Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar AFIT Documents 9-30-2020 The AFIT ENgineer, Volume 2, Issue 3 Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/docs Recommended Citation The AFIT ENgineer, vol.2: iss. 3, 2020 (September). Published by the Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology. This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by AFIT Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in AFIT Documents by an authorized administrator of AFIT Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. September 2020 I Vol. 2, Issue 3 THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT AFIT ENGINEER Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT IN SPACE Career-building Education and Research Starts Here By Col Timothy Albrecht, Director entities like SpaceX, Pumpkin Inc., Analytical Air Force Institute of Technology Graphics Inc., and Tethers Unlimited Inc. to Center for Space Research and Assurance further our students’ space research efforts. Welcome to the CSRA’s $12M laboratory and equipment suite September issue of enables us to pursue cutting edge research across the AFIT Engineer—an the space portfolio, giving our students hands-on issue that highlights experience in areas like the design, fabrication, CSRA’s SkyPad team (shown above) delivered a space-ready mission in less than six months. AFIT’s role in preparing and testing of small spacecraft. Recent successes our students for the in this area include two AFIT-designed and built rapidly evolving space spacecraft that were launched into space; SOS in domain. As one of eight 2019 and SkyPad in 2020. Two more experiments FOLLOW research centers within are slated for delivery in 2021 and 2022. the Graduate School Col Timothy Albrecht CSRA of Engineering and The DoD stood-up the United States Space Force ONLINE Management, the Center for Space Research (USSF) in December of 2019 to align resources, and Assurance (CSRA) meets the challenge head- mission, and organization with the imperative of https://www.facebook.com/AFITCSRA/ on with an interdisciplinary team comprised defending and projecting our national interests of faculty, staff, and students focused on the in and through the space domain. Likewise, evolution of defense and intelligence missions CSRA continues to adapt to meet the challenges https://twitter.com/AFITCSRA in space. Here, and in subsequent articles, we of a space domain that is increasingly contested introduce you to our award-winning people, and congested. Our faculty have designed new AFIT CSRA facilities, academics, and research activities. courses to address current and future space issues within our Astronautical Engineering Founded in 2012 to enhance AFIT’s research- and Space Systems degree programs. These based, space-focused graduate education new courses include: spacecraft survivability, programs and to provide a staff of technical proximity operations, space control, spacecraft experts across space-related disciplines, CSRA reverse engineering, cislunar orbital design, and WHAT’S INSIDE links the AFIT research team with external Dept. space combat modeling and simulation. of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) FROM THE DEAN’S DESK 2 sponsors while providing laboratory and other The stand-up of the USSF closed out 2019, resources to support research objectives. In this which saw AFIT celebrate its centennial with GRADUATE SCHOOL NEWS 3-6 way, students apply their thesis and dissertation none other than Apollo 11 astronaut ‘Buzz’ ALUMNI NEWS 7 efforts to tackle real-world challenges in the DoD Aldrin in attendance. Our CSRA team had a and IC space communities. banner year too, taking home “AFIT’s Team of AIR FORCE IMPACTS 8-9 the Year 2019” award as well as the “General CSRA creates and facilitates collaborations with Muir S. Fairchild Educational Achievement AFIT IN SPACE 10-21 government organizations such as the Air Force Award” for 2019 for the most significant Research Laboratory, National Reconnaissance achievement to Air Force education. Our UPCOMING EVENTS 22 Office, the National Air and Space Intelligence faculty and staff continue to earn individual Center, and the Space and Missile Systems recognition at the Air Force level in STEM Center. We pursue research challenges for research and education while our students www.afit.edu/EN/afitengineer these sponsor organizations across space regularly earn recognition amongst their peers disciplines such as astrodynamics, guidance, for their thesis and published research. We look navigation, optimal control, propulsion, systems forward to carrying our successful momentum architectures, as well as structures and materials. from 2019, through the COVID environment in We also enter into agreements with commercial 2020, and into 2021. FROM THE DEAN’S DESK GRADUATE SCHOOL NEWS ‘Virtuality’ Emerges as Mode of Operation AFIT Welcomes New Students During COVID-19 Pandemic Graduate School Hosts First-ever New Student Virtual Orientation The Graduate School of Engineering and