Killian Lecture: The Early History of the Moon

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:06:39 GMT

In the 41st annual Killian Lecture, Maria Zuber describes looking deep into the moon’s interior to chart its early history.

Eyes on the stars: The story of alum/astronaut Ronald McNair

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:25:45 GMT

MIT alum and physicist Ronald E. McNair, who was the second African American to enter space, was first a kid with big dreams in Lake City, S.C.

Highlights of Endeavour's fifth flight

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:30:18 GMT

STS-61 was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and launched on Dec. 2, 1993.

Awards

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Guidance from the Outside

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Steve Robinson

Co-Chair: Sasha Efremov

Panelists: Judith Burki-Cohen, Jim Lackner, Paul DiZio, John Tylko, Jay Buckey, Conrad Wall

Some Current Student Research

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Aaron Johnson

Co-Chair: Torin Clark

Panelists: Current MVL Students, introducing their posters to be shown at the reception

The '10s

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Jeff Hoffman

Co-Chair: Julie Shah

Panelists: Roedolph Opperman, Alex Stimpson, Jaime Mateus, Thaddeus Fulford-Jones, Victor Wang

The '60s

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Larry Young

Co-Chair: Greg Zacharias

Panelists: Ken Li or Wendy Spector, Philip Kilpatrick, Lew Nashner, Peter Benjamin, Howard Hermann

The '70s

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Chuck Oman

Co-Chair: Eli Gai

Panelists: Chas Burr, John Tole, Susan Riedel, Elazer Edelman, Sasha Efremov, Bob Renshaw

The '80s

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Steve Bussolari

Co-Chair: Bob Kenyon

Panelists: Mark Kulbaski, Divya Chandra, Keoki Jackson, Mark Shelhamer, Ed Marcus

The '90s

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:09:04 GMT

Chair: Dava Newman

Co-Chair: Dan Merfeld

Panelists: Peter Diamandis (video), Ted Liefeld, Chris Carr, Jason Richards, Mindy Gallo Eckman, Erika Wagner, Corinna Lathan

Introduction and Welcome

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:11:16 GMT

Jaime Peraire, Head, Department AeroAstro

River networks on Saturn's moon Titan

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:04:08 GMT

Researchers at MIT and UT-Knoxville have analyzed images of Titan's river networks and determined that in some regions, rivers have created surprisingly little erosion.

The Best View in the Solar System

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:43:31 GMT

Earth from the International Space Station, as assembled by NASA's Johnson Space Center and MIT's Alex Rivest.

Perpetual Ocean

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:15:13 GMT

This animation nicely highlights the energetic turbulent ocean surface currents that are present in the real ocean but are not directly visible to the eye.

Spheres: Zero Robotics Competition (Part 1)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:58:34 GMT

Recorded on 1/23/12

Spheres: Zero Robotics Competition (Part 2)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:58:31 GMT

Recorded on 1/23/12

Spheres: Zero Robotics Competition (Part 3)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:58:26 GMT

Recorded on 1/23/12

Spheres: Zero Robotics Competition (Part 4)

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:57:00 GMT

Recorded on 1/23/12

Spheres: Zero Robotics Competition Awards

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:17:41 GMT

Recorded on 1/23/12

Astronaut/alum Cady Coleman tour of the International Space Station

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:20:58 GMT

Astronaut/MIT alum Catherine "Cady" Coleman takes us on a video tour of the International Space Station as part of the MIT 150 anniversary celebration.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Lifts Off

Tue, 17 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT

The youngest of the space shuttles blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:56 AM EDT on May 16. It is headed to the International Space Station for its final 16-day mission.

Investments in our Future: Exploring Space through Innovation and Technology

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

04/20/2011 4:00 PM 26"100Dr. Robert D. Braun, Chief Technologist, NASADescription: "I don't remember Apollo at all," confesses Robert Braun, NASA's chief technologist. "I feel really bad about it." Nevertheless, he has spent a lot of time reading and thinking about the mission to the moon, and its significance not just for space exploration, but for the nation's innovative edge and economy. Braun wonders, "What is my generation's space race?." Braun offers not one but a handful of "game"changing civil space possibilities" that he feels certain could be accomplished in his lifetime. These include an asteroid defense system, forecasting major storms in time to move entire populations out of harm's way; and finding life in space. Braun notes that many others embrace these "lofty goals," but that NASA has been hampered in approaching them by a lack of investment in technology. When Braun first graduated from Penn State decades ago, he worked on "human to Mars" programs. There were huge technological obstacles then that persist today. Says Braun, "We need a series of technological advances crossing multiple disciplines to make a human Mars mission feasible." The recently minted NASA Space Technology Program (STP), under Braun's wing, intends to seed R&D ventures -- whether in early stage innovation, experimentation or pilot demonstrations -- that may ultimately solve the kinds of problems hampering human space exploration. The program will also yield numerous other benefits, Braun predicts, in many other areas of science and engineering. These investments in disruptive technologies will pay off in turn by creating spinoff high tech industries, spurring new jobs, economic growth and global competitiveness. Initial STP R&D money is headed for the International Space Station, which offers unique opportunities to explore long"term human degradation in space, water reclamation, and human"robot collaborations. Other projects include different kinds of space telescopes that could be assembled in space. STP hopes to nurture many ideas, selecting the most promising for larger investment and potential mission status. But the R&D itself "will pay large dividends for scientists," he promises. As evidence, Braun points to NASA"spawned technology that has proved useful if not essential on our home planet: spacecraft tracking the Gulf oil spill; the capsule used to rescue Chilean miners trapped underground; protective armor for police and firefighters; nutritional supplements in baby formula. "Down"to"earth applications help us, and also create jobs, companies, products, and stimulate the economy," says Braun. The Apollo program was "actually all about technological leadership," he concludes, and "that's what it's still all about today." About the Speaker(s): Robert D. Braun was named NASA Chief Technologist by NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden on Feb. 3, 2010. Braun serves as the principal advisor and advocate on matters concerning agency"wide technology policy and programs. Braun has more than 20 years experience performing design and analysis of planetary exploration systems as a member of the technical staff at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research has focused on systems' aspects of planetary exploration, where he contributed to the design, development, test and operation of several robotic space flight systems. Braun was a member of the Mars Pathfinder design and landing operations team from 1992 to 1997 and has been part of development teams for the Mars Microprobe, Mars Sample Return and Mars Surveyor 2001 projects. He also has provided independent assessment and served on NASA review boards for the Mars Polar Lander, Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rover, Phoenix Mars Scout, Genesis, and Mars Science Laboratory flight projects. Braun joined the Georgia Institute of Technology in Oct 2003. At Georgia Tech, he led a research and educational program focused on the design of advanced flight systems and technologies for planetary exploration. Recent research projects included the development of entry, descent and landing concepts and technologies for human Mars exploration. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium

"Landing on the Moon" (1966) - Science Reporter TV Series

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:09:37 GMT

This 1966 "Science Reporter" television program details the development and construction of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), the only vehicle of the three Apollo spacecraft modules that actually lands on the moon. Project engineer Thomas Kelly gives a tour of the LEM at Grumman Aircraft in Long Island, NY, and demonstrates the LEM Automatic Checkout System, while test pilot Robert Smyth demonstrates the lunar landing simulator via an electronic computer-controlled model of the Moon. The program is presented by MIT in association with WGBH-TV Boston, and hosted by MIT reporter John Fitch; it was produced for NASA. MIT Museum Collections [T5956]

Remembering Ron McNair - 25th Anniversary of Challenger disaster

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:22:31 GMT

Twenty-five years ago today, on Jan. 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing the seven crew members on board — including Ronald McNair PhD ’77. In this video — filmed in the lobby of the Ronald McNair Building — Jeffrey Hoffman, Professor of the Practice in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a former shuttle astronaut, reflects on McNair's life and legacy. "My wish is that we would allow this planet to be the beautiful oasis that she is, and allow ourselves to live more in the peace that she generates." – Ronald McNair

Apollo 11 Launch (1969) - Alexander P. de Seversky

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:31:13 GMT

This short home movie taken by Major Alexander P. de Seversky, the Russian-American aviation pioneer and inventor, shows a personal view of the APOLLO 11 launch and the attending audience. MIT Museum Collections. [T27854]

Claude Canizares Chandra X-ray Observatory

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:36:30 GMT

Since its launch in 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy, taking its place in the fleet of "Great Observatories." Claude Canizares, MIT's Vice President for Research and Associate Provost and Bruno Rossi Professor of Physics, is associate director of the Observatory. Here he explains its work.

