The Texas A&M University VSCL and Land Air Space Robotics Laboratory (LASR) have been subcontracted through Barron Associates to support a new Air Force Research Laboratory program on autonomous aerial refueling of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV). VSCL has 15 years of experience and a patent on Autonomous Aerial Refueling of UAVs, and together with LASR will provide the UAV simulations, control laws, and sensor selection and modeling. The Texas A&M University personnel are PI Dr. John Valasek and Co-PI Dr. Majji Manoranjan, both of the Texas A&M University Aerospace Engineering Department. Working on this project is Master of Engineering student Ezekiel Bowden (B. S. Aerospace Engineering ‘17, Texas A&M University).
Awards
Graduate Special Achievements
- (7) National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship recipients
- (6) National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) recipients
- (1) Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation Fellowship (SMART) recipient
- (1) U.S. Army Research Laboratory (USARL) Research Associateship Program (RAP) recipient
- (1) Caltech Space Challenge recipient
- (1) Texas A&M University Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research – PhD Level
- (1) Aerospace Engineering Department Graduate Research Excellence Award – PhD Level
- (1) College of Engineering Outstanding Engineering Master of Science Graduate Student Award
- (7) Texas A&M University Graduate Merit Fellowship Recipients
- (2) Travel Award to Present at Professional Conference (IFAC)
- (4) Graduate placers (two 1st , one 2nd, one 3rd) Texas A&M Student Research Week Competition
- (7) Graduate placers (four 1st, two 2nd, two 3rd) Regional AIAA Student Paper Conferences
Undergraduate Special Achievements
- (2) NASA Aeronautics Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients
- (1) AIAA Spirit of Apollo Scholarship recipient
- (1) University Scholar, highest undergraduate scholastic ranking at Texas A&M University
- (2) Texas A&M University Undergraduate Research Fellows
- (2) Texas A&M University Undergraduate Research Scholars
- (1) Gathright Scholar, top Junior in the College of Engineering
- (10) Texas A&M Undergraduate Engineering Honors Research Scholars
- (9) Undergraduate placers (three 1st, four 2nd, five 3rd ) Regional AIAA Student Paper Conferences
- (1) Undergraduate team 1st place winner Regional AIAA Student Paper Conferences
- (3) Undergraduate placers (one 2nd, two 3rd ) AIAA Airplane Design Competitions
For more awards, see below.
VSCL awarded Phase I research project from the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for Head-Worn Displays for General Aviation
The Texas A&M University VSCL has been awarded Phase I of a two year project from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) to research human performance impacts of head-worn displays for general aviation. The technical objective of the project is to develop a means for evaluating human factors aspects for Head Mounted Displays (HMD) for Enhanced Vision System technologies. A Human Factors suitability study of the technology for enhancing Cat I landings of General Aviation pilots will be conducted using the Engineering Flight Simulator in 2018. The PI of this project is Dr. John Valasek of the Texas A&M University Department of Aerospace Engineering, and the Co-PI of this project is Dr. Thomas Ferris of the Texas A&M University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. VSCL students working on this project are Master of Engineering student Emily Fojtik (B. S. Aerospace Engineering ‘17, Texas A&M University), and undergraduate research assistants Allison Daveid, Alexandra Heinimann, and Mia Brown.
Vinicius Goecks Selected to Participate in Caltech Space Challenge
VSCL Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. candidate Vinicius Goecks was one of 32 students selected from a pool over 800 applicants to participate in the prestigious Caltech Space Challenge. The Caltech Space Challenge is a 5-day international student space mission design competition where students interface with experts from industry and receive direct feedback from the NASA JPL Architecture Team. This year’s challenge was to propose a mission design for a mining base at the Lunar pole which would support deep-space missions. Resulting from his involvement, Vinicius coauthored two papers, listed below:
- Vinicius G. Goecks and Voyager Team. “Enabling Deep Space Exploration with an In-Space Propellant Depot Supplied from Lunar Ice,” AIAA Space Forum, USA, 2017. Submitted.
- Vinicius G. Goecks and Voyager Team. “The Lunarport Concept – A Launch and Supply Station for Deep Space Missions: A Comparative Study of the Study of the Two Concepts Developed at the 2017 Caltech Space Challenge,” 10th IAA Symposium on the Future of Space Exploration, Italy, 2017. Submitted.
Goecks at CalTech Space Challenge
Professor John Valasek selected as 2017 AIAA Fellow
Dr. John Valasek
Dr. John Valasek, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as a 2017 AIAA Fellow. The AIAA confers the distinction of Fellow upon 1 percent of its members in recognition of their notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics and astronautics. Valasek is being cited for “Pioneering contributions and outstanding leadership in flight mechanics and control leading to new capabilities in autonomous air refueling, morphing flight, and flight safety.”
The induction ceremony will take place at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala on May 3 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.