Seminar

Seminar - OSIRIS-REx: To Bennu and Back - Sept. 13

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:42:13 +0000

Seminar - OSIRIS-REx: To Bennu and Back - Sept. 13 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/03/2024 - 07:42

Friday, Sept. 13
10:40 a.m. - Seminar in AERO 120
11:30 a.m. - Panel Discussion / Q&A in AERO 111

This seminar will recount the two-year proximity operations and remote sensing campaign at Bennu, including the dramatic sample collection event and the events leading to the landing of the sample capsule in Utah.

A panel discussion will follow, featuring members of the Navigation and Flight Operations Team from NASA Goddard, Lockheed Martin, and KinetX, who will each recount specific challenges faced during the mission and the innovations that were implemented to overcome them.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Michael C Moreau (AeroEngr MS’97, PhD’01) has worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center since 2001, and for over 10 years has served in leadership roles on the OSIRIS-REx Mission, as the manager of the Navigation Team during development, launch, and Bennu encounter, then as deputy project manager and leader of the sample return capsule recovery team. Mike’s Ph.D. research at ��ֱ�� focused on applications of the Global Positioning System in high Earth orbits, and contributed to the adoption of GPS on NASA missions such as GOES and Magnetosphere Multiscale. Before attending ��ֱ��, he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont.

Over three decades, Dr. Peter Antreasian (AeroEngr PhD’92) has made contributions to the navigation of NASA missions, Galileo, NEAR, Mars Odyssey, MER, Cassini-Huygens, GRAIL, and OSIRIS-REx. He began his career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1992, then joined KinetX 20 years later to lead the OSIRIS-REx navigation team. His expertise in orbit determination and navigation has been crucial in the success of these missions, including the first-ever landing of a spacecraft on an asteroid and the return of an asteroid sample to Earth. Peter earned his BS, MS and PhD in Aerospace Engineering, respectively, from Purdue, University of Texas and University of ��ֱ��.

Dr. Jason Leonard (AeroEngr MS’12, PhD’15) received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder under the advisement of Dr. George Born. Currently, he is the Orbit Determination Group Supervisor at KinetX Aerospace and Deputy Navigation Team Chief for the NASA OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX missions. He has been the Orbit Determination Team Lead for OSIRIS-REx since prior to Launch, during the duration of proximity operations and its successful acquisition of asteroid regolith, and through its return of the sample to Earth. For his contributions to the mission, Jason received the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal and the PI Award of Distinction.

Dr. Daniel Wibben is the Maneuver Design Group Supervisor for the Space Navigation and Flight Dynamics practice at KinetX Aerospace, Inc. Since joining the company, he has held the role of Maneuver and Trajectory lead for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. He has also been involved with the planning and operations of the LUCY, LunaH-Map, and DAVINCI missions. He received his B.S. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona where his research was focused on nonlinear guidance techniques for asteroid proximity operations and planetary landing.

Coralie D. Adam (AeroEngr MS’17) is the Optical Navigation Group Supervisor at KinetX. She holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering and astronomy from the University of Illinois, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering sciences from the University of ��ֱ�� at Boulder. During her 12 years at KinetX, Coralie has had lead roles on the navigation teams for NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and OSIRIS-APEX missions. In addition to leading the OSIRIS-REx optical navigation subsystem from development through sample collection, she co-convened the scientific investigation of Bennu’s active particle ejection phenomena. Coralie is currently the deputy Navigation Team Chief on NASA’s Lucy mission, and a navigation lead and science co-investigator on the OSIRIS-APEX extended mission to asteroid Apophis.

Ryan Olds (AeroEngr BS’04, MS’09) has 19 years of experience in Guidance Navigation and Controls at Lockheed Martin Space supporting NASA Deep Space Exploration Missions. Ryan started his career working on the Pointing Control System for the Spitzer Space Telescope. He developed the reaction wheel control system for the twin-spacecraft GRAIL mission and supported test, integration, launch, and operations at the Moon. Ryan began working on OSIRIS-Rex in 2013 by developing control systems as well as the Natural Feature Tracking system which provided autonomous navigation for OSIRIS-REx during the mission’s sample acquisition phase. Ryan is currently a Guidance, Navigation and Controls manager and continues to support Deep Space Exploration missions such as OSIRIS-REx and DAVINCI.