Looking Ahead to the Future of NASA

Mon, 10 May 2010 04:00:00 GMT

05/10/2010 3:00 PM 32"123Gen. Charles Bolden, NASA AdministratorDescription: From the MIT News Office: NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. defended President Barack Obama's controversial plans for the U.S. space agency's future and touted the president's plan to invest billions of dollars in basic science research. Some in Congress have criticized Obama's proposal to cancel the Constellation program, which would have sent humans to the moon by 2020, saying such a move will effectively cede U.S. space leadership to other nations. But Bolden noted that the White House's plan would also invest an additional $6 billion in NASA over the next five years, including a 60"percent increase in earth sciences research funding, as well as a 20"percent increase in planetary sciences research. Such an expansion could revitalize NASA's ties with institutions like MIT, which has played an instrumental role in the agency since NASA was founded in 1958. Bolden said NASA was going through what he called a "difficult, but very interesting" period. As a former astronaut who completed four space flights, Bolden expressed sadness about the prospect of ending NASA's space"shuttle fleet, admitting he is "emotionally attached" to the shuttle program. But he insisted that NASA is "committed" to Obama's new era of space exploration, which calls for a flexible path approach for NASA to gain progressively more experience, such as a lunar fly"by or exploration of asteroids, before making a trip to Mars. The plan also calls for developing a "heavy"lift" system to launch spacecraft into deep space, as well as technologies to protect humans from long"term radiation. In the future, NASA would lease vehicles from private companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. "The president, with my full agreement, made a change - a big change," Bolden said of Obama's decision to undertake a new direction for NASA, adding that the agency's fundamental goal "to boldly advance the human presence beyond the cradle of Earth," has not changed, and that Mars remains an "especially compelling target." Bolden outlined several tracks that NASA has proposed to achieve its goals, such as developing robotic technologies to scout new targets and test precision landings. He said the agency remains focused on using the International Space Station to learn more about human health issues, referring to ongoing work by ISS researchers to develop a salmonella vaccine. He pledged NASA's commitment to develop a commercial launch industry for carrying humans into low Earth orbit, but said that the agency was still fine"tuning specific operations details, such as whether a crew would be trained at NASA facilities. He also said the agency was honoring Obama's request to collaborate with other countries like Saudi Arabia to foster science research. When pressed to name a timetable for a manned mission to Mars, Bolden said it was "pretty vague," but that if NASA started to develop the architecture for a heavy"lift launch vehicle right now, it could be as soon as the early 2020s that a spacecraft orbits the moon, and maybe 2025 for a spacecraft or robot to land on an asteroid. Those advances could make travel to Mars a reality by 2030, he said. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium

Future of Human Spaceflight: The Augustine Report

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:21:52 GMT

In June 2009, NASA created the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee and charged it with conducting "an independent review of ongoing U.S. human space flight plans and programs, as well as alternatives, to ensure the Nation is pursuing the best trajectory for the future of human space flight - one that is safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable." Retired aerospace executive Norman Augustine was named committee chairman. The committee presented its report in October 2009. The report found that "The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match allocated resources." Among its recommendations: extend the life of the international space station until 2020, look to commercial spaceflight for placing astronauts in low-Earth orbit, and consider flights to asteroids and other locations as part of a long-term plan to get to Mars. The report is available at http://www.nasa.gov/offices/hsf/home/index.html

Humans in Space

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

12/08/2009 6:00 PM MuseumDava Newman, Sm '89, PhD '92, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering SystemsDescription: The future of space exploration is "the Moon, Mars, and beyond." For the human scientist"astronaut, "the issue is one of location and locale," according to Dava Newman. The argument is no longer whether it's man vs. robot; rather it's how humans and robots will work together in missions throughout the solar system. Where exploration-getting out of a spacecraft and moving around-is the primary reason, humans will be sent. Otherwise, they may be tele operating a robot on a distant planet, carrying out experiments on an international space station, or working at Mission Control as experimenters and investigators. But humans will always be involved. Nothing on Earth can truly mimic the environmental vagaries the astronauts will face on that distant planet or the challenges in getting there. Much of Newman's work in astronaut performance focuses on creating the BioSuit that will provide the necessary mobility, protection, and life support. The space travel itself creates further physiological deconditioning effects such as bone loss and other ravages of extended weightlessness. Newman cites four significant show stoppers to future space travel: radiation/exposure, bone loss, psychological effects ("playing well together") and immunology "because so little is known about what's out there." Of additional interest to her audience were the issues of expense and time needed to get to a distant planet such as Mars and commercial applications here on Earth. Newman refers to NASA's $400 billion price tag and points to a lower $20 billion cost if supported by both government and private monies but run by non"governmental organizations. Commercial space flight offers similar exciting opportunities as well as risks and dangers. Medical/pharmaceutical applications such as growing crystals in the weightlessness of space or studying locomotion that would assist people with cerebral palsy are currently being considered. Collaboration with other nations will ultimately provide on"going program funding since the future of space travel is more about human space travel and less about an individual nation's ability to build an entire program. About the Speaker(s): Professor Dava Newman is currently the director of the Technology and Policy Program and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. She is professor of Aeronautics and the Astronautics and Engineering Systems Division as well as an affiliate faculty in the Harvard"MIT Health, Sciences and Technology Division. Professor Newman's research contributes to the fundamental knowledge of human performance in extreme environments by interweaving biomechanics, human factors engineering, modeling, and design. In the space environment, she quantifies astronaut motion and studies the subtle mechanisms underlying neuron"musculoskeletal adaptation, which are not easily studied on earth. She is currently developing her fourth space flight experiment, the MICRO"G experiment, which will fly on the International Space Station in a few years. Newman is concurrently designing a revolutionary, advanced spacesuit for future exploration missions, the BioSuit System, which she targets for 2020. She has been honored with a NASA Manned Flight Awareness Team Award and a NASA Group Achievement Award. She is a recognized AIAA Distinguished Lecturer and recently received the National Aerospace Educator Award. In addition to teaching classes in leadership and engineering at MIT, she has published and presented more than 200 papers in refereed journals and at conferences and other professional groups. She is a regular speaker and participant at engineering conferences given by groups such as the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and International Design for Extreme Environments Assembly (IDEEA) among many others. In 2001, she published her first book entitled Interactive Aerospace Engineering and Design. Host(s): Office of the Provost, MIT Museum

Final Journey to the Hubble Space Telescope

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

10/28/2009 4:00 PM Killian Hall 14W"111Mike Massimino, SM'88, ME'90, PHD,92Description: Astronaut Mike Massimino returns to MIT and shares his experience on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS"125). Topics include the challenges of space walking while repairing the Hubble, having the right tools on hand for high stakes repairs, and the long hours of practice that lead up to the task. As the first astronaut to Twitter from space, Massimino provides funny, personal and insightful anecdotes from the mission including the competition amongst his team to be the last human to touch the Hubble. Accompanying Massimino on the mission was a rare book loaned from the MIT Libraries' collections. The book, a limited edition facsimile of Galileo's landmark publication "Sidereius Nuncius" (Starry Messenger), was chosen to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo's astronomical research, the first recorded planetary observations using a telescope. He presents the well"traveled book to MIT Libraries Director Ann Wolpert. She happily accepts the undamaged book and waives any late fees no. The book traveled 5.3 million miles, making 197 orbits of the earth. It is now on display in an exhibit at the MIT Science Library. About the Speaker(s): Upon completing his B.S. degree from Columbia University, Mike worked for IBM as a systems engineer. In 1986 he entered graduate school at the MIT where he conducted research on human operator control of space robotics systems in the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department's Human"Machine Systems Laboratory. His work resulted in the awarding of two patents. After graduating from MIT in 1992, Mike worked at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in Houston, Texas as a research engineer where he developed laptop computer displays to assist operators of the Space Shuttle remote manipulator system. He is currently an adjunct professor at Rice University and at Georgia Tech. Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in1996, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. He completed two years of initial training and evaluation and is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Prior to his first space flight assignment, Mike served in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch, and in the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity (EVA or spacewalking) Branch. In 2002, following his first spaceflight, Mike served as a CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator) in Mission Control and as the Astronaut Office Technical Liaison to the Johnson Space Center EVA Program Office. A veteran of two space flights, (STS"109 in March 2002 and STS"125 in May 2009) Massimino has logged a total of 571 hours and 47 minutes in space, and a cumulative total of 30 hours and 4 minutes of spacewalking in four spacewalks. In addition to various technical tasks, Massimino also serves as Chief of the Astronaut Appearances Office. Host(s): Office of the Provost, MIT Libraries

