• NASA Awards Grant to UF Researcher to Investigate a Possible Source of Methane on Mars
• NASA Origins Program to Support UF W.M. Keck Exoplanet Tracker Pilot Program
• Space Research Initiative Awards for FY 2008
• Space Research and Education Grants Awarded
• Space Research at UF
• National Reconnaissance Office Advanced Systems and Technology Director Visits UF

Funding Opportunities

• NASA ROSES 2007: Planetary Protection Research
• NRL BAA 82-07-01: Spacecraft & Operationally Responsive Space Technology

Awards & Honors

• UF Team to Receive NASA Tech Brief Award

Upcoming Events

• Space Research Colloquium
• 37th International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES)
• AIAA Space 2007 Conference & Exposition

Dr. Andy Schuerger

NASA Origins Program to Support UF W.M. Keck Exoplanet Tracker Pilot Program
Dr. Jian Ge from the Department of Astronomy and his team at UF received word from the NASA Origins Program that they will support part of the science investigation of the pilot planet survey program at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) telescope using the Keck Exoplanet Tracker (ET) instrument over the next three years. This multi-object instrument has the potential to discover tens of thousands of new extrasolar planets, based on current detection statistics. View more information on Dr. Jian Ge’s research.

Space Research Initiative Awards for FY 2008
Each year UF and UCF sponsor a joint program, the "Space Research Initiative" which provides funding to collaborators from UF and University of Central Florida faculty to pursue topics of interest to the space research community in Florida and throughout the U. S. The following five proposals were selected for award in FY 2008 under this initiative. (Funding levels are approximate.)

1. Methane Filters for VISTA: A Tool to Study the Origins and Evolution of Brown Dwarfs and Extrasolar Planets, PI: Dr. Eduardo Martin (UCF), Co-PIs: Dr. Elizabeth Lada (UF), Dr. Jonathan Tan (UF), Dr. Michele Montgomery (UCF), Dr. Phan Bao Ngoc (UCF), Funding: $169K

2. A Mid-Infrared Polarimeter for SOFIA, the NASA Airborne Telescope Facility, PI: Christopher Packham (UF), Co-PIs: Dr. Glenn Boreman(UCF), Dr. Charles Telesco (UF), Funding: $149K

3. A Next Generation Cryogenic Infrared Focal Plane Array Controller, PI: Dr. S. Nicholas Raines (UF), Co-PIs: Dr. Glenn Boreman (UCF), Dr. Arthur Weeks (UCF), Dr. Stephen S. Eikenberry (UF), Dr. Reba Bandyopadhyay (UF), Funding: $212K

4. Experimental and Computational Mechanics of Shape Memory Alloys: A UCF-UF-NASA-Los Alamos National Laboratory Collaboration, PI: Dr. Raj Vaidyanathan (UCF), Co-PIs: Dr. Bhavani V. Sankar (UF), Dr. Nagaraj Arakere (UF), Dr. William Notardonato (NASA KSC), Dr. Mark A.M. Bourke (Los Alamos), Funding: $200K

5. Development of an Extremely High Precision Doppler Instrument for Detection of Terrestrial Like Planets with the APO 3.5m Telescope, PI: Dr. Jian Ge (UF), Co-PIs: Dr. Eduardo Martin (UCF), Dr. Michele Montgomery (UCF), Dr Eric Ford (UF), Dr. Stephen Kane (UF), Dr. Bo Zhao (UF), Dr. John Groot (UF), Dr. Xiaoke Wan (UF), Dr. Suvrath Mahadevan (UF), Dr. Brian Lee (UF), Dr. Julian Van Eyken (UF), Funding: $245K

Space Research and Education Grants Awarded
The NASA / Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) and Space Florida have announced the selection of 17 Space Research and Education awards. The total funding amount being made to Florida research institutions under this ‘Joint Matching Program’ is $350,000.00. The intention of this annual program is to combine both Federal and State funds for projects that diversify Florida’s space industry and research, while at the same time, support aerospace workforce developments statewide. The University of Florida received 7 awards, and are shown below. Information concerning the awards can be found at http://fsgc.engr.ucf.edu.

1. Computational Approach for Rapid Space Mission Planning, PI: Dr. Anil Rao

2. Nano Composites for Lightweight Cryogenic Tanks in Crew Exploration and Crew Vehicles, PI: Dr. Bhavani Sankar

3. Modeling and prediction of Rocket Exhaust Interaction with Martian Surfaces, PI: Dr. Andreas Haselbacher

4. Microbial Mats, Solar Radiation and the Genetic Response, PI: Dr. Jamie Foster

5. Hyperspectral Ground-base Optical Imaging at the Diffraction Limit, PI: Dr. Stephen Eikenberry

6. Ultra-high Energy Density Integral Capacitors with Small Form Factor for Space Applications, PI: Dr. Huikai Xie

7. Development of Space Science Curriculum Package to Support New Florida FCAT Science Standards, PI: Dr. Norman Fitz-Coy

Space Research at UF
A new website to keep faculty aware of "space" related activities at the university is now on-line. This new resource provides information on current research, open funding opportunities, upcoming events, and proposal assistance. There is also a faculty expertise database where individuals can enter their research expertise and share it with colleagues for potential collaboration opportunities. This site can be accessed at http://www.ufspaceresearch.com.

National Reconnaissance Office Advanced Systems and Technology Director Visits UF
Dr. Pete Rustan gave a seminar on April 30, 2007 concerning "Space Developments - 50 Years Later." He focused on the tremendous progress that has been achieved in the various space technologies being used to build satellites. He reviewed the historical trend in the development of several space technologies, including electrical power systems, command and data handling, attitude control systems, mechanical systems, propulsion, telescopes and antennas. He also compared the evolutionary change in the development of space technologies with the revolutionary advances in the terrestrial information technologies and information systems during the last 15 years and reviewed some of the major IT and IS technologies which have a direct impact on the space industry. Dr. Rustan is a UF Ph.D. graduate in Electrical Engineering. He was also the Mission Manager of the highly succussful Clementine space mission.

NRL BAA 82-07-01: Spacecraft & Operationally Responsive Space Technology
The Spacecraft Engineering Department at the Naval Research Laboratory performs research and development by applying advanced technologies and techniques to provide new space capabilities that address critical Navy, DoD, and national needs. The emphasis is incubating critical technologies and assembling them into systems that provide relevant and often revolutionary new space capabilities. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: spacecraft structures; spacecraft mechanisms; spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control; spacecraft robotics; spacecraft thermal control, spacecraft power systems, spacecraft propulsion systems, ground and flight software, spacecraft electronics, spacecraft ground systems, integration and testing, operational user interfaces, and space integration into operation tiered systems. More information can be found here.
 

37th International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES)
The ICES focuses on the challenges of humans living and working in hostile environments with applications inside or outside of terrestrial or outer space habitats or vehicles. This year's event offers the ideal information exchange venue, featuring four days of tightly focused technical presentations with approximately 60 technical sessions, 300 technical papers, a first-ever history panel, plenary session, student-poster session; as well as networking receptions and banquet. Highlights of the program include Thermal Control, ISS Environmental Control, Advanced Life Support Technologies, Advanced Spacecraft, EVA Technology, Radiation Issues for Spaceflight, Human and Robotic Integration and Aerospace Architecture. The event will be held at The Westin Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, July 9-12, 2007. The conference is hosted and administered by SAE in co-sponsorship with AIAA, AIChE, ASME, and the International ICES Committee. Additional information can be found at http://www.sae.org/ices.
 

AIAA Space 2007 Conference & Exposition
This year's event will highlight the numerous advances in space technologies and applications over the past half-century, and the obstacles that must be overcome for us to be successful as we look toward the next 50 years. Leaders from government, industry and academia will convene to share ideas and offer their perspectives on the political, economic, and social issues that must be addressed to take space utilization to the next level. The event will held at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, September 18-20, 2007. The conference is hosted and administered by AIAA with support from Boeing, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, The Aerospace Corporation, Stellar Solutions, Inc., Cimarron, California Space Authority, and Space News. Additional information can be found at http://www.aiaa.org/space2007.