AIAA ALBUQUERQUE
APRIL 2017
T H E
F LIG H T
PLA N
The Newsletter of AIAA Albuquerque Section
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
CALENDAR
3
CHAIR’S CORNER
4
APR 20 SPEAKERS: DENNIS ROACH & STEPHEN NEIDIGK,
STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF AIRCRAFT
CONGRESSIONAL VISITS DAY 2017
5
By Arup Maji— Programs
LEGISLATION PERTINENT TO AIAA
6
UNM STUDENTS TO LAUNCH ROCKET
7
CONGRESSIONAL VISITS DAY:
A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
8
AFRL MEMBERS WIN AIAA AWARDS
9
MARCH MEETING RECAP: DR. WITTICH
10
CALL FOR STUDENT PAPER JUDGES
11
INT’L SYSTEMS SAFETY CONFERENCE
11
Abstract: Impact damage can occur on
With
SCIENCE FAIR AWARDS
12
composite aircraft structures from a variety
materials in primary structure on commercial
BOOK REVIEW: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
13
of different objects. They can range from low
transport category aircraft, new technologies
ROBO RAVE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
14
velocity, high mass impacts caused by
for damage detection are emerging.
NEW MEXICO SCIENCE FIESTA
15
baggage handling vehicles and dropped
The ability of existing and newer technologies
FROM THE ARCHIVES
15
equipment during maintenance, to high
to detect various modes of composite impact
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
16
velocity light weight hail impacts and runway
damage spanning a wide range of damage
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
17
debris.
severity is currently being assessed.
SECTION INFORMATION
18
Impact damage does not always manifest
This includes detection sensitivity, deployment,
itself with a surface visible demarcation such
and ease of use. Results of these studies have
as a mar, dent, crack, or scuff. Large interplay
been incorporated into a Composite Inspector
delamination and substructure disbanding
Training Course developed to support the
below the level of visual detection can occur
airline industry as they begin to acquire higher
as a result of impact damage.
numbers of aircraft made with solid laminate
Similarly, impact damage at the visible level
composites.
can produce fiber breakage contributing to
In the first part of this talk, several studies
structural degradation an decreased load
focused on detection of composite impact
capacity.
damage will be presented, as well as an
Join us this month at the Copper Canyon Café
to hear Dennis Roach and Stephen Neidigk
from the Sandia National Laboratories, FAA
Airworthiness Assurance Center (AANC) for a
talk on ‘Advanced Solutions for Health
Monitoring of Modern and Aging Aircraft’.
the
increased
use
of
composite
introduction to the Composite Inspector Train-
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
ing Course developed by the FAA
He is a founding member of the
Airworthiness Assurance Center (AANC) at
Aerospace Industry Steering Committee
Sandia Labs.
on Structural Health Monitoring, chairs
Speaker Bio: Dennis Roach is a Senior
the Inspection Task Group of the Inter-
Scientist in the Transportation Safeguards
national Commercial Aircraft Composite
and Surety Organization at Sandia Nation-
Committee, and is a member of the IEC
al Labs. He has over 25 years of
PT5 Wind Committee.
experience in the areas of experimental
Dennis has seven patents and over 200
and analytical assessment and nonde-
technical
co-
contributions resulted in nearly 30
structive inspection of structures.
authored books on the application of
technical publications, a nomination for
advanced composite materials and the
the Up & Coming Innovator Award, an
inspection of composite and metallic
use of structural health monitoring
A4A-SAE Better Way Award, and a
structures including the development of
methods. He received his degrees in
patent.
sensors for in-situ health monitoring.
Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia
Stephen is currently working on a
Dennis’ work within the wind industry has
Institute
project for the FAA developing the
focused on developing and transferring
University of Texas.
Composite Inspector Training Course, a
advanced inspection methods for wind
Speaker Bio: Stephen Neidigk is a senior
study related to the evaluation of aging
turbine blades.
member of technical staff at Sandia
composite repairs on in-service aircraft
Before joining Sandia, he worked on the
National Laboratories. He worked exclu-
components
Space Shuttle program at Boeing and was
sively in the Infrastructure Assurance and
security projects.
a
National
Nondestructive Inspection Department
He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in
Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands.
for his first six years at Sandia where his
Civil Engineering from the University of
His specialty is in damage tolerance and
research
fellow
at
the
publications
of
including
Technology
and
the
Thursday, April 20
Copper Canyon Café
5455 Gibson Blvd, Albuquerque
5:30pm Meet and Greet
5:45pm Dinner
6:30pm Presentation
Please click here to RSVP.
New
and
Mexico
several
and
his
national
engineering
interests include full-scale structural
testing, mechanical component design,
composite
materials,
nondestructive
inspection (NDI), and structural health
monitoring (SHM).
Students: Don’t forget that we offer free
dinners (up to $15 each) for up to six
students!
Sandia National Laboratories senior scientist Dennis Roach, center, works inside the cabin of a
B737 test bed, installing and acquiring data from Structural Health Monitoring sensors with
Sandia mechanical engineers Stephen Neidigk and Tom Rice. Credit: Randy Montoya [phys.org]
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CALENDAR
Local Chapter Events
Mon 10 April — Officers Meeting, 5:30pm
Copper Canyon Café : 5455 Gibson Blvd, Albuquerque
Thur 20 April — Section Meeting
Speakers: Dennis Roach and Stephen Neidigk, Sandia National Labs
Copper Canyon Café: 5455 Gibson Blvd, Albuquerque
5:30pm Meet and greet
5:45pm Dinner (order when ready)
6:30pm Presentation and discussion
29-30 April — Region IV Student Conference
University of Houston Student Branch
6 May — UNM Student Rocket Launch
Albuquerque Rocket Society Launch Site, Rio Rancho
Upcoming U.S. Launches
April 18: Atlas V, OA-7
April 30: Falcon 9, NROL-76
May 15: Falcon 9, Inmarsat 5 F4
May: Falcon 9, SpaceX CRS 11
May: Falcon 9, BulgariaSat1
July 15: Minotaur 4, ORS 5
Aug 14: Atlas V, NROL-42
National AIAA Events
16-17 April 2017—Herndon, VA—17th Integrated Communications and Surveillance (ICNS)
20-21 April 2017—Alexandria, VA—Aircraft Noise and Emissions Reduction Symposium (ANERS)
25-27 Apr 2017—Laurel, MD—AIAA DEFENSE Forum
15-19 May 2017—Tokyo, Japan—2017 IAA Planetary Defense Conference
5-9 June 2017—Denver, CO—AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Expo (Aviation 2017)
10-12 July 2017—Atlanta, GA—AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum and Expo (Propulsion and Energy 2017)
12-14 July 2017—Hampton, VA—NASA Langley 100th Anniversary Centennial Symposium
10-11 September 2017—St Petersburg, FL—36th Digital Avionics Systems Conference
13-16 September 2017—Dublin, Ireland—21st Workshop of the Aeroacoustics Specialists Committee of the Council
of European Aerospace Societies (CEAS)
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APRIL 2017
THE CHAIR’S CORNER
It has been a quick five years since I joined up with the AIAA Albuquerque Section. In that time, I’ve
had the pleasure of serving as the General Chair of the 2014 Student Paper Competition, the Vice
Chair of the section, then Chair for the last three years. It has been my pleasure and honor to be a
part of such a great group. It is now time for me to step down and let someone else lead this organization.
All along, I have enjoyed the support of the outstanding officers who are committed to making this
such a beneficial local chapter of a great professional society. Their tireless—and often thankless-efforts to keep the business of the section on track often go unnoticed. I would like to personally
and specifically thank Robert Malseed for his enduring efforts as treasurer, as well as serving as the
corporate memory and the “rudder” that keeps all of our processes on course. Robert and his wife
Linda also show up at every event that the club puts on or participates in (at least when they are
not travelling). He has made my job so much easier.
Similarly, to the rest of the board of officers: All of you have my sincere gratitude for the energy,
drive, and enthusiasm that you bring to the section. It is people like you that continue to make
participating in a professional society valuable and rewarding for the rest of us.
All you have to do is to peruse the pages of this newsletter to see the great work done by our officers (and our outstanding Newsletter Editor, Sally Smith), come to one of our regular meetings to
hear a great speaker (thanks to Arup Maji), or participate in one of our STEM events (organized by
Elfego Pinon). As you will read in these pages, we have great tentacles into our congressional delegation thanks to Mark Fraser (and recently Ben Urioste). Then, there is the work that goes on behind the scenes, such as selecting science fair winners and scholarship awards, organizing the student branch, dealing with memberships, educational programs, young professionals, and keeping
records of our meetings (thank you Stev Seiffert, Neil McCasland, Randy Truman, Erin Pettyjohn,
John Tam, Charlene Jacka and Terry Caipen). Please take the time to thank your officers for volunteering the next time you see them.
As you will soon see, our ballot of nominees for next year’s officers is filling up fast--except for the
position of Chair. If you are up for a fun and rewarding experience with lots of support from a great
group, please consider self-nominating. We’d love to have you!
Dr. Joel Mozer
AIAA Albuquerque Section Chair
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CONGRESSIONAL VISITS DAY 2017
By Mark Fraser—Public Policy
On 28-29 March 2017 three of us from
New Mexico attended the annual AIAA
Congressional Visits Day in Washington
DC: Ben Urioste (AIAA/UNM Student
Chair), his wife Haniel Molina, and myself.
There were two Key Issues recommended
by the AIAA Public Policy Committee that
we presented to the staffers this year:

Aerospace and Defense
Funding and Procurement

Aerospace and Defense Workforce
Enhancement (STEM)
Budget
Details about these issues and the AIAA
recommendations can be found here.
On the first day we attended general AIAA
meetings and heard speeches from government operations representatives (Ann
Zulkosky and Matt McCardle). That night
we had a reception and tour at the
Lockheed Martin Global Vision Center.
On the second day in the morning we met
Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich
at their "Constituent Coffee" sessions. We
only had time to say hello to Sen. Udall,
but we did have some time to talk with
Sen. Heinrich. I mentioned what a great
talk his Science Development Director,
Dr. Katie Richardson, gave at our AIAAABQ meeting a few months ago
(p.3 Dec’2016).
I told Sen. Heinrich about the threat
towards me for giving a public talk on
From left: Mark Frasier, Public Policy Officer of the AIAA Albuquerque Section; Senator Heinrich; Haniel Molina; Ben Urioste, Chair of AIAA at UNM
climate change, and personally thanked
him for helping introduce a bill to protect
scientists from political interference
(p.9 Mar’2017). He said that unfortunately that’s what we’ve come to. Ben had
time to talk with him about the student
mentorship program at the Air Force
Research Lab (AFRL).
By the way, at this year’s event they
announced Executive Director Dr. Sandy
Magnus’s official AIAA position on
Climate/Earth Science:
“We are a science-based society that
believes in the power of data. It is critical
for our government to continue capturing
data about the dynamics of our planet. It
is also imperative for our science-related
agencies, including NASA, NOAA, and
NSF, to receive adequate funding and
policy direction in order to their meet
short- and long-term program and
mission requirements.”
In the afternoon we met with staffers for
Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), Senator
Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-1st NM),
Mark, Haniel, and Ben in the Rayburn Building
and Congressman Steve Pearce (R- 3rd
NM). I discussed the details of the Key
Issues and our recommendations for
legislation pertinent to AIAA (see
related article on p. 5), and Ben talked
about the UNM/STEM AFRL mentorship
program (see his article on p. 7).
Between meetings we had the opportunity to attend the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee and hear Former
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
testify about “the current U.S.-Mexico
relationship.” We are sitting on the left
in this clip. I stayed an extra day and had
the opportunity to attend both open
sessions of the Senate Intelligence
Committee hearings on the Russian
interference. (clip, Part 1, Part 2).
At the AIAA reception in the Rayburn
Building we met Dr. Magnus and asked
about her time as an astronaut. She was
a freshman during my last year as a grad
student at the Missouri University of
Science and Technology (formerly
University of Missouri–Rolla) where she
may have been my student when I
5
APRIL 2017
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substituted for my advisor and taught
physics recitation class.
I arrived the weekend before to see the
sights, like the Air & Space Museum, the
Natural History Museum, the Hirshhorn
Museum, the Jefferson Memorial, and
walking around the Tidal Basin to see the
cherry blossoms blooming. It was a great
trip.
Above: Mark at the Jefferson Memorial
Right: Mark at the Air & Space Museum
LEGISLATION PERTINENT TO AIAA
By Mark Fraser—Public Policy
Here is this year’s legislation and AIAA’s
positions that I reviewed with staffers in
Washington DC for the AIAA 2017
Congressional Visits Day.

NASA Reauthorization:
S. 442 – NASA Transition Authorization
Act of 2017

$19.5 authorization that provides
stability for the agency to sustain and
build upon existing national space
investments designed to advance
space exploration and science; does
not directly address NASA’s Earth
science and heliophysics programs

Introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
on 02/17/17

Became Public Law No: 115-10 on
03/21/17
AIAA Position – Applaud Congress for
authorizing NASA through Fiscal Year
2017, the space agency’s first authorization bill in nearly seven years. Call on the
115th Congress to provide long-term
authorization and appropriations with top
-line increases in the out years to give
NASA the means necessary to meet its
program and mission requirements.
Workforce Preparation:
S. 628 – Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce
Act
Amends the Perkins Career and
Technical Education (CTE) Act by
allowing states and localities to use
Perkins grant funding to establish
CTE-focused academies; encourages
schools to incorporate key elements
of high-quality CTE programs; and
promotes partnerships between
local businesses, regional industries,
and other community stakeholders
to create work-based learning
opportunities for students

Introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
on 03/14/17

Referred to the Senate Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
AIAA Position – Encouraged by this legislation, and continue to call on Congress
to pass legislation that enhances the
pipeline of STEM-competent workers into
the U.S. economy.
Workforce Diversity:
H.R. 321 – Inspiring the Next Space
Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and
Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act

Directs NASA to encourage women
to enter the STEM fields through
three existing programs: NASA Girls,
Aspire to Inspire, and the Summer
Institute in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Research

Introduced by Rep. Barbara
Comstock (R-VA) on 1/5/17

Became Public Law No: 115-7 on
2/28/17
H.R. 255 – Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act

Expands the mission of the
National Science Foundation to
include supporting entrepreneurial
programs for women that extend
their focus beyond the laboratory
and into the commercial world

Introduced by Rep. Elizabeth Etsy
(D-CT) on 1/4/17

Became Public Law No: 115-6 on
2/28/17
AIAA Position – Applaud Congress for
passing legislation that leverage existing
programs at NASA and NSF to promote
the advancement of women in STEM
fields. Continue to call on Congress to
promote comprehensive initiatives that
expand the capacity and diversity of the
STEM workforce pipeline.
Worker Visa Reform:
S. 180 – H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act

Modifies the H-1B
visa programs by
and L-1
increasing
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APRIL 2017
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enforcement,
modifying
wage
requirements, and securing protections for both American workers and
visa holders. Requires all employers
seeking to hire workers on H-1B visas
to make a “good faith effort” to hire
Americans first. Calls on federal
government to prioritize the top
foreign students who have studied in
the U.S.


Introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-IA) on 01/20/17


Referred to the Senate Committee
on the Judiciary


Companion Bill: H.R. 1303 was
introduced by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
on 03/02/17 and referred to the
House Committee on the Judiciary,
Committee on Education & Workforce
H.R. 670 – High-Skilled Integrity and
Fairness Act of 2017
Prioritizes market based allocation
of visas to those companies willing
to pay 200 percent of a wage calculated by survey, eliminates the
category of lowest pay, and raises
the salary level at which H-1B
dependent employer are exempt
from non-displacement and recruitment attestation requirements to
greater than $130,000.
Introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren
(D-CA) on 01/24/17
Referred to the House Committee
on the Judiciary
H.R. 170 – Protect and Grow American
Jobs Act

Makes changes to the eligibility
requirements for H1-B Visa exemptions by raising salary requirements
for highly-skilled positions to
$100,000/year (up from $60,000/
year currently) and eliminating the
Master’s Degree exemption.

Introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa
(R-CA) on 01/03/17

Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border
Security
AIAA Position – Due to the current skills
gap, the A&D sector needs foreign-born
professionals to work alongside their
American colleagues. Collectively this
workforce drives economic growth, innovation, and entrepreneurialism. Call on
Congress to pass visa legislation that
encourages the retention of foreign
professional STEM workers in U.S.
industry. Previously considered legislation that would have raised H-1B visa
caps and exempted those who hold
advanced STEM degrees from counting
against the caps represent productive
approaches to realizing the needed
high-skilled workforce.
UNM STUDENTS LAUNCHING FIRST SENIOR DESIGN ROCKET
By Avery Lopez—Rocket Engineering Project Lead
UNM Rocket Engineering Team, or Lobo
Launch, is launching UNM’s first Mechanical Engineering senior design rocket. Lobo
Launch students focus in propulsion,
structures, launch, recovery, and electronic systems aspects of rocketry.
Their first launch comprises of a 46-foot
PGM-11 Redstone model rocket powered
by a Cesaroni O8000 solid propellant
motor. Lobo Launch’s ambitious first
launch is projected to be the world’s largest amateur model rocket.
Lobo Launch welcomes the STEM and
AIAA community to watch their launch
May 6th, with a backup of May 7th, at the
Albuquerque Rocket Society launch site.
For further detail contact Avery Lopez at
[email protected] or call 505 803 7424.
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ATTENDING AIAA CVD 2017: A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
By Ben Urioste—UNM Student Chair
The AIAA Congressional Visits Day (CVD)
feet of the representatives and
event was full of learning experiences
showed a genuine interest in our
and opportunities to gain insight into a
topics. I spoke to the staffers about
very different world. From a matter of
a mentoring program that I have
perspective, it was a great honor to visit
been involved in for the past year
our nation’s capital and meet with the
that connects students at UNM in
people that represent New Mexico’s
STEM
interests. Not only did we have the
working at AFRL.
opportunity to tour national monuments
and the Smithsonian museums (the Air
and Space Museum was my favorite),
but also, we represented and advocated
for the aerospace industry in New
Mexico.
fields
with
professionals
“The UNM and AFRL Mentoring
Program helps UNM STEM undergraduate students build a supportive relationship with an Air
From left: Mark Frasier, Public Policy Officer of the AIAA
Albuquerque Section; Sandy Magnus , Executive Director of
AIAA; Ben Urioste, Chair of AIAA at UNM
Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) scientist or engineer. Students in the program
We were able to meet with Senator
are matched with an AFRL mentor and
Heinrich and Senator Udall in person for
the two of them collaborate on various
a short time during a constituent coffee.
informal activities to enhance their edu-
We followed up our meetings with each
cational and career experiences.”
of their staffers as well as staffers from
Congressmen Pearce’s and Congresswoman Lujan-Grisham’s office. It really
surprised me how busy our senators and
congressmen are! It makes sense that
It was fortuitous that I have been part of
this mentoring program because it gave
me the opportunity to speak passionately and from personal experience about
some of AIAA key initiatives.
they have an army of personnel to keep
them informed on every topic in our
1.
state and nationally.
These professionals are the hands and
grants are readily available to support
industry, government, and academic
partnerships that tailor training for
high-level skills and provide researchfocused collaborations.
Events like CVD are designed to bring
change and awareness to our profession.
As a student attending CVD for the first
time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was
surprised to see many students from
universities all over the country partici-
enhances the pipeline of STEM-
pating in this event. I was made aware
competent workers into the U.S.
about the CVD by an email that gives an
economy, such as reauthorizing,
excellent rational for student participation.
ations for the Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act.
“As a student engaged in the study of
aerospace engineering and/or science,
your voice is an important one to be heard
Encourage industry to participate in
on Capitol Hill. You and your colleagues will
STEM educational, training, and
shape the future of aerospace with your
development programs for the
work, innovation, and passion.”
incoming, existing, and transitioning workforce.
3.
Ensure Federal incentives and/or
Continue to pass legislation that