Kepler Observatory: Magnified Light Curve

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:14:55 GMT

The sensitive instruments on the orbital Kepler Observatory show a smooth rise and fall of the light between transits caused by the changing phases of the planet, similar to those of our moon. This is a combination of both the light emitted from the planet and the light reflected off the planet. The smooth rise and fall of light is also punctuated by a small drop in light, called an occultation, exactly halfway between each transit. An occultation happens when a planet passes behind a star. Courtesy of NASA

Apollo: Reflections and Lessons

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

06/11/2009 9:30 AM KresgeDr. Jeffrey A. Hoffman, former Space Shuttle astronaut, Professor of the Practice, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT ; Dr. Richard Battin, '45, PhD '51, Director of Apollo guidance, navigation and control system, Senior Lecturer, MIT ; Dr. Aaron Cohen, Manager of Apollo Command and Service Module, former Director of NASA/JSC, Professor Emeritus Texas A&M University ; Joseph G. Gavin, Jr., '41, SM'42, Director of the Lunar Module Program, retired President, Grumman Corporation ; Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Director of Flight operations for Apollo, former Director, NASA/JSC; The Honorable Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo astronaut, scientist, former U.S. Senator; ; Theodore Sorensen, Esq., President Kennedy's Special Counsel & Adviser, and primary speechwriter; James Shields, '71, SM 72, President and CEO, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.Description: In this first of three symposium events to mark the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, an extraordinary cast of luminaries recount the parts they played in the Apollo program, and celebrate MIT's unique role in getting humans to the moon. Theodore Sorensen believes President Kennedy chose him to oversee the U.S. response to the Soviet's first space flight because he was "a skeptic a Unitarian raised asking questions." The U.S. space program had been lagging, "a joke with late night TV comics," so the Kennedy administration figured only the "the drama of a moon landing" would spur an improved space effort. When Kennedy announced the plan to Congress, the reaction was "stunned disbelief," so he deviated from the official text, reminding congressmen that "all of us will be on that trip to the moon." Today, Kennedy would be disturbed by the militarization of space, Sorensen believes. The next great scientific breakthrough Sorensen would like to see involves "the abolition of weapons of mass destruction." Richard Battin describes the work of MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory, headed by Charles "Doc" Draper, to develop a Mars probe in 1957 following the Sputnik launch. The device had solar panels, a thruster, an attitude control system with gyros, and an onboard digital computer designed to survive a three"year roundtrip to Mars. NASA declined to support the entire project, but liked the computer. In 1961, NASA chief Jim Webb asked his good friend "Doc" Draper to develop guidance navigation and control for Apollo. Battin believes this relationship, and the need for a functioning onboard navigation system (in case the Soviets jammed communication links from Earth) landed MIT the contract. Aaron Cohen remembers how rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun was puzzled by Cohen's Apollo assignment, which was "to define and resolve interfaces between all elements of the Apollo program." He also describes the tragic fire on the launch pad in January 1967, which killed three crewmembers. This episode triggered months of self"examination, leading to a safer command service module, and a series of reliable flights leading to the moon landing. "When I look back on Apollo 11, I go through each subsystem and marvel at how we managed to form the mission." Joseph Gavin, Jr. started as a graduate student in "Doc" Draper's lab, but ended up leading the development of the lunar module, which "worked every time. I'll say that again. It worked every time." His long association with the program left him with some insights: there's no such thing as random failure; one should take absolutely nothing for granted; and do not change anything that works. He recalls NASA bugging him about overtime, but the young men working for him were under great pressure, so Gavin pushed back, allowing "group leaders to take care of their people." Harrison "Jack" Schmitt takes the audience through the history of the Apollo program, including his own historic trip to the moon. "That's not bad, leaving footprints in the sands of time for a million, might be two million years." He believes the keys to the mission's success included having a sufficient base of technology and a reservoir of young engineers and skilled workers; the "pervasive environment of national unease" due to the Cold War, Sputnik and the missile gap; a persuasive president who unleashed adequate funding; and "tough, competent and disciplined management to let people do their jobs." In flight control, says Christopher Kraft, Jr., "you have to fly what you've got. There's not time to stop and fix something." This legend of the early days of space flight recalls chimpanzee testing and concerns about human adaptation to zero gravity. When Kennedy announced the moon mission, "I thought he'd lost his mind." As flight director, Kraft suddenly "had to come up with the orbital mechanics of going back and forth to the moon. That to me was a hell of a challenge." Kraft witnessed the entire nation get behind the Apollo effort, which convinced him "we could do anything we set our mind to in this country, if we know what we want to do, where we want to go and have the commitment to get it done." About the Speaker(s): Jeffrey Hoffman is an astrophysicist and a veteran of five space missions. He was the first astronaut to log 1000 hours aboard the Space Shuttle. During his fourth flight, he was one of four crew members who captured the Hubble Space Telescope, serviced it, and restored it to full capacity. He is engaged in several research projects using the International Space Station and teaches courses on space operations and design. Prior to joining NASA, Hoffman was a scientist with the MIT Center for Space Research in charge of the orbiting HEAO"1 A4 hard x"ray and gamma ray experiment. He is currently the Director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium. Hoffman earned his B.A. at Amherst College, an M.S. from Rice University and his Ph.D. from Harvard University.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

