Space Systems Laboratory (MIT)

Short description: Space Systems Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Space Systems LaboratoryMIT_SSL_logo

Established| 1995
Research type| Engineering

Field of research

| Aeronautics & Astronautics
Directors| Rebecca Masterson
Dr. Richard Linares
Faculty| 7
Staff| 3
Location| Cambridge, MA, USA
Campus| Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nickname| MIT SSL
Website| http://ssl.scripts.mit.edu/www/

The Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) is in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.[1][2][3] Its mission is to develop the technology and systems analysis associated with small spacecraft, precision optical systems, and International Space Station technology research and development.[4]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 People
* 3 Projects
* 3.1 ISS Research
* 3.2 CubeSats
* 3.3 Space Shuttle Research
* 4 Partners
* 4.1 Associated NASA Programs
* 5 Alumni
* 6 In the news
* 7 References

## History

A previous Space Systems Laboratory (Maryland) was founded at MIT in 1976, by faculty members Renee Miller and J.W. Mar.[5] In 1990, lab director Dr. Dave Akin moved the lab to the University of Maryland.[6]

The current Space Systems Laboratory was founded in 1995 at MIT. It began as a part of the Space Engineering Research Center (SERC).[7]

The laboratory has a practice of Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO), working to provide students hands-on learning as a part of their coursework.[8][9] One of the laboratory's flagship research testbeds, SPHERES, began in 1999 as an undergraduate senior design project.[10][11][12]

## People

The current directors of the SSL are Rebecca Masterson[13] and Prof. Richard Linares. The principal research scientist is Alvar Saenz-Otero.[14] Former director Prof. Dave Miller[15] is now faculty for the laboratory. Long time staff include Marilyn Good and Paul Bauer.

Faculty members include:

* Dr. Daniel Hastings
* Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, former NASA Astronaut[16]
* Dr. Olivier de Weck
* Dr. Kerri Cahoy
* Dr. Sara Seager, a MacArthur Fellow
* Dr. Richard Binzel

## Projects

* OSIRIS-REx's REXIS[17][18][19][20]
* ROAM: Relative Operations for Autonomous Maneuvers
* ReCon
* iSAT
* Advanced Telescope Concepts[21]

### ISS Research

* SPHERES[22][23][24]
* Zero Robotics, a competition for middle and high school students on the International Space Station
* VERTIGO (Visual Estimation and Relative Tracking for Inspection of Generic Objects) [25]
* RINGS (Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System)
* MACE II[26][27]

### CubeSats

* MicroMAS (Micro-sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite)[28]
* MicroMAS-2[29]
* ExoplanetSat[30][31]
* inflated antenna[32]

### Space Shuttle Research

* Middeck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE), STS-48
* Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE), STS-67
* Dynamic Load Sensor (DLS), STS-62[33]

## Partners

* MIT Lincoln Laboratory
* Aerospace
* NASA
* NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
* DARPA
* University of Maryland
* Space Systems Laboratory (Maryland)
* Aurora Flight Sciences
* Draper Laboratory

### Associated NASA Programs

* Small Satellite Technology Initiative (SSTI)
* New Millennium Program
* International Space Station Technology Testbed Program

## Alumni

While the students go off to a wide variety of careers, many SSL graduates have gone to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In particular, several have been on the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) teams of Mars missions.[34][35][36] Allen Chen and Dr. Swati Mohan announced the touchdown of the Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020 rovers, respectively.

The laboratory also has strong ties to the United States Air Force , with several students coming from the USAF Academy. Dr. Miller worked with the Academy to create fully funded graduate scholarships to MIT for graduates of its FalconSAT program.[37]

## In the news

A 2014 paper from PhD candidate Sydney Do and several additional SSL graduate students received world-wide attention for its assessment that astronauts wouldn't be able to survive in the Mars One project's design more than a few couple of the months.[38][39] The analysis was performed based on publicly available information of the design.

