussion on
mandatory prototypes, developmental test, post–Material
Development Decision trends, and emerging space specs and
standards impacting NSS acquisition
For questions, please contact:
Roberta Ewart
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center
E-mail: roberta.ewart@losangeles.af.mil
Joseph Betser
The Aerospace Corporation
E-mail: joseph.betser@aero.org
Keith Lawton
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center
E-mail: keith.lawton.ctr@losangeles.af.mil
Robotic Technologies and Space Architecture
This track will explore robotic technologies for orbital and
planetary surface applications and space architectures, espe-
cially systems supporting robotic construction techniques.
Abstracts are being solicited on the following technical topics:
• Enabling Technologies for Space Robotics
• Unique Applications of Space Robotics
• Self-Sustaining Systems
• Self-Repairing Systems
• Robotic EVA or IVA Servicing
• In-Flight Medical Applications
• Robot and Spacecraft Automation
• Orbital and Planetary Surface Construction
• Unique Space Architecture Designs
For questions, please contact:
A. Scott Howe
AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee (SATC)
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
E-mail: A.Scott.Howe@jpl.nasa.gov
Silvano Colombano
AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee (SATC)
NASA Ames Research Center
E-mail: scolombano@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Glen Henshaw
AIAA Space Automation and Robotics Technical Committee
(SARTC)
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
E-mail: ghenshaw@space.nrl.navy.mil
Space and Earth Science
Sessions for the Space and Earth Science track are by invita-
tion only. If interested in participating, please contact:
Virendra Sarohia
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
E-mail: virendra.sarohia@jpl.nasa.gov
Space Colonization and Space Tethers
As we mark a critical juncture for the future of space explora-
tion, key decisions will be made in the coming year with regard
to exploration missions to the moon and beyond. While the
Apollo era shaped by the space race was widely popular and
successful, the present environment presents unique challenges
for the space program to be relevant and to captivate the imagi-
nation of the next generation. The nation’s exploration vision
encompasses both a robotic component and a human element
in realizing a robust civil space program. The goals include
learning our past, improving life on Earth, and shaping our
future, through scientific scrutiny, exploration, and sound judg-
ment, planning and management.
Space tethers show great promise for enabling a variety of
future space missions, both as engineering components and
as scientific components. Applications of space tethers include
propulsion, space structures, remote sensing, and artificial grav-
ity, among others. To date, several tethered missions have flown
and many more have been proposed for flight. This track will
include missions enabled and the technologies necessary for
exploiting the use of space tethers.
Papers are invited that address the following specific topics:
• Lunar and Planetary Environment and Challenges to
Exploration
• Exploration Strategies
• Surface Mobility—Robotic and Human Exploration
• Research Enabled by Lunar and Mars Environments
• Space Tourism/Adventure
• Space Colonization
• Planetary Terraforming
• Promising Lunar Commercialization
• Space Land Rights
• Missions Enabled by Space Tethers
• Technologies to Support Space Tether Missions
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B21
 For questions, please contact:
Narayanan (Ram) Ramachandran
AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee (SCTC)
Jacobs Technology Inc.
E-mail: narayanan.r.ramachandran@nasa.gov
Sven G. Bilén
AIAA Space Tethers Technical Committee (STETC)
The Pennsylvania State University
E-mail: sbilen@psu.edu
Space Exploration
The U.S. Space Exploration Policy sets a goal of establish-
ing an outpost on the moon by 2020. The lunar outpost will be a
stepping stone for future human exploration missions throughout
the solar system. The scope of the Space Exploration track
spans mission architectures, advanced technologies, flight sys-
tems, and commercial and international partnerships to enable
human exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. Abstracts
are being solicited on the following technical topics:
• Lunar Transportation Systems: The development of flight sys-
tems and technologies for the Orion crew exploration vehicle
and the Altair lunar lander, such as propulsion, composite
structures, cryogenic propellant storage, and autonomous
precision landing (Ares launch vehicles will be covered by the
Space Transportation Track).
• The Lunar Outpost: The development of technologies for
the lunar outpost, such as assembly concepts, power
systems, habitation and life support systems, and in-situ
resource utilization.
• Exploring the Moon: The development of technologies for
enabling human exploration hundreds of kilometers from
the lunar outpost, such as advanced robotics, small pressur-
ized rovers, advanced EVA suits, and navigation on the lunar
surface.
• To Mars and Beyond: Innovative system concepts, mission
architectures, and advanced technologies to enable human
exploration missions to Mars and beyond.
• Commercial and International Partnerships for Exploration:
Partnerships between industry and government for the
advancement of exploration objectives, emerging commercial
markets enabled by lunar exploration, and projects that inter-
national partners are pursuing to support the overall explora-
tion strategy.
For questions, please contact:
Chris Moore
NASA Headquarters
E-mail: christopher.moore@nasa.gov
Space History and Society
The Space History and Society Track examines the history of
our time in space, how the aerospace industry perceives current
issues, the societal benefits of aerospace technologies, and the
evolution of our spacefaring society. Track sessions will address
these topics:

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Transportation Conference
10–11 February 2010
Igniting the Space Economy
Crystal Gateway Marriott
www.ast.faa.gov s www.aiaa.org/events/ast
Arlington, Virginia
“ We Have Ignition” for...
Blazing New Ideas

High Energy Speakers

Enlightening Policyakers

Firing Up Your Network

Panels to Kindle Your Imagination

Early Bird Registration Deadline: 11 January 2010
Late Registration Deadline: 5 February 2010 Hot Technologies

Co-Sponsored by For more information, contact:

Doug Graham Sue Lender
202.267.8568 202.267.8029
doug.graham@faa.gov susan.lender@faa.gov

