Celebrating 50 Years of Moon Landing: 1969-2019
People
Phone:
(205) 348-4020
Office:
212 Hardaway
Dr. Rohan Sood
Associate Professor – Lab Director
Dr. Rohan Sood was born in Shimla, a small town in the cradle of the Himalayas. He pursued his dream and love for space exploration and graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. Sood participated in international programs at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, INSA/ENSAE/ENAC in Toulouse, France and interned at Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC).Sood moved to Purdue University in the fall of 2009 and joined Professor Kathleen C. Howell’s Multi-body Dynamics Research Group. Rohan received his Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2012. The following year, he continued his higher education and entered the doctoral program at Purdue University. In 2014, he also became a part of NASA’s GRAIL science team and collaborated with Professor Henry J. Melosh while continuing work in astrodynamics and space applications. Upon receiving his Ph.D. in December of 2016, he joined the faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
Dr. Sood’s research has emerged as a combination of two fields, applying engineering tools to study advanced concepts within multi-body dynamical systems and investigating scientific data to explore celestial bodies. His primary research investigates innovative spacecraft trajectory design leveraging natural dynamics to deliver cost-effective solutions for scientific exploration of space and celestial bodies. In 2018, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) selected his Technical Excellence proposal on Advanced Trajectory Design. In 2019, Dr. Sood was awarded the Astrodynamics in Support of Icy World Missions grant by NASA HQ. He is also the recipient of the Center innovation Funds from NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory for two consecutive years (2019-2021). His ongoing collaboration with MSFC involves exploring solutions for NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid Scout mission slated to be launched in late 2021 and the recently selected Solar Cruiser spacecraft set to launch in 2025.
Dr. Sood’s scientific discoveries of lunar lava tubes and buried craters has received widespread coverage by the BBC and National Geographic that led to collaboration with the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA. Dr. Sood also employs a variety of hardware and software to enhance visualization (3-D and Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality) of spacecraft trajectories, mission architecture, and to improve student classroom experience.
Graduate Students
Abram Aguilar
M.S. Student Abram is a fifth year distance learning Master’s student. He joined ASRL during undergrad in the summer of 2017. During his time with ASRL, he interned at a.i. solutions working for the FreeFlyer team developing sample mission plans and undergraduate tutorials on how to use the FreeFlyer astrodynamic software suite. After graduating in May 2019 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, he accepted a full-time offer with a.i. solutions as a Junior Systems Engineer/Flight Dynamics Analyst. In this role he worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center performing spacecraft operations and GNC flight software development. After working in industry for one year, he rejoined ASRL and is earning his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering part-time. In 2023, he moved to Houston to work at Johnson Space Center on the Gateway Mission Design team. His interests include spacecraft GNC and human spaceflight to Moon and beyond to Mars.
Brennan Blumenthal
Ph.D. Candidate
Brennan Blumenthal is a fifth year Ph.D. student in the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics department at The University of Alabama. Brennan received a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware in 2012. In 2013, he began working at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia as part of the Configuration Aerodynamics Branch, where he conducted research in the fields of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), wind-tunnel testing and applied aerodynamics for aircraft. In 2016, he graduated from Penn State University with a master’s in aerospace engineering. After graduating, Brennan made the switch from the world of aerodynamics to astrodynamics and was offered a position in the Trajectory Operations and Analysis Branch at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He currently works full-time performing various orbital trajectory and operations analyses for NASA’s Orion and Boeing’s Starliner programs and is training to be a flight controller in mission control. Brennan is currently interested in space mission design, space systems and furthering the abilities of human space exploration.
Grace Conarchy
M.S. Student
Grace Conarchy is a junior in the Accelerated Master’s Program for Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama. She is on track to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Spring 2026 and her Master’s degree in Spring 2027. Grace joined ASRL in the Summer of 2024, and her current research interests include spacecraft trajectory design and periodic orbit family generation within the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem framework.
Matthew Dow
M.S. Student
Matthew is a first-year distance M.S. student in the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics department of The University of Alabama. After receiving a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University in 2017, he accepted a full-time position with Continuum Space Systems as a Space Systems Engineer. In this role, he works with a wide range of project topics including space mission design, spacecraft systems analysis, and visualization software design. His current interests include trajectory design for deep space asteroid RPO missions as well as Virtual Reality software development for space mission design and operations.
Aaron Houin
Ph.D. Student
Aaron joined the ASRL in the summer of 2020 as a distance M.S. student and has since continued on to the Ph.D. program. He completed his undergraduate degree from Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering in 2018 and currently works full time in the Mission Design and Analysis team at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. At NASA, Aaron has worked on the Solar Cruiser mission proposal, the Artemis 2 manned mission design, the SLS launch vehicle, and the lunar Human Lander System. His research interests include multibody trajectory design, low energy transfers, low thrust optimization in the restricted three body problem, and dynamical systems theory.
Ben Midkiff
M.S. Student
Benjamin Midkiff is a senior in the Accelerated Master’s Program for Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama. He will earn his Bachelor’s degree in Spring 2024. He began working for Dr. Sood over Summer 2023. His current research interests involve trajectory design, GNC, and optimal control in the CR3BP.
Carrie Sandel
Ph.D. Student
Carrie Sandel is a third year Ph.D. student in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Alabama in May 2021. As an undergraduate, Carrie conducted research through ASRL and worked with solar sailing and trajectory design in the CR3BP. She was awarded the 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistant of the year in the Aerospace Engineering department and was named one of the National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Seniors. In the spring of 2021, Carrie was selected for the NSF Graduate Fellowship Program and also received a Graduate Council Fellowship from the University of Alabama. Carrie’s research interests include solar sailing, trajectory design, and GNC.
