The Lawrence Sperry Award recognizes a notable contribution made by a young person, age 35 or under, to the advancement of aeronautics or astronautics. AIAA Associate Fellow Michael Snyder was recognized: “For outstanding and notable contributions to advance in-space additive manufacturing to ensure safer, sustainable spaceflight missions and manufacturing industrial products to benefit Earth.” As noted in his award nomination, “Snyder’s contributions to the industry in the areas of spaceflight technology are significant and have had a notable impact on the trajectory of space exploration. NASA, DARPA, NRO and other agencies have benefited from his expertise to inform various space manufacturing programs. His technical expertise combined with his passion for the advancement of space exploration and his commitment to bridging the gap for the next generation of engineers and aerospace professionals” are what made him an ideal candidate for the Lawrence Sperry Award.
Snyder honestly cannot remember a time when he wasn’t interested in aerospace. He loved anything and everything about space exploration, particularly human exploration. “I enjoyed just watching Earth views from shuttle missions that would loop on NASA TV and all the programming they built around space exploration,” commented Snyder. “My immediate family did a great job in nurturing my interests, including having extreme amounts of patience with me after my many ad hoc discovery projects that involved taking appliances apart and attempting to put them back together after I thought I figured out how they worked.” He added, “I was also taken to the library frequently and enjoyed reading nonfiction subjects ranging from astronomy to shipwrecks … I was fueled to dedicate [my] future in the endeavor to expand the capabilities of spaceflight and enable people to live and work in space permanently.”
Snyder knew from as young as second or third grade that he wanted to study aerospace engineering, and he noted, his “home state of Ohio has a great aerospace infrastructure, so I had a few good in-state university choices.” He attended what he considered and still considers to be the best—Ohio State University.
During his time at Ohio State, Snyder took advantage of the aerospace-related clubs on campus, “sometimes to the detriment of my classwork.” “[I] participated in the aircraft and rocket design teams and had the opportunity to lead them in my junior and senior years. I founded the Electronic Controls Club on campus to facilitate the development of some guidance systems for the rocket team. I also was involved and eventually led the campus AIAA student branch.” He noted that these extracurricular clubs were what developed his management skills, adding, “Those skills vastly improved with the help of the clubs’ advisors, mainly Dr. Jack McNamara.” Snyder is convinced his early management of engineers would have been a much harder experience “without those experiences and tutelage.”
An internship opportunity with an aircraft engine simulation company helped inspire the later application of his Made In Space internship experiences and provided Snyder first-hand insights on the do’s and don’ts of those opportunities.
He credits his graduate advisor, Dr. M. J. Benzakein, for introducing him “to the experience of developing payloads for the ISS with a project he handed over” to complete, “resulting in the on-orbit investigation of the synthesis of nanocrystalline ceria through varying gravitational fields. … That project gave me the incredible experience of designing, building, and qualifying hardware that would operate on the ISS.”
Snyder noted that many people have influenced him in his work over the years. He remarked, “I was always inspired by the folks in mission control and engineers enabling space exploration to take place in my adolescence. I connected to the Apollo folks the most; this was probably due to the available information at the time. Chris Kraft, Tom Kelly, and fellow Ohio native Gene Kranz were all inspirations for me, and I can’t tell you how many times I read their books growing up.”
He added that at college, he had “fantastic mentors. Anita Gale and the late Dr. Eric Rice took me under their wing[s] when it came to AIAA technical activities and really made me feel welcome and allowed me to contribute. The late Dr. Gerald Gregorek at Ohio State really educated me on proper design cycles and alternative ways to view problems both in class as well in the design teams. Mike Johnson educated me greatly in all topics related to payloads, including showing me the most effective ways to present data necessary for qualification. The late Allan McDonald always took my phone calls and mentored me on his views on appropriate safety cultures, especially when the company started to scale up. I think the most influential person during my professional career has been Dr. John Grunsfeld. He brings a perspective that is leaps and bounds beyond any other single source. His guidance has been invaluable with building and running larger programs.”
