Don't wait in line this year! Order your books today and save an additional 15% off the member price!
Download the order for here. Complete the form and submit it before 1700hrs EST on 19 December. Your order will be processed and shipped to Reno for FREE! All you have to do is stop by the NEW AIAA Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall and pick up your order at some point during the conference.
Contact Adrian Fair, Book Sales Manager, with any questions.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
New Public Policy Event at ASM
This year the Public Policy Committee will host a new event aimed at providing the latest on a specific national policy issue that affects the aerospace sector. This year's panel, A Discussion on Immigration Petitions for Scientists and R&D Engineers, will focus upon R&D visa regulations, and is aimed at helping employers in academia, government, and industry to navigate the visa process. This panel will be held on Tuesday, 8 January and will feature three leading research visa and immigration attorneys from across the nation. They will examine legal and real world criteria for EB-1(B), National Interest Waivers (NIW), & EB-1(A) Petitions, as well as methods for making a good case stronger.
Seating for this panel is limited. Updates, including time and location, will be made available soon. For more information, please contact
Seating for this panel is limited. Updates, including time and location, will be made available soon. For more information, please contact
Monday, November 19, 2007
Story from ASM 2005
THE LAST HURRAH
or
TRAVELING AIN’T FUN LIKE IT USED TO WAS
The jaunt to Reno in January, 2005 was strictly an ego trip – and an expensive one, at that. About a year earlier, since its venue was in nearby Long Beach, I had submitted a technical paper to the annual conference, “SPACE 2003”. It dealt with the design of a unique emergency rescue vehicle which I had ‘invented’ in 1962 to bring back crew members from a failing space station. I had spent considerable effort, starting in the late 80’s, trying to convince NASA that such a device was needed for the International Space Station – to no avail. Surprisingly, the paper was not accepted. Now, further discouraged by the new US policy which had all but abandoned future development of the ISS, I reluctantly decided to give up the fight to legitimize my invention and submitted the paper to present at a Historical Session at my technical society’s annual Aerosciences meeting. So, this, my presumably final paper was to be the last hurrah for the Space Lifeboat. Moreover, I suspected that I would be the oldest person to ever present at this conference – perhaps a LANDMARK event!
Our flight to Reno was to leave LAX at 10 a.m. on Monday. Our Santa Fe daughter and her Santa Barbara son and his lady friend had been visiting us prior to winging it to Hawaii on an earlier 9 a.m. flight. On Sunday evening, I arranged with the usually reliable Yellow Cab company for a 5 passenger van to pick us all up at 6:45 a.m. next morning. The dispatcher said the driver would call us as he approached our pick-up point. Previous experience was that they usually arrived about 15 minutes early, so that when no one appeared by 6:50, I called in, slightly panicky. It was a mind-blowing revelation to find that she had never heard of me, but that she bet she could “have a cab there in 10 to 15 minutes”. Thinking quickly, I asked, “Do you have any cabs at the Crowne Plaza Hotel”, which is directly across a small street that runs between our buildings. She allowed that there indeed were two vehicles now stationed in front of the hotel. “Fine”, I said, “please call one and tell him to come by immediately!” “OK, they’ll be there in ten to fifteen minutes”. Being no longer able to deal with incompetence, I told her to “forget it”. I plodded across the street in the rain and commandeered a waiting cab at the hotel front entrance. The first crisis was over, but I was wet and out of breath, and short of temper!
At the airport, fortunately with plenty of pre-flight time, we ran into the vicissitudes of modern technology. You will see that this eventually led to an attack of apoplexy on my part, with an accompanying first notice divorce warning from my Dear Wife. Eskimo Airlines, our carrier of choice, has instituted a mechanized way to get their customers started on the long process of checking in baggage and getting boarding passes. Innocently enough, it started with a supposedly user-friendly computer screen and keyboard. My wife carries the tickets, so she took on the machine. The first thing it asks, once you get it energized, is “Confirmation Number, please”. Alas, there wasn’t a confirmation number on our Electronically-derived ticket. And try as we both might, by calling for “Help” on the screen and other futile stabs, we could not get past the first barrier. Thus stymied, we were not able to move on to the open Agent stations ready to immediately service those who were able to deal with the machine.
