The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue's College of Engineering, in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is pleased to announce the formation of the Center of Excellence for Integrated Thermal Management of Aerospace Vehicles.

Gene Kranz, the legendary NASA Flight Control Director who led the effort to save the crew of Apollo 13, will speak at Purdue's Krannert School of Management 14th Annual Leadership Speakers Series. The lecture will be held on September 25, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the Purdue Memorial Union. This unique event offers students, staff, alumni, and the general public the opportunity to learn from a proven leader.

While most Purdue University students are getting ready for classes to start on August 25, four graduate students in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics are preparing to pitch their design for a mission to fly by Mars in 2018.

The team refined their design after receiving feedback from Purdue's Engineering Education Industrial Advisory Council and consulting with Purdue Astronaut alumni Gene Cernan (BSEE'56, DEA'67, HDR'70), Loren Shriver (MSAE'68, OAE'99) and Charles Walker (BSAAE'71, OAE'99).

Max Fagin, a Master's student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, is one of 705 candidates for the Mars One program. The program will select four of those candidates in 2025 for a one way trip to Mars. Fagin is completing his thesis on Mars entry, descent and landing (EDL) systems for crewed spacecraft.

All are invited to join the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) participants at the 2014 Research Symposium on August 7, 2014 in Armstrong Hall of Engineering. Undergraduate students from engineering, science, and agriculture disciplines will present their summer research through either a presentation or a poster session. The Symposium is open to the public.

The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics was pleased to welcome four Raisbeck Aviation High School (RAHS) students who were on campus for the July 2014 Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects (STEP) program.

Two Purdue University undergraduate research teams won awards at the 2014 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region III Student Conference this spring.

Students taking the Zero-Gravity Flight Experiment course at Purdue University will see their creation soar to the upper atmosphere to study a new green propellant, partnering with Aerojet Rocketdyne to demonstrate that the propellant can replace the traditional but highly toxic hydrazine fuel.

Through the generous gift of NASA Langley Research Center, the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has received permanent ownership of the NASA X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability (EFM) demonstrator model. Previously on loan from NASA, the gift was facilitated by Alumnus Dan Vicroy (BSAAE'80), Senior Research Engineer, Flight Dynamics Branch, at Langley.

The Purdue Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists (AMET) aerospace team won best design in the 2014 Global Space Balloon Challenge for the design and construction of a zero-pressure balloon that can fly higher than off-the-shelf that burst in low-pressure environments.