MIT AeroAstro

Extremely proud of this paper. Harsh did an excellent job synthesizing numerical results and theory to answer one of the most fundamental questions facing ISAM concepts — how do spacecraft capabilities determine the time needed to make a large structure on orbit? Harsh’s fabrication time diagrams are a powerful new tool for designing ISAM missions. They also have important potential applications in describing terrestrial manufacturing technologies, where there is often a trade-off between size, precision, and throughput. Congrats Harsh!

What does AI mean for autonomous vehicles? Hint: It's not just self-driving cars. Watch on our TikTok: https://bit.ly/3YDIqGP “A lot of the development that we can do could be completely automated,” says MIT AeroAstro Prof. Sertac Karaman. “In the future, I think a good chunk of this AI discussion will form into what we call embodied AI.” Keep learning with @MITOpenLearning: https://bit.ly/3YDIqGP #GenerativeAI #GenAI #Education #OnlineEducation #OnlineLearning #Automation #AutonomousVehicles #STEMEducation #ProfessionalDevelopment #AI #ArtificialIntelligence

“How do we take AI and align it with the values of your company, customers, stakeholders, or the values of society? If not deployed in a safe, secure way, it might confuse your customers or give them the wrong information.” AeroAstro Prof. and LIDS director Sertac Karaman and Sloan Prof. Eric So share six ways executives can embrace #AI to navigate the evolving tech landscape. For MIT Sloan Management Review: https://ow.ly/x6Vo50TSNEp

To transform aviation's environmental footprint, we need solutions that go beyond CO2 reduction that address both climate and air quality impacts. The Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment’s latest paper, "Near-zero environmental impact aircraft," this month’s cover story in Sustainable Energy and Fuels journal by the Royal Society of Chemistry, takes this challenge head-on. Their research proposes an aircraft-energy system that could cut aviation’s combined climate and air quality impacts by 99%, while keeping operating costs manageable for the industry. Read more about their method: https://ow.ly/he7F50TR99t #ClimateTech Prashanth Prakash

First-year SM student Niya Hope-Glenn had the extraordinary opportunity to speak with NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps during one of her final days aboard the International Space Station. The group of colleagues and family talked about research, resilience, and ironically – staying grounded. “She told us: ‘Everything’s hard until you learn.’” said Hope-Glenn. “The call was super transformative.” https://ow.ly/iGaI50TQ62I

Congratulations to Eric Ducharme SM ‘85 ScD ‘87 on being inducted into the GE Aerospace Propulsion Hall of Fame! He is one of five inductees in this year’s Hall of Fame class, which honors those who have made outstanding contributions to GE Aerospace and the aviation industry as a whole. Over his 33-year career at GE, from his start as an aeromechanical engineer until his retirement as Chief Engineer in 2020, he impacted some of the company’s most successful commercial engine programs. https://ow.ly/39rL50TM0e1

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, seen over MIT after sunset on Tuesday, October 15 from the roof of the Green Building, looking west. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is believed to have originated from the Oort Cloud, a shell of icy debris orbiting the sun, and made its closest approach to Earth on October 12. The comet is visible even under light polluted skies and is believed to orbit Earth once every 80,000 years. Photo by course 16’s Evan Kramer, Space Systems Lab

A recent award from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) brings together researchers from MIT AeroAstro and the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), Carnegie Mellon University, and Lehigh University under the new Multiobjective Engineering and Testing of Alloy Structures (METALS) program to revolutionize aerospace materials. Led by Prof. Zack Cordero, the team will use new design tools and additive manufacturing to optimize multi-material structures, with a focus on bladed disk (blisk) geometries in jet and rocket engines. “This project could have important implications across a wide range of aerospace technologies. Insights from this work may enable more reliable, reusable, rocket engines that will power the next generation of heavy-lift launch vehicles,” says Cordero. Read more on MIT News: https://ow.ly/3oXu50THYwM

AeroAstro is now #hiring for tenure-track faculty positions! Interested candidates are invited to join us for a Zoom-hybrid panel discussion on the faculty application process on Monday, Oct. 21 at 12:00pm EDT. Register and read more on our website: https://ow.ly/KOHZ50TIb3t The department is seeking exceptional candidates in any discipline related to aerospace engineering, with particular interest in: - aircraft design - air traffic management - decarbonization for propulsion - space systems - bioastronautics See you there!

If you're applying to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate school this cycle, I highly recommend looking into the Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP)! GAAP connects traditionally underrepresented applicants (including veterans!) with current MIT graduate students who provide feedback on application materials. This is a great chance to receive personalized mentorship, including synchronous support (e.g. brainstorming and outlining your statement of objectives) and asynchronous feedback (e.g. offline draft reviews). Talking to current grad students was a helpful part of my application process—we can share insights on how to highlight your strengths and navigate the application process effectively. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so apply soon! MIT AeroAstro GAAP application link: https://lnkd.in/eRFb8QRN GAAP for other MIT departments: https://lnkd.in/e7xuPeFv Application materials from MIT Communication Labs: https://lnkd.in/eidVaWPP #students #highereducation #URM #graduateschool #studentveterans #gradschoolprep #FirstGen #womeninSTEM