MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics | May 2020
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To catch an interstellar visitor, use a solar-powered space slingshot
In 2017, a telescope in Hawaii detected our first celestial visitor from another solar system — a big deal, since we haven’t quite figured out how to visit them ourselves yet. ‘Oumuamua
(pictured, concept art courtesy of NASA/JPL),
the cigar-shaped interstellar object (ISO) whose name roughly translates to “first distant messenger” in Hawaiian, will certainly not be the last visitor to pass through. If the story of our universe is written in the stars, even a tiny fragment traveling a long way for a short visit provides a tremendous opportunity for scientific discovery. But in order to get close enough to read the next piece of the story that wanders onto our doorstep, we will have to catch it first.
A
team of engineers at MIT and JPL, led by
Assistant Prof. Richard Linares
proposed a concept for rendezvous missions with ISOs that was selected for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program (
NIAC
).
Read the article in
MIT News
.
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A Note from the Department Head
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Dear AeroAstro Community,
This week, Governor Charlie Baker announced plans to reopen Massachusetts which can be viewed
here in detail
. Subsequently, MIT mobilized a Research Ramp-Up Lightning Committee to draft a set of guiding principles around the necessary parameters our research community will need to consider, refine, and integrate into DLC-wide, lab-specific plans to ramp up research on campus safely and effectively. Anthony Zolnik, our manager of infrastructure, will work closely with Department leadership and faculty to review the ramp-up plan proposals submitted by AeroAstro principal investigators. We have a long road ahead of us and a lot of work to before we are ready to begin bringing people back to campus, but we will communicate next steps as these new systems and processes take shape.
Between the end of classes, the submission of theses, and the turning of tassels, the month of May is usually a time of recognition celebration of the start of new chapters. On Wednesday, we celebrated our first-ever
virtual
Community Recognition & Awards program, where we gathered together on Zoom to celebrate members of our community who have made significant contributions and have demonstrated outstanding leadership in our department over the past year. I would like to extend a special thanks to this year’s award selection committee, Denise Phillips, Sheila Widnall, and Shannon Cassady. You can view the full list of graduate & undergraduate students, staff, faculty, and researchers who were honored this year in the special section below.
Lastly, I would like to take a moment to personally thank everyone who is a part of AeroAstro and acknowledge the continuous outstanding efforts to help us achieve our vision. Together, we aim to create an aerospace field that is a diverse and inclusive community, pushing the boundaries of the possible to ensure a lasting positive impact on our society, economy, and environment.
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Daniel Hastings
Department Head, MIT AeroAstro
Cecil and Ida Green Education Professor
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From the SoE Covid-19 Update Email
(Sent 05.21.2020)
Starting soon, the entire MIT community will receive a weekly digest of updates related to MIT’s Covid-19 response. As a result, we will evolve this communication to focus on details specific to the School of Engineering, and will continue to send updates as needed. We'll likewise shift to calling this the "SoE Update" to allow for non-Covid-19 content as well.
As always, a reminder to please continue to check the
MIT Covid-19 website
for the latest Institute information. If there are more urgent updates, the Institute may also send out an MIT Alert/Advisory.
Town Hall FAQ
Community Charrettes
In order to engage the entire MIT community in the thinking process about options for the fall, Team 2020 will host a series of intensive online “community charrettes” – a time-tested approach to community-centered design. These are open to all MIT community members and are scheduled for May 26 from 2:00-4:00pm, and May 27 from 9:30-11:30am and 3-5pm. Additional information on registration or creating your own local charrette will be forthcoming.
MIT Research Town Hall
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has begun to open non-essential businesses in the state, assuming health conditions continue to improve. While we all are excited at the prospect of an increased level of research activity on campus in the near term, we have to act deliberately and cautiously to ensure a smooth transition to a new set of conditions in our laboratories and facilities, and we must do our utmost to keep our colleagues safe. Professor Tyler Jacks, Chair of the Research Ramp-Up Lightning Committee, and Vice President for Research Maria Zuber will host a virtual town hall for our research community to discuss MIT’s research ramp-up and the efforts that are underway for the phased return to campus research operations, on Friday, May 22
nd
from 1 to 2PM.
For Zoom information on the Research Town Hall please see the email.
From the ISchO
The International Scholars Office (ISchO) has been given permission to proceed with processing requests for visa documents and employment-based petitions.