The Next Giant Leaps in Energy, Environment, & Air Transportation

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

06/11/2009 1:00 PM KresgeThe Honorable John P. Holdren, '65, SM '66, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President; Dr. Ian A. Waitz, Jerome C. Hunsaker Professor and Department Head, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT ; Michael B. Bair, SM '93, Vice President, Business Strategy & Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Dr. David Danielson, Ph D '08, Program Manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency; Founder, MIT Energy Club; Dr. Alan H. Epstein, '71, SM '72, Ph D 75, Vice President for Technology and Environment, United Technologies Pratt & Whitney, and R.C. MacLaurin Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT; Dr. Lourdes Q. Maurice, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Environment, FAADescription: It's no exaggeration to say John Holdren's job involves tackling the most critical issues of our age: economic recovery and growth, health care, energy, climate change, global pandemics, national security, ecosystem preservationthe list goes on. As President Obama's science and technology advisor, Holdren leverages the resources and collective acumen of the nation's researchers and innovators to address these complex and urgent matters. To an MIT audience, Holdren makes the case that aerospace science, technology and education will provide a "crucial contribution to and driver of many relevant capabilities" the U.S. will need to meet this century's challenges. He cites in particular the relevance of "nitty"gritty things like infrastructure" in aerospace research and industry -- -- including military and civilian satellites enabling earth observation and tracking for national security purposes or weather forecasting. These technologies engender "spin"offs into other domains of the economy, health care and the environment." In addition, the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station are inspiring students to pursue science and engineering. Holdren hopes these young researchers will eventually pave the way to clean energy and a revitalized economy. President Obama has put science and technology "front and center," and these priorities are reflected in a budget that provides big boosts for science, and also for transportation infrastructure and applied energy technologies. Government agencies are trying to resolve the "budget"vision disparity" in the space program; air traffic control problems resulting from the steady expansion of civil air traffic; and the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy of aircraft. But Holdren worries about maintaining the administration's ambitious space and aeronautics agenda, in the face of ballooning government programs, and ongoing military commitments. Aviation and space communities must work together across government, industry and academic sectors to overcome these obstacles -- "a giant leap requiring giant partnerships." A group of aerospace leaders respond to Holdren's talk. Michael Bair notes that the aviation industry is growing faster than GDP, but challenged by "an awful business model" and an expanding carbon footprint. He sees hope in fuel efficiency improvements, especially biofuels, and new air traffic policies. David Danielson believes young entrepreneurs, inspired by 9/11, the economic crisis, and the 90's internet boom, will rally to transform our energy economy, with the help of new policies and funding, a firm embrace of "thinking big," and an acceptance that "it's OK to fail." Seeking a less polluting hydrocarbon to power his airplanes, Alan Epstein needs a big infusion of capital from the financial community to help attract biofuel producers to aviation, and looks to places like MIT for "ingenuity and invention" to make biofuels a practical, cost"effective reality. A key lesson learned in kindergarten -- 'tell the truth' -- will serve the aerospace community well, counsels Lourdes Q. Maurice. This means admitting "tradeoffs between noise and emissions," for instance. She also argues for inclusivity among decision"makers around energy and environment issues, and decisions informed by science. About the Speaker(s): John P. Holdren, President Obama's "Science Czar," previously served as Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, as well as professor in Harvard's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Director of the independent, nonprofit Woods Hole Research Center. From 1973 to 1996 he was on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he co"founded and co"led the interdisciplinary graduate"degree program in energy and resources. Holdren holds advanced degrees in aerospace engineering and theoretical plasma physics from MIT and Stanford and has specialized in energy technology and policy, global climate change, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as foreign member of the Royal Society of London. A former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his awards include a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, the John Heinz Prize in Public Policy, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the Volvo Environment Prize. He served from 1991 until 2005 as a member of the MacArthur Foundation's board of trustees. Ian A. Waitz also serves as the Director of the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction (PARTNER), an FAA/NASA/Transport Canada"sponsored Center of Excellence. His principal areas of interest are the modeling and evaluation of climate, local air quality and noise impacts of aviation. Waitz has written approximately 75 technical publications, including a report to the U.S. Congress on aviation and the environment. He holds three patents and has consulted for many organizations. During 2002"2005 he was Deputy Head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also served as an associate editor of the AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power. In 2003, Waitz received a NASA Turning Goals Into Reality Award for Noise Reduction. He was awarded the FAA 2007 Excellence in Aviation Research Award. He is a Fellow of the AIAA, and an ASME and ASEE member. He was honored with the 2002 MIT Class of 1960 Innovation in Education Award and appointment as an MIT MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 2003. Waitz received his B.S. in 1986 from the Pennsylvania State University; his M.S. in 1988, from George Washington University; and his Ph.D.in 1991, from the California Institute of Technology.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

The Next Giant Leaps in Space Exploration

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

06/11/2009 3:00 PM KresgeDr. Maria T. Zuber, E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT ; ; Dr. Edward F. Crawley, Ford Professor of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, MIT; James H. Crocker, Vice President and General Manager, Sensing & Exploration Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.; Richard Garriott, private astronaut, Vice Chairman of Space Adventures ; Dr. James Garvin, Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA ; Dr. David W. Thompson, Chairman & CEO of Orbital Sciences Corporation ; Dr. Erika Wagner, Lecturer, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MITDescription: From satellite"enabled radio and TV to climate tracking, space has become a "ubiquitous capability in our lifetime," as Edward Crawley puts it. But he also notes there is uncertainty about the future of U.S. spaceflight, which closely follows the "cadence" of political elections. Symposium panelists both predict and suggest directions the nation's public and private space programs might take. As a child, keynote speaker Maria Zuber "wrote long letters to the Apollo astronauts," and her early enthusiasm never waned. A geophysicist involved in missions investigating distant worlds, Zuber's take on space exploration is both pragmatic and adventurous. She seeks "an achievable future in space," with an exploration program that is "reality based." She advocates a "bold, diverse agenda" that includes extended use of the International Space Station for conducting science on human physiology and behavior; exploring the impact of the sun on Earth climate and space weather; gathering data on the constitution of the universe; detailed characterization of terrestrial planets; a renewed commitment to Earth observation (we have better data on Mars' ice caps than on our own); and seeking extra"terrestrial life. This ambitious portfolio means we may send humans to space for "objectives that are worth the risk." NASA should mix big and small missions, remembering that it's "crucial to inspire and train the next generation." Ultimately, says Zuber, "It's great to be a dreamer, but the only good space mission is one that really works, and is practical and implementable." NASA scientist James Garvin describes his agency's plans to pursue the legacy of Apollo, by developing new capabilities to carry people into space, and supporting significant research, such as tracking carbon in Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Says Garvin, "Somewhere there is a sweet spot between robotic spaceflight that does grand science ... and human spaceflight that enables those" missions. The private space industry will play an increasing role in fulfilling the spaceflight dreams of ordinary people, believes Richard Garriott, one of the few lucky citizens to take the ride (via a Soyuz craft). He cites the surge in space plane companies, which may ultimately make spaceflight routine. While there's "a reasonable probability there will be fatalities," Garriott accepts the risks. "Ultimately only by democratizing access to space, by having multiple vendors competing to keep the price down, and safety up, will we ultimately find the best access to space." To engage American youth in space exploration, Erika Wagner says we "need to take back the storyline and discuss challenging things." 18"24 year olds are not captivated by the Apollo mission to the moon, and to inspire them about the future, they need to understand we "go to space because it's a difficult thing." To get this point across means using social media such as Flickr and YouTube, as well as flying students into space. "It's time for space exploration to become interactive again." Commercial space ventures, built on a series of incremental improvements, have become a phenomenally successful industry in the last 40 years, says David Thompson. Customers spend between $15"25 per month on such products and services as direct broadcast TV and handheld satellite navigators. This dwarfs the per capita expenditure on government space exploration or defense activities. Thompson looks for more of an intersection between the well"financed commercial, and needier public, sectors of space enterprise, with anticipated benefits for both. The problem is not how we build space vehicles, "but how we procure them," states James Crocker. Purchasing and launching such expensive devices one at a time continues to inhibit capability. Crocker's company, Lockheed, is trying to economize through smarter software, weight" and volume"reduction of space"bound technology, and reuse of expensive parts (including some avionics in NASA's new Ares rocket). He hopes that innovative ways to bring down costs "while not as cheap as flying from here to Europe on an airliner," might get to the point where "we can do more with the dollars the public is willing to spend." About the Speaker(s): Edward Crawley is also the director of the Bernard M. Gordon _ MIT Engineering Leadership Program. His research focuses on the domain of architecture, design, and decision support in complex technical systems. He is currently engaged with NASA on the design of its lunar and Earth observing systems, and with BP on oil exploration system designs. Crawley is a former head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was a finalist in the NASA astronaut selection in 1980. He received an S.B. (1976) and an S.M. (1978) in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and an Sc.D. (1981) in Aerospace Structures from MIT. Crawley is a Fellow of the AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society (UK), and is a member of three national academies of engineering: the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science, the (UK) Royal Academy of Engineering, and the US National Academy of Engineering. He was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by Chalmers University, Sweden in 2006.Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Robert C. Seamans Jr.

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:31:01 GMT

A tribute to the life and work of Bob Seamans, Associate Administrator of NASA during the Apollo Program, and former Dean of Engineering at MIT.

Transitioning from the Space Shuttle to the Constellation System

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

04/15/2009 3:00 PM 4"370William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Space OperationsDescription: William Gerstenmaier knows the U.S. space program inside out -- both literally and figuratively. As a 30"plus year veteran of NASA, Gerstenmaier has managed the operational dimensions of the space shuttle, international space station, and other space flight missions. For this talk, he dissects a problem that recently grounded the shuttle, coming at it from the perspective of both an engineer, and a top"level manager with responsibility to the highest levels of government. Gerstenmaier presents his case "as it unfolded," for a behind"the"scenes view of how NASA keeps its aging shuttles aloft. His account begins in 2008, after a shuttle flight revealed something wrong with flow control valves essential to the shuttle's hydrogen system. These valves are connected in a closed loop to the main engines, via a 170"foot length of pipe, through all manner of twists and turns, and frequently subjected to very high pressures. Gerstenmaier describes the series of tests his engineering teams performed, over long days, weekends and holidays, to determine what precisely had gone wrong, and the risks posed by potentially faulty equipment. NASA engineers ruled out wiring problems, but discovered during an "x"ray of the plumbing" a chunk missing from one of the valves. They examined the problem from a structural dynamics standpoint: could the "flow through the plumbing" have made the valves vibrate violently? The same valves had been in use since 1981, but perhaps a "failure associated with an extremely resonant condition that could occur periodically" was responsible. Gerstenmaier's team shot particles through a simulated piping system and then used a scanning electron microscope to detect valve damage. They also analyzed historical failure data, which suggested that valve cracks might be a "high cycle fatigue problem," and could therefore possibly occur during any flight. Gerstenmaier felt bound to "ground the fleet," until engineers figured out a way of screening for damage in the valves pre flight. A flash of unorthodox thinking led engineers (unbeknownst to Gerstenmaier) to buy a common bolt tester, which permitted them to get a comprehensive picture of the valves in working shuttles without removing or damaging them. After running numbers around flight risk, and many discussions with his engineers, Gerstenmaier felt they'd arrived at a rationale to resume flying. Says Gerstenmaier, "I can tell you, I wasn't looking out the window in Florida. At the shuttle launch, I was looking at data of the flow control valves and watching the pressures I knew what I needed to look at in terms of the data. An engineer's tendency comes through." About the Speaker(s): William H. Gerstenmaier directs NASA's human exploration of space. He also has programmatic oversight for the international space station, space shuttle, space communications and space launch vehicles. Formerly Gerstenmaier was the program manager of the International Space Station Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. In 1977, Gerstenmaier began his NASA career at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, performing aeronautical research. He was involved with the wind tunnel tests that were used to develop the calibration curves for the air data probes used during entry on the space shuttle. Beginning in 1988, Gerstenmaier headed the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) Operations Office, Systems Division at Johnson Space Center, where he was responsible for all aspects of OMV operations. Subsequently, he headed Space Shuttle/Space Station Freedom Assembly Operations Office, Operations Division and was Chief, Projects and Facilities Branch, Flight Design and Dynamics Division. Gerstenmaier also served as Shuttle/Mir Program Operations Manager from 1995 to 1997. During this time he was the primary liaison to the Russian Space Agency for operational issues and negotiated all protocols used in support of operations during the Shuttle/Mir missions. In addition, he supported NASA 2 operations from Russia, January"September 1996. In 1998, Gerstenmaier became manager of Space Shuttle Program Integration, where he was responsible for the overall management, integration, and operations. In December 2000, he was named deputy manager of the International Space Station Program. Gerstenmaier received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 1977 and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo in 1981. In 1992 and 1993, he completed course work for a doctorate in dynamics and control with emphasis in propulsion at Purdue University. Gerstenmaier is the recipient of numerous awards, including three NASA Certificates of Commendation, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, a Senior NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives. He also was honored with an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award from Purdue University. Additionally, he was twice honored by Aviation Week and Space for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Space. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium

The Most Important Number in the World

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

04/13/2009 4:30 PM Wong AuditoriumBill McKibben, Writer/ OrganizerDescription: "Just a sleep"deprived activist and organizer." That's how environmentalist Bill McKibben describes his current incarnation, with writing career in abeyance while he proselytizes about the danger of climate change. The plight he first wrote about as hypothesis in 1989 has evolved into "deeply rooted consensus." By 1995, world climatologists agreed: "Human beings are heating up the planet." After the inflection point of the Industrial Revolution, McKibben reckons, "no surprise --stuff starts to happen!" That stuff is escalating atmospheric carbon. Fast forward to summer 2007, when "Arctic sea ice melted at an alarming pace." Other deleterious effects he cites include permafrost reduction; growing release of greenhouse gas methane; paradoxical increase in both drought and deluge; rising sea level; wildfires and deforestation; agricultural jeopardy. These phenomena conspire in feedback loops to pose accelerating risks to civilization. McKibben credits NASA climatologist Jim Hansen with deriving "the most important number in the world" _ the tolerable carbon level allowing survival of life on earth, now recognized as 350 parts"per"million maximum. Trouble is, we're already past that sustainability point, owing to rampant fossil fuel combustion. We face "not a problem for your grandchildren to solveit's a problem for your parents to have solved." Upon return to Vermont from a revelatory 2006 journey to Bangladesh, McKibben's mission became activism in service to global warming awareness. He gathered 1,000 people on a five"day pilgrimage to spread the word. At the sight of this mass of humanity in a rural state, he says "cows were running in terror." So began a populist movement demanding an 80% decrease in carbon emissions by 2050. McKibben saw the way ahead as harnessing the Internet's multiplicative power. In 2007, with the help of six students and email's exponential impact, 1,400 simultaneous demonstrations took place countrywide. "The thing just went viral," McKibben exclaims, "the biggest day of grass"roots environmental activism since the first Earth Day in 1970." Social networking and cell phones proved most effective tools for mobilization. Organizers next turned their aims to the upcoming Copenhagen conference to form a treaty succeeding the Kyoto Protocol. The campaign is aptly titled 350.org. McKibben endorses the virtue of a simple number as a rallying point because "Arabic numerals are one of the very few things that translate easily around the world," avoiding cross"cultural semantic mishaps. From Martin Luther King, Jr., McKibben absorbed principles of righteous activism. The good fight must be "creativedeterminedjoyful." In closing, McKibben cautions "nature does not grade on a curve." Global warming "is the morally urgent question of our moment." About the Speaker(s): Bill McKibben has been an environmental activist, educator, and prolific writer over two decades. He was one of the first to articulate the problem of climate change for a nonscientific readership, with his 1989 book, The End of Nature. In March 2007, McKibben published his most recent book, Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. He zealously carries out dual pursuits as an author and crusader to spread the message of nature's vulnerability and the consequences for civilization of global warming. In 2006, he orchestrated the then largest demonstration against global warming in US history. Now he devotes his time and passion to the massive organizing effort for a worldwide event in October 2009, highlighting the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. McKibben is a graduate of Harvard University, and the recipient of Guggenheim and Lyndhurst Fellowships as well as honorary degrees from several institutions. He is a religious school teacher in his Methodist Church in Vermont, and a scholar in residence at Middlebury College. Host(s): School of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences, Center for International Studies

Robert Seamans and Neil Armstrong on the Apollo Program

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:27:37 GMT

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Robert Seamans Jr. deliver the 1994 AeroAstro Gardener Lecture.

Precision Cosmology

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

06/07/2008 9:00 AM KresgeMax Tegmark, Associate Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, MIT; Dr. Susan Hockfield, President, MITDescription: Buzz Lightyear has nothing on Max Tegmark, who takes his alumni audience on a dizzying tour of the universe and beyond. Before Tegmark begins, MIT President Susan Hockfield highlights some newsworthy Institute milestones and initiatives, including breaking ground on a new cancer research center that will bring together engineering and life sciences; and pioneering work on new energy solutions, with a focus on harnessing light from the sun. Since federal funding for research has diminished, says Hockfield, MIT is increasingly pursuing philanthropy to move these key ventures into their next phase. She also describes a banner year for MIT admissions, in spite of turmoil nationally in higher ed. applications and financial aid; and a record for 2008 alumni fund giving. In his "little ride" from Earth into the far reaches of space and time, Max Tegmark demonstrates the success of new technologies such as orbiting space telescopes and super computer number crunching that enable scientists to test their theories of the universe. Tegmark remarks, "30 years ago, cosmology was largely viewed as somewhere out there between philosophy and metaphysics. You could speculate over a bunch of beers about what happened, and then you could go home, because there wasn't a whole lot else to do." But "now we're so spoiled, with a few clicks of the mouse, we can zoom out 'til the whole galaxy is just a little dot, and other dots are not stars but other galaxies." Tegmark illustrates not just our planet's place in space, but the layout of the entire known cosmos as well, relying in particular on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and NASA satellite maps, which help animate 3D renderings of the universe over time. Scientists are closing in on a "consistent picture of how the universe evolved from the earliest moment to the present," expanding, cooling and clumping over its 14"billion"year history. Tegmark pays tribute to MIT colleague Alan Guth, whose inflation theory predicts not just a really big universe, but an infinite one, with parallel universes. As fantastic a concept as this appears, Tegmark says, "I feel inflation is testable." Scientists can increasingly take the measure of a vast cosmos, with real numbers. Tegmark hopes to "map everything in the observable universe" with the help of the Fast Fourier Transform Telescope, which he likens to a "giant sea of cheap radio antennas hooked into a computer." Next stop on the cosmologist's infinite voyage: getting to the bottom of dark matter and dark energy, and trying to figure out whether our universe will expand forever, or end with a "crunch." About the Speaker(s): Max Tegmark left Sweden in 1990 after receiving his B.Sc. in Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology (he'd earned a B.A. in Economics the previous year at the Stockholm School of Economics). He studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his M.A. in 1992, and Ph.D. in 1994. Tegmark then became a research associate with the Max"Planck"Institut f or Physik in Munich. In 1996 he headed back to the U.S. as a Hubble Fellow and member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Several years later, Tegmark became an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received tenure in 2003. He moved to MIT in September 2004, along with his wife, fellow astrophysicist Angelica de Oliveira"Costa. Tegmark has received numerous awards for his research, including a Packard Fellowship (2001"06), Cottrell Scholar Award (2002"07), and an NSF Career grant (2002"07). His work with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey collaboration on galaxy clustering shared the first prize in Science magazine's "Breakthrough of the Year: 2003." Host(s): Alumni Association, Alumni Association

