“From the Sputnik Era to the Present: Adventures in Engineering Science of One AA Alumnus”

“GPS, Flight Displays and Air Traffic Control Modernization”

“Challenges of Developing Aircraft and Technology in Brazil”

“Sustainable Aviation”

“To Boldly Go… Leading Beyond the Horizon”

"The F35 Lightning II"

“Hybrid Propulsion for Future Space Launch”

“Robotic Exploration”

William F. Ballhaus Sr. – Northrop Corp and Beckman Instruments (ret) “Stanford Education Payoff”
William F. Ballhaus Jr. – Aerospace Corp (ret) “The Journey Toward More Affordable Space Launch”
William L. Ballhaus – BAE Systems “ "Integrated Networked Systems 2000s - Future"

“Challenges and Opportunities in Aerospace Education”

Brad Parkinson -- Professor Emeritus, Stanford University,
Panel Moderator

Panel Members:
Turki Saud Mohammad Al-Saud, KACST
Owen Brown, DARPA
Heinz Erzberger, NASA Ames Research Center
Scott Hubbard, Stanford University

Jan Achenbach was born in the Netherlands and studied aeronautical engineering at the Delft University of Technology. He came to the United States in 1959 as a graduate student to study aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University and was awarded the Ph.D. degree by Stanford in 1962. After a postdoctoral year at Columbia University, he joined the faculty of Northwestern in 1963. He is now Walter P. Murphy and Distinguished McCormick School Professor in the Departments of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Achenbach's research has been concerned with the propagation of mechanical disturbances in solids, with applications to solid mechanics, materials engineering, earthquake mechanisms, and ultrasonics. In recent years he has developed methods for quantitative non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring of aircraft and other safety critical structures. He is founder of Northwestern's Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention, a state-of-the-art laboratory for failure prevention. Achenbach was awarded the 2003 National Medal of Technology, and the 2005 National Medal of Science. He was elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1982, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1992 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1994. In 1999 he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also an Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of ASME, ASA, SES, AAM and AAAS. His awards include the Timoshenko Medal and the William Prager Medal.
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Penina Axelrad is Professor and Acting Chair of Aerospace Engineering Sciences with the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She received her S.B. and S.M. in aeronautical and astronautical Engineering, with an emphasis in avionics, from M.I.T. in 1985 and 1986, respectively, and the Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1991. Her research interests include technology and algorithms for GPS-based orbit and attitude determination for spacecraft in LEO and HEO, multi-path characterization and correction for spacecraft, aircraft, and ground reference stations, and remote sensing and terrain awareness using GPS based bi-static radar. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Navigation and of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a senior member of IEEE, and a member of Sigma Xi. In 1994-1995 Dr. Axelrad served on the National Research Council Committee on the future of GPS. Her contributions to the GPS field have also been recognized by the 1996 Lawrence Sperry award from the AIAA and the 2003 Tycho Brahe award from the ION.
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William L. Ballhaus Sr. is a fourth generation San Franciscan whose family arrived in 1846 before the gold rush. He attended Balboa High School in San Francisco and matriculated at Stanford in the autumn of 1936. After graduating in 1940 he remained at Stanford to earn the degree of Engineer in Aeronautics in 1942. He started as an aerodynamicist with the El Segundo Division of Douglas aircraft, where he worked on the design and production of aircraft for the U. S. Navy. To broaden his background, he transferred to the stress department. His supervisor there recommended that he receive the first Douglas Aircraft Fellowship, and he earned his Ph.D. in aeronautics and mathematics at the California Institute of Technology in 1947. He was then placed in charge of all advanced aircraft design, and developed the A3D1, the F4D-1, and the first preliminary design of a single stage earth satellite. He was asked to create the preliminary design of the first supersonic bomber, the B-58, in Fort Worth, Texas in 1950. While there, he was recruited to be Chief Engineer at Northrop in 1953. As Chief Engineer, he directed the design of the first supersonic trainer, the T-38, which will be training pilots to fly supersonically for 100 years. He created and then managed Nortronics, the electronics division of Northrop. The division was very successful and he was soon promoted to Executive Vice President of Northrop. He became president of Beckman Instruments, Inc in 1965, and retired from that position in 1983. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
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Dr. William F. Ballhaus, Jr., is the former president and chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the objective application of science and technology toward the solution of critical issues in the nation’s space program. Dr. Ballhaus joined Aerospace as president in September 2000 after an 11-year career with Lockheed Martin Corporation. At Lockheed Martin Dr. Ballhaus served as corporate officer and vice president, Engineering and Technology. In this position he was responsible for advancing the company’s scientific and engineering capabilities, and for overseeing research and engineering functions. Prior to his tenure with Lockheed Martin, Dr. Ballhaus served as president of two Martin Marietta businesses, Aero and Naval Systems (Baltimore, 1993–1994), and Civil Space and Communications (Denver, 1990–1993). Before joining Martin Marietta, Dr. Ballhaus served as director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ames Research Center