I then moved our baggage and my heightened blood pressured- body into the long line of those who also had not been able to use the machine and were waiting to be processed by a real person. In the meantime, my Dear Wife had found a minion lurking around the intransigent machine who told her that if you didn’t have a confirmation number, you merely had to type in your name. She beckoned me to abandon my position in line and join her at an open machine. Giving up our place in the queue, I joined her while we tried the new formula. And, try as we might, we could not bring up an icon which asked for our name. Not being noted for patience, the evil twin within me began to mumble under his breath – speaking unkind words about our airline-of-choice.
But, before an explosion occurred, we spotted another floating minion whose job appeared to be of an advisory nature, since he appeared to be ‘helping’ another hapless soul at the adjacent machine. I signaled audibly for help and he replied, “Wait a sec, it’s easy”. With that, I roared, “Easy!! Fer Chrissakes, I’ve been here 15 minutes, and even with my PhD in Engineering I can’t figure this dumb sumbitch out!” With that, he disdainfully declined to help me, noting that rudeness doesn’t count and that he “wasn’t being paid to take this kind of treatment!” So, I got back at the new end of the line, suggesting to my wife that she politely try him out. But he was too slick for her and told her that he knew “she was with the madman”. Eventually, we got to the front of the line and checked in; noting to the Agent that we would could be contacted at the Reno Hilton. Blood pressures back down to their normal highs, we arrived in Reno, determined to use Eskimo again only if it were the last plane out at Armageddon.
The meeting itself went well: I schmoozed with some old industry friends and university colleagues; we enjoyed the Basque restaurant that I remembered from many past meetings despite the cold and slippery slushy sidewalks in downtown Reno; and my talk went well and was well attended, including two grad students who collared me after my talk to discuss their thesis work in space rescue. So, my ego was assuaged, although in retrospect not $800 worth, and especially not after the final Eskimo Airline affront:
We were to return to LA via a noon plane, and reached the airport at 10 to begin the check in process on the evil machine. But, this time, we were armed with our confirmation number, which the Agent at LAX had provided. We started the process and all went well until it asked for the “Destination?” We typed in ‘LAX’ and it asked “Destination?” We typed in ‘Los Angeles’ and it again asked “Destination?” I felt the tightness gathering around my chest. Fortunately the nearby Agent called out to find the problem. She told us, “Oh, didn’t you know the flight had been cancelled?” No, we didn’t, although we would have known had we been at home, since that’s where they called to inform our answering machine of the change in schedule. They did put us on a 4 p.m. flight the same day, so we went back to the hotel and stewed and spent more money. Altogether an ugly experience.
To cap it off, about an hour before my talk, I had run into a very old (from the ‘60s) friend and we caught up with each other’s adventures in life. I casually remarked to him that, at almost 80, I would probably be the oldest living person to give a paper at this highly technical meeting. He replied, “I gave my talk yesterday, and I’m 83!” In true Linus fashion, “Rats”, I said.
But, there’s a happy ending! I wrote a ‘Letter from an Outraged Citizen’ to the president of Eskimo, including the text of the above story. In due time, I received a most welcome note from the airline’s Customer Relations Supervisor, lauding my suggestions for improved operations AND REFUNDING THE AIR FARE FOR BOTH ME AND THE WIFE!
or
TRAVELING AIN’T FUN LIKE IT USED TO WAS
The jaunt to Reno in January, 2005 was strictly an ego trip – and an expensive one, at that. About a year earlier, since its venue was in nearby Long Beach, I had submitted a technical paper to the annual conference, “SPACE 2003”. It dealt with the design of a unique emergency rescue vehicle which I had ‘invented’ in 1962 to bring back crew members from a failing space station. I had spent considerable effort, starting in the late 80’s, trying to convince NASA that such a device was needed for the International Space Station – to no avail. Surprisingly, the paper was not accepted. Now, further discouraged by the new US policy which had all but abandoned future development of the ISS, I reluctantly decided to give up the fight to legitimize my invention and submitted the paper to present at a Historical Session at my technical society’s annual Aerosciences meeting. So, this, my presumably final paper was to be the last hurrah for the Space Lifeboat. Moreover, I suspected that I would be the oldest person to ever present at this conference – perhaps a LANDMARK event!
Our flight to Reno was to leave LAX at 10 a.m. on Monday. Our Santa Fe daughter and her Santa Barbara son and his lady friend had been visiting us prior to winging it to Hawaii on an earlier 9 a.m. flight. On Sunday evening, I arranged with the usually reliable Yellow Cab company for a 5 passenger van to pick us all up at 6:45 a.m. next morning. The dispatcher said the driver would call us as he approached our pick-up point. Previous experience was that they usually arrived about 15 minutes early, so that when no one appeared by 6:50, I called in, slightly panicky. It was a mind-blowing revelation to find that she had never heard of me, but that she bet she could “have a cab there in 10 to 15 minutes”. Thinking quickly, I asked, “Do you have any cabs at the Crowne Plaza Hotel”, which is directly across a small street that runs between our buildings. She allowed that there indeed were two vehicles now stationed in front of the hotel. “Fine”, I said, “please call one and tell him to come by immediately!” “OK, they’ll be there in ten to fifteen minutes”. Being no longer able to deal with incompetence, I told her to “forget it”. I plodded across the street in the rain and commandeered a waiting cab at the hotel front entrance. The first crisis was over, but I was wet and out of breath, and short of temper!
At the airport, fortunately with plenty of pre-flight time, we ran into the vicissitudes of modern technology. You will see that this eventually led to an attack of apoplexy on my part, with an accompanying first notice divorce warning from my Dear Wife. Eskimo Airlines, our carrier of choice, has instituted a mechanized way to get their customers started on the long process of checking in baggage and getting boarding passes. Innocently enough, it started with a supposedly user-friendly computer screen and keyboard. My wife carries the tickets, so she took on the machine. The first thing it asks, once you get it energized, is “Confirmation Number, please”. Alas, there wasn’t a confirmation number on our Electronically-derived ticket. And try as we both might, by calling for “Help” on the screen and other futile stabs, we could not get past the first barrier. Thus stymied, we were not able to move on to the open Agent stations ready to immediately service those who were able to deal with the machine.
I then moved our baggage and my heightened blood pressured- body into the long line of those who also had not been able to use the machine and were waiting to be processed by a real person. In the meantime, my Dear Wife had found a minion lurking around the intransigent machine who told her that if you didn’t have a confirmation number, you merely had to type in your name. She beckoned me to abandon my position in line and join her at an open machine. Giving up our place in the queue, I joined her while we tried the new formula. And, try as we might, we could not bring up an icon which asked for our name. Not being noted for patience, the evil twin within me began to mumble under his breath – speaking unkind words about our airline-of-choice.
But, before an explosion occurred, we spotted another floating minion whose job appeared to be of an advisory nature, since he appeared to be ‘helping’ another hapless soul at the adjacent machine. I signaled audibly for help and he replied, “Wait a sec, it’s easy”. With that, I roared, “Easy!! Fer Chrissakes, I’ve been here 15 minutes, and even with my PhD in Engineering I can’t figure this dumb sumbitch out!” With that, he disdainfully declined to help me, noting that rudeness doesn’t count and that he “wasn’t being paid to take this kind of treatment!” So, I got back at the new end of the line, suggesting to my wife that she politely try him out. But he was too slick for her and told her that he knew “she was with the madman”. Eventually, we got to the front of the line and checked in; noting to the Agent that we would could be contacted at the Reno Hilton. Blood pressures back down to their normal highs, we arrived in Reno, determined to use Eskimo again only if it were the last plane out at Armageddon.