09-0674

B22 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

• The History of Aerospace—Legacy and Lessons Learned:
Includes spaceflight and space technology; manned space
programs; launch systems; unmanned programs—with an
emphasis on people and organizations, programs, facilities,
and infrastructure.
• The Delta Forum—International Contributions to the Global
Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS): Focus on
European, Asian, South American, and other international pro-
grams to address the societal benefits of GEOSS through the
application of space technologies.
• Interactions With Society—Aerospace and the Arts: Scholarly
analyses of space themes in mainstream media, to include
non-fiction and fiction books, film, television, advertising, or
photography, highlighting the role of the arts in engaging soci-
ety in space exploration.
• Space Medicine and Astrosociology: Focus on social, cultural,
and ethical complications associated with practicing medicine
in space; investigation of current issues and advancements in
space medicine and analysis of how these technologies ben-
efit society.
• Astrosociology: Focus on societal institutions needed for suc-
cessful long-duration space missions or space settlements;
planetary protection concepts from the perspective of psychol-
ogy, social psychology, sociology and anthropology; protec-
tion of society and culture in the event of a large-scale impact
with a near-Earth object.
• Space Law and Policy: Current and emerging issues affect-
ing society and our future in space, including national space
policies of the United States, other countries, and the United
Nations; international cooperation in space; orbital liabilities;
space warfare; and legal institutions for settlements.
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM):
Papers describing current programs and lessons learned for
program implementation, with specific case studies to enable
rapid adaptation for implementation.
For questions, please contact:
J. Campbell (Cam) Martin
AIAA History Technical Committee (HISTC)
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
E-mail: cam.martin@nasa.gov
Tim Howard
AIAA Society and Aerospace Technology Technical
Committee (SATTC)
Arganel Communications, LLC
E-mail: tghoward@arganel.com
Jim Rendleman
AIAA Legal Aspects of Aeronautics & Astronautics Technical
Committee (LAAATC)
E-mail: napatarheel@hotmail.com
Space Logistics
Space logistics is the science of planning, creating, and sus-
taining effective and affordable infrastructure, supply chain man-
agement, and maintenance to support space operations through-
out the solar system. Representative areas include the servicing
and sustainment of the International Space Station and a future
lunar outpost, terrestrial analogs for space systems, the optimi-
zation of future launch vehicles for responsiveness and service-
ability, and the broader modeling of manned and unmanned mis-
sions and campaigns as a supply chain in space.
Technical topics include:
• Management of on-orbit resources such as solar power sta-
tions, on-orbit fuel depots, refueling in space, and asteroid
mining;
• Spaceport operations, ground processing of spaceflight
assets, launch operations;
• Terrestrial analogs for space systems logistics, including arctic
and antarctic, undersea, desert, biosphere, and DoD;
• Logistics of NASA and DoD Programs: affordability of
space operations, design for commonality, integrated logistics
concepts;
• Spaceflight asset supportability concepts for sparing, mainte-
nance, and sustaining;
• Automated spaceflight asset tracking and monitoring;
• Lunar surface logistics, such as lunar outpost management,
support for in-situ resource utilization systems, EVA logistics,
pre-positioning, resupply, and provisioning strategies;
• Methods, models, and tools for space logistics campaign plan-
ning and simulation;
• Commercial spaceflight logistics opportunities
For questions, please contact:
Peter Paceley
AIAA Space Logistics Technical Committee (SLTC)
Draper Laboratory
E-mail: ppaceley@draper.com
Jennifer Green
AIAA Space Logistics Technical Committee (SLTC)
Casitair Consulting
E-mail: jgreen@casitair.com
Space Operations
This track is calling for papers in a number of areas that are
key to the success of spacecraft and launch systems, with an
emphasis on the operational aspect. Technical topics include:
• Space Operations in the 21st Century
• Space Operations Automation and Reducing Cost of
Operations
• Future Human and Robotics Space Exploration Operations
• Mission Operations Assurance
• Responsive Space Operations
• Human Factors in Space Operations
• Advanced Technologies for Space Operations
• Network-Centric Space Operations
• Space Operations Policy
• Improving Space Operations (Panel)
• Spaceport Operations (Panel)
• Future Satellite Operations (Panel)
For questions, please contact:
Shirley Tseng
AIAA Space Operations and Support Technical Committee
(SOSTC)
MorganFranklin Corporation
E-mail: shirleytseng@earthlink.net
Jeff Laube
AIAA Space Operations and Support Technical Committee
(SOSTC)
Northrop Grumman Corporation
E-mail: jeff.laube@ngc.com
Space Resources
Utilization of space resources offers a sustainable approach
to human exploration. The Space Resources track will examine
alternatives to the classic resupply challenge by providing many
of the needed commodities for human sustainment using avail-
able resources on planetary bodies. Recent discoveries regard-
ing water on the moon and Mars have increased the interest in
utilization of lunar and planetary resources further. Papers are
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B23
solicited on all aspects of the resource utilization cycle, from
prospecting and precursor missions through production, storage,
and delivery. Technical topics include:
• Resource Prospecting and Precursor Missions
• Resource Collection and Transport
• Lunar Resource Utilization Technologies
• ISRU Beyond the Moon
• ISRU Hardware Demonstrations
• ISRU Links to Surface Systems
For questions, please contact:
Diane Linne
AIAA Space Resources Technical Committee (SRETC)
NASA Glenn Research Center
E-mail: diane.l.linne@nasa.gov
Space Systems and Sensors
The Space Systems and Sensors track seeks to present
important findings from recent work on emerging space systems,
space science, and sensor technologies. In particular, papers
are sought that address technical, operational, and economic
feasibility of current and future space systems across the full
range of civil, military, and international applications. Papers by
students are especially encouraged. Technical topics include:
• Architectures and Concepts of Operation
• New and Emerging Technologies and Applications
• Remote Sensing for Climate and Weather
• Space and Planetary Science Missions and Technologies
• Rapid and Responsive Space Systems
• Enabling Technologies for Distributed or Fractionated Space
• Proximity Sensing of Space Objects and Orbital Space
Situational Awareness (SSA)
• Space Sensor Technologies
• Laser Communication
• Panel: Workforce Development for Space Systems and
Sensors Engineering
• Panel: Space Systems Lessons Learned
For questions, please contact:
Jeff Puschell
AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee (SSTC)
Raytheon Company
E-mail: jjpuschell@raytheon.com
Scott Jensen
AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee (SSTC)
Space Dynamics Lab
E-mail: scott.jensen@sdl.usu.edu
Space Systems Engineering and Space Economics
The role of systems engineering in space programs has
become more important as systems have become increasingly
complex, architectures have become expansive, and integration
across architectures has become commonplace and essential.
As the utilization of space increases, driven by both technologi-
cal advances and mission need, the cost and economics of
space will remain a formidable challenge. These challenges can
be met by analyzing data and developing models to clarify the
best value and key economic insights for decision makers. A
goal of the systems engineering and space economics commu-
nity is to develop and apply capabilities to facilitate robust future
space systems. Aspects of systems engineering and space eco-
nomics that may be included in this track are:
• Definition and Application of Space System Architectures
• Systems Engineering Processes and Tools Applied to Space
Systems
B24 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
• Systems Engineering Lessons Learned from Current and
Previous Space Programs
• Space Systems Requirements Generation, Verification, and
Validation
• Space Systems Integration and Associated Tests
• Systems Engineering for Autonomous Space Systems
• Space Systems Risk Management
• Evaluating and Balancing Space Systems Cost, Performance,
Schedule, and Risk
• Space Workforce Development and Industrial Base
Challenges
• New Developments in Economic Analysis and Cost Models
• Examples of Trade Studies Incorporating Economic Analysis,
Affordability, or Value Engineering
For questions, please contact:
Edmund H. Conrow
AIAA Systems Engineering Technical Committee (SETC)
Management and Technology Associates
E-mail: conrow@risk-services.com
Marilee J. Wheaton
AIAA Economics Technical Committee (ECOTC)
The Aerospace Corporation
E-mail: marilee.j.wheaton@aero.org
Space Transportation and Launch Systems
The success of all space endeavors—military, scientific,
exploration, and commercial—depends upon low-cost, highly
reliable access to space. Current worldwide space deployments
are achieved, for the most part, through expendable launch vehi-
cles (ELVs). NASA’s Space Shuttle still remains the only reus-
able system for human access, but is scheduled to be retired
soon. New emerging space companies, especially those utilizing
reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), have offered the promise of
low-cost space access, and some of them are proceeding with
development and testing efforts. NASA’s Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services Demonstration Program is designed to
demonstrate low-cost, reliable commercial cargo delivery, and
potentially crew delivery, to the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA has contracted for ISS Commercial Resupply Services for
resupply and return of ISS cargo. NASA’s Constellation Program
promises to continue the U.S. civilian human spaceflight effort by
developing and operating new vehicle systems for the purpose
of returning humans to the moon, continuing missions to the ISS,
and later taking humans to Mars and other destinations. Within
the U.S. DoD, RLV activity is gaining momentum with the Air
Force’s pursuit of a Reusable Booster System (RBS) as seen
with the public release of a future Spacelift Development Plan
and recent Request for Information (RFI) focusing on building an
integrated technology demonstrator for an RBS.
Papers are invited that address the issues and challenges
associated with space transportation. Papers may be submitted
within, but are not limited to, the following categories:
• Space Transportation System, Technology, Design, and
Integration Challenges
• In-Space Transportation and Architecture
• Advanced Concept Vehicles and Systems
• Launch Vehicles
– Designs, Concepts, and Developments (ELVs , RLVs, or
partially reusable LVs)
– RLV Development, Programmatic (including economics),
and Industry Related Strategies
– Lessons Learned from Previous RLV Related Programs and
Design Studies
• Operationally Responsive Space
• Operations of Spaceports and Ranges
• Space Transportation for Space Tourism
• Space Transportation Analytical Tools, Materials, and
Technologies
• Suborbital Vehicles and Systems
For questions, please contact:
Chuck Larsen
AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee (STTC)
FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation
E-mail: chuck.larsen@faa.gov
Tim Bulk
AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee (STTC)
Special Aerospace Services
E-mail: tbulk@specialaerospaceservices.com
Barry Hellman
AIAA Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Committee (RLVPC)
Air Force Research Laboratory
E-mail: barry.hellman@wpafb.af.mil
Adam Dissel
AIAA Reusable Launch Vehicle Program Committee (RLVPC)
Lockheed Martin Space Systems
E-mail: adam.f.dissel@lmco.com
Proposals for Special Sessions
Individuals who wish to organize special sessions embedded
within the technical program (e.g., invited oral presentations,
panels, or demonstrations) should submit a short proposal
describing the nature of the session as it relates to a specified
technical track. Be sure to include the names of the organizers
and participants. Please e-mail your proposal by 1 February
2010 to Peter Montgomery, AIAA SPACE 2010 Technical Chair,
at peter.montgomery@arnold.af.mil. Please do not upload an
abstract for the proposal.
28TH AIAA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
SATELLITE SYSTEMS CONFERENCE (ICSSC-2010)
Synopsis: Broadband for All
On-demand movies to the home, video conferencing in lieu
of travel, and remote surveillance data from UAVs all demand
greater bandwidth and global coverage. The AIAA International
Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC-2010),
now in its 28th year, will explore the state of the art and potential
solutions to the explosive demand for bandwidth and the need
to provide broadband services in areas previously deemed eco-
nomically or technically unfeasible. The ICSSC-2010 technical
program will focus on the ability of satellite systems to provide
solutions that are adaptable to rapid changes in demand and in
geographic coverage and that are universally interoperable with
the terrestrial infrastructure. Papers are being solicited in the fol-
lowing areas:
• Advanced communication techniques
• Advances in payload subsystems and architectures
• Antenna technologies
• Communications and network protocols and interoperability
• Earth terminal systems
• Integrated services for disaster relief
• Integrated services for remote medicine and remote access to
medical records
• Interactivity via satellite
• Mobile broadband communications—Land, sea and air
• Military applications and architectures
• Integration of air and space—Challenges and opportunities
• Maritime surveillance
• Rapid response payloads
• Regulatory and spectrum sharing issues
• Launch vehicles—Update
