NASA Academy

at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

 

Funded by a $42,743 grant from Dryden to the Indiana Space Grant Consortium at Purdue University

 

 

Run by

Dominick Andrisani

Dean of the NASA Academy in Aeronautics at DFRC

 

NASA Academy Objectives

 

To help guide future leaders of the aerospace industry by giving them a glimpse of the workings of the industry as a whole.

 

To provide insight into all of the elements that make NASA aeronautical research possible.

 

NASA Academy Program

 

 

Research under the supervision of NASA engineers,

 

Seminars and informal discussions (Dinner Dialogs) by leaders and engineers from NASA, industry, and academia,

 

Site Visits to NASA Centers, Industry, other Federal Facilities, and Academia

 

NASA Academy History

 

Founded by Dr. Gerry Soffen at GSFC in 1993

 

Number of Research Associates Per Year
   

'93

'94

'95

'96

'97

TOTAL

GSFC

Earth & Space Science

19

24

23

24

23

113

MSFC

Trans-port., Micro-gravity

 

14

14

14

10

52

ARC

Astro-biology

        

11

11

DFRC

Aero-nautics

        

5

5
             

181

 

DFRC Research Reports

 

Aerodynamic Performance of the Apex Aircraft Wing with Structural Deflections, by Laura Thackray with Al Bowers, Aerodynamics Branch

 

Validating Linear Models of the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, by Joseph Mueller with Joe Pahle, Flight Controls Branch

 

Limit Cycle Behaviors of a Nonlinear Structure by Wavelet Transforms, by Kyle Snyder with Marty Brenner, Flight Controls Branch

 

Grid Verification for Modeling of Formation Flying of the Pathfinder Aircraft using CFD 2000, by Heath Roettig with Stephen A. Whitmore, Flight Controls

 

Structural Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling, by Jessica Gonzalez with Kajal Gupta

 

Final briefings were delivered on August 5.

 

DFRC Seminars and Discussions

 

Dinner guests (K. Szalai, K. Peterson, D. Deets, R. Smith, J. Bauer, P. Diamandis, Bob Meyer, Marta Bohm-Meyer)

 

Seminars (Vicki Regenie, Pat Stoliker, Mike Kehoe, Bob Curry, Ron Young, Bill Burcham, Ken Iliff, Bill Dana, Al Bowers, Gordon Fullerton, Dill Hunley)

 

Tours and Activities near DFRC

Planes of Fame in Chino; DFRC Tour;

F-18 SRA flight operations from control room

Thermostructures Laboratory Facility

Engineering simulators

SR-71 suit-up, takeoff, and control room, simulator tour

AFTPS (Tour by Dan Gleason and talk by Brian Kish)

 

BBQ at K. Peterson's; NASA Family Pic., X-33 Env. Impact Meeting

 

DFRC Site Visits

Washington, DC

NASA (Goddard, Ames, JPL)

NASA HQ(Goldin, Whitehead, Armstrong, Trafton)

U.S. Congress (staffer of Senator Warner of VA)

National Air and Space Museum

San Francisco Area

Ames (Ames Astobiology Academy, D. O’Handley)

Stanford University (I. Kroo, S. Rock, P. Enge, R. Twiggs)

Pasadena

PlanetFest at the Pasadena Civic Center (volunteered in "A Child’s Universe", Bob Zubrin, Gerry Soffen, Mars Microbe Scientists, etc.)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (William O’Neal, etc.)

Miscellaneous Trips

Lockheed-Martin Skunkworks (Gene Austin, X-33), Palmdale

National Test Pilot School, Mojave (Shawn Roberts)

Scaled Composites, Mojave (Bert Rutan)

AeroVironment, Simi Valley (Paul McReady)

FAA TRACON at EAFB;

 

DFRC Collegial Activities

 

Kern River white water rafting

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Tour of Washington DC with Goddard Academy (Air and Space Museum, Library of Congress, etc.)

NASA Dryden Family Picnic

Pre-screening of the movie Contact, attended by Ann Druyan (wife of Carl Sagan, co-author of book Contact, co-producer of movie Contact) and her children.

Camping at Sunset State Beach south of Santa Cruz with Ames Astrobiology Academy

Trips to San Diego (zoo, beach), Disneyland (with Ames), Hollywood, Universal Studios (with Ames), and LA

Visits to NASA Academy at GSFC and Ames Astrobiology Academy including PlanetFest

 

The Intangibles

 

The group of six at DFRC bonded into a tight lifetime group of friends.

 

NASA was presented with all its warts and they loved it.

 

There is a high likelihood that these RAs (students) will end up working for NASA in some capacity.

 

Close friendships were formed with research associates at the Ames Astrobiology Academy and the NASA Academy at GSFC. By endeavoring to interact with the other Academies, the RAs came to view the four distinct Academies as part of one larger whole. Their view of NASA was expanded by this as well as their personal network of colleagues. All of this will make them stronger leaders in the future.

 

Concluding Remarks

 

An extraordinary educational experience was completed on time, at or under cost, and without distracting incident.

 

The five Research Associates and I had an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 

The educational model (used by the Academy) whereby suitably motivated students are exposed to and "taught" by expert practitioners of aerospace engineering is highly successful.

 

Showing students how and where things are done in the "real world" is a tremendous educational benefit. It is motivational.

 

A Few Last Notes

 

Rarely in the life of an educator is there

sufficient access to key people and places,

sufficient financial resources,

sufficiently few students,

sufficient time

to educate in the best way, as was the case with this program. This program is a rare jewel as an educational program in this country.

 

I am most fortunate to have been involved with the NASA Academy.

 

Thank you for your support.