When asked about the value of AIAA membership, Snyder said that his participation in the student branch beginning as a freshman led him “to access the technical activities of the … national group. I love learning. I loved going to conferences to hear about new work and concepts while presenting on my own, and I love being around some like-minded folks who had a passion for technical development and innovation.” He became a member of the Space Settlement Technical Committee in 2009, while still an undergraduate. He took on the positions of secretary, then co-chair, and finally chair in 2017. He noted, “The bulk [more than 20] of my technical publications have been through AIAA, which started while I was still an undergraduate student.”
Having started his first company providing “mainly consulting services with an eye toward space” as an undergraduate, his work “greatly expanded during graduate school after teaming up with the other co-founders of Made In Space.” The company’s mission was to bring manufacturing and industry to space and create a future where humans are enabled to live and work in space by eliminating the reliance on Earth resupply and spares.
Under Snyder’s technical leadership, Made In Space went on to produce and operate the first additive manufacturing hardware in space, build and operate the first commercial manufacturing hardware for use in space, produce the first optical fiber in space, and became the first company to commercialize space-enabled materials.
Snyder remarked on the untraditional journey that the business has taken, “The phrase ‘Iterate early and iterate often’ applies to both design and business alike. The path we’ve been on has taken many routes that were not predictable at the beginning. … we chose to be agile, to meet customers’ needs while still maintaining objectives toward the end goal: long-term habitation and space-enabled technologies.”
He added, “we set out to do things that never have been done before and there are learning opportunities that make the approach better after modification. We did not take on investment at the beginning of the company so we could maintain that agility and be responsive toward ever-changing demands. We were very fortunate to have a lot of people believe in us, especially early on at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. They also had a vision that was [well aligned] with our own to bring manufacturing to space. My career has taken twists and turns that took me places that I could not imagine at the beginning or even later on. That’s really part of the excitement. I cannot wait to experience what is to come.”
After Made in Space was acquired by Redwire Space in 2020, Snyder became chief technology officer. The company has now launched over 35 payloads and pieces of hardware on 20 missions, including the upgraded International Space Station solar arrays. When asked what he thinks he’ll be working on in the future, Snyder responded, “I look forward to the changing landscape and the new challenges that will present themselves. I do hope that in the decades to come, more space-enabled products are investigated and monetized for use back here on the ground. We’ve been successful on a couple of materials that we’ve tried out, but there are hundreds more that should be looked at. It truly is in its infancy as an industry. I also hope that in situ resource utilization (ISRU) becomes commonplace. The only way sustainable exploration and habitation can occur is living off the land. I think the ISRU technologies developed for space will benefit conditions here on Earth in the long term. We need to be more efficient with how we use materials and energy and what better place to develop those technologies than in space, where it is an absolute necessity, all the time.”
AIAA, Estes Industries, and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) have joined together to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through a new, multi-year initiative that will bring research-based aerospace education to thousands of classrooms nationwide. Exploration Generation (ExGen) will provide K-12 educators with free lesson plans and curriculum storylines to help guide students as they explore various concepts in aerospace, engineering, and rocketry. High-quality professional learning experiences will also be developed to support teachers’ use of the ExGen instructional materials.
To help educators provide a more collaborative, student-centered learning environment where ideas are accessible and engaging for all students, each lesson plan, called NSTA Daily Dos, and the curriculum storylines, called NSTA Units, are grounded in sensemaking. Through this approach, students actively engage in a learning experience to make sense of phenomena in a way that aligns with their natural curiosity. In May, ExGen will unveil its first three Daily Dos developed for the middle school level. The NSTA Unit, designed for grades 6-8, will be available in October. ExGen will expand with additional resources for elementary and high school educators next year. Professional learning for educators will begin this fall with additional programs available in the future.
To ensure this program is widely accessible to as many students as possible, Estes will match the AIAA contribution to the program in the first year of launch through in-kind donations to participating schools and continue in all subsequent years.
In addition, Estes will manage a grant program to provide eligible Title 1 schools with funding to purchase the supplies needed to facilitate these lessons in the classroom. Details on how to apply will be announced later this year.
For more information about how to get involved with AIAA and make an impact please visit aiaa.org/foundation or contact Alex D’Imperio, alexandrad@aiaa.org.