at Moffett Field and Edwards Air Force Base, California (1984–1989). He also served as acting associate administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (1988–1989). He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a Ph.D. in engineering and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. Dr. Ballhaus is a member of the Defense Science Board and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Science Advisory Board. He also is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and completed serving a second three-year term as a councillor of the academy in June 2007. Currently, Dr. Ballhaus serves as vice chairman of the Space Foundation. He is an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and served as AIAA president for the 1988–1989 term. He is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the American Astronautical Society, and is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. He serves on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Advisory Council. He served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 1994 to 2001 and was board co-chair from 1996 to1999.
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Dr. William L. Ballhaus is president of Network Systems, a line of business within BAE Systems. He leads the group’s work in communications and tactical networks; advanced information technology; and command, control, computing, and intelligence systems. Network Systems employs 5,000 people at more than 10 U.S. sites, and has its headquarters in Reston, VA. The organization serves the U.S. intelligence, defense, and homeland security markets. Previously, Ballhaus was president of BAE Systems National Security Solutions and prior to that, served as president of the Mission Solutions business. Ballhaus joined BAE Systems in July 2003 from The Boeing Company, where he was senior vice president of System Engineering with Boeing Satellite Systems. Beginning in 1994 he held a succession of leadership positions at Boeing, including general manager of System Products and director of operations for the company’s Integrated Satellite Factory. He also served as general manager of Boeing’s Electron Dynamic Devices, a stand-alone subsidiary. From 1989 to 1994, he performed research in advanced automated control systems as a research assistant at the Stanford Aerospace Robotics Laboratory. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Davis, and master’s and doctorate degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles. Ballhaus currently serves on the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Board of Directors and the Geospatial21 Board of Advisors. He is also an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a fellow of the British American Project. Ballhaus and his wife currently reside in Middleburg, Virginia. They have two children.
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Andrew Barrows most recently served as CEO of Nav3D Corporation from its founding in 1999 through its acquisition by Mercury Computer Systems in 2006. Nav3D's pioneering work in Synthetic Vision displays earned it an Aviation Week Laurel award in 2006. Prior to Nav3D, Barrows also co-founded GyroSat Corporation, developer of a GPS-aided aircraft attitude sensor technology ultimately acquired by Garmin Ltd. At Stanford University, he initiated and managed a flight test program in support of $2M/year in FAA research and nine Ph.D. theses. In 2002, he was honored by Technology Review magazine as one of 100 top young innovators creating the future. Barrows' Ph.D. research on inexpensive Highway-in-the-Sky displays, sensors, algorithms, and flight operations won the Ballhaus Prize for best dissertation in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at Stanford. He earned S.M. and S.B. degrees in aeronautics and astronautics at M.I.T. He has won the MIT Goodwin Medal for conspicuously effective teaching and Stanford's AIAA Outstanding Instructor Award. An instrument rated pilot with extensive flight test experience, he has been flying since 1984.
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Owen Brown received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1984. After graduating he was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and attended nuclear power and submarine training. He then served onboard the fast attack submarines USS Flying Fish and USS Sturgeon and conducted several deployments while acting in a variety of engineering and operations positions, including Chief Engineer. In 1990 he left active duty and came to Palo Alto. He received a Masters degree at Stanford in aeronautics and astronautics in 1992, and continued studies for another year, acting as a course assistance in both rocket and aircraft propulsion courses. After three years of full time employment as a spacecraft engineer at Space Systems/Loral, he returned to Stanford as a Ph.D. student, and conducted research at the NASA Ames Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, investigating applications of pressure sensitive paints to low speed wind tunnel applications. After receiving his doctorate in 2000, he returned to work at Loral. In 2001 he left the west coast to return home to Virginia. For two years he was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton, providing technical consulting services to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While in this job he acted as the lead technical consultant for several space projects, including the RASCAL space launch program. In 2003 he was invited to DARPA to serve as a program manager. He now directs the System F6 fractionated spacecraft program, a concept he personally conceived and developed. He will complete his six year tour at DARPA in October 2009. Owen retired from the US Navy Reserve as a Commander in 2006. He lives in Leesburg, Virginia with his wife and two daughters, ages five and eight.
