MIT AeroAstro

In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, student group AeroAfro is celebrating its founding members and their support of the department. Arthur Brown, PhD, Cory Frontin, Stewart Isaacs, Ph.D., Cadence Payne, PhD, and Yonatan Tekleab founded AeroAfro in 2018, after recognizing the need for a supportive group that uplifted the experience of being a graduate student in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the African Diasporic community. Learn more about the group's achievements and its founding members: https://lnkd.in/ern_nzrq

MIT is returning to the moon! Three research payloads are launching to the lunar south polar region and will touch down on Intuitive Machine’s IM-2 lander. The mission, called To the Moon to Stay, marks the first time since the Apollo era that active MIT technology will land and conduct research on the lunar surface, and is an important step toward building a permanent settlement on the moon. Led by PI Ariel Ekblaw, To the Moon to Stay is the result of years of research and collaboration between MIT faculty and researchers from MIT Media Lab, AeroAstro, MIT Department of Architecture, MIT.nano; alumni Cody Paige, Maya Nasr, Ph.D., Forrest E. Meyen, Ph.D; spinoff company Lunar Outpost; NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and more. Read the article to learn about the three projects that make up To the Moon to Stay, and stay tuned for launch and touchdown updates. https://ow.ly/yChr50V6q6L

Congratulations to Emily Albornoz and Hailey Polson ‘26 on earning Brooke Owens Fellowships! They join 44 outstanding undergraduate women and gender minorities in the space and aviation industry as part of the 2025 Fellowship cohort. Meet our Brookies: 🎸Emily Albornoz | When she's not conducting astronomy research, Albornoz enjoys playing guitar in the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble. “This program will help me grow my confidence as an engineer and find my place within the industry. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to being part of a strong community of young women who support each other as we navigate these next stages of our careers.” 🚀 Hailey Polson | Polson has served as captain of MIT Doya, president of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and is committed to building strong communities at MIT and beyond. “I’m honored to join the Brookie community. This fellowship will give me the tools to further my efforts as a community advocate: to ensure that my peers have the resources they need to thrive and to inspire the next generation of female and Native American engineers.”

Insulin delivery pumps for human spaceflight: In a new paper published in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, PhD student Kyle J. Horn (Human Systems Lab) shares research into qualifying insulin pumps for space use, a critical step toward supporting astronauts with, or who may develop, endocrine disorders on long-duration missions. In spring 2024, he tested the technology aboard a zero-gravity flight as part of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative’s annual research campaign. “Once we know the tech safe to use in space, astronauts with various medical backgrounds will have access to the final frontier of human exploration. It’s a win-win for everyone,” he says. Learn more: https://ow.ly/7AHQ50V33bj

Later this month, three projects developed by Media Lab researchers and collaborators are scheduled to take a trip to the moon with the IM-2 lunar mission! This cross-MIT collaboration, developed with MIT AeroAstro and MIT.nano, includes the first digital 3D camera deployed to the moon; AstroAnt, a collaboration with our member company Castrol; and Humanity United with MIT Art and Nanotechnology in Space (HUMANS), a cross-MIT collaboration that asked participants to share what space means to them and to humanity. Learn more about each of these projects: https://lnkd.in/gCaurpNf

Teaching staff for 16.811 (Advanced Manufacturing for Aerospace Engineers) celebrating a successful first run of the subject this past Fall. Eight(!) *functioning* single-spool dual-impeller turbopumps designed, manufactured, assembled, and tested by 23 stellar MIT AeroAstro undergrads. Shout out to the exceptional TA’s Joachim Bron and Joseph Chiapperi, thank you Tolga Durak and Ric Fulop for providing critical support with 3D printing and much love to Fabian Alefeld and Jonathan Kerner for giving our students incredible industry perspectives. We missed you Jessie Stickgold-Sarah! We will be presenting the outcomes of this class at TurboExpo 2025.

Congratulations to Sonia Kekeh and Daniel Rojas ‘27 on earning Patti Grace Smith Fellowships! They join the latest class of 35 students to participate in the award-winning program, helping their engineering careers take flight. Meet our fellows: 🌎 Sonia Kekeh | "I did not consider aerospace engineering as a career possibility until my parents showed me [the film] Hidden Figures. I recognized a familiar ambition in Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. I aim to work at the intersection of aerospace engineering and public policy, advocating for responsible space governance frameworks, fostering international collaboration, and advancing technologies that promote equitable access to space resources and opportunities." 🚀 Daniel Rojas | "I'm a first-generation Colombian American majoring in aerospace engineering with a minor in space policy. When I was 5, I was given a Dr. Seuss book about space, and since then, I've been hopelessly captivated by the idea of space exploration. I want to revolutionize the aerospace industry by starting my own rocket/satellite company and create a non-profit mentorship organization dedicated to supporting high schoolers who want to go into aerospace engineering." Read more: https://ow.ly/zLUV50V08uQ

Join MIT Professors David Mindell, Suzanne Berger, and 2024 Nobel Prize winner Simon Johnson for an engaging discussion on Mindell's new book, The New Lunar Society. Special welcome remarks provided by Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director, MIT Museum MIT Michael John Gorman. Explore how lessons from the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution can help us reimagine our industrial future in the face of climate change, global disruption, and labor challenges. Copies of The New Lunar Society will be available for purchase from the The MIT Press Bookstore. February 26 7-9pm $5 Get your tickets today! https://lnkd.in/g368PMmG

Our largest group ever of Course 16 sophomores in Unified Engineering took a week-long trip to the West Coast during January’s Independent Activities Period, exploring career opportunities and connecting with MIT alumni across the aerospace industry. Special thanks to Boeing, Blue Origin, LTA Research, Wisk, and Astranis Space Technologies – and to all the alumni who came out to see us at The Museum of Flight in Seattle! “The trip has opened everything for me,” says Vaibhavi Addala ‘27. “Everything within what you’re doing has cross-industry potential.” Read more: https://ow.ly/gWnj50UYLxA

In theory, silence abounds in the vacuum of space, but the reality of being an astronaut means hearing the constant humming of heavy machinery. PhD student Mich Lin (ESL) traveled to the Scottish Highlands to test acoustic interventions in an extreme environment with challenges similar to those of spaceflight. Using sustainable materials — wool and waxed canvas — and traditional techniques like origami, they learned a design process that not only addresses space-specific issues, but also offers potential solutions for Earth-bound crises. Check out their research in a profile from MIT MAD / Morningside Academy for Design: https://ow.ly/HPTq50UZr4s