Grant to launch graduate program in space engineering

A new University of California, Davis, program to launch graduate students on careers in space engineering will be supported by a grant of $125,355 from the California Competitive Space Grants Program.

In recent years, the U.S. space industry has had increasing trouble recruiting qualified aerospace engineers, according to UC Davis engineering professor Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn, who leads the program. For example, NASA has more engineers over the age of 60 than under 30, she said.

The SpaceED program will build up the space aspect of the existing UC Davis graduate program in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, said Sarigul-Klijn. Initially, the state grant will partially support four graduate students, help with recruitment of additional students, and fund curriculum development, she said. It will also help attract further funding from government and private sources.

SpaceED participants will include industrial partners such as SpaceDev, a San Diego-based company that plans to develop commercially viable deep-space missions.

While the traditional aircraft industry has declined in California, there are several companies building rocket motors and satellite systems, and three government-supported space agencies in the state. California schools need to respond to this change by adding space components to engineering programs, Sarigul-Klijn said.

Currently, UC Davis researchers are studying topics such as flight mechanics, extreme heat during flight, space vehicle design, and the biological effects of space flight. Sarigul-Klijn's laboratory is developing a reusable space launch vehicle concept called SwiftLaunch. SwiftLaunch would be launched from a large cargo airplane and carry up to three people or a small payload into orbit. The proposal is currently being reviewed by NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

More information:
California Space Authority: http://www.csta.net/
SpaceDev: http://www.spacedev.com/

Media contacts: Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, 530-752-0682, nsarigulklijn@ucdavis.edu; Andy Fell, News Service, 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu.