Speaker: Prof. Edgar Choueiri

Director, Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Princeton University

Abstract:

We will discuss the past and future of space exploration from a propulsion perspective.  We will start with a brief overview of the basics of spacecraft propulsion, and discuss the hierarchy of advanced propulsion options. We will then set our goals on 4 futuristic space missions that will push the envelope for advanced rocketry.  These missions include a human mission to Mars and a probe into interstellar space.  We will see that these four missions require that we meet 25 major technical challenges in the science and technology of space propulsion.  We will describe some of these 25 major challenges which represent ongoing or future areas of research.

Brief Biography:

Professor Edgar Choueiri is Director of the Engineering Physics Program at Princeton University as well as  Princeton's Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory where he works on the plasma physics of plasma rockets for spacecraft. He is tenured Associate Professor in Applied Physics at Princeton's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Associated Faculty in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences.  He holds a PhD in Plasma Science from Princeton, has authored more than 100 scientific publications on plasma physics, spacecraft propulsion, astronautics, and applied mathematics, conducted space experiments onboard US and Russian spacecraft and served as Principal Investigator on more than 20 research grants from NASA and other governmental agencies.  He is the recipient of numerous awards and is presently leading a large team of researchers at his Princeton lab and various NASA centers working on a new project to develop the plasma rockets intended for the robotic and human exploration of Mars and the outer planets.