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Seminar: Cybersecurity for the Global Positioning System (GPS) - Nov. 15

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:25:51 +0000

Seminar: Cybersecurity for the Global Positioning System (GPS) - Nov. 15 Jeff Zehnder Wed, 11/06/2024 - 09:25

Todd Walter
Research Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University
Friday, Nov. 15 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: GPS has evolved into a vital component of our critical infrastructure. Originally developed over 50 years ago as a military navigation system, it has since been transformed into an indispensable utility, with over 9 billion civilian GPS receivers now in use worldwide. Despite its ubiquity, many are unaware of the extent to which GPS supports and enables modern life. GPS underpins our transportation networks, global communications, and financial transactions, enhancing productivity across a wide array of sectors, including power generation, agriculture, surveying, scientific research, and the oil, gas, and mining industries. The economic impact of losing GPS capabilities would be profound, with estimates suggesting that the United States alone would incur losses exceeding one billion dollars per day due to diminished efficiencies and service disruptions.

However, GPS is highly susceptible to interference. Its signals, transmitted at extremely low power, can be easily masked or overwhelmed by terrestrial sources of radio interference. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in GPS jamming incidents and, more troublingly, in spoofing attacks. Spoofing occurs when false GPS signals are transmitted, causing receivers to misinterpret their location or timing data. For critical applications reliant on accurate positioning and timing, spoofed signals pose serious risks, leading to potentially dangerous situations for users.

This talk will provide an overview of the GPS system, discuss its vulnerabilities, and explore protective measures designed to shield GPS users from these emerging risks.

GPS has evolved into a vital component of our critical infrastructure. Originally developed over 50 years ago as a military navigation system, it has since been...

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Seminar - Roadmapping the Future of Technology: In Space and on Earth - Nov. 1

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:24:27 +0000

Seminar - Roadmapping the Future of Technology: In Space and on Earth - Nov. 1 Jeff Zehnder Mon, 10/28/2024 - 13:24

Olivier de Weck
Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems, MIT
Friday, Nov. 1 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: In this seminar I will discuss what I have learned from studying the evolution of technology over longer periods of time. This includes how to quantify technological progress correctly (generalized Moore's Law, S-Curves and Pareto fronts) and how to plan for its future improvement through technology roadmapping and focused R&D investment.

Case studies presented will include civil aviation which connects humans and cargo across our planet, as well as the Deep Space Network (DSN) that is used to communicate with our interplanetary probes. I will conclude by speculating about the existence of a future technological singularity and what I see as the major challenges and opportunities for technology in general and aerospace in particular in the 21st century.

This seminar is based on the recent book "Technology Roadmapping and Development" published by Springer Nature.

Bio: Olivier de Weck is the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His main research is in Systems Engineering with a focus on how complex technological systems, such as satellites and launch vehicles, are designed and optimized and how they evolve over time.

He is a Fellow of INCOSE and Fellow of AIAA and a former chair of its Space Logistics Technical Committee. He helped develop the first integrated model of the Next Generation Space Telescope (now JWST) and the concept of interplanetary supply chains together with colleagues at NASA and JPL. Prof. de Weck previously served as Senior Vice President of Technology Planning and Roadmapping at Airbus and he is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, as well as the Associate Department Head of MIT | Aero Astro.

His passion is to improve life on our home planet Earth, while paving the way for humanity’s future off-world settlements.

In this seminar I will discuss what I have learned from studying the evolution of technology over longer periods of time. This includes how to quantify technological progress correctly...