Management hosted AFIT’s first-ever We are delighted to bring you another Missions are accomplished through people working with machines. virtual new student orientation on 24 Aug 2020 which was led by edition of theAFIT ENgineer. This A good demonstration of this symbiotic relationship is the growing Col John “Andy” McQuade, Dean of Students. The virtual event welcomed Volume 2, Issue 3 continues the interfaces we are creating with our computer tools in the COVID-19 approximately 245 new graduate students to the AFIT campus, WPAFB and the AFIT GRADUATE SCHOOL tradition of keeping our constituents era. With limited person-to-person interactions nowadays, it has Dayton area. FALL 2020 NEW STUDENTS informed and abreast of the latest become more imperative that we pay explicit attention Diversityto developments in the Graduate School and Inclusion (D&I). We do better together when we are diverse. “This orientation was designed to ensure that the best and most accurate of Engineering and Management at Under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Alice (Betsy) Grimes, AFIT information could be transferred to you and that you feel as though your AFIT family is happy you are here, that your AFIT family is focused on you progressing the Air Force Institute of Technology is making a notable mark on D&I initiatives. A series of seminars, 245 through your mission and that you are going to be a full-up round when October (AFIT). With the physical separation invited talks, and discussion groups have taken place at AFIT in recent AF TOTAL: gets here and you start that mission,” said McQuade. 232 mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic, months. So much so that Dr. Grimes, a member of AFIT’s Diversity DEGREES: (Enlisted 8) it is even more imperative that we and Inclusion Working Group, was invited to give a virtual D&I The orientation included remarks from AFIT Director and Chancellor, Dr. Todd M.S. 85% reach out to everyone via the printed Dr. Adedeji Badiru presentation for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) recently. Please Stewart, who reminded new students to be proud of being competitively Ph.D. 15% word. “Virtuality” (yes, my new term read about this on page six of this newsletter. selected for a unique advanced academic education opportunity at AFIT. ARMY: 7 of systems engineering, not yet in your e-Dictionary) is emerging as the mode of operation in most things we do. Two cases in point are In closing the message for this issue, I would be remiss not to mention Additional remarks came from AFIT leadership including Col Paul Cotellesso, AU the recent virtual orientation programs we conducted for new faculty the ongoing project to develop a customized Teaching Evaluation Tool DET 1 Commander/Director of Staff, Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Dean of the Graduate MARINES: 3 FROM AF ORGS: School of Engineering and Management, and Col James Fee, Associate Dean of and new Air Force Scholars (students) assigned to AFIT. Without (TET) for the Graduate School of Engineering and Management. As USAFA 28 the Graduate School of Engineering and Management. compromising quality or content, we are figuring out new ways of an educational institution, teaching is foundational to what we do. AF ROTC 24 CIVILIANS: 3 moving AFIT’s education mission forward. A total of 22 new faculty We teach what we research and we research what we teach. Further, Briefings were made by Mr. Eric Welsh, Chief of Security, Dr. Amanda Bullock, joined AFIT this Fall Quarter. All the programs for getting the faculty we practice what we teach and research. TET is being designed to AFIT Foundation, Capt Devin DePalmer, AFIT Diversity & Inclusion, 2nd Lt Kyle properly oriented to the teaching, research, and Air Force consultation be a tool of teaching improvement, as a component of our overall Emery, AFIT Student Association, Ms. Tess Willstatter, AFIT Spouses Association, requirements were conducted via virtual means. Similarly, we commitment to continuous process improvement. I will be sure and Maj Timothy Bennett, AFIT Legal Office. These representatives introduced conducted a virtual orientation for 245 new Air Force Scholars. This to give you updates on TET in future issues of the AFIT ENgineer. students to the various organizations that offer support and services to AFIT demonstration of adaptability, flexibility, reliability, and virtuality allows Meanwhile, please mask up and stay safe. graduate school students, both on and off campus. us to practice what we teach in terms of expanding the concept of “ilities” of systems engineering in our mission skills set. I am particularly proud of the feature story on “AFIT in Space” on the Respectfully, front page of this newsletter issue. The recognized accomplishments of our Center for Space Research and Assurance (CSRA) confirmed that Dr. Todd Stewart we have been in the space-research domain for quite some time and we are moving forward progressively in support of the newly-created United States Space Force (USSF).