ICSSC-2010 Colloquium
On Monday, 30 August, the Technical Committee on
Communications Systems will present a one-day Colloquium,
separate from the main conference, that will explore the special
topic of “Using Commercial and Dual-Use Communications
Satellite Systems to fill the U.S. MILSATCOM Bandwidth
Shortfall”. The Colloquium will feature high-level business and
military experts addressing the current and future role of com-
mercial and dual-use satellites for the provision of broadband
services to the military.
2010 International Powered Lift Conference
5–7 October 2010
Sheraton Society Hill
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Abstract Deadline: 1 March 2010
The International Powered Lift Conference (IPLC) is the premier
event for engineers, technologists, and managers to discuss
the latest developments in Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and
Landing (V/STOL) aircraft research, concepts, and programs.
It is the only event focused on the technologies, promise, and
progress of powered lift systems, with applications ranging from
helicopters to advanced rotorcraft to runway independent aircraft
to jet-borne lift aircraft.
IPLC 2010 is cosponsored by AIAA, the American Helicopter
Society (AHS), the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), and
SAE Aerospace. IPLC 2010 will be administered by the AHS
as a three-day conference at the Sheraton Society Hill in
Philadelphia, PA, on 5–7 October 2010.
IPLC will focus on three primary thrusts: advanced rotorcraft,
jet-lift, and recent progress in the underlying science and tech-
nology. The planning committee is seeking abstracts for the
following topics. The committee will also consider abstracts on
other topics related to the scope of this conference.
• Advanced Rotorcraft Concepts
• Bell Boeing V-22
• BellAgustaWestland BA609 and Other Civil Tiltrotors
• Certification Experiences
• Circulation Control Aerodynamics
• ESTOL Commercial, Dual Use and Military
• ESTOL Technologies
• Flight Testing Experiences, Pilot Reports
• Flow Control
• Future Concepts/Enabling Technologies
• Green Operations
• History & Lessons Learned
• Integrated Flight & Propulsion Control (IFPC)
• Jet-Induced Effects
• JSF Program Overview (emphasis on STOVL)
• JSF Technologies
• Lift-System Technologies
• Micro UAVs
• Military Utility/Basing Flexibility/The Value of Speed
• Modelling & Simulation
• New Army, Navy, NASA, DARPA Initiatives
• PHM/HUMS
• Powered-Lift Testing
• Simultaneous Non-interfering Operations
• Super Heavy Lift Rotorcraft / Joint Heavy Lift
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B25
• UAV Programs
• Other
Abstracts should be 300–500 words in length, present facts
that are new and significant, and should include results achieved,
if applicable. Abstracts, including paper title, author name(s),
mailing address, telephone number, facsimile number, and
e-mail address, should be submitted no later than 1 March 2010.
Go to the conference Web site (www.vstol.org/iplc) for
the latest information, or contact Mike Hirschberg, IPLC 2010
Program Chair, with any questions: hirschberg@centratechnol-
ogy.com or 571.218.4417.
AIAA Missile Sciences Conference
SECRET/U.S. ONLY
16–18 November 2010
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California
Abstract Deadline: 24 March 2010
Synopsis
In 2010 and beyond, the United States will continue to face
military and economic challenges from around the globe. The
continued military growth of China, asymmetric threats from
abroad, and uncertainties about Iran and North Korea all frame
the environment in which the United States will continue to
evolve its defense strategy. This environment, combined with
shrinking defense budgets, shifting national priorities, and an
uncertain global economic outlook, will factor significantly into
these strategies.
In the FY10 budget overview, the administration says “DOD’s
new weapons programs are among the largest, most expensive
and technically difficult that the Department has ever tried to
develop. As a consequence, they carry a high risk of perfor-
mance failure, cost increases, and schedule delays. The admin-
istration will set realistic requirements and stick to them and
incorporate ‘best practices’ by not allowing programs to proceed
from one stage of the acquisition cycle to the next until they have
achieved the maturity to clearly lower the risk of cost growth and
schedule slippage.” With fewer resources available, focus will be
on program execution and mature technologies. The Department
of Defense will require that its defense contractors provide
mature and proven missile technologies to reduce execution risk.
This missile sciences community is the key to providing, devel-
oping, and proving these technologies.
The AIAA Missile Sciences Conference focuses on the tech-
nology and science as applied to missile system and sub-system
design, from concept development to operational fielding and
testing. The conference provides participants with a classified
forum to communicate to a unique audience of peers who are
involved in the detailed implementation of weapon system design
and test. Developing science and technology are the keys to
providing the most capable and robust strategic and tactical
missile systems in the world to the U.S. military. We invite you
take advantage of this opportunity to share your knowledge with
a broader community in hopes that we can continue together
to provide the U.S. warfighter and our allies with the means to
insure our continued security and freedom.
Abstract Submittal Guidelines
Abstracts for this conference must be UNCLASSIFIED. The
abstract should address technical progress on one or more of
the technical topics identified in this Call for Papers. Papers that
outline future plans or review major development programs are
B26 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
www.aiaa.org/events/missilesciences
Organized by AIAA
Supported by Raytheon Company
Executive Chair
Taylor W. Lawrence
Vice President, Raytheon Company
President, Raytheon Missile Systems
General Chair
Robert G. Lepore
Vice President, Engineering
Raytheon Missile Systems
Technical Program Chair
Darren K. Hayashi
Senior Principal Systems Engineer
Raytheon Missile Systems
not desired at this conference. Instead, papers that present tech-
nical results are encouraged. Each abstract should represent
an equivalent of approximately 500 words with figures equal to
approximately 75 words. All authors must first receive publica-
tion approval from their companies and/or sponsoring agencies
before submitting their abstracts.
Since the conference will be conducted in a SECRET/U.S.
ONLY environment, authors are strongly encouraged to develop
CLASSIFIED papers (up to the level of SECRET/U.S. ONLY) to
promote understanding and active discussion across topic areas.
Please indicate the intended classification level of your paper in
the abstract. Papers and presentations may not include classi-
fied RD, COMSEC, or NATO information.
Abstract Submittal Procedures
Abstract submissions will be accepted electronically through
the AIAA Web site at www.aiaa.org/events/missilesciences.
Once you have entered the conference Web site, on the right-
hand side, click “Submit a Paper” and follow the instructions
listed. The deadline for receipt of abstracts via electronic submit-
tal is 24 March 2010.
If you have questions regarding the submission crite-
ria or questions about AIAA policy, please contact Institute
Administrator Ann Ames at anna@aiaa.org or 703.264.7549. If
you have any difficulty with the submittal process, please e-mail
ScholarOne Technical Support at ts.acsupport@thomson.com or
call 434.964.4100 or (toll-free, U.S. only) 888.503.1050.
Questions pertaining to the abstract or technical topics should
be referred to the corresponding technical topic chair.
Authors will be notified of paper acceptance or rejection on
or about 6 May 2010. Instructions for preparation of final manu-
scripts will be provided for accepted papers.
“No Paper, No Podium” Policy
If a written paper is not submitted by the final manuscript
deadline, authors will not be permitted to present the paper at
the conference. It is the responsibility of those authors whose
papers or presentations are accepted to ensure that a represen-
tative attends the conference to present the paper.
Final Manuscript Guidelines
An Author’s Kit containing detailed instructions and guide-
lines for submitting papers will be made available to authors of
accepted papers. Authors must submit their final manuscripts
directly to Raytheon Company, complete with all approval
information, no later than 1 October 2010. The conference pro-
ceedings will be made available through the Defense Technical
Information Center (DTIC) after the conference.
Warning—Technology Transfer Considerations
Prospective authors are reminded that technology transfer
guidelines have considerably extended the time required for
review of abstracts and completed papers by U.S. government
agencies. Internal (company) plus external (government) reviews
can consume 16 weeks or more. Government review if required
is the responsibility of the author. Authors should determine the
extent of approval necessary early in the paper preparation pro-
cess to preclude paper withdrawals and late submissions. The
conference technical committee will assume that all abstracts,
papers, and presentations are appropriately cleared.
Technical Topics
Air Force Strategic Missiles
Technical papers are solicited for a session focusing on the
roles of science and technology in modernization and sustain-
ment of the Minuteman III weapon systems and technology
development and test of a strategic convention strike capabil-
ity. Challenges include lowering the future cost of ownership;
increasing safety, security, and reliability; opportunities and
means for common design approaches for solid rocket motors;
common missile electronics functional architectures; and lever-
aging commercial markets for solid state electronic guidance and
control sensors to meet unique strategic requirements. Topics of
interest include, but are not limited to:
• Science and technology applications directed toward life
extension of aging systems, as well as cost-effective replace-
ment of obsolete technology
• Technology and hardware modification in improving weapon
system effectiveness and fuzing accuracy
• Critical science, technology, and development capabilities
threatened by reduced strategic investments that are being or
could be sustained via broadened applications or innovative
program approaches
• Subsystem technology advancements of particular interest
including diagnostics, thermal protection materials, innovative
flight data gathering and impact point identification, sensors,
control systems, guidance systems, propulsion, material and
structures, and software upgrade and modernization
• Advanced test and evaluation (T&E) and modeling and
simulation (M&S) techniques for applications to both missile
booster and reentry systems
• Innovative reuse of decommissioned strategic missile assets
for new and/or lower cost applications
• Missile and reentry systems technology topics of interest to
the general area of Conventional Prompt Global Strike tech-
nologies
Refer questions to:
Mark Kaufman
Aerojet
P.O. Box 13222
Sacramento, CA 95813
916.355.2590
E-mail: mark.kaufman@aerojet.com
Navy Strategic Missiles
The major challenges for Navy Strategic Weapon Systems
(SWS) science and technology research and development are
to lower the life cycle costs of existing or modernized systems;
extend the operational service lifetimes of present operational
systems; develop affordable replacement systems, subsystems,
and/or components using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solu-
tions wherever possible; and sustain critical skills, capabilities,
and expertise in unique areas necessary for the design, develop-
ment, and in-service support of current or modernized systems.
Requirements for an adaptive deterrent may include the ability
to threaten or destroy a wide spectrum of targets with either
nuclear or conventional payloads. Technical papers are solicited
for engineering, scientific, and technology developments appli-
cable to Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) and Navy
Strategic Weapon Systems. Technology areas of particular inter-
est include, but are not limited to:
• Boost propulsion
• Post-boost propulsion and control systems
• Launchers
• Conventional warhead reentry body technology
• Ordnance (conventional and nuclear) and fuzing
• Submarine navigation
• Guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) for missile and
payload
• Reentry body deployment
• Underwater launch systems
• Radiation hardening
• Modeling and simulation
• Testing and analysis
• Aging and surveillance
• Accuracy and lethality
• Materials and structures
• Antennas and antenna windows
• Terminal and en-route sensors
• Telemetry, range safety, and flight termination systems
• Command and control, mission planning
• Nuclear weapons security
Papers may address new SWS concepts, systems, subsys-
tems, or components. Preference will be given to papers that
describe results of recent experiments and demonstrations or
that are supported by modeling and simulation.
Generalized systems papers that do not concentrate on spe-
cific elements of engineering, science, or technology are not
suited for this session.
Refer questions to:
Roy Setterlund
Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
555 Technology Square
Cambridge, MA 02139-3563
617.258.4200
E-mail: rsetterlund@draper.com
David Krivich
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
1111 Lockheed Martin Way
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
408.742.0900
E-mail: david.krivich@lmco.com
Tactical Air-to-Surface Missiles
Papers are solicited on advances in the research, develop-
ment, test, and evaluation of Joint, Army, Navy, and Air Force
tactical air-to-surface missiles. Papers may address components
or systems. Subjects of particular interest include, but are not
limited to:
• Weapon effectiveness, lessons learned, and use assessment
from the recent conflicts
• Technologies applicable to internal and external carriage
• Technologies that have potential for increased mission flexibility
• Advanced target acquisition capabilities, including autono-