Please note, and share with the hosting faculty and PIs, as well as scholars who inquire:
Travel restrictions put in place by the US, prohibiting traveler entry from Iran, China (except Hong Kong and Macau), and from the Schengen Area in Europe, plus the UK and Ireland, have not yet been lifted. Click
here
for details. Also,
- US Consulates around the world are currently closed for routine visa processing. Although some Consulates have accepted visa appointments in recent weeks for dates in May, anecdotal reports are that those have been cancelled or postponed to later months. The Consulates may further postpone such appointments at their discretion.
- US Consulates around the world will not all open at the same time. Timing will depend on conditions in the particular country, staffing, and other issues.
- Security background checks (administrative processing) will still be required and may take longer than usual.
* All paid positions must be approved by the Provost before submission of visa requests to ISchO. Please do not submit requests for positions that have not yet received approval.
As always,
requests for Postdoc Fellows and Visitors must be submitted with proof of secured funding from the home institution/employer or a recognized fellowship source.
Regarding start dates:
- J-1 exchange visitors already in possession of MIT DS-2019 forms and US entry visas who are eager to arrive: please contact the J-1 program coordinator assigned to your DLC (Patricia or Natalie) to discuss whether the scholar’s SEVIS start date should be amended before the scholar enters the US.
- J-1 exchange visitors already in possession of DS-2019 forms but who do not yet have US entry visas: start dates may be amended to dates no earlier than September 1, 2020. Please contact the J-1 program coordinator assigned to your DLC.
- New J-1 exchange visitor requests received by ISchO but not processed due to the campus closure: The J-1 program coordinator assigned to your DLC (Patricia or Natalie) will contact you directly to confirm a start date no earlier than September 1, 2020.
- New J-1 exchange visitor requests submitted or to be submitted this month (May 2020): ISchO recommends start dates no earlier than September 1, 2020. If consular processing of US entry visas is faster or slower than expected, J-1 start dates may be amended at some point in the future.
- New H-1B employment-based visa requests: Standard processing times remain in effect for now. If/when USCIS or Department of Labor processing times change, ISchO advisors will discuss any needed adjustments to start dates with you individually.
There are many unknowns.
We are cautiously optimistic, but understand that government agency processes related to visas are not within our control. Therefore, resuming visa processing for new international scholars
does not guarantee their arrival on the desired start date.
Rather, we believe processing visa requests now will help the process flow when US Embassies/Consulates reopen in the future. The ISchO staff will do our best to keep you informed as more information becomes available.
From HR:
As of May 15, 2020, the Atlas for New Hires application reflect the following change:
To complete the requirement for
Preventing Sexual Misconduct at MIT
, new hires will be presented with a course called “Building a Supportive Community,” instead of the previous “Haven for Faculty & Staff.” The new course resolves some of the technical issues that occurred with the “Haven” course, and also incorporates updated content.
New hires since April 1 who have started, but not yet completed, the “Haven” course will be contacted in advance to let them know that they need to finish up by May 14 or start over with the new course.
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Participate in MIT HSL Survey About Social Distancing
The MIT Human Systems Lab is recruiting for online surveys to examine individual responses to social distancing/isolation related to the unique environment many of us find ourselves in because of COVID-19. The current distancing guidelines create a unique opportunity to examine responses to living/working in isolated and confined environments (ICE) in the general population, since most research in this area is performed on highly trained, small groups of individuals such as astronauts.
The survey results may help us better understand how to prepare humans for living in isolation, such as in missions to the International Space Station, working in remote environments like Antarctica, or even in a future space colony where a diverse set of people will be part of the community.
If you are at least 18 years old, fluent in English, and currently practicing social distancing you are eligible to participate. Eligible volunteers will be asked to complete daily online surveys (~15 min) while they are social distancing.
Take the survey.
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TODAY
, Friday, May 22 at 2 p.m. | Annual MIT AeroAstro BBQ
*NOW VIRTUAL*
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Zoom in and join your friends, classmates, colleagues, and the WHOLE AeroAstro community for games and prizes!
#MITAABBQ
Zoom Details:
Join Zoom Meeting
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,97921283269# US (New York)
+16699006833,,97921283269# US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 979 2128 3269
US : +1 646 558 8656 or +1 669 900 6833
Join by SIP
Join by Skype for Business
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Friday, May 29 at 3 p.m. | Virtual MIT AeroAstro Commencement Celebration!
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Note: This event will be recorded and shared publicly.
*After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
**Space is limited. Priority will be given to 2020 graduates and their families, and members of the AeroAstro Community. Please share the registration link with care!
