AeroAstro

Aeronautics and Astronautics' annual publication, AeroAstro, chronicles and celebrates the department's recent innovations in technology and engineering education. Packed with interesting articles, reports, and photographs, each glossy issue includes articles on specific research projects, educational initiatives, profiles of faculty and alumni, and reports from each of our research labs.

AeroAstro No. 8, 2010-2011

Featuring AeroAstro's research in autonomous and humans-in-the-loop systems.

(Articles will be posted as they are made available in web form. Complete issue No.8 pdf is downloadable below)

• Faculty Interview: New AeroAstro head Jaime Peraire. William Litant
• Thinking for themselves: Autonomous robots plan their own actions in complex, dynamic environments. Jon How. Emilio Frazzoli, and Brian Williams
• Humans-in-the-loop. Mary Cummings, Jon How, and Brian Williams
• Where am I: Absent external positioning systems, UAVs need to be clever learners. Nickolas Roy, and Jon How
• Autonomous mobility. Emilio Frazzoli, Jon How, Nicholas Roy, Russ Tendrake, and Brian Williams
• MIT autonomous systems education. Brian Williams
• Alumni Interview: Dave Voss. Dick Dahl
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs

Download AeroAstro No.8 (pdf 4.7M)

AeroAstro No. 7, 2009-2010

Featuring AeroAstro's research in aviation-related energy and environment.

• Subsonic civil transport aircraft for 2035. Elena de la Rosa Blanco, Edward M. Greitzer
• Reducing airport surface operation environmental impact. Hamsa Balakrishnan and R. John Hansman
• Aviation and the environment: which way forward? Steven R.H. Barrett and Ian A. Waitz
• Space-based observation program is key to informed climate change. Daniel Selva, Brandon H. Suarez, Edward F. Crawley
• Confronting energy and environment’s challenges with computational engineering. Youssef M. Marzouk and Karen E. Willcox
• Energy and environmental focus pervades MIT materials research. Brian L. Wardle
• New AeroAstro 16-Eng degree addresses global challenges, interdisciplinary studies. David L. Darmofal and Ian A. Waitz
• Alumni interview: John Langford blends business and passion with UAVs and environmental research. Dick Dahl

Download AeroAstro No.7 (pdf 4.3M)

AeroAstro No. 6, 2008-2009

Featuring Giant Leaps, the MIT and AeroAstro celebration of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

• Introduction: Perspective is everything. Ian Waitz
• MIT and navigating the path to the moon. John Tylko
• Reflections on Apollo and the next giant leaps: the Giant Leaps Symposium. Dick Dahl
• Editorial: Apollo was a sheer creative expression. David Mindell
• Celebrating the life of Robert C. Seamans Jr. Louis Padulo
• The Boston Pops: A space trip of the imagination
• More leaps: Women in Aerospace symposium, outreach programs, Gardner Lecture, and Zero G
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs

Download AeroAstro No.6 (pdf, 6.9M)

AeroAstro No. 5, 2007-2008

Featuring young AeroAstro faculty and their research.

• Exploration. monitoring, rescue are potentials for autonomous vehicles. Emilio Frazzoli
• Supervising automation: humans on the loop. Mary "Missy" Cummings
• Future of rocket engines is electrifying. Paulo Lozano
• Practical algorithms for air transportation systems. Hamsa Balakrishnan
• Social robots, smart systems. Nicholas Roy
• Getting real(time) with simulation and optimization. Karen Willcox
• Strategic engineering: designing systems for an uncertain future. Olivier de Weck
• Nano and the next-gen materials. Brian Wardle
• Passion constant = vibrations and waves in turbomachinery. Zoltan Spakovsky
• Understanding explosive blast injuries will save lives, improve treatments. Raul Radovitzky
• Learning innovation dynamics key to aerospace capability. Annalisa L. Weigel
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs

Download AeroAstro No.5 (pdf, 3.1M)

AeroAstro No. 4, 2006-2007

• The Silent Aircraft, Ann Dowling, Edward Greitzer, Thomas Hynes, Edward Greitzer, James Hileman, and Zoltan Spakovszky
• CDIO in AeroAstro and beyond, Edward Crawley CDIO is an innovative framework for engineering education, created at MIT AeroAstro
• Raven: Testbed for autonomous UAVs, Jonathan How
• Hand and mind ... and heart, Three AeroAstro students combine engineering skills and social conscience to better the world.
• Blending passions for planes and teaching, Bob Sales. Faculty member Robert Liebeck profile
• Brad Parkinson, Bob Sales. Alumni profile of the father of the global positioning system
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs
• Appreciation: Earll Murman, Wesley Harris

Download AeroAstro No. 4 (pdf, 1.8M)

AeroAstro No. 3, 2005-2006

• MIT tackles interplanetary transportation of supplies, equipment, and humans, Olivier de Weck.
• Small teams make experimental project lab a unique, popular place, Jennifer Craig and Edward Greitzer.
• A global balance: Aviation and the environment, Ian A. Waitz.
• Transition: This personal vehicle's future is in the air and on the road, Carl Dietrich.
• Computational engineering is growing, and AeroAstro is in the thick of it, David Darmofal, et al.
• Mark Drela's research - and his teaching - offer beauty and functionality, Lauren Clark.
• Sci-fi turns high-fly for astronaut-alumna Janet Voss, Matthew Silver.
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs.
• Appreciation: Gene Covert and the Guggenheim Medal, William T.G. Litant

Download AeroAstro No. 3 (pdf, 2.5M)

AeroAstro No. 2, 2004-2005

• Distributed satellite systems offer vision for exploration and education, David Miller.
• MIT-designed aspirated compressors = shorter, lighter engines, Jack Kerrebrock.
• Learning in AeroAstro's Landmark Laboratory, William Litant.
• Students react to more effective teaching: Changing the pedagogy,
• Confidence in the Code, Nancy Leveson.
• Multipath wireless at the threshold of robust, low-cost communication, Moe Win.
• Of mice and Mars, Paul Wooster and Erika Wagner.
• A one-on-one with Widnall, Lauren Clark.
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs.

Download AeroAstro No. 2 (pdf, 1M)

AeroAstro No. 1, 2003-2004

• An innovation in airport noise reduction, J-P Clarke.
• A paradigm shift in communications satellite design, Eytan Modiano.
• Space electric propulsion. it's been a long time coming, Manuel Martinez-Sanchez.
• Lean Aerospace Initiative.
• Teaching by questioning, Steven Hall.
• Profile of Professor Dava Newman, Lauren Clark.
• Profile of Boeing Chief Research Pilot Tom Imrich, Dick Dahl.
• Lab report. News from AeroAstro research labs.

Download AeroAstro No. 1 (pdf, 2.1M)