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Seminar: A GHOST in 5G Security - Oct. 18

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 20:00:59 +0000

Seminar: A GHOST in 5G Security - Oct. 18 Jeff Zehnder Mon, 10/07/2024 - 14:00

Keith Gremban
Research Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Oct. 18 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: When stationed abroad, U.S. military, diplomatic, and non-governmental personnel use 5G networks that may be operated by untrusted and potentially hostile actors. GHOST (5G Hidden Operations through Securing Traffic) enables secure operations over these networks by hiding sensitive movement and communications from adversaries.

GHOST is a software application that can swap device IDs and activity patterns to prevent individuals from being identified, tracked and targeted; inject false network traffic to hide organizational activity; and enable deception operations to mislead adversaries. This presentation will provide an overview of the security challenges GHOST is designed to overcome, and the concepts, data analyses, and mathematics underlying the GHOST product.

Bio: Keith Gremban is a Research Professor in the Ann and H. J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department and Co-Director of the Spectrum Policy Initiative in the Silicon Flatirons Center, both at the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder.

His research interests are in wireless communications, radio spectrum science and policy, and the Internet of Things.

Keith spent nearly 25 years in industry, was a Program Manager at the Department of Defense, and was the laboratory director for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Internet of Things Magazine. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University, and his M.S. and B.S. in mathematics from Michigan State University.

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Seminar - Safe Autonomy: Are We There Yet? Unifying Learning, Control, and Decision-Making through Formal Reasoning - Oct. 4

Jeff Zehnder — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Seminar - Safe Autonomy: Are We There Yet? Unifying Learning, Control, and Decision-Making through Formal Reasoning - Oct. 4 Jeff Zehnder Sat, 09/28/2024 - 12:00

Morteza Lahijanian
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Oct. 4 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: As autonomous systems become increasingly prevalent in safety-critical domains, ensuring their safe operation remains a key challenge. This seminar examines the questions: Are we there yet? Have we achieved the level of safe autonomy needed for widespread deployment? The talk will focus on integration of three foundational elements—learning, control, and decision-making—through the lens of formal reasoning.

I will discuss how machine learning enables adaptive behavior in dynamic environments, but often lacks guarantees needed for safety. Control theory provides robust frameworks for system stability but faces limitations when navigating complex, uncertain settings. Decision-making strategies offer high-level guidance, yet can struggle to align with real-world constraints. I argue that formal methods offer a powerful and critical solution to bridging these gaps, providing mathematical guarantees for system behavior while accounting for the uncertainties inherent in autonomous decision-making.

I will present our progress in unifying these approaches to enable safe autonomy, addressing both the theoretical advancements and practical challenges. Specifically, I will highlight our key contributions to enabling assured, reliable, and interactive autonomy.

Bio: Morteza Lahijanian is an assistant professor in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, an affiliated faculty at the Computer Science department and Robotics program, and the director of the Assured, Reliable, and Interactive Autonomous (ARIA) Systems group at the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder. He received his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University. He served as a postdoctoral scholar in Computer Science at Rice University. Prior to joining ��ֱ�� Boulder, he was a research scientist in the department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford.

Dr. Lahijanian's research interests span the areas of control theory, stochastic hybrid systems, formal methods, machine learning, and game theory with applications in robotics, particularly, motion planning, strategy synthesis, model checking, and human-robot interaction. His lab develops novel theoretical foundations and computational frameworks to enable reliable and intelligent autonomy. The emphasis is especially on safe autonomy through correct-by-construction algorithmic approaches.

As autonomous systems become increasingly prevalent in safety-critical domains, ensuring their safe operation remains a key challenge. This seminar examines the questions: Are we there yet? Have we...

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Seminar: Geometry and Mechanics in the Design of Aerospace Structures - Sept. 20

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:54:33 +0000

Seminar: Geometry and Mechanics in the Design of Aerospace Structures - Sept. 20 Jeff Zehnder Tue, 09/17/2024 - 09:54

Francisco López Jiménez
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 20 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: Lightweight materials and structures are essential in the aerospace industry, from enabling the large space structures required to advance science missions to reducing fuel consumption. Their mechanical response is often a result of the interplay between material properties and their geometry across different scales. As an example, we will present our work on high strain composites for deployable structures. First, how thickness controls the mode of failure of composites under bending. Second, how the geometry of composite flexures determines the balance between stiffness when deployed and compliance for better stowage. Finally, how curvature in composite booms can enable the ultra-lightweight booms necessary for the next generation of solar sails. We will also discuss other examples of our work, from ablative composites in hypersonics to animal architecture.