modernizing, and provide appropri-
2.
4.
As you can see, this event is really for everyone who is part of AIAA and has an inter-
Promote comprehensive initiatives
est in creating opportunity and change in
that expand the capacity and diver-
the aerospace industry. I would like to
sity of the STEM workforce pipe-
encourage our young professionals and
line.
students to seek out opportunities
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APRIL 2017
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like the Congressional Visit Day 2017
Ben Urioste will receive his bachelor of
that are made available to us through
science in the mechanical engineering at
our AIAA membership.
the University of New Mexico in May
Take note, as students and young
professionals, our voice matters! Our
representatives are eager to hear from
us because we are the future of New
Mexico and the United States. My advice
is to take advantage of any opportunity
that will take you out of your comfort
2017. He has been the chair of AIAA
UNM since August 2016 and was the
recipient of the AIAA Albuquerque section scholarship, ‘I am STEM’ award, as
well as a recipient of the NM Space
Grant Award for Undergraduate Research.
zone and force you to learn new
After graduation, he plans on continuing
knowledge or skill.
his education towards a M.S.M.E. while
I believe that both students as well as
professionals can benefit from learning
more about the legislative process as it
relates to the aerospace industry. Mark
your calendars for April 2018 and see
you at the next AIAA Congressional Visit
working as an intern at Applied Technologies Associates and being an active
member of AIAA. Apart from schoolwork
Ben enjoys mentoring, being outdoors,
woodworking, and spending time with
his wife.
Ben with his wife Haniel
Contact:
[email protected]
505-410-3275
www.linkedin.com/in/benurioste
Day!
AIAA MEMBERS RECOGNIZED AT ANNUAL AFRL PRS AWARDS
By Sally Smith—Editor
Dan Wilhelm Director’s Cup
Editor’s Note: We published an incomplete list of award winners in the March
newsletter. The following reflects the
full list of local AIAA
members who were
recognized with AFRL
awards.
On February 21, 2017,
the Air Force Research
Laboratory’s Phillips
Research Site (PRS) held its annual
awards ceremony.
Dr. Kelly Hammett (Director, Directed
Energy Directorate) and Col. Russell
Teehan (Director, Space Vehicles Directorate) presented awards to scientists,
engineers, and support professionals.
AIAA members were recognized in the
following categories.
Dr. Jeremy Banik
Director’s Cup Junior Force Award
Mr. Apoorva Bhopale
Director’s Cup Richard J. Neal Special
Recognition Award (Jr. Individual)
Dr. Morgan Baldwin
Director’s Cup Richard J. Neal Special
Recognition Award (Team)
Mr. Robert Vick (Cyber Team)
Scientific/Technical Management Award
Dr. Andrew Williams
Senior Leadership Award
Ms. Erin Pettyjohn
International Award (Team) - International SSA Research Partnerships Team
Dr. Ryan Weisman
Dr. Kyle Henderson
Dr. Thomas Cooley
Scientific/Technical Achievement
Award - Spacecraft Charging & Instrumentation Calibration Lab (SCICL) Team
Dr. Dale Ferguson
Publication of the Year Award (Team) Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) Team
Ms. Sally Smith
Mr. Brent Taft
Technology Transition Achievement
Award (Team) - ANGELS Team
Dr. Morgan Baldwin
Mr. Jason Guarnieri
Dr. Joel Mozer
Mr. Brent Taft
Mentorship Award
Dr. Alan Lovell
Company Grade Officer of the Year
Capt Katherine Carroll
Giller Award
Dr. Nicholas Morley
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MARCH SECTION MEETING: DR. DONALD WITTICH, AFRL/RD
By Sally Smith—Editor
On Thursday, March 23rd, members of
the AIAA Albuquerque Section gathered
at the Copper Canyon Café to hear
Dr. Donald “DJ” Wittich of the Air Force
Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy
Directorate (AFRL/RD) present on
aero-optics research.
Dr. Wittich, who has been working at the
directorate for 12 years, explained that
aero-optics is not atmospheric propagation, but the study of light propagation
through air with a non-uniform density
distribution. The most common case
under consideration is an imaging or
projection system on board an aircraft
which must propagate light through the
disturbed air surrounding the vehicle or
some form of articulating optical turret.
The air has a non-uniform density which
deflects the light as it passes through,
and the deflections, or wavefront distortions, degrade the ability to focus the
light.
Some example applications include the
Airborne Laser Laboratory (AFRL/RD),
the Airborne Laser TestBed (AFRL/RD),
and the Stratospheric Observatory for
Infrared Astronomy or SOFIA (NASA/
DLR).
Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensors are
an array of lenses (called lenslets) of the
same focal length that are focused onto
a photon sensor. The local tilt of the
wavefront across each lens can be
calculated from the position of the focal
spot on the sensor, and by sampling an
array of lenslets the whole wavefront can
be approximated.
In 2010, researchers were able to
spatially and temporally resolve measurements of aero-optic turbulence. The
fast-paced evolution of high speed
cameras has also supported research,
leading to finer resolution.
Dr. Wittich discussed flow diagnotics as
an example of a new application outside
of directed energy, the detection of hypersonic “transitional events.” This
research is being supported by wind
tunnels at Sandia National Labs and
Purdue.
Future areas of work include resolving
the temperature distribution debate, 3D
measurements of density at AFRL, measurement of aero-optic tilt, and a better
understanding of shocks and shockturbulence interactions.
Top: AIAA Albuquerque members gathered for Dr.
Wittich’s talk; Above: Dr. Wittich speaks to the
Albuquerque Section.
Dr. Wittich explained that although the
modern study of aero-optics has its roots
in work done in the second half of the
