American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Houston Section

PO Box 57524
Webster, Texas 77598
Welcome to the AIAA - Houston Section Website

Members

  • - Dr. Albert Jackson, ESCG, Chair
  • - Douglas Yazell, Honeywell
  • - Dr. Tim Crain, NASA JSC
  • - Prerit Shah, United Space Alliance

 

If you are interested in joining the work of the committee, contact any member or Douglas Yazell at 281-244-3925. We are always looking for qualified professional and student members.

Charter
To provide a forum for exchange of ideas and information regarding the state of the art and the future of astrodynamics. To stimulate education, professional development, and accomplishment by fostering communication and by providing resources.

Goals

  • Recruit members for the technical committee and AIAA
  • Recruit one technical committee member from each 'astrodynamics' company in the Clear Lake Area
  • Encourage lectures from government, industry, and universities
  • Monitor and contribute to the mirror committee on the national level
  • Organize lunch-and-learn sessions in the the Houston Clear Lake area (2 or more per year)
  • Focus on the technical challenges of the next 3-5 years
  • Meet 3-4 times/year, sometimes with national committee, to focus on technical issues in the field.
  • Interact with other AIAA technical committees, other professional societies, and universities
  • Survey tools and techniques
  • Initiate and review reports on astrodynamics of missions to Mars

Lunch-N-Learns

  • June 7, 2010
    Exploring Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) with Human and Robotic Systems
    Daniel R. Adamo, astrodynamics consultant, Houston, Texas 77059, and Rob Landis, NASA
    Presentation: PDF
    (available here and on the home page in the section, “Take a Closer Look”)

  • April 26, 2010
    How to Build Cost-Optimized Interstellar Beacons (and How to Search for Them)
    James N. Benford, Ph.D., Microwave Sciences, Inc.
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • November 20, 2009
    Apollo 12, the 40th Anniversary, a Panel Discussion
    Panelists: Emil Schiesser (MPAD flight planner), Francis E. “Frank” Hughes (simulator trainer), and Floyd Bennett (flight controller)
    Publicity Flier: DOC

  • November 13, 2009
    The Japanese Hayabusa Spacecraft with Sample Return from Asteroid Itokawa
    Dr. Paul Abell, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston Texas
    Publicity Flier: DOC

  • June 12, 2009
    A Lunar Surface Rendezvous Architecture Proposal
    Daniel R. Adamo, astrodynamics consultant, Houston Texas 77059
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • December 19, 2008
    Apollo 8: The 40th Anniversary
    Panelists: Hal Beck, Rod Rose, Marty Jeness, Ken Young, John Llewellyn, Dr. Glynn Lunney, Dr. Christopher Kraft, and Emil Schiesser
    Moderator: Marianne Dyson
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • March 10, 2008
    Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit & Opportunity
    Dr. Mark Adler, Chief Mission Concept Architect, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • February 21, 2008
    Tour of Ad Astra Rocket Company
    Hosted by Jared Squire
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • January 11, 2008
    Space and Astronomy: Decade by Decade
    Marianne Dyson, author and former NASA flight controller, www.mdyson.com
    Publicity Flier: DOC

  • December 7, 2007
    Report on Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Workshop and American Astronautical Society National Meeting
    Dr. Larry Friesen
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • November 2, 2007
    Apollo 13 Trajectory Reconstruction
    Daniel R. Adamo
    Publicity Flier: PDF

  • September 28, 2007
    Werner Von Braun's Long Road to Mars: A Story Within a Story
    Dr. Albert Jackson / ESCG
    Publicity Flier: PDF
    Presentation: PDF

  • June 16, 2005
    Aerospace on the FASTRAC: Student Built Satellites at the University of Texas
    Dr. E. Glenn Lightsey / The University of Texas at Austin
    Flier: PDF

  • May 19, 2005
    Hierarchical Navigation Algorithms in Support of Mars Exploration
    Robert H. Bishop / The University of Texas at Austin
    Flier: DOC
    Presentation: PDF

  • September 17, 2004
    Trajectory Optimization from Euler to Lawden to Today
    Christopher D'Souza / The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
    Flier: PDF
    Presentation: PDF

  • March 24, 2004
    Jules Verne and ISS, European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) First Rendezvous and Docking for a European Spacecraft
    Brian Rishikof / Odyssey Space Research
    Flier: PDF
    Presentation: PPT, 3.25 MB

  • December 19, 2003
    StarNav-1 Experiment on STS-107
    Dr. Thomas C. Pollock / Texas A&M University
    Flier: PDF

  • November 14, 2003
    Spacecraft Fuel-Optimal Maneuvers, Apollo to Shuttle Return-to-Flight
    Rob Hall / Draper Laboratory


Resources

  • Please note that we have an excellent orbital debris presentation from our 2008 Annual Technical Symposium. The abstract is in the long form of the 2008 ATS program.
    • Abstract (In ATS 2008 Long Form): http://www.aiaa-houston.org/ats2008
    • Presentation: PPT
    • Movie Clips for presentation (please download & view separately):




    May
    18
    Conference
    ATS 2012
    Annual Technical Symposium
    Location:
    Gilruth Center, NASA/JSC

    Time:
    8:00 am - 8:00 pm



    For Further Details, Please Contact:
    chair@aiaa-houston.org or programs@aiaa-houston.org
    or call 281-244-3925


    Jan 24
    College Readiness/The Role of Physics in Career Aspirations

    Jan 31
    Marie Curie: Nobel Prize Physicist, Chemist and Pioneer Scholar

    Feb 7
    Space WeatherFeb 14 Pyroelectric Materials

    Feb 21
    Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Characterize Dispersion, Strain, and Alignment of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Nanocomposites

    Feb 28
    Planetary Dynamos

    Mar 6
    Ideal Hall Magnetohydrodynamics

    Mar 20
    Orbital Debris Overview

    Mar 27
    SETI - The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence

    Apr 3
    Dealing with Rare and Extreme Space Weather Events

    Apr 10
    Gamma Ray Burst Pulse Analysis

    Apr 17
    Biological molecules: their order and disorder

    These lectures are open to the public, free of charge. All will be held at UHCL, in the Bayou Building, Rm 251, from 7-8:30pm.

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