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B27

 mous, adverse weather, and all-aspect target acquisition
• State-of-the-art and advanced terminal sensors (laser, imag-
ing IR, MMW, multimode, GPS, inertial)
• Advanced GN&C technology, including midcourse sensors,
sensor fusion and estimation algorithms, guidance laws, and
autopilots
• Missile integration with launch platforms
• Simulation, test, and evaluation of missile/weapon system per-
formance and effectiveness
• Advances in warheads and kill mechanisms
• Low-cost design, development, and manufacturing techniques
and strategies
• Advanced airframe structures and materials
• Advanced solid, air-breathing, and/or hybrid/hypersonic pro-
pulsion subsystems and components
• Simulation, test, and evaluation of missile/weapon system per-
formance and effectiveness
Refer questions to:
Amanda Neely
AMRDEC
AMSRD-AMR-SS-AT Bldg. 5400
Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898
256.876.1898
E-mail: amanda.neely@us.army.mil
Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missiles
Papers are solicited for a joint, inter-service session on
tactical surface-to-surface missile systems, including ground-,
ship-, and submarine-launched tactical strike and land combat
weapons ranging from guided projectiles to cruise missiles. This
session is intended to bring together technology developers and
customers of all types to share not only new technology devel-
opments and results from analysis, simulation, and testing, but
also operational lessons learned. Papers may address systems,
subsystems, components, software, or algorithms. Subjects of
particular interest include, but are not limited to:
• Advanced target acquisition capabilities, including autono-
mous, adverse weather, and all-aspect target acquisition
(ATA, ATR, AiTR)
• Advanced and controllable propulsion
• Advanced GN&C technologies, including midcourse sensors,
fusion and estimation algorithms, guidance laws, and autopilots
• State-of-the-art and advanced terminal sensors and seekers
(laser, imaging IR, MMW, multi-mode, GPS, inertial)
• Control actuation subsystems (thrust vectoring, jet reaction
control, and aerodynamic control systems)
• System- and subsystem-level insensitive munitions
• Simulation, test, and evaluation of system performance and
effectiveness