20th century, the pace of advancement
has significantly increased in the last
decade or so. In his talk, he covered the
background and discussed some of the
more recent advancements in aerooptics research and development from
the 1980’s to present.
The development of the small aperture
beam technique, which uses multiple
small laser beams in an array, allowed
for faster data collection in order to
capture a time evolution.
This schlieren image dramatically displays the shock wave of a supersonic jet flying over the Mojave
Desert. Researchers used image processing software to remove the desert background, then com- 10
bined and averaged multiple frames to produce a clear picture of the shock waves. [NASA Photo]
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
CALL FOR JUDGES FOR REGION IV STUDENT CONFERENCE
By Sally Smith—Editor
needed. On-site judging will be from
8:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday, April 29.
The deadline for student papers is April
4, 2017. All online reviews must be
completed by April 24, 2017.
Judges are requested to support the upcoming AIAA Region IV Student Paper
Conference, to be held at the University
of Houston on April 29 - 30, 2017.
The goal of this conference is to offer
future leaders in aerospace a chance to
present their research and hone
important skills for their careers. Your
volunteer support of this event is a great
way to 'pay it forward'!
Both online judges for the technical
papers in advance of the conference and
on-site judges the weekend of the conference to evaluate the presentations are
You can review the overall conference
materials at:
region4.aiaastudentconference.org
The online judges read and score the
technical papers ahead the conference
using the online conference tool. Head
judge Michael Oelke will coordinate with
the judging team to set evaluation
criteria in an effort to normalize the
scoring range.
The on-site judges cannot review the
papers ahead of time but instead focus
both on the oral presentation skills and
the presented technical content.
Awards will be given to students in the
various categories based on the combined scoring from the technical papers
and the oral presentations.
Please let head judge Michael Oelke
([email protected]) know if you
are interested and able to participate
online or on-site.
AIAA staff will help you gain access to
the review site for the technical papers.
Note that anyone currently employed
by or attending the University of
Houston cannot serve as a judge.
These events are very valuable to both
our student and professional members.
We hope that you are able to help, and
are looking forward to making this
year’s Region IV SPC a success!
35TH INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM SAFETY CONFERENCE
By Stephen Seiffert—Honors & Awards
The international System Safety Society
is holding its 35th International
System Safety Conference (ISSC) in
Albuquerque, NM, 21-25 August, 2017
at the Albuquerque Hotel Old Town.
The theme of the conference is “Pushing
the boundaries of System Safety”,
intending to explore not only how system safety relates to the development,
deployment, life-cycle of complex
engineered systems, but to how system
safety now relates and is applied to
many different domains, including how
to include the growing body of lessonslearned data from industrial product and
defense system development, use, and
failures into the
application process.
system
safety
ed in learning about this fascinating
discipline.
The conference will include a number of
tutorials covering system safety fundamentals and more advanced applications of the system safety process. A
Panel discussion will also be held, with
follow up breakout discussion sessions,
during the conference to open
discussions concerning the introduction
and development of system safety
consensus standards for application and
use in the defense system acquisition
process. The conference is open to the
engineering and management community and anyone interested in or interest-
Although some deadlines are approaching for abstract submission, interested
persons may go to the link:
http://issc2017.system-safety.org
to explore further the details on calls for
technical papers and for tutorials, or
have an interest in becoming a sponsor
or exhibitor.
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APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
ALBUQUERQUE SECTION SCIENCE FAIR AWARDS
By Robert Malseed—Treasurer
Once again, the Albuquerque section
chose four award winners at the Central
New Mexico Science & Engineering
Research Challenge (Science Fair) for
projects relating to the fields of
Aeronautics and Astronautics. AIAA
Albuquerque Vice-Chair Nick Morley,
Honors & Awards Officer Stephen
Seiffert, and Treasurer Robert Malseed
judged science fair entries on 17 March.
They chose two senior division (high
school) and two junior division (middle
school) winners.
Senior division winners:
Katerina M. Gallegos, 11th grade, St.
Pius X High School, for her exhibit,
“Is That Really What It’s Made Of”.
(Stellar Spectroscopy)
Richard J. Dargan, 12th grade, Albuquerque Academy, for his exhibit,
“Optimizing
Satellite
Constellation
Configurations for Global Satellite Navigation Systems”.
Richard also won the Albuquerque
Astronomical Society and Accent Southwest Windows $50 Award and the
American Meteorological Society Award.
He also took the Third Place Top of
Category Award for Senior Division
Physics & Astronomy and qualified to
advance to state.
Junior Division winners:
Surith S. Krishna, 7th grade, Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science, for his
exhibit, “Model of a Thermoelectronic
Converter”.
Surith also won the New Mexico Gas
Company Award and the Trinity Section
of the American Nuclear Society Award.
Hank A. Hidalgo, 8th grade, Jefferson
Middle School, for his exhibit, “Rocket
Rhinoplasty”.
Our four winners will be honored as
