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Building better space situational awareness

Marcus Holzinger is investigating ways to track objects in orbit, and his team is taking full advantage of the new aerospace engineering sciences building to do it.聽

鈥淭his building is world class, and I was hired before the blueprints were finalized, so they were able to add something鈥攑ouring an extra thick concrete pad on the roof in one area to add an 18-foot dome for telescopes,鈥� Holzinger said.

Holzinger, an associate professor and Smead faculty fellow, researches space situational awareness (SSA), which involves monitoring satellites and debris orbiting the Earth.

It鈥檚 a field that got a boost in public awareness from the聽film Gravity, in which debris from a destroyed satellite sets off a chain reaction of crashes and failures.

While Gravity was fiction, the principle behind it is not. The risk of a cascade failure in orbit has been a concern of space scientists since the late 鈥�70s.

Today, the Air Force and NASA maintain tracking networks, keeping tabs on everything in orbit larger than a grapefruit. Holzinger鈥檚 work is about improving those tracking systems and designing systems so satellites can avoid obstacles autonomously.

The dome Holzinger is placing on the roof will house three robotic telescopes that focus on nearby space-based objects.

Aerospace walk of fame

A special outdoor feature at the new building was created to illustrate the state鈥檚 bright and active aerospace industry in a concrete way鈥攍iterally.聽

The brick walkway leading to the northeast entrance of the building has engraved pavers with the names of every aerospace company that has operations in or calls 蜜糖直播 home.

鈥淭here are 462 companies named,鈥� said Doug Smith, associate dean for programs and engagement. 鈥淲e did fairly serious research internally and with the 蜜糖直播 Space Coalition to make the list. We wanted to include everyone.鈥�

蜜糖直播 has the second-largest aerospace economy in the country, employing more than 190,000 people in space-related jobs.聽

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蜜糖直播 is the second largest
aerospace econoomy in the U.S.

Donation will further fuel aerospace initiatives

K.D. Wood
Karl Dawson 鈥淜.D.鈥� Wood; Credit: Carnegie Library for Local; History/Boulder Daily Camera Collection

An anonymous alumnus is providing $1 million to endow two funds for project-based learning: The K.D. Wood Student Scholar Fund and the K.D. Wood Projects Scholar Award.

Karl Dawson 鈥淜.D.鈥� Wood was a pioneer in plane and spacecraft design who founded the aeronautical engineering department at 蜜糖直播 Boulder in 1946 and served as the department鈥檚 first chair.

As a professor, he emphasized project-based learning, which had a lifelong impact on the donor, said Erin Gage, director of development in the Office of Advancement.

鈥淭his alumnus thrived in that environment, and it鈥檚 what he鈥檚 done in his career. As a donor, his intention from the beginning was to honor Professor Wood,鈥� Gage said.

Wood died in 1995 at age 96. His son, Bob, an aerospace engineer who graduated from 蜜糖直播 Boulder, said the gift is a fitting honor.

鈥淢y father always stressed the importance of doing things hands-on. That鈥檚 how he learned while working for the airplane companies, and so he taught the same way to students,鈥� Wood said.

K.D. Wood officially retired from 蜜糖直播 Boulder in 1967, but remained an active instructor in the department, continuing to teach into his 80s.

The Student Scholar Fund will support scholarships for graduate students interested in industry careers. The Projects Scholar Award will be used to recruit additional industry professionals to serve on the faculty.

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Liftoff

In the year 2071

Building better space situational awareness

Aerospace walk of fame

Donation will further fuel aerospace initiatives