AIAA is pleased to announce the winners of six of the 2022 Regional Student Conferences. The Institute holds conferences in each region for student members at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and this is the first year since the program’s inception that High School Members were invited to present. The student conferences are a way for students to present their research and be judged on technical content and presentation skills by AIAA members working in the aerospace industry. The students also had a chance to network with aerospace professionals and attend special events. Lockheed Martin was the generous sponsor of these conferences, in addition to several other regional sponsors.
More than 170 papers were presented by university and high school students across all six regions, with over 500 students and professionals in attendance. The AIAA Region VII Student Conference will be held in fall 2022.
The first-place university student winners in each undergraduate, graduate, and team categories (listed below) are invited to attend and present their papers at the AIAA International Student Conference, to be held in conjunction with the 2023 AIAA SciTech Forum in National Harbor, MD, 23-27 January.
High School Category
1st Place – “Breaking Statistics of Airlines Sanitation Efforts,” Kristin Nelson, Natalie Catalano, and Ella Bianco, It’s a Girls World (Carneys Point, NJ)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Estimation of UAS Relative Position and Orientation Using Multiple Parwise Range Measurements,” Ezra Bregin, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
2nd Place – “Viability in Electric Propulsion in Small Satellites for Active Debris Removal,” Yaw Tung Tan, Kelly Irons, and Elaine Petro, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
3rd Place – “Trajectory Optimization for Refueling Geosynchronous Satellites,” Evangelina Evans, Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA)
Masters Category
1st Place – “Use of Naphthalene Sublimation Technique to Study Solid Fuel Regression,” Grace Hall, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA)
2nd Place – “Large Deformation Bending of Ultralight Deployable Structure for Nano and Micro Class Satellites,” Jimesh Bhagatji and Oleksandr Kravchenko, Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)
3rd Place – “QCM Temperature-Frequency
Characterization for Plume Measurement Application,” Arthur Chadwick and Elaine Petro, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
Team Category
1st Place – “Jovian Autonomous Sailplane of Persistent Exploration and Research (JASPER),” Joseph Malach, Edward Luthartio, Haley Parker, Sydney Kwitowski, Aiman Alobahi, Alexander Hertz, Sayad Asif, Javid Bagandor, University at Buffalo, State University of New York (Buffalo, NY)
2nd Place – “Development of Spectroscopic Measurement Systems of Investigating Scramjet Cavity Flameholding,” Andrew Metro, Spencer Barnes, Owen Petito, and Chloe Dedic, University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
3rd Place – “Design and Analysis for an Ionospheric CubeSat,” Tyler Lizotte, Phillip Durgin, Jeremy Gagnon, Veronika Karshina, Christopher Ritter, Harrison Smith, Drake Tierney, and Samuel Waring, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
AIAA Aircraft Operations Technical Committee Best Aircraft Operations Paper
“IR Detection System for Application in Wildfire Suppression,” Adam Del Colliano, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Development and Fabrication of an Ultrasonic MEMS Anemometer for Use in Low-Pressure Environments,” Alexander Reilly, University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
2nd Place – “Developing a Bio-Inspired Artificial Butterfly Vehicle,” Thomas Clark and Chang-kwon Kang, University of Alabama in Huntsville (Huntsville, AL)
3rd Place – “Application of Vibrational Damping on Spacecraft Crew Capsule Design Using Common Aerospace Materials,” Kody Parsotan and Seshan Jayapregasham, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL)
Masters Category
1st Place Mike Freeman Award – Investigation of shock-wave Boundary Layer interaction for a Mach 1.8 flow Isolator,” Larry Thompson and Michael Atkinson, North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, NC)
2nd Place – “View Factors and Busemann Geometry for Ram Accelerator Projectile Design,” Connor McGibbony and Eric Booth, Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, LA)
3rd Place – “On the Kármán–Pohlhausen Momentum-Integral Approach: Extension to Flow Over a Cylinder with a Variable Pressure Gradient,” Rudy Al Ahmar and Joseph Majdalani, Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