Bio: Francisco López Jiménez is an Assistant Professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Seville, and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology. Before joining ��ֱ�� Boulder, he held postdoctoral research appointments at the Laboratoire de Mécanique des Solides (École Polytechnique, France) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the design, fabrication, and analysis of lightweight materials and slender structures, with an emphasis in composite materials and deployable structures.

Lightweight materials and structures are essential in the aerospace industry, from enabling the large space structures required to advance science missions to reducing fuel consumption...

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Seminar: Advancing Spacecraft Trajectory Design, Analysis, and Prediction within Multi-Body Systems - Sept. 27

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:03:18 +0000

Seminar: Advancing Spacecraft Trajectory Design, Analysis, and Prediction within Multi-Body Systems - Sept. 27 Jeff Zehnder Tue, 09/17/2024 - 09:03

Natasha Bosanac
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 27 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 114

Abstract: Our future in space involves miniaturized satellites for low-cost and rapid access to space, autonomously navigating spacecraft, on-orbit servicing for sustainability, in-space assembly of critical infrastructure, formations for multi-point measurements, and spacecraft visiting the farthest reaches of our solar system. Across this wide array of architectures, form factors, and destinations is a common thread: spacecraft operating within multi-body gravitational systems. These systems possess a chaotic solution space that has challenged several astrodynamics tasks, including 1) sufficiently understanding the broad array of possible motions for a spacecraft; 2) designing complex and constrained trajectories that exist across a diverse trade space; 3) generating digestible predictions of the possible future motions of an object; and 4) automating all these tasks to reduce operational costs and support autonomous decision-making. This talk will present selected recent contributions from my research group to address these challenges by developing new trajectory analysis, design, and prediction strategies for spacecraft operating in multi-body systems.

Bio: Natasha Bosanac is an Assistant Professor in the Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder. She earned her S.B. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT in 2010. Then, she earned her M.S.A.A. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 2012 and 2016, respectively, with a focus on astrodynamics. Her research group works to advance trajectory design, analysis, and prediction strategies within multi-body systems through a combination of dynamical systems theory, machine learning, data mining, and path planning techniques.

Our future in space involves miniaturized satellites for low-cost and rapid access to space, autonomously navigating spacecraft, on-orbit servicing for sustainability, in-space assembly of critical infrastructure, formations for multi-point measurements, and spacecraft visiting the...

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Panel and Q&A - Charting Your Course: Navigating Careers in Aerospace - Sept. 12

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 22:24:35 +0000

Panel and Q&A - Charting Your Course: Navigating Careers in Aerospace - Sept. 12 Jeff Zehnder Wed, 09/04/2024 - 16:24

Charting Your Course Panelists

Darlene Lim

NASA Ames, VIPER Deputy Project Scientist, Science Operations & Integration Lead

Hans Koenigsman

SpaceX, Vice President
of Flight Reliability
(Semi-Retired)

Thursday, Sept. 12
5:30-6:30 p.m. • AERO 120

Smead Aerospace invites you to attend a special workshop on the broad range of career opportunities in aerospace engineering.

Join moderator Prof. Torin Clark and two aerospace professionals who will discuss exciting and innovative accomplishments in our field, share experiences from their careers, and provide advice and guidance to your own path.

This will be a one-hour panel with questions from the moderator and audience, followed by an open house that gives you the opportunity to interact with panelists one-on-one.

Smead Aerospace invites you to attend a special workshop on the broad range of career opportunities in aerospace engineering...