Immediately following MIT’s Commencement event (
more info
), please join us via Zoom webinar for the
MIT AeroAstro Virtual Commencement Celebration
for our 2020 graduates.
Department Head Daniel Hastings will provide remarks, and the event will feature well-wishes from notable AeroAstro alumni, a photo slideshow of all our graduating Course 16, Master’s and PhD students, and more.
Are you celebrating MIT Commencement at home? Be sure to check out the
MIT Party Kit
and tag us during your socially distant festivities!
#MITAeroAstro2020 | #MIT2020 | #OneMIT
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Utility work on the campus chilled water loop resumes week of May 26. The City of Cambridge will allow work to resume on the Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel on June 15, 2020.
The construction team will adhere to guidelines outlined by the CDC and the Commonwealth. Job sites will be de-densified and all personnel will receive training on safe practices related to Covid-19.
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Diversity, Innovation, & Inclusion (DI&I)
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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!
Learn more
about the origins of this commemoration.
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An MIT Engineer’s Rediscovered Role in Lunar Landing History
MIT engineer Conrad “Connie” Lau ’42 was a key figure in getting America to the moon, but until very recently, almost no one knew it.
Read more in the
MIT Slice
.
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Successful ~*VIRTUAL*~ Thesis Defender
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Congratulations
Dr. William Sanchez!
May 13, 2020:
“Towards Fuel-Efficient Formation Flying of an Observatory and External Occulter at Sun-Earth L2”
Adviser: David Miller
Did you successfully defend your graduate thesis?
Send a photo to
aa-communications@mit.edu
to be featured as one of our Successful Defenders!
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Featured Research
To catch an interstellar visitor, use a solar-powered space slingshot
MIT research proposal for rendezvous missions with interstellar objects selected for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program.
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In 2017, a telescope in Hawaii detected our first celestial visitor from another solar system — a big deal, since we haven’t quite figured out how to visit them ourselves yet. ‘Oumuamua, the cigar-shaped interstellar object (ISO) whose name roughly translates to “first distant messenger” in Hawaiian, will certainly not be the last visitor to pass through. If the story of our universe is written in the stars, even a tiny fragment traveling a long way for a short visit provides a tremendous opportunity for scientific discovery. But in order to get close enough to read the next piece of the story that wanders onto our doorstep, we will have to catch it first.
Read the article in
MIT News
.
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“To teach an AI model to think like we do, but do it faster and with larger amounts of data, is huge.”
Reed Kopp
Graduate student, necstlab
On how he worked with the MIT Quest for Intelligence to use artificial intelligence tools to benefit his research project focused on designing and characterizing next-generation composite nanomaterials intended to make spacecraft and aircraft stronger, stiffer, and lighter.
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Below are a few highlights of AeroAstro publications and media coverage:
BeaverWorks
WCVB
Afreen Siddiqi
Project Syndicate
World Economic Forum
Carmen Guerra-Garcia
Scientific American
Christopher Courtin
Aviation Week
Is Super-STOL A Viable Alternative to Electric VTOL?
Richard Linares
To catch an interstellar visitor, use a solar-powered space slingshot
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Noteworthy News, Awards & Honors:
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- Nancy Leveson received the 2020 IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the application of technology in the fields of interest of IEEE that improve the environment and/or public safety. Nancy was cited for her "contributions to software safety and for the development of system safety modeling.” Watch the video.
- Danielle Wood gave a virtual talk entitled, "Sustainability in Space and on Earth: Research Initiatives of the Space Enabled research group" as part of the From Home to Space virtual series hosted by the US Embassy in Italy & Italian Space Agency. Learn more and view the presentation.
- Together with colleagues in CSAIL and at Stanford, Luca Carlone is co-hosting “Robotics Today - A series of technical talks,” a virtual series designed to bring the robotics community together during these challenging times. The series began on May 15 (view the first talk) and will run on Fridays at 1 p.m. EST. Learn more and view the upcoming schedule.
- The final 16.405 (RSS) autonomous racing competition requires the teams to integrate and refine the autonomy modules developed in 6.141/16.405 into a complete navigation solution for a self-driving car. Typically, the final competition requires the teams of students to integrate and refine the autonomy modules developed in 16.405 into a complete navigation solution for a self-driving car, which has been traditionally held on actual mini race cars in the MIT tunnels. This semester, Luca Carlone and the 16.405 TAs worked tirelessly to move the competition to Zoom, where students tested out their code on virtual cars using a photorealistic simulator! The winning teams are below. Stay tuned for the full story in MIT News!
