Sun, Jan 09, 2011
Work Focused On Mars Landing Techniques
The American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
honored NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun with the Von Karman
Lectureship in Astronautics. The award is given annually to someone
who has performed notably and distinguished themselves technically
in the field of astronautics. Braun was recognized for
significantly advancing the understanding of the challenge of Mars
entry, descent, and landing, and for the development of systems
concepts and technologies enabling Martian exploration
programs.
Robert Braun NASA Photo
As part of the award, Braun delivered the speech "Mars Entry,
Descent and Landing Technology Advancements" Thursday during the
AIAA's 49th Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Orlando. The award honors
Theodore von Karman, an early astronautics pioneer responsible for
breakthroughs in understanding supersonic and hypersonic airflow
characterization and the value of the swept wing design.
"I am honored to be recognized by the AIAA and to speak at this
year's conference about the challenging work done by the scientists
and engineers in NASA's entry, descent and landing technical
community," Braun said. "My hope is that engineering students
around the country will share in the excitement of planetary
exploration, developing new technologies and advancing our nation's
forays in space. By investing in space technology, NASA makes a
difference in our lives every day."
Braun has more than 20 years experience performing design and
analysis of planetary exploration systems as a member of the
technical staff at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.,
and the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research has focused
on systems' aspects of planetary exploration, where he contributed
to the design, development, test and operation of several robotic
spaceflight systems.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named Braun chief technologist
on Feb. 3, 2010. Braun serves as the principal advisor and advocate
on matters concerning agency-wide technology policy and
programs.
Braun received a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Penn State
in 1987, M.S. in astronautics from George Washington University in
1989, and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford in
1996.
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