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Seminar - Breaking the Curse of Dimensionality in Decision-Making for Autonomous Systems - Sept. 6

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:35:18 +0000

Seminar - Breaking the Curse of Dimensionality in Decision-Making for Autonomous Systems - Sept. 6 Jeff Zehnder Tue, 09/03/2024 - 07:35

Zach Sunberg

Zach Sunberg
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 6 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 114

Abstract: Autonomous cyberphysical systems hold the promise to positively transform many tasks, for example transportation, collecting scientific data in hazardous environments, and monitoring objects in space. Uncertainty is a critical factor in all of these domains. The partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) and partially observable stochastic Game (POSG) provide mathematical formalisms for computing the best single-agent and multi-agent policies in the presence of uncertainty, however, these problems are notoriously computationally difficult to solve.

Recent work in the Autonomous Decision and Control Lab (ADCL) at ��ֱ�� Boulder has shown that one source of intractability, namely the curse of dimensionality in the state and observation spaces, is possible to overcome, both theoretically and practically. This presentation will give an overview of the ADCL's efforts to develop new theory and algorithms to solve POMDPs and POSGs and deploy the algorithms to solve real-world challenges.

Bio: Zachary Sunberg is an Assistant Professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder.

His research focuses on partially observable Markov decision processes and game theory with applications to artificial intelligence and aerospace vehicle control.

Sunberg earned his PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University, and his BS and MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University.

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Seminar: Entrepreneurship, Raising Capital and the Future of Investments in Aerospace and Tech - Apr. 30

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Seminar: Entrepreneurship, Raising Capital and the Future of Investments in Aerospace and Tech - Apr. 30 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/23/2024 - 00:00

Dan Caruso
Managing Director, Caruso Ventures
Tuesday, April 30 | 4 P.M. | AERO 111

A talk with the Managing Director of Caruso Ventures on entrepreneurship, raising capital and the future of investments in aerospace and technology

Please join Mark Sirangelo as he welcomes Dan Caruso, the Managing Director of Caruso Ventures ��ֱ��’s foremost investors and business leaders for a discussion of his career, how to raise capital for ventures and the future of investment in aerospace, space and technology.

Dan Caruso is Managing Director of Caruso Ventures, a 3x decacorn entrepreneur and an avid supporter of entrepreneurship. In 2020, Dan and Cindy Caruso founded Caruso Ventures. Current investments, many based in ��ֱ��, include aerospace and engineering related companies such as Exum Instruments, BillGO, Genalyte, Canopy Aerospace, Radia, Boom Supersonic, Language I/O, Voyager Space Holdings, Quantum Industries, Atom Computing, Firefly, Agile Space Industries and numerous others.

Dan was the Founding Partner, Chairman and CEO of Zayo Group Holdings, Inc., where investors enjoyed a $8.5B equity exit on a $1.0B investment. Dan was a co-founding executive of Level 3 and joined Metropolitan Fiber Systems (MFS) as it began to scale. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Endeavor ��ֱ�� and is on the boards of Elevate Quantum and ��ֱ�� Thrives.

In 2015, Dan and Cindy established The Caruso Foundation to Support Initiatives that Inspire Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Inclusion. The Caruso Foundation supports a number of impactful organizations including the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder’s Startup Summer, Catalyze ��ֱ��, and New Venture Challenge, Endeavor ��ֱ��, ��ֱ�� Thrives and several others. Dan recently gave the commencement address for the University of ��ֱ�� Boulder MBA (2020).

Dan is a recipient of several awards including the Chicago Booth Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship, University of Illinois Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, ��ֱ�� Technology Association’s Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award, University of ��ֱ�� Leeds Corporate Partner Award (Zayo), and ��ֱ�� Governor’s Corporate Citizenship Medal. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Mark N. Sirangelo created and hosts the ��ֱ�� Future Insight Seminar Series as ��ֱ��’s Entrepreneur-Scholar in Residence. He is the recent Chairman of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Board and the DoD’s Space Advisory Committee. Previously he was Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator helping to develop NASA’s return to the Moon. Mark was the founding executive and head of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems and has served as the Chief Innovation Officer of ��ֱ��.

A talk with the Managing Director of Caruso Ventures on entrepreneurship, raising capital and the future of investments in aerospace and technology

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