8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference and Exhibit

www.aiaa.org/events/missiledefense

Warfighters and the Integration

of Deployed Missile Defense
Systems

22–24 March 2010

Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center
Washington, DC
This conference is:
SECRET/U.S. ONLY

09-0685

B28 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

• Advanced ordnance systems, warheads (including hard target
penetrators), other lethal or non-lethal effects mechanisms,
fuzes, and components
• Low-cost design, manufacturing, and packaging techniques
for systems and subsystems
• Technologies for improved reliability and maintainability, such
as embedded diagnostics and prognostics
• Advanced airframe structures and materials
• Advanced power generation and distribution concepts
Refer questions to:
Mark Friedlander
Aerojet
5731 Wellington Road
Gainesville, VA 20155-1612
703.754.5180
E-mail: mark.friedlander@aerojet.com
Tactical Anti-Air Missile Systems
Papers are solicited on technical issues in the field of tactical
anti-air (air-to-air or surface-to-air) missile system capabilities,
particular interest are advanced technologies for new and exist-
ing systems to produce tactical anti-air missile systems that are
more capable, reliable, lower cost, and easier to use, maintain,
transport, and deploy. Papers may address one or more of the
following: component or system design and development, analy-
sis and evaluation, simulation, and testing. Subjects of particular
interest include, but are not limited to:
• System integration
• Missile integration with launch platforms
• State-of-the-art and advanced sensors (laser imaging IR,
MMW, multi-mode, GPS, inertial)
• GN&C of missiles or missile subsystems, including seeker
controls, guidance techniques, missile navigation, and actua-
tor controls
• Controllable propulsion systems (including air-breathing,
pulse, pintle, and gel)
• Missile TVC, jet reaction, and aerodynamic control systems
• System- and subsystem-level insensitive munitions
• Simulation, test, and evaluation of missile/weapon system
performance and effectiveness
• Low-cost design and manufacturing techniques and strategies
• Advanced airframe structures and materials, including com-
posite technologies
• Advances in ordnance systems, warheads, fuzes, and
components
Refer questions to:
Marty Rupp
Raytheon Missile Systems
P.O. Box 11337 MS 848/2
Tucson, AZ 85734
520.794.3106
E-mail: mkrupp@raytheon.com
Missile Defense Systems
Technical papers are solicited on advances applicable to
missile defense systems. Papers are desired that summarize
progress on missile defense programs and/or missile defense
subsystems or technologies that increase the effectiveness of
missile defenses. Papers addressing the new Ascent Phase
region of the BMDS are especially encouraged to submit papers
discussing integration and CONOPS. Papers that address the
engineering and development (to include T&E) process for a
system or subsystem are also desired. The engineering and
development process includes the identification of and tracing
of requirements to system components, the assessment and
mitigation of risks, the use of Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
and ground testing to reduce risks, and, finally, live flight test-
ing to demonstrate system performance and validation of M&S.
Subjects of particular interest are:
• Development and integration of technologies that enhance
missile defense development
• Demonstration of new technologies or mechanisms that
improve interceptor lethality or survivability
• Planning for and conduct of demonstrations/testing
• Strategies for integration and mitigation of risk
• Demonstration and uses of new M&S software tools (including
significant upgrades in capabilities to older software tools)
• Data collection and analysis to validate M&S
• Uses of ground test facilities to reduce risk and demonstrate
flight readiness
• Integration of ground test facilities, M&S, and flight testing to
explore the entire system performance envelope
Refer questions to:
Chuck Nardo
Toyon Research
6800 Cortona Drive
Goleta, CA 93117
805.869.1075
E-mail: cnardo@toyon.com
Missile Defense Targets and Countermeasures
Technical papers are solicited for a session addressing mis-
sile targets and countermeasures required to support elements
of the BMDS. Technical papers should address design, prototyp-
ing, development, product improvement, and testing of targets
and countermeasures that provide threat-realistic challenges to
the evolving layered missile defense system. Papers of interest
include, but are not limited to:
• Reentry vehicles
• Short-, medium-, and long-range solid and liquid missile deliv-
ery vehicles
• Liquid missile systems with tunable plume signatures
• Counter-measure and counter-counter-measure presentation
techniques and objects
• IR and radar signatures and presentation techniques
• Onboard and flyaway sensor packages
• Target models and simulations
• Mobile land-, air-, and sea-launch concepts and platforms
• Range safety and telemetry advances
Refer questions to:
Robert Leginus
Cobham Analytic Solutions
1911 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22209
703.695.7950
E-mail: bob.leginus@cobham.com
Missile Defense Interceptor Technologies
Technical papers are solicited on the innovative and
advanced technologies applicable to missile defense intercep-
tors. Innovative designs and technologies that offer significant
performance enhancements or significant cost reductions over
baseline missile interceptor systems or subsystems are encour-
aged. Emphasis is on creative application and integration of con-
cepts that incorporate either all new technologies or a mix of old
AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B29
and new technologies in innovative combinations that may offer
large performance payoffs. It is desired that the paper be data
rich and be technical in nature rather than provide programmatic
summaries. Subjects of particular interest include:
• Insertion of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR),
Manufacturing Technology (MANTECH), and other efforts into
baseline programs
• Evolutionary or revolutionary technologies
• Advanced interceptor concepts
• Propulsion, advanced structures, technologies
• Control system/guidance system
• Advanced test and evaluation applicable to interceptors
• Modeling and simulation techniques for interceptors
• Thermal protection for high-speed interceptors
Refer questions to:
Chris Jones
Cobham Analytic Solutions
1911 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22209
703.882.6314
E-mail: chris.jones@cobham.com
Weapon System Effectiveness
The effectiveness of a weapon system and its elements
is determined by the interplay of all system components, as
well as by nonperformance parameters such as funding limita-
tions and operational policy. System effectiveness optimiza-
tion requires consideration of, and tradeoff among, all these
variables. Technical papers are solicited for a session focusing
on advancements in technologies for predicting, measuring,
evaluating, and improving weapon system effectiveness. Papers
may address one or more of the following: concept develop-
ment, analysis and evaluation, simulation, and testing. Papers
are particularly desirable that address factors that contribute to
end-game effectiveness of weapon systems, including, but not
limited to:
• Lethality
• Aimpoint selection
• Fratricide/identification
• Battle damage assessment and evaluation
• Collateral damage, including post-engagement and ground
effects
• Guidance, navigation, and control
• Target identification including discrimination
• Capabilities against countermeasures
• Target vulnerability
• Target response
• Weapon-target interaction
• Assessment methodologies
Refer questions to:
Michael McFarland
Orbital Sciences Corporation
21839 Atlantic Blvd.
Dulles, VA 20166
703.406.5718
E-mail: mcfarland.mike@orbital.com
Innovative Technologies and Concepts
Papers are solicited that describe the development or appli-
cation of innovative technologies and systems concepts for
advanced missiles and unmanned air vehicles. Innovative mis-
sile technologies and concepts relevant to missiles for tactical
B30 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
and strategic strike, air and missile defense, air superiority, and
advanced target applications are of interest. Papers are sought
on novel technologies in the following areas:
• Guidance, navigation, and control
• Enhanced maneuverability
• Affordability
• Drag reduction
• Advanced air-breathing or rocket propulsion
• Advanced materials
• Advanced seekers
• Modeling and simulation
• Improved accuracy in a GPS jamming environment
• Advanced warhead and payload technologies
• Miniaturization
• Innovative design and application of UAV or UCAV capabili-
ties, including cooperative autonomy
Refer questions to:
Michael E. White
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Room 13S-420
Laurel, MD 20723-6009
240.228.5187
E-mail: michael.e.white@jhuapl.edu
Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing of Smart Weapons
This session will address the broad spectrum of hardware-in-
the-loop (HWIL) testing of smart weapons with emphasis on the
integration of new test technologies and the associated meth-
odologies pertinent to HWIL simulation. Suggested topics for
presentation include:
• Facilities
– Technology needs, ongoing research efforts, and verifica-
tion/validation of new technologies/techniques
• Infrared projectors
– Recent advances in plasma display and 2-D LED (MWIR
and LWIR) devices, high temperature materials, device archi-
tecture, fabrication processes
– Characterization of ongoing technologies
– Ultimate temperature resolution capability—achieving the
10mK “holy grail”
– Test requirements: spatial sampling, radiometric and tempo-
ral fidelity, dual color, cold background, noise resolution
– Non-uniformity data collection, real-time implementation
• Cold chamber HWIL
– Chamber designs, capabilities, concept of operations, cur-
rent and projected uses, challenges, and lessons learned
• LADAR scene generation and projection
– LADAR simulation requirements, implementation solutions,
and research/ characterization efforts into the enabling tech-
nologies
– LADAR simulation/stimulation requirements
– Phenomenology modeling, digital rendering, and photon
generation technologies
– Validation with field measurements
• Flight motion simulation systems
– Design & implementation of unique flight table configurations
– Advancements in gimbal materials, hydraulic actuators,
electric motor materials
– Current state of the art in flight table design
– Advancements in controller design
– Meeting higher bandwidth requirements
– Challenges of complex target gimbal implementations
– Specifying performance for the application
• Scene-generation technologies Don Ruffle
– Development/feasibility of low-cost PC scene generators Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
– User needs, development activities, challenges 11100 Johns Hopkins Road
– Real-time modeling and rendering of synthetic targets/back- Laurel, MD 20723-6099
grounds: image projection, signal injection 240.228.6952
– LADAR image generation and presentation for real-time E-mail: don.ruffle@jhuapl.edu
HWIL
• Test bed examples/techniques Mission Assurance
– Verification and validation of synthetic environments and The term “mission assurance” has been used in industry to
HWIL simulations with mission/test data describe a no-doubts approach to missile development and
– Implementation of multi-mode deployment. It combines the disciplined application of system
– MMW/RF/IR HWIL simulations engineering, risk management, quality, and management prin-
– Innovative solutions for real-time sensor, structural, aero- ciples, as well as independent assessment at key program gates
thermal, aero-optical effects modeling to maximize the probability of success during the development
– Real-time high-fidelity control system and vehicle interaction and deployment process. Within the industry, mission assurance
modeling approaches vary, but focus on the same result: customer suc-
cess. Mission assurance is a common thread that ties together
Refer questions to: different disciplines into a common philosophy utilized through-
Robert Lee Murrer Jr. out the development, manufacturing, and deployment of missile
Millennium Engineering and Integration Co. systems. Papers are solicited that describe implementation and
1333 Enterprise Way NW, Suite 300 the results of the application of mission assurance philosophies
Huntsville, AL 35806 throughout the missile industry. Subjects of interest include, but
256.489.7823 are not limited to:
E-mail: rmurrer@meicompany.com • Implementation of built-in test (BIT) technologies
• Assessments of technology readiness
Mission Planning • Innovative manufacturing and test technologies
Effective use of modern precision-guided weapons requires • Assessments of reliability and system safety
timely use of sensor information, accurate and flexible mission • Identification and management of system key characteristics
planning, and responsive strike coordination. Papers are solic- • Implementation of modular designs
ited on technical accomplishments that provide more automated • Simulation and modeling techniques
and simplified—but still accurate and timely—planning for mis- • Verification of system compatibility and interoperability
siles. Technology areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
Refer questions to:
• System architecture and system performance advances
– Advanced system architectures, processing hardware, and Darren Hayashi
software techniques Raytheon Missile Systems
– Graphical user interfaces/human factors P.O. Box 11337, TU848/A13
– Visualization Tucson, AZ 85734-1337
– System integration 520.794.5432
– Data requirements E-mail: dkhayashi@raytheon.com
• Mission planning support
– Information generation and distribution System Safety and Insensitive Munitions
– Targeting Papers are solicited in the areas of missile systems safety
– Geopositioning database exploitation tools and insensitive munitions. Subjects of particular interest include:
– Coordinate visualization
– Geospatial intelligence (i.e., mapping, charting, and geodesy) • System safety analysis methodology
– Weather • Application of system safety analysis
– Intelligence • Assessment of risks
– Database management • Strategies for mitigation of risks
– Exploitation of commercial data • Insensitive munitions policy
– Exploitation of commercial applications • Insensitive munitions testing methodology
• Advances in modeling techniques • Results of insensitive munitions tests
– Weaponeering/targeteering • Methods and materials for mitigating insensitive munitions
– Vehicle performance simulation hazards
– Sensor performance modeling, collection management, pre- • Demonstrations of improvements in insensitive munitions
diction responses relative to baseline systems
– Data requirements • Threat-hazard assessment methodology and tools
• Strike planning and execution Refer questions to:
– Next-generation weapon data link communications
– Strike planning tools Kenneth Graham
– Strike execution and redirection tools Aerojet
– Terminal area modeling and planning, coordinate extraction 7499 Pine Stake Road
– Target area strike coordination Culpeper, VA 22701
– Joint target information system concepts 540.854.2182
E-mail: ken.graham@aerojet.com
Refer questions to:

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B31

 International Missile Systems Sciences and Technologies
Technical papers are solicited that report on or evaluate for-
eign or international research and development projects for the
advancement of missile sciences and systems. Since this audi-
ence is SECRET/U.S. Only, classified papers are highly encour-
aged. Subjects of particular interest are:
• Development and integration of technologies or mechanisms
that enhance missile system effectiveness or improve system
performance, survivability, or manufacturing and producibility
• Capabilities and assets for planning and conduct of missile
technology demonstrations/ testing including interoperability of
systems
• Demonstration and uses of new M&S software tools (including
significant upgrades in capabilities to older software tools)
• Data collection, analysis and validation of missile technologies
• Unique ground test facilities, M&S, and flight testing to explore
the entire system performance envelope
• Lessons learned in cooperative international development of
missile system technologies
Refer questions to:
Chuck Nardo
Toyon Research
6800 Cortona Drive
Goleta, CA 93117
805.869.1075
E-mail: cnardo@toyon.com
Long-Range Conventional Strike
Papers are solicited for a technical session on technology,
science, and missile system integration as applied to long-
range conventional strike and prompt global strike. This session
is intended to bring together technology developers, systems
architects, and customers to share not only new technology
developments and results from analysis, simulation, and testing,
but also operational requirements and lessons learned. Papers
may address systems, subsystems, components, software, or
algorithms. Subjects of particular interest include, but are not
limited to:
• Current and planned system requirements, projects, and
initiatives
• System definition, integration, capabilities, and performance
• System concept of operation, mission planning, and control
• Simulation, ground, and flight test and evaluation of system
performance and effectiveness
• Propulsion and propulsion integration
• GN&C design and testing including integrated GPS, mid-
course sensors, fusion and estimation algorithms, guidance
laws, and autopilots
• Terminal sensors, seekers, and seeker integration
• Control actuation subsystems including aerodynamic, thrust
vectoring, and jet reaction control
• Lethal or non-lethal ordnance, warheads, and directed energy
systems, including mechanisms, fuses, and components
• Design, performance, testing, and manufacturing of advanced
airframe structures, active and passive thermal protection sys-
tems, and materials
• Power generation and distribution design, performance, test-
ing, and installation
• Global range communication, safety, and tracking, including
data acquisition, health monitoring, recording, and telemetry
B32 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009
Refer questions to:
Edward Eiswirth
The Boeing Company
S245-4055
Advanced Global Strike Systems
P.O. Box 516
St. Louis, MO 63166-0516
314.233.1182
E-mail: edward.a.eiswirth@boeing.com
Asymmetric Missile Defense
Over the last several years, the subject of defense against
asymmetric threats has received increased visibility and atten-
tion within the DoD and the administration. Our potential adver-
saries continually demonstrate that they have the capability to
launch short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and cruise
missiles. Military and government defense analysts are increas-
ingly concerned about the possibility of an asymmetric missile
threat against the United States homeland where terrorists would
move short-range ballistic missiles or cruise missiles closer to
the United States on sea-based platforms. Contributing to the
concern is the fact that our adversaries may not have the same
sensitivities and limitations as the United States in using their
missiles. Their military and political objectives may be entirely
different; these missiles could be used as a terrorist or political
weapon without regard to military objectives or collateral dam-
age. These missiles could be launched from a variety of different
offshore platforms or basing systems that would give citizens
in coastal cities little or no warning prior to impact. Technical
papers are solicited to address all aspects of the asymmetric
threat, mission, and kill chain. Emphasis on selection of papers
will be given to integrated defense concepts, technology innova-
tion, concepts for positive hostile ID of cruise missiles, and tech-
nology alternatives. Subjects of particular interest include, but
are not limited to:
• Current threat assessment and analysis
• Modeling and simulation of the asymmetric threat kill chain
• Asymmetric defense concepts and CONOPS for the tactical
battlefield
• Defensive options for an asymmetric missile homeland
defense capability that would protect population centers, use
mature technologies, and include progressions for spiral tech-
nology upgrades that would enhance missile defense capabili-
ties over time.
• Integrated and Joint C2/BM concepts
• Sensor and sensor concepts (including net-enabled opera-
tions and fusion)
• Innovative uses of current technologies
• Technology and affordability advances
• Long-range classification and identification of air targets as
cruise missiles
• Interceptors/kill mechanisms
• End-game analysis
Refer questions to:
Gordon D. Niva
The Boeing Company
MDNT, Suite 700
2611 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
703.418.4230
E-mail: gordon.d.niva@boeing.com
 Upcoming AIAA Professional Development Courses
8–9 January 2010
Free Conference Registration to the Aerospace Sciences Conference, Orlando, Florida,
when you sign up for one of these Courses!
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=1812&viewcon=courses

