2011 Fall AIAA-RMS Section Programs
October 2011 Digital Globe: World View 2—A New Way to Image the
World
In October, Dr. Grzegorz Miecznik, Remote Sensing Physicist for Digital Globe presented an
overview of DG satellites and focused on the new imaging capability afforded by World View 2,
Digital Globe’s latest sub-1 meter resolution commercial imaging satellite. World View 3’s stateof-the-art geolocational accuracy, agility, and efficient in-track stereo collection provide the
ability view the world in completely new ways. Dr Miecznik explained in depth how these multispectral capabilities enable imaging the surface topography under the oceans and applications
for understanding the changes that global warming is having on tropical coral reefs.
November 2011 United Launch Alliance: NASA Launch Programs
In November Vernon Thorp, NASA Program Manager for United Launch Alliance spoke about
ULA support of NASA programs. As the merger of Lockheed Martin’s Atlas and Boeing’s Delta
programs, ULA is headquartered in Colorado and launches payloads for government and
commercial customers Florida and California. Mr. Thorp presented an overview of the ULA
launch vehicles and detailed NASA programs that have launched this past year and those that
plan to launch in the coming year. Exciting programs included the NPOESS Preparatory Project,
JUNO and the Mars Science Lab.
Presentation materials for both of these programs is available on the RM AIAA website
aiaa-rm.org
Upcoming Events Winter 2012
AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Speakers Program
Space Weather Storms: Impacts on Critical Infrastructure
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)
Bill Murtagh
6:00 pm Thursday, February 16th 2012
6:00 pm Social, 6:30 pm Program
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)
David Skaggs Research Center (See Map)
325 Broadway, Boulder CO 80305
The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), one of the nine NWS National Centers
for Environmental Prediction, is the nation's official source for space weather alerts and
warnings. The rapid advances in the technology sector and our fast growing
dependency on space-based systems have resulted in an ever-increasing vulnerability
to hazardous space weather. NWS efforts to support aviation, emergency response
efforts, and electric power grids, now extend to space and solar storms. Other key
sectors impacted by space weather include satellite communications, and GPS
applications, which pervade modern society. And the concerns are growing as we begin
our ascent into the next solar maximum, expected to peak in 2013. This presentation
will address the different types of space weather events and how they impact our
technological infrastructure. Special emphasis will be given to the electric power grid
vulnerability and the potentially significant consequences of an extreme geomagnetic
storm.
Bill Murtagh is the Program Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado.
The SWPC is the official source for space weather forecast and warning services in the
United States. He is also the principal point of contact for NOAA’s space weather
customer and stakeholder activities. Bill works closely with private industry, national and
international agencies, emergency managers, and government officials to ensure
operational impacts of space weather are minimized through appropriate response and
adequate preparedness plans.
Before joining NOAA, Bill was a meteorologist and space weather forecaster in the U.S.
Air Force. Bill transferred to the SWPC in 1997 as a space weather forecaster and
liaison between NOAA and the U.S. Air Force. He joined NOAA in 2003 after retiring
from the Air Force with 23 years of service.
R.S.V.P Christopher Zeller by Monday, February 13th for badge access
(303) 939-4636 or by email [email protected] US citizenship required.
Calendar Winter 2012
January
Dream Chaser: Merri Sanchez: Sierra Nevada Corporation
Date TBA
6:00 pm social 6:30 presentation
University of Colorado Boulder
US Citizenship and RSVP required. Contact Chris Zeller [email protected] 303-939-4636
November
United Launch Alliance: NASA Launch Missions
Vernon Thorp
Thursday, November 10
6:00 pm social 6:30 presentation
United Launch Alliance 9100 E Mineral Cir, Centennial, CO 80112
US Citizenship and RSVP required. Contact Chris Zeller [email protected] 303-939-4636
March
TBD Dinner Meeting (Tentative: O3B Other 3 Billion)
April
University of Colorado Colorado Springs: Topic and date TBA
Dates, events, and times are subject to change. See the AIAA Rocky Mountain Section web site for
more information at: www.aiaa-rm.org
Contact [email protected] for further details.
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2011-2012 AIAA-RMS Section Programs
CHRIS ZELLER, AIAA-RM SECTION Northern Chair
Christopher Zeller has been a member of AIAA since 1996 and a active member of the Rocky
Mountain section council since 2004. He served as the Northern Chair from 2004-2008 and has
been the Programs Chair since 2008. Mr. Zeller received a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical
and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign in 1997 and a
Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1999.
Mr. Zeller started his career installing and testing satellite ground stations internationally for
Raytheon Systems Company in Aurora Colorado. He also worked as an orbit analyst operating
the world’s first commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite Ikonos for Space Imaging.
He is currently a spacecraft systems engineer for Ball Aerospace in Boulder and has supported
the GOES-R, New Horizons, Kepler, WorldView, SBSS, WISE, EPOXI, CloudSat, ORION, NPP,
and JPSS programs along with multiple proposals. His specialties include orbit design, rarified
gas dynamics including re-entry flows and thruster plume impingement, spacecraft power
systems, requirements management, and risk analysis.