Team Category
1st Place Stan Powell Award – “Lunar Lava Tube Exploration with CubeRover: Wandering Observer of Lunar Features (WOLF) Rover,” Alina Creamer, Brigid Donohue, Bennett Meyer, and Manuel Puyana, North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
2nd Place – “Solid Propellant Arc Combustion for Small Satellite Propulsion,” Mallory Roy, Ashley Rivkin, Samuel Lovelace, Jessica Cutler, Nathan Fischer, Victor Robleto, Sean Gunther, Emily Milne, and Abram Murphy, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
3rd Place – “Racing Drones for STEM Education,” Mackenzie Wiles, Bryce Fuson, and Michelle Engelke, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
Outstanding Branch Activity Category
1st Place – “GT AIAA: Lockheed Martin Case Study,” Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
2nd Place – “Community Outreach in STEM at Florida Tech,” Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
3rd Place – “Career Networking Events—Meet the Geeks,” Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL)
Regional Design Team Category
1st Place – “UofM NERD Team Rover Design,” University of Memphis (Memphis, TN)
Freshman/Sophomore Open Topic Category
1st Place – “The Future of Aviation in Zero Carbon Emissions Aircraft,” Shannon Tracy, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
2nd Place – “Lunar Mining of Tritium,” Beck Kerridge and Colin Zelasko, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
3rd Place – “Spacecraft Attitude Control Methods,” Jesus Delgado, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Design of an All-Terrain Aerial Robotic Interface (ATARI) as a Collaborative Platform for UAVs,” Rebecca Gilligan, University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH)
2nd Place – “A Thermodynamics Analysis for Improvement of Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies for Space,” Meghan Thai, Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
3rd Place – “Practical Investigation into the Diffusion Bonding of 316L Stainless Steel with Boron Carbide,” Timothy DeFranco and Calvin Chandler, Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Masters Category
1st Place – “Optimization of Heat Release within a Dual-Mode Ramjet Using Ignition Delay Energy Source Terms,” Francis Centlivre, Wright State University (Dayton, OH)
2nd Place – “Hypersonic Vehicle Conceptual Design Tools Assessment,” James Wnek, Wright State University (Dayton, OH)
3rd Place – “Comparison and Uncertainty Quantification of Roof Pressure Measurements in the NIST and TPU Aerodynamic Databases,” Erick Shelley, Erin Hubbard, and Wei Zhang, Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH)
Team Category
1st Place – “Optimization of a Lenz Style VAWT Geometry Utilizing CFD and Genetic Algorithms,” Dylan Habig, Timothy Mayer, Trevor Ransbury, Brandon Frymire, Luke McClung, and James Canino, Trine University (Angola, IN)
2nd Place – “Using Classical Control Theory to Optimize Cooldown Phase Propellent Flow Rate for a Nuclear Thermal Rocket Engine,” David Giancola, Angel Eng, James Midkiff, Jeff Simko, and Joanna Valentas, Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
3rd Place – “Investigation of Flow Control for a Piston Positive Expulsion Bipropellant Tank,” Raghav Bhagwat, Joseph Januszewski, Chris Petrilla, and John Horack, Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Design, Analysis, and Manufacture of a Vacuum Pump Sound-Dampening Enclosure,” Connor Goodman and Joseph Hernandez-McCloskey, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
2nd Place – “Topological Optimization and Generative Design of Drone Structures (A research project to promote a new aerospace educational industry in underdeveloped countries),” Sofia Gutierrez and Juan Ocampo, Saint Mary’s University (San Antonio, TX)
3rd Place – “Experimental Evaluation of 14-Inch to 20-Inch Diameter Propellers at Low Reynolds Number Operation,” Austin Rouser, Brock Rouser, and Kurt Rouser, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Masters Category
1st Place – “Thermodynamic analysis of nitric oxide in an optically accessible, temperature-controlled gas cell via laser absorption spectroscopy,” Benjamin Steavenson, Joseph Hernandez-McCloskey, and Daniel Pineda, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
2nd Place – “Deep Neural Network for Measurements in a Non-Uniform Flowfield Using Single Line-of-Sight Laser Absorption Spectroscopy,” Kyle Fetter, Joseph Hernandez-McCloskey, and Daniel Pineda, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