The meeting itself went well: I schmoozed with some old industry friends and university colleagues; we enjoyed the Basque restaurant that I remembered from many past meetings despite the cold and slippery slushy sidewalks in downtown Reno; and my talk went well and was well attended, including two grad students who collared me after my talk to discuss their thesis work in space rescue. So, my ego was assuaged, although in retrospect not $800 worth, and especially not after the final Eskimo Airline affront:
We were to return to LA via a noon plane, and reached the airport at 10 to begin the check in process on the evil machine. But, this time, we were armed with our confirmation number, which the Agent at LAX had provided. We started the process and all went well until it asked for the “Destination?” We typed in ‘LAX’ and it asked “Destination?” We typed in ‘Los Angeles’ and it again asked “Destination?” I felt the tightness gathering around my chest. Fortunately the nearby Agent called out to find the problem. She told us, “Oh, didn’t you know the flight had been cancelled?” No, we didn’t, although we would have known had we been at home, since that’s where they called to inform our answering machine of the change in schedule. They did put us on a 4 p.m. flight the same day, so we went back to the hotel and stewed and spent more money. Altogether an ugly experience.
To cap it off, about an hour before my talk, I had run into a very old (from the ‘60s) friend and we caught up with each other’s adventures in life. I casually remarked to him that, at almost 80, I would probably be the oldest living person to give a paper at this highly technical meeting. He replied, “I gave my talk yesterday, and I’m 83!” In true Linus fashion, “Rats”, I said.
But, there’s a happy ending! I wrote a ‘Letter from an Outraged Citizen’ to the president of Eskimo, including the text of the above story. In due time, I received a most welcome note from the airline’s Customer Relations Supervisor, lauding my suggestions for improved operations AND REFUNDING THE AIR FARE FOR BOTH ME AND THE WIFE!
paper abstract
SPACE STATION ESCAPE VEHICLE –
40 Years later
R.F. Brodsky*,
Viterbi School of Engineering,
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California 90089-1191, USA
Over forty years ago, the author and his associates at Space-General Corporation, a subsidiary of Aerojet-General, proposed and won what became a 1.3 million dollar contract to develop and test elements of a one person space lifeboat for crew rescue from orbit. The customer was the USAF Materials Lab. The vehicle proposed was a 1000 pound inflatable reentry paraglider utilizing a variant of the Rogallo wing design. During the life of this contract, similar one-time-usage designs, meant strictly for emergency use by up to six crew persons, were also proposed, but were not funded. This paper will disclose the work done in the 60’s and will describe the author’s unsuccessful, to date, campaign, starting in the early ‘90’s, to have NASA consider its usage applied to the International Space Station
40 Years later
R.F. Brodsky*,
Viterbi School of Engineering,
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California 90089-1191, USA
Over forty years ago, the author and his associates at Space-General Corporation, a subsidiary of Aerojet-General, proposed and won what became a 1.3 million dollar contract to develop and test elements of a one person space lifeboat for crew rescue from orbit. The customer was the USAF Materials Lab. The vehicle proposed was a 1000 pound inflatable reentry paraglider utilizing a variant of the Rogallo wing design. During the life of this contract, similar one-time-usage designs, meant strictly for emergency use by up to six crew persons, were also proposed, but were not funded. This paper will disclose the work done in the 60’s and will describe the author’s unsuccessful, to date, campaign, starting in the early ‘90’s, to have NASA consider its usage applied to the International Space Station
PRESENTED AT THE 43RD ANNUAL AIAA AEROSCIENCES
CONFERENCE; RENO, NEVADA, JANUARY 10-12, 2005
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Something Big is Happening in Reno This Year
Actually, many Big Things are planned for the Aerospace Sciences Conference (ASM). After 25 years, ASM is leaving Reno. To commemorate our time in Reno, we’re incorporating a “memories” board into the ASM Blog and AIAA Pavilion in the exhibit hall.
As past, present and future participants, we invite you to share your photos and stories with us. Tell us your worst travel story (we’ve all had them!)…your most successful presentation or professional contact...your most exciting pre- or post-Reno side trip…your funniest story…. If you’ve got photos or stories to share, email me at karan@aiaa.org by 12 December so I can have them pre printed on the memory wall. If you don’t have any right now think about it. There will be time and space for you to write them up on the wall which will be located in the Pavilion at the conference.
The AIAA Pavilion is new this year. It will be THE place for members to meet and greet, find out what’s new, purchase books and logo items, enter into and win drawings, and more. The Pavilion will be located in the exhibit hall next to the Cyber Café, open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 0700–1800 hrs and Thursday, 0700–1200 hrs.
We’ll kick off an exciting new membership and public image campaign, called “When Did You Know,” that could involve you!
Get excited and register today!
Thanks
KC Niedermeyr, AIAA Product Manager
As past, present and future participants, we invite you to share your photos and stories with us. Tell us your worst travel story (we’ve all had them!)…your most successful presentation or professional contact...your most exciting pre- or post-Reno side trip…your funniest story…. If you’ve got photos or stories to share, email me at karan@aiaa.org by 12 December so I can have them pre printed on the memory wall. If you don’t have any right now think about it. There will be time and space for you to write them up on the wall which will be located in the Pavilion at the conference.
The AIAA Pavilion is new this year. It will be THE place for members to meet and greet, find out what’s new, purchase books and logo items, enter into and win drawings, and more. The Pavilion will be located in the exhibit hall next to the Cyber Café, open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 0700–1800 hrs and Thursday, 0700–1200 hrs.
We’ll kick off an exciting new membership and public image campaign, called “When Did You Know,” that could involve you!
Get excited and register today!
Thanks
KC Niedermeyr, AIAA Product Manager
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Hi, I’m John Hodgkinson, General Chair for the Aerospace Sciences Meeting 2008.
Have you ever heard anyone say any of these?
‘See you at Reno?’
‘Good suggestion, let’s discuss it at Reno’
‘Let’s see their results at Reno’
‘They should have an exhibit at Reno’.
Thousands of scientist and engineers have for decades known the annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting (ASM) as the ‘Reno Conference’, or just ‘Reno’. Well, this is the last one.
ASM will be in Orlando in 2009. So the 2008 ASM, 7-10 January- will be the historic meeting that you don’t want to miss. The AIAA staff and an indefatigable team of volunteers have created an exciting program of state-of-the-art science and technology.
Sessions include NASA and the Space Race, 50 years of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and even 70 Years of Bob Liebeck.
And there will be the Dryden, von Karman, and Wright Brothers Lectures. And much more.
Enough said for now. See you at Reno, January 2008!
Have you ever heard anyone say any of these?
‘See you at Reno?’
‘Good suggestion, let’s discuss it at Reno’
‘Let’s see their results at Reno’
‘They should have an exhibit at Reno’.
Thousands of scientist and engineers have for decades known the annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting (ASM) as the ‘Reno Conference’, or just ‘Reno’. Well, this is the last one.
ASM will be in Orlando in 2009. So the 2008 ASM, 7-10 January- will be the historic meeting that you don’t want to miss. The AIAA staff and an indefatigable team of volunteers have created an exciting program of state-of-the-art science and technology.
Sessions include NASA and the Space Race, 50 years of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and even 70 Years of Bob Liebeck.
And there will be the Dryden, von Karman, and Wright Brothers Lectures. And much more.
Enough said for now. See you at Reno, January 2008!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Today and Tomorrow in Aerospace
ASM-2008 will be a special event - not only for its great program, but also as we say "farewell" to Reno after so many years. We'll have the same great lineup of high-level sessions, including a robust discussion on the Aeronautics Plan that will follow-up on the rollout of that activity at ASM last year. It would be impossible to list all the features - the Littlewood lecture, Awards Luncheon, several looks at aerospace over the past 50 years, Workforce, Small Business - and, of course, the many, many hundreds for technical papers that distinguish AIAA conferences from so many others. In addition, the planning committee will be firming up what will happen in Orlando in January 2009, including the New Horizons Forum. Want to be part of "today and tomorrow" in aerospace? We'll see you in Reno, where the course is being charted.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Registration for the 2008 ASM Meeting is Now OPEN!
Registration is now open for the 46th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (ASM) and Exhibit. Don't miss your chance to attend the first major multidisciplinary event of 2008! The ASM conference will provide an ideal forum for scientists and engineers from industry, government, and academia to share and disseminate scientific knowledge and research results with a view toward new technology for aerospace systems.
Register by 10 December 2007 and save $100 off the regular registration fee!
Click HERE to register today and save!
Register by 10 December 2007 and save $100 off the regular registration fee!
Click HERE to register today and save!
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