- 1st Place: Final Race
- Team 15
- Frankie Pineda
- K.J. Hardrict Jr.
- Lisa Peng
- Sam Ubellacker
- Yousef Mardini
- Fast Obstacle Avoidance Award
- Team 8
- Boaz Marks
- Brent Avery
- Mussie Demisse
- Steven Diaz
- Talia Blum
- Team Yoda (Awarded to person contributing to solve team conflicts)
- Yorai Shaoul (team 13)
- Amadou Bah (team 14)
- William Chen (team 9)
- Alisha Fong (team 17)
- Daniel Kuang (team 6)
- Final Challenge Wizard
- Samuel Ubellacker (team 15)
- The MIT Design Build Fly Team came in sixth place for out Design Document at the AIAA Design Build Fly Competition. While normally they compete with an aircraft in person, this year the ranking were determined purely off our submitted design document. View the full results.
- Oli de Weck’s first year student advisee Jake Sonandres was chosen by the Office of the First Year (OFY) as recipient of a MIT First Year Student Service Award for his work with Camp Kesem for kids with cancer. Jake is a Catcher for the MIT Baseball Varsity Team and he also just declared Course 16 Aero Astro as his major, so he is a rising sophomore!
- Four MIT Portugal Program R&D projects were approved and will be financed under the Go Portugal Program – Global Science and Technology Partnerships Portugal. The projects awarded a total of 12.2 M€ for the next 3 years, with a participation of 2.7 M€ from MIT. The projects will be developed in the areas of Digital Transformation in Manufacturing and Sustainable Cities. Read the full article.
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MIT AeroAstro Community Awards
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Graduate Student Leadership Awards
Outstanding Leadership: AeroAfro
Arthur Brown
Outstanding Leadership: GA^3
Maria Regina Apodaca Moreno
Amelia Gagnon
Charlotte Lowey
Jessica Todd
Outstanding Leadership: GWAE
Rosemary Davidson
For her leadership in engagement & remote social activities
Annick DeWald
For advocating for students on LGBTQ issues
Paula do Vale Pereira
For her passionate leadership in mentorship and outreach
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Undergraduate Student Leadership Awards
Apollo Program Prize Award
Rachel Morgan ‘G
General James H. DoLittle Prize Award
Madeleine Schroeder ‘20
James Means Memorial Award
Alexander (Olek) Peraire-Bueno ‘20
Humberto Caldelas ‘20
Graduate Recognition for the Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering
George Lordos ‘G
Morsa Prize Award
Mohammed Kabir ‘21
Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award
The Unified Class of 2019-2020
Henry Webb Salisbury Award
Hunter Fields ‘20
Jim Koldada ‘20
Mia LaRocca, ‘20
Alexander (Olek) Peraire-Bueno ’20
Madeleine Schroeder ‘20
Michelle Xu ‘20
Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award
Marcus Abate ‘20, 16.405J/6.141J
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
Christopher Courtin ‘G 16.82-16.885 & Johannes Norheim ‘G
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Faculty & Staff Awards
Wings Award
:
Recognizes an individual support member in AeroAstro for excellence.
Winner:
Beata Shuster, Administrative Assistant
“Not only does she do much so well, but she is an invariably cheerful presence throughout, brightening the days of all who work alongside her. She is a true pleasure to have in the Department, and thoroughly deserving of this award.”
Spirit of XVI Award:
Recognizes sustained excellence by a
member of the staff or a team of staff members
in AeroAstro, whose work, commitment, and enthusiasm contribute significantly to the achievement of the mission of the Department.
Winner:
Marie Stuppard, Academic Programs Administrator
“She puts in 100 percent effort on behalf of the AeroAstro students. From being available to help with their routine inquiries, to organizing FPOP and the undergrad awards the students are always Marie's top priority.”
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards
Recognize students, staff, faculty, or others, either individually or as members of a group, who have made significant contributions to building a sense of community
Undergraduate Winner:
Ethan Sit ‘20
“In the lab, I watched him reach out and assist the students with friendly professionalism. He assisted me with specifying the necessary components and lab supplies for the parachute and blimp competition.”
Graduate Winner:
Maria Regina Apodaca Moreno
“For her ability in fostering a positive community in the AeroAstro dept. She has organized multiple online events to remind all students that the AeroAstro community is not placed on hiatus through this difficult time. She is a great source of positive energy who always shows kindness to everyone.”