3rd Place – “Effects of Surface Roughness on Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interaction using a Hollow Flare Cylinder Model,” Matt Garcia and Christopher Combs, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
Team Category
1st Place – “Design of the UTSA High-Enthalpy Shock Tube Facility,” Joseph Hernandez-McCloskey, Benjamin Steavenson, Andrew Alexander, Shelby Franklin, and Carson Bush, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
2nd Place – “Engine Redesign and Integration of Rocket Assisted Take-Off on a Small, High-Speed Unmanned Aircraft,” Jeremy Barton, Mahayla Mitchell, Devin Bishop, Tevin James, Mason Jernigan, Callahan Morris, Chase Wilson, Ben Sanford, Romain Bailey, and Cooper Degner, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
3rd Place – “Stratospheric Conductivity Balloon Campaign With Accessible Payload Design,” Alexandra Ulinski, Rachel Nathan, Andy Nguyencuu, Carlos Salas, Elizabeth Hernandez, and Edgar Bering, University of Houston (Houston, TX)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Experimental Verification of the USAFA 1-DOF Dynamic Stability Characterization Capability and Future 3-DOF Cross Coupling Enhancements,” Molly Ellinger, Jacob Szymanski, and Casey Fagley, United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Academy, CO)
2nd Place – “Typical Section Models for Body Freedom Flutter,” Nicholas Hawley and Samuel Stanton, United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Academy, CO)
3rd Place – “Circular Restricted Three Body Problem for Lunar Position, Navigation, and Timing System,” Kaitlyn Roberts and Lt Col Nathan Collins, United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Academy, CO)
Masters Category
1st Place – “A Multi-Agent UAS Path-finding Algorithm for Unmanned Traffic Management Operations,” Justin Nguyen and Mujahid Abdulrahim, University of Missouri–Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
2nd Place – “Development of Multi-Mission UAS Design Optimization and Prototyping Architectures,” Austin Stark, Alan Cordon, and Mujahid Abdulrahim, University of Missouri–Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
3rd Place – “Tip Shape, Height, and Thickness Influences on Nonlinear Acoustic Damping from Baffle Blades,” Joseph Day and J. Matt Quinlan, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, CO)
Team Category
1st Place – “Design of Large-Scale 3D Printed Components for UAV Cargo Transport,” Cody Watson, Caroline Dixon, and Nate Kuczun, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
2nd Place – “Open Source Evaluation of the Performance Capabilities of the Chengdu J-20 Fighter Future Propulsion System,” Jacob Ellison, Molly Ellinger, Ryan Chen, Joseph McCaffrey, Gavin Ross, Alicia Kwasny, Saif Dabash, Emily Huber, Shane Lindsay, Isaac Monson, and Connor Wiese, United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Academy, CO)
3rd Place – “CubIST: CubeSat Integrated Star Tracker,” Chesney Boal, Natalie Link, Cameron Humphreys, Chava Friedman, Nicolena Weber, Quaid Garton, Matthew Gedrich, Chad Pflieger, Maria Callas, and Josephine Johnson, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
High School Category
1st Place – “Computational Fluid Dynamics For a Solar Car,” Lucien Freemesser and Hai Lin Truman, Raisbeck Aviation High School (Tukwila, WA)
2nd Place Tie – “Creating an Alpha Indicator for a Schweizer 2-33,” Canaan Cortes, Mother of Divine Grace High School (Ojai, CA)
2nd Place Tie – “Synthesis and Applications of Flash Joule Heating Graphene for Manufacturing in Space,” Andrew Lusk and Joseph Whitesell, Calvary Chapel High School (Santa Ana, CA)
Undergraduate Category
1st Place – “Thermal Analysis of Boron/PVDF and Boron Carbide/PVDF Mixtures,” Moussa Coulibaly and Joseph Kalman, California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach, CA)
2nd Place – “Processing of High-Speed Video Data for Rotating Detonation Engines,” David Menn, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
3rd Place – “An Empirical Study of Baffle Impact on Diffusive Fuel/Oxidizer Mixing with Simulant Gases,” Carter Vu, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Masters Category
1st Place – “Modification of Supersonic to Hypersonic Wind Tunnel by Sizing Heater for High Enthalpy Conditions,” Justin Slavick and Nandeesh Hiremath, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Team Category