Best Practices in Wind Tunnel Testing (Instructors: Allen Arrington; David Cahill; and Mark Melanson)
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.

Computational Multiphase Flow (Instructors: S. Balachandar; Eric Loth; and Kyle Quires)
This course will include a survey of multiphase flow computational fluid dynamics, with particular attention to turbulent flows. This will include comparison
of various “tools” (numerical methods) in terms of “performance” (accuracy with respect to specific predicted characteristics) and “cost” (required computa-
tional resources). The course will first examine multiphase applications, fluid physics, models, and governing equations. This will be followed by an over-
view of numerical methods as a function of flow conditions and desired results. Detailed discussion of the numerical approaches will be discussed in order
of increasing particle size ranging from mixed-fluid and Fast Eulerian for small particles to point-force techniques for non-equilibrium intermediate-size
particles, to resolved-surface techniques for large particles.

Flow Control for Specialists (Instructors: Louis Cattafesta; Clancy Rowley; David Williams; Daniel N. Miller)
The techniques of active flow control are becoming more sophisticated as fluid dynamics, control, and dynamical systems theory merge to design control
architectures capable of solving challenging flow control applications. The two-day course will examine advanced topics in active flow control, placing
particular emphasis on “how to do flow control.” This course complements the AIAA Modern Flow Control I Short Course, but Flow Control I is not a pre-
requisite. A brief history of flow control, modern dynamical systems, and control theory related to closed-loop flow control and performance limitations will
be discussed. State-of-the-art actuator and sensor design techniques will be covered. Case studies will be presented that describe recent success stories
about the implementation of active flow control on advanced aircraft. The course lecturers, coming from industry and academia, have extensive back-
grounds in flow control.

Fluid-Structure Interaction (Instructor: Rainald Löhner)

This 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.

Large Eddy Simulations: Theory, Applications, and Advanced Topics (Instructors: Fernando F. Grinstein; Ugo Piomelli; and Jack R. Edwards)
This course will provide an introduction to the large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows, as well as the discussion of some advanced topics. The first day
will be devoted to the introductory discussion, including theory and applications of this method. During the second day, two special topics will be dis-
cussed, namely LES techniques based on alternative (non-conventional) approaches to subgrid-scale modeling and hybrid RANS/LES methods.

Modeling Flight Dynamics With Tensors (Instructor: Peter H. Zipfel)

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 clas-
sical “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 general 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 aero-
space vehicle.

Microfluidics and Nanofluidics: Fundamentals and Applications (Instructors: A. T. Conlisk; Minami Yoda; David Mott; Arfaan Rampersaud; and Thomas
Doligalski)
Microfluidics is rapidly emerging as an enabling technology, having applications ranging from unmanned aerial vehicles to ink jet printing to biochemical
sensing, filtration and purification processes, to drug discovery and delivery. Given the emerging importance of micro- and nanoscale transport phenom-
ena, this course will provide working level engineers, faculty and managers with an overview and understanding of the fundamental fluid mechanics, heat
and mass transfer, and chemistry involved in such devices, as well as the chemistry and engineering principles governing the design of micro- and nano-
fluidic devices. Case studies will be presented in which the fundamental flow physics at micron and nanometer length scales is used to design innovative
devices that could not function at larger length scales.

Systems Engineering Fundamentals (Instructor: John C. Hsu)

In today’s globalized environment, manufacturing and designing companies compete for business. To be successful, companies need to practice strate-
gies that minimize the possibility of degradation of product quality, cost overrun, schedule slippage, customer dissatisfaction, and system development
failures. In this course, you will learn why we need systems engineering; the systems engineering fundamentals, including requirements analysis and
development, functional analysis and allocation, and design decision analysis based on requirements; risk, opportunity and issue management throughout
the development and design cycle; Integrated Master Plan/Integrated Master Schedule and Work Breakdown Structure for development and design man-
agement; technical performance measurement for measuring, tracking, and validating design; interface management across in-house disciplines, supplier,
and customer; and verification and validation of your products.

18–19 January 2010

Free Conference Registration to the Strategic and Tactical Missile Conference, Monterey, California
when you sign up for one of these Courses!
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=2274&viewcon=courses

Making Decisions in Missile Defense (Instructor: Peter Mantle)

This course treats the various key factors that must be taken into account when deciding on the form of missile defense for any nation in a consistent
manner. It first takes the technical factors of performance, cost, schedule, and risk and determines which system out of a set of candidate systems
provides the best solution based on a given set of easily understood criteria. These technical solutions are then modified, in a controlled and transpar-

AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B33

ent manner, by such modifiers as political factors, national requirements, and other less tangible factors. All factors are presented with both historical
background trends for contextual appreciation and with known values that can be either statistical state-of-the-art values or user input values as needed.
Engineering formulation of equations and data is provided sparingly where necessary for technical background and for sensitivity analyses.

Tactical Missile Design—Integration (Instructor: Eugene L. Fleeman)

This is a self-contained short course on the fundamentals of tactical missile design and integration. The course provides a system-level, integrated method
for missile aerodynamic configuration/propulsion design and analysis. It addresses the broad range of alternatives in meeting performance, cost, and other
measures of merit requirements such as robustness, lethality, accuracy, observables, survivability, and reliability. 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 missiles. Typical values of missile parameters and the characteristics of current operational missiles are discussed.
Also discussed are the enabling subsystems and technologies for tactical missiles, the current/projected state-of-the-art, and launch platform integration.
Videos illustrate missile development activities and performance. Attendees will vote on the relative emphasis of types of targets, types of launch plat-
forms, topics, and one-on-one/roundtable discussion.