Jeffrey Tuggle
Accelerated Master’s Program Student
Jeffrey Tuggle is a senior majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Alabama. He is in the Accelerated Master’s Program for Aerospace Engineering with plans to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Spring 2025 and his Master’s in Fall 2025. He joined ASRL in the Spring of 2024 and his current interests include spacecraft trajectory design, space traffic management, and active debris removal.
Important Information for Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students
Daniel Lee
Trajectory Design
Aidan Moran
Trajectory Design | Orbital Mechanics
David Rammel
Multibody Trajectory Design | Machine Learning
Alumni
2024
James Pezent
Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering
James Pezent graduated in May 2024 with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. He graduated from The University of Alabama in Spring 2019 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. As an undergraduate, James worked in the ASRL conducting research on trajectory design, optimization, and virtual reality. During the course of his undergraduate career, he published two conference papers and a journal paper on solar sail trajectory design. James has interned as a trajectory designer in the EV/42 Guidance Navigation and Mission Analysis branch at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and as mechanical engineer at the Phifer Wire Corporation. He was awarded the 2018 and 2019 Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research awards as well as the 2019 UA College of Engineering Student of the Year award. In the Spring of 2019, James was selected for both the University of Alabama’s prestigious Francko Fellowship as well as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Jared Sikes
Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering
Jared Sikes graduated in May 2024 with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. He began working with Dr. Sood as a sophomore in multi-body dynamical systems. He is currently investigating resonant orbits and cost-effective transfer trajectories. His interests also include virtual reality and 3-D visualization. Jared was recently awarded a National Alumni Association Fellowship for the 2019-2020 academic year.
2022
Ari Rubinsztejn
Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering
Ari Rubinsztejn graduated in May 2022 with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama. During his time with ASRL Ari published multiple papers and journal articles. Additionally, he interned with the Mission Design and Navigation Section at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Following graduation, Ari accepted a job offer with The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a Senior Professional Staff member. Ari’s work focuses on optimal control and trajectory design under uncertainty.
2021
William Ledbetter
Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering
William Ledbetter received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Alabama, summa cum laude, in July 2021. He has been interested in space for as long as he can remember, and learned how to code by reading the TI-83 Plus manual. As the capstone of his senior year, he participated in design projects performing mission architecture analysis for proposed missions to Mars. William’s early graduate work investigated swarm exploration and characterization of asteroids, and his dissertation introduced new analysis techniques in the field of Differential Games. William received the 2017-2018 Graduate Council Fellowship, and was selected as a 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Alabama Space Grant Consortium Fellow. He was awarded the 2019 Aerospace Engineering graduate student of the year at UA by the Engineering Council of Birmingham. As an intern for Sandia National Labs from 2020-2021, William worked on the Autonomy for Hypersonics initiative and performed dynamical analysis to support cislunar situational awareness. Current research interests focus on game-theoretic optimization under uncertainty.
Luke Schoenwetter
M.S. Aerospace Engineering
Luke Schoenwetter graduated in July 2021 with an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama. His research within ASRL involved applied game theory and interception of evasive orbital objects. After graduating from UA, Luke joined a.i. solutions as a software developer where his main focus is building astrodynamics simulation and modeling software.
Jake Elkins
M.S. Aerospace Engineering
Jake Elkins graduated in May 2021 with a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics and a M.B.A. from the University of Alabama. Jake also graduated in 2019 with a B.S. in mathematics and physics from the University of Alabama. During his tenure at UA, Jake worked in data science and machine learning at both Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. Jake joined ASRL in Fall 2018, where he researched applied artificial intelligence and machine learning in spacecraft control. Jake is now pursuing his doctorate in aerospace engineering and intelligent systems through the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship program.
Andrew Sweeten
M.S. Aerospace Engineering
Andrew Sweeten graduated in May 2021 with an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama. Following his graduation from San Diego State University in 2017, Andrew began his graduate study while working full-time as an orbital analyst for MILSATCOM in Colorado Springs. His research involved the use of aerodynamic drag sails for the accelerated deorbit and targeted reentry of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Upon completion of his thesis, Andrew made the transfer to the newly developed United States Space Force, where he will take his knowledge to his new career as an engineering program manager in Los Angeles.
2020
Russell Solomon
M.S. Aerospace Engineering
Russell Solomon graduated in May 2020 with M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Alabama. Russell is currently working for the U.S. Navy in the field of satellite tracking. Prior to joining the U.S. Navy, Russell worked on Systems Engineering and Integration for the ISS program in Houston, Texas.He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Physics from Louisiana State University where he focused on Astrophysics. His areas of interest include Orbital Mechanics, Trajectory Design, and GN&C.
2019
Nate McCoun
B.S. Aerospace Engineering Nate started working in ASRL as a rising Junior in the Summer of 2017. His interest included mission design, remote sensing, station keeping, and collision avoidance. During his time with ASRL, he interned at a.i. solutions working for the FreeFlyer team developing sample mission plans and YouTube tutorials on how to use the FreeFlyer software. After graduating in May 2019, he went to a.i. solutions to work full-time as a Technical Support Engineer assisting various NASA and private corporation missions.
Image Credit
Header: NASA / Johnson Space Center