1st Place – “Design of a Lunar Architecture for Tree Traversal in Service of Cabled Exploration (LATTICE),” Kaila Comibra, Calle Junker, Lucas Pabarcious, Malcolm Tisdale, Jedidiah Alindogan, Robert Daigle, Nathan Ng, Parul Singh, Tomás Wexler, and Soon-Jo Chung, California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
2nd Place – “Water Impact of Rigid Biconic Geometries: An Experimental Investigation into Space Capsule Splashdown Events,” Vihan Krishnan, Kirin Peterson, Pinhua Guo, and Mahmood Alfayoumi, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
3rd Place Tie – “Characterization of Additively Manufactured Fuel Grains for Hybrid Rocket Applications,” Jacob Davies, Lance Mayhue, and Jenna Matus, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
3rd Place Tie – “Harvesting Thermal Energy from Frictional Braking by using a Thermoelectric Medium,” Victoria Malarczyk, Cade Hermeston, Will Soiland, Joseph Weissig, and Luke Wilson, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Arthur McLeod (Mac) Mellor, age 80, died 25 January.
Mellor earned a B.S. degree and a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University. He joined the faculty of Purdue University in the School of Mechanical Engineering where he was promoted to professor in 1975 and served as graduate program administrator. From 1982 to 1987, he was Hess Professor of Combustion in Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University and served for one year as acting department chair. In the 1980s he accepted short appointments in industry and the U.S. Army and Navy.
Mellor joined the faculty of the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University in January 1988 as Centennial Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He retired in 2004.
During his career, Mellor’s research focused on solving difficult problems in gas turbine and rocket propulsion and providing solutions to industry. He developed engineering models to predict engine performance. He was particularly adept at bringing together teams of government, industry, and university researchers. His research achievements were recognized in 2002 when he was elected Fellow of AIAA.
In his years at Vanderbilt, Mellor promoted graduate education, serving twice as director of Graduate Studies in mechanical engineering. He was a strong proponent of undergraduate research and independent study.
Mellor is past member of the NATO/AGARD Propulsion and Energetics Panel. He published more than 150 papers, book chapters and articles, and edited one book, as well as teaching several short courses for government and industry.
Mellor served AIAA in several capacities. He was a member of the AIAA Propellants and Combustion Technical Committee from 1990 to 1996, and he served as chair from 1994 to 1996. He was also a member of the Student Activities Committee (1997–2001) and the Publication Committee (1997–2006).
Dr. James “Jim” A. Martin died on 11 March. He was 77 years old.
Martin received his B.S in aerospace engineering from West Virginia University, his M.S. degree from MIT, and a Sc.D. in flight sciences from George Washington University.
For 50 years he applied his talents to solving problems in the field of aerospace engineering. Martin joined NASA Langley Research Center as an aerospace engineer in 1966 and spent 24 years there. He then went to the University of Alabama as an associate professor and research engineer, followed by employment with The Boeing Company as a senior systems engineer. He contributed to many programs including GPS III, the Space Transportation Main Engine, Highly Reusable Space Transportation, Tripropellant Reusable Launch, Responsive Launch, Tether Transportation, and Earth-to-GEO Transportation for Solar Power Satellites. He held program leadership positions on Orbit-on-Demand, Shuttle Crew Escape, and RBCC tests on Future X Pathfinder.
Martin was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets for over 30 years and a member of the AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee for eight years (1992–2000). Martin also managed funded university research with graduate students. He authored 38 formal reports/journal articles, 40 conference papers, and 3 articles in Aerospace America and he held 5 patents.
A member of AIAA for over 50 years, Martin served on the AIAA Orange County Section Council for many years, including a term as section chair (2020–2021) when the section received 3rd place in the 2021 Outstanding Large Section Award, Large Section. He was a consistent contributor to the section’s annual Aerospace Systems and Technology Conference, most recently with a presentation on climate change.