## References

1. ↑ "About". MIT. https://ssl.scripts.mit.edu/www/about/.
2. ↑ "Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) Overview". MIT. http://web.mit.edu/serc/www2/docs/laboverview.html.
3. ↑ "Research Labs". MIT. https://aeroastro.mit.edu/faculty-research/research-labs/space-systems-laboratory.
4. ↑ "SERC + SSL Info". MIT. http://web.mit.edu/serc/www2/docs/deplabac.html.
5. ↑ "James Mar, former AeroAstro department head and Air Force chief scientist, dies at 96". MIT. 8 March 2017. https://news.mit.edu/2017/james-mar-former-aeroastro-department-head-air-force-chief-scientist-dies-0308.
6. ↑ UMD Space Systems Lab Home
7. ↑ "Space Engineering Research Center (not maintained)". MIT. http://web.mit.edu/serc/.
8. ↑ "Teaching and the SSL". MIT. https://ssl.scripts.mit.edu/www/teaching/.
9. ↑ "CDIO". http://web.mit.edu/edtech/casestudies/cdio.html.
10. ↑ "The History of SPHERES". NASA. 22 August 2013. https://www.nasa.gov/spheres/history.html.
11. ↑ "SPHERES: How a Class Project Turned into an Experiment Facility in Space". NASA. 18 May 2016. https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/feature/spheres-how-a-class-project-turned-into-an-experiment-facility-in-space.
12. ↑ "Space Spheres". MIT. Fall 2004. https://spectrum.mit.edu/fall-2004/space-spheres/.
13. ↑ "Rebecca Masterson appointed AeroAstro principal research scientist". MIT. 19 July 2018. https://news.mit.edu/2018/rebecca-masterson-appointed-principal-research-scientist-aeroastro-0719.
14. ↑ "Dr. Alvar Saenz-Otero - NESC Academy Biography". NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/offices/nesc/academy/Alvar_Saenz-Otero_Bio.html.
15. ↑ "AeroAstro’s Miller, Lincoln Lab's Evans named AIAA Fellows". MIT. 26 January 2015. https://news.mit.edu/2015/miller-evan-aiaa-fellows-0126.
16. ↑ "Scientist, then astronaut, now lecturer, Hoffman returns to MIT". MIT. 13 March 2002. https://news.mit.edu/2002/hoffman-0313.
17. ↑ "MIT’s REXIS and Bennu’s watery surface". MIT. 29 January 2019. https://news.mit.edu/2019/mit-rexis-and-bennu-watery-surface-0129.
18. ↑ "NASA Instrument to Use X-Rays to Map an Asteroid". NASA. 12 July 2016. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-instrument-to-use-x-ray-light-to-map-an-asteroid.
19. ↑ "MIT’s REXIS is bound for asteroid Bennu". MIT. 8 September 2016. https://news.mit.edu/2016/mit-rexis-bound-asteroid-bennu-0908.
20. ↑ "Student-built instrument headed to asteroid and back". MIT. 8 January 2016. https://news.mit.edu/2016/student-REXIS-asteroid-0108.
21. ↑ "To catch an interstellar visitor, use a solar-powered space slingshot". MIT. 6 May 2020. https://news.mit.edu/2020/catch-interstellar-visitor-use-solar-powered-space-statite-slingshot-0506.
22. ↑ "Mini MIT satellites rocketing to space station". MIT. 25 April 2006. https://news.mit.edu/2006/mini-satellites.
23. ↑ "Down to earth: Alumnus Tani returns from space station". MIT. 22 February 2008. https://news.mit.edu/2008/space-tani-0222.
24. ↑ "Mini satellites readied for launch". MIT. 31 March 2004. https://news.mit.edu/2004/spheres-0331.
25. ↑ "Research update: SPHERES to get powerful magnets and goggles". MIT. 2 August 2012. https://news.mit.edu/2012/research-update-spheres-satellites-get-camera-magnets-0802.
26. ↑ "MIT has first experiment aboard space station". MIT. 13 September 2000. https://news.mit.edu/2000/mace-0913.
27. ↑ "Alum completes first space station expedition". MIT. 2 May 2001. https://news.mit.edu/2001/shephard-0502.
28. ↑ "MicroMAS: small is beautiful". MIT. 27 March 2014. https://news.mit.edu/2014/micromas-small-is-beautiful.
29. ↑ "For collecting weather data, tiny satellites measure up to billion-dollar cousins". MIT. 27 September 2018. https://news.mit.edu/2018/for-collecting-weather-data-cubesats-measure-up-0927.
30. ↑ "Building a list of Earth candidates". MIT. 14 December 2010. https://news.mit.edu/2010/exoplanet-series-1-1214.
31. ↑ "Searching for life". MIT. 9 July 2014. https://news.mit.edu/2014/searching-life.
32. ↑ "Inflatable antennae could give CubeSats greater reach". MIT. 6 September 2013. https://news.mit.edu/2013/inflatable-antennae-could-give-cubesats-greater-reach-0906.
33. ↑ "Helping space shuttles achieve liftoff". MIT. 8 July 2011. https://news.mit.edu/2011/mit-space-shuttle-history-0708.
34. ↑ "MIT alums recount their Martian experiences". MIT. 11 October 2012. https://news.mit.edu/2012/curious-aeroastro-alum-event-1011.
35. ↑ "SSL Graduate Students". MIT. 1990s. http://web.mit.edu/serc/www2/gradstud.html.
36. ↑ "Join the Twitter Chat: MIT Alumni and the Final Frontier". MIT. 3 October 2014. https://alum.mit.edu/slice/join-twitter-chat-mit-alumni-and-final-frontier.
37. ↑ "Academy, MIT announce new scholarship". USAF Academy. 1 September 2009. https://www.usafa.af.mil/News/News-Display/Article/429136/academy-mit-announce-new-scholarship/.
38. ↑ "Mars One (and done?)". MIT. 14 October 2014. https://news.mit.edu/2014/technical-feasibility-mars-one-1014.
39. ↑ "MIT Students Claim Astronauts Will Starve On 'Mars One' Mission". 11 October 2014. https://www.popsci.com/article/technology/mit-students-claim-astronauts-will-starve-mars-one-mission/.

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