“Engineering and Scientific Research at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center” is the topic of a colloquium sponsored by the College of Science and Mathematics and the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in the EIT auditorium.

Ralph Carruth, manager of the Materials and Processes Laboratory at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. will be presenting a high level discussion of select research and development activities that are ongoing at the center.

“This will include an overview of the Marshall Space Flight Center, introduction to the Space Launch System, advanced manufacturing process development, interactions of spacecraft with the space environment, and other research activities,” said Dr. Tansel Karabacak, assistant professor of applied science, who is hosting Carruth’s talk.

Carruth, a native of Arkansas, started his professional career at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1978 conducting research to describe the production and flow of plasmas produced by ion thrusters as well as the interaction of such plasmas with spacecraft systems.

In 1981 he moved to the Marshall center, where he has held positions of increasing responsibility, working in the areas of electric propulsion, photovoltaic development, and the interactions of materials and systems with the space environment as well as spacecraft development and engineering for flight.  He has played instrumental roles in numerous NASA missions and developments including Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the International Space Station, the Shuttle-Mir Program, the Space Shuttle Program, the Constellation Program’s Ares I development and the Space Launch System.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, Alabama, is largely responsible for space transportation including propulsion, space system development, International Space Station payload and science operations and science research, including flight instrument development.

Marshall’s mission is undergoing a change with the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the recent go ahead to develop the Space Launch System, a heavy lift launch vehicle that will enable America’s future manned exploration as well as provide heavy lift capability for future payload needs.

A high level discussion of select research and development activities that are ongoing at the center will be presented.  This will include an overview of the Marshall Space Flight Center, introduction to the Space Launch System, advanced manufacturing process development, interactions of spacecraft with the space environment, and other research activities.