He was constantly learning and educating others on space travel, science, and solutions for climate change.
Dr. John E. Green, who was responsible for the development of aerodynamics capability at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at a critical time for UK aviation and, latterly, explored global aviation’s interaction with the environment, died in mid-March.
Green studied engineering at Cambridge University, graduating in 1959. Initially working for the de Havilland Engine company, he returned to Cambridge in 1961 to research the interaction of shock waves and a turbulent boundary layer, gaining his Ph.D. in 1966.
Joining the Aerodynamics Department at the RAE in 1964, he worked on aerofoil design methods. His most notable contribution was “Green’s lag entrainment” method for turbulent boundary layer development. He was made Head of the Wind Tunnels Division (Bedford) in 1971, then Head of Propulsion Division, Head of the Noise Division, and finally Head of the Aerodynamics Department in 1978. This period was notable because the RAE was supporting the Concorde flight tests prior to its introduction into service in 1976, while also contributing to the Tornado combat aircraft program.
Green was appointed Director, Project Time and Cost Analysis for the Procurement Executive, Ministry of Defence and in 1984, was posted to the British Embassy in Washington, DC, as the Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Head of British Defence Staff, returning to the UK in 1985 as RAE Deputy Director (Aircraft). His final role was Chief Executive of the Aircraft Research Association, before retiring in 1995.
A member of the Royal Aeronautical Society for over 50 years, Green was its President from 1996 to 1997. He was the Society’s representative on the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) from 1986 to 2000, and ICAS’ President from 1996 to 1998. He was awarded the 2006 Maurice Roy Medal. He also had a long association with NATO’s Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, serving on both the National Delegates Board and the Fluid Dynamics Panel.
His work on aeronautics and the environment was conducted through the RAeS’s Air Travel– Greener-by-Design Group, where he was Chairman of the Design, Science and Technology Sub-Group for over 20 years.
Harry H. Hilton died 29 March. He was 95 years old.
Hilton was born in then-Czechoslovakia, but ahead of the German occupation, his family moved first to France and then Morocco before they immigrated to the United States, arriving in January 1941. Hilton quickly learned English and entered an accelerated program at New York University (NYU) in 1943. He served for two years in the U.S. Army during World War II before returning to NYU where he obtained a B.S. in aeronautical engineering in 1947 and an M.S. in compressible aerodynamics in 1949.
Hilton spent a summer at the University of Michigan taking three courses from highly respected professors such as Stephen Timoshenko, before arriving at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in fall 1949. He had already completed his course work for his Ph.D. when he began his career as full-time instructor of aeronautical engineering and in 1951 he completed his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics with a mathematics minor.
Hilton became a full professor at UIUC in 1957. He served as associate department head of aerospace engineering, before becoming department head from 1977 to 1985. During the summers of 1989 and 1990, Hilton was an assistant dean in what was then called the College of Engineering. Prior to his retirement in 1990, he taught every undergraduate course in Aerospace Engineering except propulsion. Additionally, he held appointments as A. M. Freudenthal Visiting Professor, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Austria, and Charles E. Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Professor, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton.
During his retirement, Hilton continued to conduct research and teach a graduate course. A large body of his research was in the area of viscoelasticity, a property in which solid bodies exhibit behaviors, typically associated with liquids. An internationally recognized authority in solid mechanics, viscoelasticity, and aero-viscoelasticity, he published over 500 papers in journals or conference proceedings and 11 book chapters.
In addition to being a Fellow of both AIAA and ASC, Hilton received many professional awards including: AIAA Faculty Advisor Award; 2006 AAUP Membership Award; 2000 Association of College Honor Societies Award; and the 2002 and 2004 AIAA Dayton-Cincinnati Aerospace Sciences Symposium Best Paper Awards. In 2020, Hilton received the Vebleo Scientist Award.
Hilton became an AIAA member in 1947. He was a member of the AIAA Structures Technical Committee (1998–2005, 2007–2008) and the AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Technical Committee (2007–2011). He also was a dedicated chair of the AIAA Illinois Section from 2000 to 2021.