Faculty Winner:
Prof. Luca Carlone
“As my advisor, he has greatly helped me navigate course selections, finding internships, and helping me find my research interests. About a year ago I began a personal project to build an autonomous airplane. The project is very much still ongoing and has greatly expanded my knowledge of autonomous robotics and help me narrow down my interests in the field. My Professor has helped and supported me throughout the course of this project and very much continues to do so.”
Research Staff/Postdoc Winner:
Rebecca Masterson, Principal Research Scientist
“She has been an amazing mentor, counselor and an advocate for the students in the past year that I've gotten to know her. Having been part of the MIT family for so long, she not only knows the ups and downs of going through the MIT experience, but is also able to articulate it and be supportive. She is a staunch supporter of the students, postdocs and researchers and has in multiple occasions brought up students' concerns to the admins and "powers that be."
Staff Winner:
Sara Cody, Communications Officer
“She has saved the day many times since she began in the AeroAstro department, with her positive and proactive interactions with all of us. Everyone who’s had the chance to work with her is impressed and grateful for her ability to turn out exceptional work, even under the tightest deadlines.”
Special Thanks to the Awards Committee:
Shannon M. Cassady
Denise A. Phillips
Prof. Shelia E. Widnall
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From the files of AeroAstro grad student
Mycal Tucker
:
"I was rooting around through some old papers in a closet and found this scrap signed by some person named Eddie Poe. Seems interesting. The abridged version, below, is definitely worth reading
until the end
. If you'd like an unabridged version because you think the current text is just too short, you can find it
here
."
The Co(r)vid
Once upon a morning hazy, while I paced, going stir-crazy,
Playing softly many a podcast now focused on germ and spore-
While I about the rug was lapping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“Tis some visitor” I muttered “tapping at my chamber door —
but who goes out anymore?”
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with nary a flit or flutter,
In there blew a tiny covid of the recentest of lore;
Not the least obeisance made it; not a minute stopped or stayed it;
But, by way of sneeze or spit, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a gauzy mask just above my chamber door-
Settled, sat, and nothing more.
Then this tiny germ alluring my stern stance with its keen cunning,
By the dangers I ignored, thinking it more like a spore,
“Though thy case be phospholipid, thou,” I said, “art sure not from a corvid,
Though a bat may bear this covid wandering the great outdoors —
Tell me what thy lordly name is, you who come from there outdoors!”
Quoth the covid, “Nevermore.”
Much I marveled this mere virus to gaze straight into my iris,
And reply although its answer little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing germ above his chamber door-
Germ or bug upon the gauzy mask above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
But the covid, sitting lonely on the gauzy mask spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word it did outpour.
Nothing farther then it uttered — not a start or then a stutter-
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other flus have raged before--
On the morrow it will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.”
Then then covid: “Nevermore.”
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is pure chance and nothing more
Just by chance originating and then later on mutating
At a pace never abating till it ingrained in its core
Till the very protein folding that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never — nevermore.’
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil! — prophet still, virus or devil! —
By the few things sacred to us, by Fauci whom we both adore —
Tell this poor soul indoors stuck, by this virus run amok
Will there be a change of luck and will I get to go outdoors —
Will a golden stroke of luck let me at last go outdoors —
Quoth the covid “Nevermore”
But the covid was all wrong, for it wasn’t then so long
Till the tide of battle shifted and we began to win the war;
So tonight after you study, stay away from your dear buddy,
But please call into
The Muddy
where you’ll find us all online
There you may raise up your stein to give a toast to what’s in store
For the day is soon in coming when we will get to go outdoors:
When we shall step outside once more.
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Department Highlights in Photos
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On April 29, we hosted our Annual Lester D. Gardner Lecture virtually.
Major General Charlie Bolden
provided this year’s presentation, entitled "Leading Through Unprecedented Times.” As the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), General Charles F. Bolden Jr. was privileged to be on-hand for major changes in both the strategic plan for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and the method of conduct of human space flight for the nation’s civil space agency. Both brought significant challenges in times of significant global and political change. Today, Bolden will reflect on his personal experience as well as the history and future of aerospace, from the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903 to NASA’s Mars Exploration initiatives, connecting them back to today’s challenges of mastering deep space human exploration in the era of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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Do you have highlights to include in future editions of the Monthly Roundup?
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