guests at our May meeting. In addition,
they will receive a certificate and check
for $100 as well as a one-year student
membership in AIAA.
Two of our section’s student members
(previous Science Fair award winners)
also won again this year.
Evan Crockett won the Albuquerque
Astronomical Society and Accent
Southwest Windows $25 Award, the
American Meteorological Society Award
Certificate, and the United States Navy
and Marine Corps $50 Award and
Medallion. He also won Honorable
Mention in the Senior Division Physics &
Astronomy Top of Category Award.
Rusty Ludwigsen won the United States
Public Health Service Engineering Award,
the UNM College of Pharmacy Award,
the UNM Health Sciences Center
Award, and the UNM Department of
Neurosciences Award. He also won the
Top of Category award for Senior
Division Medicine and Health Sciences,
and he qualified to advance to State and
ISEF.
Congratulations to the winners!
From left: AIAA Albuquerque Board Members Nicholas Morley (Vice-Chair), Robert Malseed
(Treasurer), and Stephen Seiffert (Honors & Awards) volunteered as judges for the science
fair.
12
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
BOOK REVIEW: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
By Sally Smith—Editor
Pulitzer Prize winning author and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
David McCullough (1776, Truman,
John Adams) tells the dramatic and
profoundly American story of the courageous brothers who taught the world
how to fly: Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Not just a couple of unschooled Ohio
bicycle mechanics who happened upon
success, they were men of exceptional
courage and determination. They had far
-ranging intellectual interests and curiosity, much of which they attributed to
their upbringing.
"Orville's first teacher in grade school,
Ida Palmer, would remember him at his
desk tinkering with bits of wood. Asked
what he was up to, he told her he was
making a machine of a kind that he and
his brother were going to fly someday."
The house they lived in had no electricity
or indoor plumbing, but there were
plenty of books, supplied mainly by their
father, and they never stopped reading.
“The best dividends on the labor invested
have invariably come from seeking more
knowledge rather than more power.”
- Wilbur and Orville Wright
They had no more than a public high
school education, little money and no
contacts in high places, but that never
stopped them in their mission to take
flight. When they worked together, no
problem seemed insurmountable.
In this exciting book, historian David
McCullough draws on the immense riches of the Wright Papers, including
private diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks,
and more than a thousand letters from
private family correspondence to tell the
human side of the Wright Brothers'
story, including the little-known
contributions of their sister, Katharine,
without whom things might well have
gone very differently.
McCullough also focuses on the personal
experiences that shaped the brothers’
lives. For example, when Wilbur was a
teenager, he was hit in the face with a
hockey stick while playing a game with
friends. Because of this injury, he
dropped his plans to attend college and
became more withdrawn and reclusive—and also a more avid reader. (The
boy who hit him later became a serial
killer.)
McCullough also highlights the competition between the Wright brothers and
Samuel P. Langley of the Smithsonian.
While Langley raised over $70,000 in
funds to build his airplane, the Wright
brothers only spent $1,000 in funds from
their bicycle shop and experienced far
greater success. The Wright brothers did
not let Langley’s progress detract from
their own, and they stayed true to their
vision.
Wilbur (left) and Orville Wright, pictured at
their home in Dayton, Ohio in June 1909.
[Wright State University]
”It wasn’t luck that made them fly; it
was hard work and common sense; they
put their whole heart and soul and all
their energy into an idea and they had
faith.”
On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong
stepped onto the moon, he carried with
him, in tribute to the Wright brothers, a
small swatch of the muslin from a wing
of their 1903 flyer.
This is a story of timeless importance
about one of the most astonishing feats
mankind has ever accomplished. I
learned much more about their journey
to flight, including their setbacks and
close calls. And when they couldn’t find
support in the United States, they were
welcomed with open arms in France.
But above all, I learned about two brothers with a determined American spirit,
who somehow managed to stay humble
and grounded through it all. I would
highly recommend this book to anyone
with an interest in aviation or history,
but also to anyone who roots for the
underdog.
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THE FLIGHT PLAN
APRIL 2017
14
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: NEW MEXICO SCIENCE FIESTA
By Sally Smith—Editor
The second annual New Mexico Science
Fiesta (formerly known as the ABQ STEM
Fiesta) will be an exciting way to engage
families and celebrate the importance
of science and engineering in our
communities.
during the summer months.
We invite you to join us in providing
hands-on activities at the 2017 New
Mexico Science Fiesta on Saturday, May
20 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at Tiguex
Park in Albuquerque’s Old Town.
Share your enthusiasm for learning,
science, and the world around us
by providing hands-on science and
engineering activities and programs for
the whole family.
This year’s event also kicks off Albuquerque’s “Launch2Learn Summer Adventure
Passport”, a program designed to provide
connected learning activities across
Albuquerque and promote healthy living
You are also welcome to share
information about the summertime
educational offerings you might have for
children and their families.
Free to the public, the New Mexico
Science Fiesta will be an opportunity to
engage hundreds of families in the
important role that science plays in our
everyday lives.
To reserve your space, please contact
Ronda Cole ([email protected])
or Allison Brody, Explora Educational
Services Director ([email protected]).
Please let Allison know about any
other organizations that may want to
participate. To be included in advanced
publicity, please respond by March 20.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
15
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
THIS MONTH IN AIR & SPACE HISTORY
By Sally Smith — Editor
Apr 9, 1959 — NASA introduced America’s first astronauts to
the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn
Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr.,
and Donald Slayton. The seven men, all military test pilots,
were carefully selected from a group of thirty-two candidates
to take part in Project Mercury, America’s first manned space
program.
Apr 11, 1970 — Apollo 13, the third lunar landing mission,
launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying mission commander Jim Lovell, command module pilot John Swigert, and
lunar module pilot Fred Haise. After an oxygen tank overheated and ruptured in the service module on the evening of April
13, however, the new mission objective became to get the
Apollo 13 crew home alive. The explosion disabled the normal
supply of oxygen, electricity, light, and water in the command
module (CM). A last-minute navigational correction was made, The Apollo 13 astronauts aboard the recovery ship. [NASA]
and NASA engineers improvised a way to join the cube-shaped CM LiOH canisters (for removing carbon dioxide) to the
lunar module’s cylindrical canisters. The re-pressurized CM was successfully powered up—something never intended
to be done in flight. Mission control feared that the CM’s heat shields were damaged in the accident, but after four
minutes of radio silence, Apollo 13’s parachutes were spotted, and the astronauts splashed down safely into the Pacific
Ocean.
Apr 12, 1961 — Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space abroad a Vostok spacecraft, completing a
single orbit of the Earth. The flight took 108 minutes from launch to landing. Vostok 1 marked his only spaceflight, but
he served as backup crew to the Soyuz 1 mission (which ended in a fatal crash). Gagarin later became deputy training
director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre outside Moscow, which was later named after him. Gagarin died in 1968
when the MiG-15 training jet he was piloting crashed.
Apr 16, 1946 — The first V-2 rocket launch was conducted from Launch Complex
33 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. German V-2 rockets captured by
the United States Army at the end of World War II were used as sounding
rockets to carry scientific instruments into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. V-2
sounding rocket investigations from Launch Complex 33 continued until 1952.
Apr 24, 1967—Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became the first human to
die on a manned space mission when the Soyuz 1 parachute became entangled
at 25,000 ft and the craft dropped to the ground. On 25 April, a response to
Komarov's death by his fellow cosmonauts was published:
"For the forerunners it is always more difficult. They tread the unknown
paths and these paths are not straight, they have sharp turns, surprises
and dangers. But anyone who takes the pathway into orbit never wants to
leave it. And no matter what difficulties or obstacles there are, they are
never strong enough to deflect such a man from his chosen path. While his
heart beats in his chest, a cosmonaut will always continue to challenge the
universe.”
V-2 at White Sands Missile Range [U.S. Navy]
Apr 24, 1990—Hubble Space Telescope launched into low Earth orbit aboard
the Space Shuttle Discovery. Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile space telescopes and is well known as both
a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. After launch, four subsequent Space Shuttle missions
repaired, upgraded, and replaced systems on the telescope.
16
APRIL 2017
THE FLIGHT PLAN
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Buzz Aldrin Becomes Oldest Thunderbird Passenger
Retired Air Force colonel and astronaut Buzz Aldrin set another record April 2, becoming the oldest person to fly with the Air Force’s
Thunderbirds. Aldrin, 87, flew with the Air Force’s demonstration team over Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A as part of the
Melbourne Air & Space Show. [Thunderbirds photo]
PARTING THOUGHT S
“Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft,
and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor.”
- Wernher von Braun
17
SECTION
INFORMATION
AIAA ALBUQUERQUE
Chair
Vice-Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Publications
Young Professionals
Membership
Honors & Awards
Public Policy
Corporate Liaison
Education
Programs
Career Enhancement
STEM K-12
UNM Student Advisor
Dr. Joel Mozer
Dr. Nick Morley
Dr. Terry Caipen
Mr. Robert Malseed
Ms. Sally Smith
Ms. Charlene Jacka
Ms. Erin Pettyjohn
Dr. Stephen Seiffert
Mr. Mark Fraser
Dr. Neil McCasland
Dr. John Tam
Dr. Arup Maji
Vacant
Dr. Elfego Pinon III
Dr. Randy Truman
AIAA Albuquerque Section
American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics
PO BOX 20818
Albuquerque, NM 87154-0818
Past newsletters are available online at:
http://info.aiaa.org/Regions/SC/Albuquerque
www.twitter.com/AIAA_ABQ
www.facebook.com/AlbuquerqueAIAA
Become a member of AIAA!
Join or renew your membership
online at www.aiaa.org.
AIAA MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT
AIAA’s mission is to inspire and advance the future of aerospace for the
benefit of humanity. AIAA’s vision is to be the voice of the aerospace profession
through innovation, technical excellence, and global leadership.
18