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Born in Kinross, Iowa, on April 3, 1944, Dr. Vance Coffman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University and Masters and Doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. Dr. Coffman retired in April 2005 as Chairman of Lockheed Martin Corporation. He was elected Chairman in April 1998, having served as CEO and Vice Chairman since August 1997. He served in a series of elected corporate leadership positions including President and Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin's Space & Strategic Missile Sector. Prior to the merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta Corporations in 1995, he served as Executive Vice President of Lockheed Corporation. Earlier, he was President of the Space Systems Division of Lockheed Missiles & Space Company and a Vice President of the corporation. In 1967, Dr. Coffman joined Lockheed's Space Systems Division as a guidance and control systems analyst. After leading the development of several major space programs and large ground data processing systems, he was appointed a vice president in 1985, division vice president and assistant general manager in 1987, and President of the Space Systems Division in 1988. While in this position, he was responsible for the Hubble Space Telescope; the MILSTAR satellite communications program; the follow-on Early Warning system (now called Space Based Infrared System); and the corporation's work on Iridium. In 2002, Dr. Coffman was named Chairman of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, and was selected to be Chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association for the year 2003. He serves on the board of directors of 3M company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the United Negro College Fund. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Security Affairs Support Association. In 1989, he received Iowa State University's Professional Progress in Engineering Award, and in 1999 the Distinguished Achievement Citation from Iowa State. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University's George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management. He was elected a Fellow in both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and in the American Astronautical Society. He and his wife Arlene have two grown daughters.
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Dr. Erzberger received his B.S. from Cal Poly in 1962 and his Masters and Ph.D. from Cornell in 1964 and 1965 respectively. In his current position as NASA’s senior scientist for air traffic management, Dr. Erzberger is laying the foundation for a revolutionary new air traffic management system that has the capacity, efficiency and safety to accommodate the expected future growth in air traffic. Dr. Erzberger is widely recognized for his pioneering research in developing systems that increase the efficiency and safety of aircraft and air traffic control operations. His concepts and algorithms for computing fuel and cost saving trajectories on-board aircraft, created during the energy crises of the 1970s, laid the foundation for the new technology of Flight Management Systems (FMS) for aircraft. These systems have become as essential as autopilots for the efficient operation of commercial aircraft. The FMS’s installed in most commercial aircraft since the mid 1980’s incorporate the Erzberger method of cost minimization. In recognition of this work, Dr. Erzberger has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Control and Mechanics of Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Reed award from the AIAA. Dr. Erzberger is a Fellow of the AIAA.
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G. Scott Hubbard has been recognized as an innovator and leader in science, technology and management for more than 30 years -including 20 years with NASA. He currently is a Professor (consulting) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University and also holds the Carl Sagan Chair at the SETI Institute. From 2002 to 2006 Hubbard was the director of NASA’s Ames Research Center with an operating budget of $700 million and responsibility for 2,600 people. In 2003 he served full time as the sole NASA representative on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), where he directed impact testing that demonstrated the definitive physical cause of the loss of the Columbia. In 2000 Hubbard served as NASA’s first Mars program director and successfully restructured the entire Mars program in the wake of mission failures. He is the founder of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, establishing it in 1998. He conceived the Mars Pathfinder mission with its airbag landing and was the manager for NASA’s highly successful Lunar Prospector Mission. Earlier in his career, Hubbard led a small start-up high technology company in the San Francisco Bay Area and was a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Hubbard has received many honors including NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal. He was elected to the International Academy of Astronautics, is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and also was awarded the Von Karman medal by the AIAA. He has authored more than 50 scientific papers on research and technology. Hubbard received his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University and his graduate education in solid state and semiconductor physics at the University of California at Berkeley. He continues his 40-year interest in music by regularly playing guitar in a jazz group.
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Dr. Karabeyoglu received his undergraduate degree from the Istanbul Technical University and his MS and PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. His Ph.D research led to the discovery of a new class of fast burning fuels for hybrid propulsion and solved a long standing problem that had blocked the commercial development of hybrid rockets. After finishing his doctorate in 1998 he co-founded Space Propulsion Group Incorporated, a small company dedicated to the development of environmentally clean, safe, low cost technologies for space access. Dr. Karabeyoglu is presently the President and Chief Technical Officer of the company. In addition he is a consulting professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford where he teaches advanced rocket propulsion. He is the chair-elect of the hybrid propulsion technical committee of the AIAA.
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