Spheres - Synchronized Position Hold Engage Re-orient Experimental Satellites

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:19:22 GMT

In spring 2000, 13 graduating MIT seniors developed and tested three mini-satellites that could lead the way to similar devices that fly in formation, much like Thunderbirds in an Air Force show. The range of potential applications includes a space telescope more powerful than the Hubble. The satellites, called Synchronized Position Hold Engage Re-orient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES), are the size of volleyballs, and they allow researchers to test a variety of technologies key to formation flying.

Two of the devices, which communicate with each other and a computer, were tested aboard NASA's KC-135 airplane in February 2000 and again in March. The KC-135 allows satellites (and researchers) to become essentially weightless for short periods of time. The team successfully operated two SPHERES at the same time inside the plane, and collected data that will help improve the devices.

"Rather than fly one large, expensive satellite, the idea is to network together several small ones, much like how computers progressed from large mainframes to networked PCs," said Associate Professor David W. Miller. The application of interest to the SPHERES team is a high resolution space telescope created by stringing several tiny satellites outfitted with mirrors across the sky. Professor Miller and Associate Professor Dava J. Newman, both of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, led the work.

Solar Energy as a Major Replacement for Fossil Fuel

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 04:00:00 GMT

10/09/2007 3:30 PM 10"250Roger Angel, Director, Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory, University of ArizonaDescription: It took a crisis to shift Roger Angel's gaze from the stars back to Earth, but we may all benefit from his full attention, locked as it is on helping crack the problem of global warming. Angel's expertise lies with telescopes and astronomy, so it seems fitting that he views the sun as our greatest hope in reducing dependence on fossil fuels. His first efforts focused on geo"engineering a way out of warming, by either pumping sulfur aerosols into the stratosphere, or constructing a giant sunshade, to block the sun's impact. He figured these fixes could work relatively quickly, but might deliver negative side effects, and in the case of the giant space screen, cost in the trillions. Regarding this orbiting sun deflector, Angel tells us that "the present administration of NASA thinks it's stupid" and won't fund it. So he has been exploring alternative solutions. One idea was to create a necklace of satellites in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth that could collect the undiluted energy of sunlight, convert it to microwaves, and then beam it back home. To generate 3000 gigawatts of electrical power, we would need 600 of these satellites. This idea proved very expensive, due to the launch weight of each of the space solar power stations _ upwards of 70 thousand tons. Until space travel and construction become routine, this idea can't fly, believes Angel. He's far more optimistic about the development of massive, ground"based solar arrays, planted on hundreds of square miles in the desert. In the U.S., this means Angel's own backyard, in Arizona, and other states along the border with Mexico. He sees these solar collection farms operating year"round, and transmitting electricity via intercontinental transmission lines to the coasts of the nation. Angel says this form of transmission is a proven and relatively inexpensive technology. He suggests using Lake Mead or other western waters as giant hydroelectric storage facilities. He is devising a prototype photovoltaic array using an abandoned PBS communication dish, and in his university workshop milling mirrors that are intended to concentrate the light of sunshine by a factor of 1000. In the Southwest, Angel says, "there is enough sunshine on a couple hundred miles square to feed the whole nation." About the Speaker(s): Roger Angel received his D. Phil. from Oxford University, and his M.S. from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to his appointment at the University of Arizona in 1973, Angel was an associate professor at Columbia University. He was a MacArthur Fellow from 1996 to 2001, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and of the American Academy of Arts and Science and of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Host(s): School of Science, Center for Global Change Science

Renaissance Physicists / Learning from MIT

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:00:00 GMT

10/05/2007 11:50 AM 6-120Robert Laughlin, PhD '79, Nobel Laureate, Stanford University; Steven Weinberg, SM '67, ME '69, PhD '70, 1979 Nobel Laureate, The University of Texas at AustinDescription: This duet of talks by two Nobelists, while cheering the consolidation of MIT's Physics groups within the new Green Center for Physics, sees primarily gloomy prospects for science in coming decades. There are -dark clouds on the horizon," believes Robert Laughlin, as the post-World War 2 public funding of basic research dwindles. In its wake, commercial interests are gaining control over the production of knowledge, favoring chemistry, materials sciences and engineering disciplines. In a technical milieu, some of the people -have to have a wild childlike curiosity where they demand to understand everything," and this -omnivorous" person is typically a physicist, says Laughlin. Omnivorous scientists are not valuable to industry, and often dangerous, since they make knowledge public rather than hiding (or patenting) it. But university students and their parents need such teachers, who provide an invaluable balance to the relentless forces in the world driving technical knowledge into corporate realms. The -era we're in right now is an era of darkness in which the entire idea of public domain knowledge is being rejected by people very high up in society, and implemented in laws," says Laughlin. So the young physicist must regard himself -as a revolutionary person a troublemaker when it comes to the sequestration of knowledge." Concludes Laughlin, -Our job is -to make sure the concept of reason, the science of reason, does not perish from the earth." Pulling people together across scientific boundaries has proven valuable in the past, and is even more essential moving forward, believes Steven Weinberg. In his own years at MIT, scientists banded together to oppose the deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system, and formed the Union of Concerned Scientists to help guide government science policy. Today, there's an urgent need for a unified scientific voice to speak out on key issues. He singles out for derision NASA's single-minded pursuit of President Bush's Moon-Mars mission, which has sidetracked, among other valuable work, climate change studies and MIT's own cosmic ray observatory, after $1 billion-worth of construction costs. He calls for astronomers and astrophysicists to -speak up and challenge NASA on its childish judgments." Weinberg also points to -many things that need to be done in this country, but that are not getting done for lack of funds: repairs of sagging bridges and tunnels, inspections of imported goods, FDA follow-ups on prescription drugs, education benefits for veterans, more basic science projects. These works consistently run up against arguments that funding them will somehow harm the economy. Weinberg believes we are ill served by those who insist that investing for the public good somehow damages the economy. -Perhaps it's time for a Union of Concerned Economists," he proposes. About the Speaker(s): Robert B. Laughlin earned a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT. He went to the Theory Group at Bell Telephone Laboratories, and then onto a research position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His work on the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect, conducted at the Livermore Lab, led to his co-winning the Nobel Prize. In 1984, he left for Stanford University. From 2004-2006, Laughlin served as President of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Laughlin has also won the E.O. Lawrence Award for Physics, and the Benjamin Franklin Media for Physics, among other honors. Steven Weinberg is a member of the Physics and Astronomy Departments. His research on elementary particles and cosmology has been honored with numerous prizes and awards, including in 1979 the Nobel Prize in Physics and in 1991 the National Medal of Science. In 2004 he received the Benjamin Franklin Medal of the American Philosophical Society, with a citation that said he is "considered by many to be the preeminent theoretical physicist alive in the world today." He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and Britain's Royal Society, as well as to the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of over 300 articles on elementary particle physics. His books include Gravitation and Cosmology -- Principles and Applications of the General Theory of Relativity(1972); The First Three Minutes (1977); and The Discovery of Subatomic Particles (1983, 2003). Most recently he published Glory and Terror -- The Growing Nuclear Danger (2004). He has served as consultant at the U. S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, President of the Philosophical Society of Texas, and member of the Board of Editors of Daedalus magazine, the Council of Scholars of the Library of Congress, the JASON group of defense consultants, and many other boards and committees. Educated at Cornell, Copenhagen, and Princeton, he also holds honorary doctoral degrees from sixteen other universities, including Chicago, Columbia, McGill, Padua, Salamanca, and Yale. He taught at Columbia, Berkeley, M.I.T., and Harvard, where he was Higgins Professor of Physics, before coming to Texas in 1982. Host(s): School of Science, Department of Physics

Interplanetary Space Logistics: Enabling New Frontiers

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:52:29 GMT

NASA is returning to the Moon by 2020 as a stepping stone for the human exploration of Mars. Human space exploration will no longer be viewed as a set of isolated missions, but rather as an integrated supply chain in space. As part of a NASA-funded project, MIT, together with its partners at JPL and Payload Systems Inc., is developing a framework for interplanetary logistics.

