Category: Research
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Michigan on team selected for $15M NASA institute to investigate testing of advanced propulsion concepts
The NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate has selected the Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS) to explore high power electric propulsion systems for human exploration. Michigan Aerospace alumnus Mitchell Walker of the Georgia Institute of Technology will be the principal investigator and director. U-M Assistant Professor Benjamin Jorns will serve as co-director.
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Undergraduate research team develops [medical drone] UAV despite pandemic restrictions
In spite of research shutdowns due to COVID and subsequent laboratory restrictions, a team of University of Michigan aerospace undergraduate students, under the direction of Department Chair Tony Waas, and Dr. Tim Smith, have designed, built, and are currently testing a prototype UAV for use delivering essential medical supplies to remote communities in Ghana.
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Streamlining aircraft
Joaquim Martins pioneers high-fidelity simulations that bring together multiple disciplines. Recently incorporated into NASA’s open-source software, and being considered for adoption by aircraft manufacturers, the approach has the potential to change the game in aircraft design and other engineering systems.
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$12.75M for reliable hypersonic engines and artificial photosynthesis
Two U-M led projects are funded by the Department of Defense.
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Model developed at U-M is adopted in the aerospace and automotive industries
When making and breaking a single prototype airplane component can cost a million dollars, a reliable computer model enables engineers to explore more designs.
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Professor Cesnik selected to participate in NASA’s University Leadership Initiative to advance hypersonic flight
U-M Aerospace congratulates Professor Cesnik on being selected to work for NASA’s University Leadership Initiative.
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The future of autonomous aircraft
Catch up with Professor Ella Atkins, the director of U-M’s Autonomous Aerospace Systems (A2SYS) Lab, and hear from her about autonomous flight systems and its implications.
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Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Dr. James Cutler discusses CubeSats and how spacecraft the size of a loaf of bread are revolutionizing space technology and exploration
Dr. James Cutler discusses CubeSats and the role of U-M in their development.
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Dr. Venkat Raman on the Rotating Detonation Engine, the frightening-sounding technology of tomorrow
Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE) is about the scariest name a technology can have, but it also has the promise of overcoming one of the great problems of modern aerospace engineering. Conventional propulsion systems for aircraft, missiles, and rockets are all very close to their theoretical limits, with very little wiggle room left for getting much…
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Aerospace undergrads develop unmanned VTOL aircraft for delivering medical supplies to rural Ghana
Under the direction of Department Chair Dr. Tony Waas, a group of Michigan Aerospace undergraduates are developing a prototype vertical take-off and landing aircraft to transport medical supplies to remote communities in Ghana.
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All masks are not created equal
Michigan Engineers test to evaluate safety.
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Dr. Benjamin Jorns co-author on the 2019 AIAA Electric Propulsion Best Paper Award
University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering Assistant Professor Benjamin Jorns is co-author on the “Best Paper in Electric Propulsion” from the 2019 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum.
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Flexible wings, COVID-19, and the future of commercial aviation
At the June 2017 Paris Airshow, Airbus entered into a five-year agreement with the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering department to establish and fund, to the tune of $8.25 million, a new research center. Called the Airbus-University of Michigan Center for Aero-Servo-Elasticity of Very Flexible Aircraft, its purpose is to engage in fundamental research, focusing…
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To the Moon and beyond: How University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering is on the cutting edge of electric space propulsion
The University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering Department’s Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL) is developing the next-generation of Hall thruster technology that may one day propel the first human missions to Mars.
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$5.2M for digital twins of nuclear reactors could bring down nuclear energy costs
Virtual copies of nuclear reactors could enable smarter maintenance for current reactors and more automation for advanced reactors.
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Plasma jet wands could rapidly decontaminate hospital rooms
Room-temperature plasma beams could essentially dissolve away bacteria and viruses.