18–19 January 2010

Free Conference Registration to the U.S. Air Force T&E Days 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee
when you sign up for one of these Courses!
Systems Engineering Fundamentals (Instructor: John C. Hsu)
In today’s globalized environment, manufacturing and designing companies compete for business. To be successful, companies need to practice strate-
gies that minimize the possibility of degradation of product quality, cost overrun, schedule slippage, customer dissatisfaction, and system development
failures. In this course, you will learn why we need systems engineering; the systems engineering fundamentals, including requirements analysis and
development, functional analysis and allocation, and design decision analysis based on requirements; risk, opportunity, and issue management throughout
the development and design cycle; Integrated Master Plan/Integrated Master Schedule and Work Breakdown Structure for development and design man-
agement; technical performance measurement for measuring, tracking, and validating design; interface management across in-house disciplines, supplier,
and customer; and verification and validation of your products.

Experimentation, Validation, and Uncertainty Analysis (Instructors: Dr. Hugh Coleman and Dr. Glenn Steele)
The instructors have updated their comprehensive two-day course to include material from the 3rd edition (2009) of their award-winning book and ASME
V&V20-2008: Standard for Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer. The course presents experimental uncertainty
analysis techniques based on 1)1995 ISO GUM ,2) 2005 Standard ASME-PTC19.1 Test Uncertainty, and 3) 2008 JCGM GUM Supplement: Evaluation of
Measurement Data—Propagation of Distributions Using a Monte Carlo Method in a well-paced sequence honed in over 90 presentations at companies,
research laboratories, and government institutes in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. The course covers the planning, design,
debugging, and execution of experiments used to validate a model, solve a problem, or characterize system behavior. Cases in which the experimental
result is determined only once or multiple times in a test are addressed and illustrated with examples from the authors’ experience.

1 February 2010–31 July 2010

Distance Learning Courses
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=156

Two self-paced courses available in the convenience of your home or office. Students receive instructions for completing the course, a course notebook,
problem sets, and accompanying texts. Over five months, you’ll follow a proven curriculum of reading and homework assignments.

Fundamentals of Aircraft Performance and Design (Francis Joseph Hale)

This course will give you an introduction to the major performance and design characteristics of conventional, primarily subsonic, aircraft. At the end of the
course, you will be able to use the physical characteristics of an existing aircraft to determine both its performance for specified flight conditions and the
flight conditions for best performance. You will also be able to take a set of operational requirements and constraints and perform a feasibility design of
an aircraft that should satisfy both the requirements and constraints. The emphasis is on simple analytical relationships that are applicable to classes of
aircraft rather than on the traditional graphical techniques applied to a specific individual aircraft with a specified weight.

Introduction to Space Flight (Francis Joseph Hale)

By the time you finish this course, you will be able to plan a geocentric or interplanetary mission to include the determination of suitable trajectories, the
approximate velocity budget (the energy required), the approximate weight (mass) and number of stages of the booster, and the problems and options
associated with the terminal phase(s) of the mission. You’ll learn fundamental concepts and analytical expressions.

B34 AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009

 AIAA Courses and Training Program
Registration Form

Select your registration options below. Payment by

REGISTRATION FORM (or register online at www.aiaa.org)
B1209 2 check, credit card, or money order—payable to AIAA—
must accompany registration. To pay the member rate,
your membership must be in good standing.
All registrants please complete the information below. —REGISTRATION OPTIONS—
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1 Conference Badge Name First/Given Name M.I. Last/Family Name COURSES OFFERED AT THE ASM 2010 CONFERENCE
Attend any professional development course and receive “free” registration to the conference sessions only
Organization Name/Division/Mailstop Early Bird by 9 Dec 09 Late by 5 Jan 10 On-site Beginning 8 Jan 10

Address Best Practices in Wind Tunnel Testing

$1095 $1195 $1200 $1300 $1275 $1375
City State Country/Zip/Postal Code Computational Multiphase Flow
$1095 $1195 $1200 $1300 $1275 $1375
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$1095 $1195 $1200 $1300 $1275 $1375
Fax Number (include country code) Job Title/Rank
Fluid-Structure Interaction
$1095 $1195 $1200 $1300 $1275 $1375

3 AIAA MEMBERSHIP: If you are registering for one of the collocated professional
development short courses at the nonmember rate, included with your registration fee is
one year of AIAA membership.
Large Eddy Simulations: Theory, Applications, and Advanced Topics
$1095 $1195
Modeling Flight Dynamics with Tensors
$1200 $1300 $1275 $1375

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benefits, products, and services. Check here if you prefer not to receive membership
information via e-mail.
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics: Fundamentals and Applications
$1095 $1195 $1200 $1300 $1275 $1375
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or services may be of interest to you. Check here if you prefer not to have your name Systems Engineering Fundamentals
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Check here if you are renewing or reinstating your membership. (You must pay the full Attend any professional development course and receive “free” registration to the conference sessions only
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Making Decisions in Missile Defense

4 1) For fastest, easiest

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3) By fax: send the signed,
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$1095

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Tactical Missile Design—Integration
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$1375
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administrative overhead. AIAA reserves the right to cancel any program due to insufficient Systems Engineering Fundamentals
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prior to the start date and may be canceled if a minimum enrollment has not been reached.
Experimentation, Validation and Uncertainty Analysis
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AIAA BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2009 B35

StandardConferenceinfoleftpage.qxd 10/14/09 1:49 PM Page 56
Standard Information for all AIAA Conferences
This is general conference information, except as noted in the individual
conference preliminary program information to address exceptions.
Photo ID Needed at Registration
All 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 Proceedings
This year’s conference proceedings will be available in two for-
mats: after-meeting DVD and online proceedings. The cost is includ-
ed 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 conference technical papers. For those registering on-
site, you will be provided with instructions at registration. The after-
meeting DVD will be mailed six to eight weeks after the conference.
Journal Publication
Authors 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. WriteTrack will be replaced by ScholarOne
Manuscripts (Thomson Reuters) during 2009. More information
about the transition is available on the WriteTrack home page.
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’ Practice
A 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 Presentations
Each paper will be allotted 30 minutes (including introduction
and question-and-answer period) except where noted.
Audiovisual
Each session room will be preset with the following: one LCD
projector, one screen, and one microphone (if needed). A 1/2”
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 pre-
senters wish to use the LCD projectors, it is their responsibility to
bring or arrange for a computer on their own. Please note that
AIAA does not provide security in the session rooms and recom-
mends that items of value, including computers, not be left unat-
tended. Any additional audiovisual requirements, or equipment not
requested by the date provided in the preliminary conference infor-
mation, will be at cost to the presenter.
Employment Opportunities
AIAA is assisting members who are searching for employment
by providing a bulletin board at the technical meetings. This bulletin
board is solely for “open position” and “available for employment”
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 inappro-
priate notices, and cannot assume responsibility for notices for-
warded to AIAA Headquarters. AIAA members can post and
browse resumes and job listings, and access other online employ-
ment resources, by visiting the AIAA Career Center at
http://careercenter.aiaa.org.
Committee Meetings
Meeting room locations for AIAA committees will be posted on
the message board and will be available upon request in the reg-
istration area.
Messages and Information
Messages 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.
Membership
Professionals 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 mem-
ber dues.
Nondiscriminatory Practices
The AIAA accepts registrations irrespective of race, creed, sex,
color, physical handicap, and national or ethnic origin.
Smoking Policy
Smoking is not permitted in the technical sessions.
Restrictions
Videotaping or audio recording of sessions or technical exhibits
as well as the unauthorized sale of AIAA-copyrighted material is
prohibited.
Department of Defense Approval
The DoD Public Affairs Office has determined that, for purpos-
es of accepting a gift of reduced or free attendance, these events
are widely attended gatherings pursuant to 5 CFR 2635.204(g).
This determination is not a DoD endorsement of the events nor
approval for widespread attendance. If individual DoD Component
commands or organizations determine that attendance by particu-
lar personnel is in DoD interest, those personnel may accept the
gift of free or reduced attendance. As other exceptions under 5
CFR 2635.204 may allow the acceptance of gifts, DoD personnel
are urged to consult their Ethics Counselor.
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)
AIAA speakers and attendees are reminded that some topics
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 respon-
sible for ensuring that they do not discuss ITAR export-restricted
information with non-U.S. Nationals in attendance.
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