Space Shuttle Discovery Mission to the International Space Station

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

09/14/2006 4:30 PM Walker Morss HallStephanie WilsonDescription: The sign-up sheet for astronaut school is likely to grow even longer after viewing Stephanie Wilson's reality video about her 13 days in space. Wilson, a self-described -robo chick," served as a specialist in July 2006 on one of NASA's return-to-flight test missions following the Columbia accident. She narrates a video account -- a day-to-day diary _ of the work, and fun, she and fellow astronauts engaged in. Much of Wilson's job involved using a robotic arm to help unload supplies onto the International Space Station, to which the shuttle Discovery was docked for several days. When she wasn't helping transfer 28,000 pounds of food, gear and experiments, she was assisting crew members on space walks, during which they assembled another piece of the space station and tested a putty-like material for repairing cracks and holes in the shuttles delicate heat tiles. Wilson, who was operating an extremely 50-foot long robotic boom arm for these jobs, describes the challenge of functioning in -45 minutes of day and 45 minutes of night," as the astronauts swiftly circled the earth. -It got very cold and dark, and my colleagues said it was very lonely to be at the end of a bendy stick." Wilson's video clearly demonstrates the awesome solitude of these spacewalkers, as well as the mundane, almost household nature of their chores: Astronauts used tools resembling cordless drills to assemble new hardware onto the space station. Her footage also reveals the camaraderie and joy of life above earth. She takes us spinning like a fish through the submarine-narrow chambers of the attached shuttle and space station, and we view astronauts in zero gravity play with floating balls of water containing air bubbles, and attempt to catch myriad M&Ms in their mouths. Wilson herself performs a flipping sequence, admitting, -There's a child in all of us." To Wilson's clear regret, this may be her last shuttle flight. After a mission, an astronaut goes to the bottom of a long list of flight aspirants. But more to the point: NASA, facing budget cuts and the mandate of lunar and Mars missions, will retire the shuttles in 2010, with the goal of sending a new vehicle up in 2014. During the interim years, Russia's Soyuz space ships will exclusively bear the burden of transport to the space station. About the Speaker(s): Stephanie Wilson was accepted into the astronaut training program by NASA in April 1996. She received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Harvard University in 1988, and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas, in 1992. After graduating from Harvard, Wilson worked for two years for the former Martin Marietta Astronautics Group in Denver, Colorado as a Loads and Dynamics engineer for Titan IV. Following the completion of her graduate work, she began working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in 1992. As a member of the Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem for the Galileo spacecraft, Wilson was responsible for assessing attitude controller performance, science platform pointing accuracy, antenna pointing accuracy and spin rate accuracy. Host(s): School of Science, Department of Mathematics

Developing the Hardware for Future Human Space Exploration

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 05:00:00 GMT

03/08/2006 3:00 PM E51-115 WongMichael Griffin, NASA AdministratorDescription: While Michael Griffin sees a wealth of reasons for space exploration in general and returning to the moon in particular, NASA must still manage on a tiny portion of "the national treasure." This 7/10th of a percent of the national budget _ the equivalent of each American paying 15 cents every day _ "is not an expenditure we should do without," Griffin asserts. We are driven to investigate beyond earth because curiosity and the desire to master new territory are "wired into our DNA." But Griffin finds great value in the "opportunity for benign cooperative American leadership." Space exploration strengthens the nation, society and the human species, he says. Developing a foothold on the moon will afford humans experience in operating away from earth's environment, helping to develop the technology needed for opening the space frontier -- practice for Mars and beyond. Griffin provides details on emerging models for a new crew exploration vehicle and booster rockets. NASA is attempting to take advantage of earlier designs for the sake of economy and speed _ "architecture with as little fuss and bother as possible, maximizing the use of things we already own." There will be plenty of commercial opportunities in these public missions, with NASA seeking to purchase launch and communication services as soon as available. And he envisions promoting international cooperation by offering seats in the lunar lander in exchange, in one example, for help in setting up a lunar habitat. "We don't want to return to the days where NASA does everything," says Griffin. About the Speaker(s): Prior to being nominated as NASA Administrator, Griffin served as Space Department Head at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. He was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of In-Q-Tel, Inc., and also served in several positions within Orbital Sciences Corporation. Earlier in his career, Griffin served as Chief Engineer and as Associate Administrator for Exploration at NASA, and as Deputy for Technology at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. Griffin received a bachelor's degree in Physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in Aerospace Science from Catholic University of America; a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland; a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California; a master's degree in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University; a master's degree in Business Administration from Loyola College; and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. Host(s): School of Engineering, Massachusetts Space Grant ConsortiumTape #: T21025

Robotics in Space Exploration

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 05:00:00 GMT

01/10/2006 6:00 PM MuseumRodney A. Brooks, Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Heartland RoboticsDescription: As eager as he is to invent robots that can travel to a moon of Saturn or Jupiter, and function autonomously in these hostile environments, Rodney Brooks would love a shot to explore space himself. "I made an offer to Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergei Brin that if they would fund a one-way mission to Mars, I'd go on it," says Brooks. But he knows that robots are cheaper to send than us, "big bags of skin with biological processes requiring replenishment of all sorts." Under the Bush Administration, NASA first laid out an ambitious program in robotic technology, involving sending machines to reconnoiter the moon and Mars and prepare habitation sites for humans. "Robots would dig channels, then lower habitation modules into them, and when people come, they'd live like moles underground," says Brooks. But why send people at all if these robots can accomplish so much? It turns out that there's a dangerously long lag time between sending a command to a robot and having the machine perform a function. Ultimately, human senses and timing will be needed on site. But now NASA's grand robotic research plans are on hold, says Brooks, blocked by the difficulties and enormous expense of designing a new launch vehicle. The future of sophisticated robotic work seems earthbound, says Brooks. First, there are military innovations -- Congress has mandated that by 2015, 1/3rd of all US military missions should be unmanned. Also, the oil industry is pushing for machine-based solutions to such gritty problems as deep-ocean drilling and oil-well maintenance. And don't forget the new billionaire space cowboys, who dream of mining platinum fields on asteroids (for fuel cells on earth), or building space tourism businesses. But, Brooks reminds us, we have a way to go: After 40 years of research, "the generic object recognition that a two-year-old child could do, we can't do with our robots." Download this video at Apple's iTunesU siteAbout the Speaker(s): In addition to his multiple roles at MIT, Rodney Brooks is Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of iRobot Corporation. He received degrees in pure mathematics from the Flinders University of South Australia and the Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University in 1981. Brooks is a Founding Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Host(s): Office of the Provost, MIT MuseumTape #: 20818

Mission Control Operations

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

11/08/2005 9:00 AM 37-252Dr. Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Director of Flight operations for Apollo, former Director, NASA/JSCDescription: Chris Kraft manages to present in a single event the ultimate in engineering case studies, as well as an insider's history of 20th century space missions and a pep talk for Aero-Astro students. This blunt raconteur describes the challenges of the earliest space pioneers. His story begins with Project Mercury in the 1950s, whose space task group of 35 included eight secretaries. "We were capable people but didn't know a damn thing about how to fly in space," recalls Kraft. How would they communicate with a man in orbit, or assess his health? Most doctors thought when an astronaut left earth's atmosphere, "he'd be a blithering idiot." Air to ground communication in those days consisted of 20 words of teletype. "How do you make real time decisions in those circumstances?" muses Kraft. He proudly describes assembling the Mission Rules book, "probably the smartest thing we ever did," which attempted to address all conceivable malfunctions on a space mission. This was an early example of systems engineering, says Kraft. When President Kennedy challenged NASA to get a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, "Chris Kraft did not know how to determine orbital mechanics from 30 seconds of radar at Cape Canaveral. I thought the president was a little daft." Suddenly, there were a whole new set of problems, such as how to make sure a craft aimed at the moon did not just hit it. In the Gemini and then Apollo programs, Kraft's team solved innumerable and breathtakingly difficult issues. "We did a lot of things by the seat of our pants because we didn't know any other way. We did it by feel, by having seen the past and doing things the right way." Kraft has some harsh words for the current state of space exploration. He can't countenance NASA's abandoning the space shuttle. "We seem to have a great propensity in this country for building something wonderful, great and high performance and throwing it away '.Golly, my mother would have gone bananas!" He believes that NASA could have made the shuttle much more efficient to fly, and used it as a key element in the new race back to the Moon and to Mars. Kraft doesn't believe this program will get off the ground mainly because NASA hasn't built anything new in 25 years, "and they've forgotten what it takes to do it." The next space mission, whatever it turns out to be, will depend on the current crop of young aerospace engineers. "Go do it, don't be frightened to fail," exhorts Kraft. "You learn more from your failures than from your successes." About the Speaker(s): Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic University in 1944 and joined the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) the next year. In 1958, still at Langley, he became a member of the Space Task Group developing Project Mercury and moved with the Group to Houston in 1962. He was flight director for all of the Mercury and many of the Gemini missions and directed the design of Mission Control at what became the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1973. He was director of the JSC from 1975 until his retirement in 1982. Since then he has remained active as an aerospace consultant. Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsTape #: T20571

Astronaut Lt. Colonel Michael Fincke Attends Reunion Via Space Link

Sat, 05 Jun 2004 04:00:00 GMT

Nothing could stop Mike Fincke (MIT '89) from joining his 15th reunion ... not even a 200-mile-high earth orbit.

The Columbia Tragedy: System Level Issues for Engineering

Tue, 04 Nov 2003 05:00:00 GMT

11/04/2003 4:00 PM 1-190Sheila Widnall, '60, SM '61, ScD '64, MIT Institute ProfessorDescription: Among the "tragedy of errors" that doomed the space shuttle Columbia, perhaps the most damning were NASA's organizational blunders. Sheila Widnall served on the board investigating Columbia's destruction in February, 2003, and she can describe the technical failures that led, moment by moment, to the ghastly trail of debris across the western United States. But the investigation board traced the roots of this disaster to NASA's "culture of invincibility," years in the making. Well-intentioned people, Widnall states, became desensitized to deviations from the norm. NASA managers treated repeated anomalies -- such as foam smashing into shuttle tiles on take off -- as "maintenance turnaround events." Foam striking protective tiles on the leading edge of Columbia's wing led to the horrors of re-entry: gases in excess of 5000 degrees F entered through a possibly 10-inch-wide breech in the wing, melting sensors and internal structure, sending the shuttle out of control. The failures that led to this moment, are both engineering system failures, and human communication failures. Widnall and the investigation board recommend independent safety oversight for shuttle flights; NASA leadership that heeds minority points of view and doesn't let scheduling or budget pressures define space missions; and routine inclusion of engineers who have the right to address both technological and operational issues of a flight. FURTHER READING: For a recent article on the Columbia tragedy by William Langewiesche in The Atlantic Monthly, go to Columbia's Last Flight: The Inside Story of the Investigation and the Catastrophe it Laid Bare Link to TranscriptAbout the Speaker(s): Sheila Widnall received her B.Sc. (1960), M.S. (1961), and Sc.D. (1964) in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. She was appointed Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1986 and Institute Professor in 1998. She served as Associate Provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1992-1993 and as Secretary of the Air Force from 1993-1997. Widnall stepped down from her position as Secretary of the Air Force on October 31, 1997 to return to her faculty position at MIT. Since returning to MIT, she has been active in the Lean Aerospace Initiative with special emphasis on the space and policy focus teams. Widnall is Vice President of the National Academy of Engineering and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Research Council of the National Academies. She is a trustee of the Sloan Foundation and the Institute for Defense Analysis. She has been a trustee of the Carnegie Corporation and Vice Chair of its Board, a consultant to the Macarthur Foundation, a Director of the Aerospace Corporation, Draper Laboratories, ANSER Corp., GenCorp, Inc., Chemical Fabrics Inc., and a trustee of the Boston Museum of Science, and a member of the Council, Smithsonian Institution of Washington. She was a member of the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. She is a past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.Host(s): School of Engineering, Engineering Systems DivisionTape #: T17816

Space Exploration: The Next 100 Years

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 04:00:00 GMT

10/23/2003 7:00 PM 34-101Dava Newman, Sm '89, PhD '92, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems; Andrew Chaikin, Author, Air and Space: The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight; Supriya Chakrabarti, Director, Center for Space Physics; Boston University ; ; Richard Binzel, Professor, Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, MITDescription: High hopes meet high frustration in this panel, whose participants collectively yearn for a new vision to guide our space program. Andrew Chaikin recommends a three-step self-help regimen to move the program forward: lowering the cost of access to space (the going rate is 10 thousand dollars per pound!); embracing "outside-the-box" ideas; and engaging in a national conversation about space. Supriya Chakrabarti predicts that in around 30 years, NASA will be deploying robotic terrestrial planet finders and using the moon for both tourism and commercial development like mining. This will be possible if in the short term space scientists look for low-cost launch options, which might include exploiting existing missile technology. Richard Binzel puts the odds of a civilization-threatening asteroid impact in the next 100 years at one in a million, but believes the odds are a whole lot better that human beings will be exploring asteroids in space. We've got a leg up since we've already sent robot reconnaissance to the moons of Jupiter. If we're worried about catastrophic asteroid strikes, Binzel says, we should start taking incremental steps, such as putting nuclear reactors in space to power vehicles for long inter-planetary journeys. Host(s): Dean for Student Life, Technology and Culture ForumTape #: T17680 and 17681

The Quest for Mars: Scientific and Human Destiny?

Wed, 02 Apr 2003 05:00:00 GMT

04/02/2003 3:00PM 37- 252 Marlar LoungeDr. James Garvin, Chief Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Description: NASA's present program of science-driver exploration of Mars involves an intensive robotic campaign of increasingly sophisticated missions. While funding for Mars exploration has increased dramatically, Garvin gives an overview of what to expect in the next decade with great hope that human beings will be the agents of the great discoveries about the Red Planet. He shows a brief animated film at 1:26:00 that shows how we may land on Mars, with an air bag delivery system for a Mars exploration land rover and exploratory aircraft as well. Simply put, this is a must-see 6-minute film. About the Speaker(s): Dr. Jim Garvin currently serves as Lead Scientist for Mars Exploration at NASA Headquarters for the Space Science Enterprise. Prior to this position, he was with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center where he served as a Senior Earth and Space Scientist for 15 years. Garvin was educated at Brown and Stanford Universities, receiving his Ph.D. in 1984. His research focused on the sedimentary geology of the Viking Lander sites on Mars, as well as impact cratering processes. Upon arrival at Goddard, Garvin spearheaded development of planetary orbital laser altimetry as a tool for measuring landscapes on Mars and Earth. Garvin served as Chief Scientist for the Shuttle Laser Altimeter (SLA), which flew in Earth orbit in 1996 and 1997 on STS-72 and STS-85, respectively. He was recently awarded NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal for his work developing the scientific strategy for Mars Exploration and for chairing the NASA Decadal Planning Team. Host(s): School of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsTape #: T15210.

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Robotics in Space Exploration

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The Columbia Tragedy: System Level Issues for Engineering

Space Exploration: The Next 100 Years

The Quest for Mars: Scientific and Human Destiny?