Dear colleague,

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 21st Annual AIAA Southern California Aerospace Systems and Technology (SoCal ASAT) Conference.

The conference brings together engineers, researchers, industry leaders, and students to exchange ideas, review recent achievements, and discuss the future of aerospace in Southern California.

Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Location: Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, University of California, Irvine (UCI)

Keynote Speakers

• Dr. H. Alicia Kim, UC San Diego, presents Topological Optimization in a Model Based Engineering Framework

• Dr. Goutam Chattopadhyay, NASA JPL / Caltech, presents Space Technologies from MHz to THz for Addressing Fundamental Science Questions

Program Highlights

• Morning and afternoon technical breakout sessions

• Poster presentations

• Networking with professionals across industry and academia

• Lunch featuring AIAA Orange County and San Gabriel Valley section updates

Registration (might be covered by your employer; ask your manager!)

• AIAA Member: $85

• Non-Member: $99

• Student: $40

Registration deadline: April 22, 2026
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/pc3vgh7

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included. Parking is provided courtesy of the Caltech Center for Technology & Management Education.

We welcome both AIAA members and non-members. We hope to see you at ASAT 2026.

Warm regards,

Harsha Reddy, PhD

Co-chair, SoCal ASAT Conference

Aircraft have been supporting wildfire response for decades—dropping water and retardant, tracking fire movement, and helping protect communities. Yet most aerial firefighting today is still limited to daytime operations using crewed aircraft, with only limited capability in challenging conditions like heavy smoke or low visibility. This leaves critical hours—especially at night—when fires can continue to grow with reduced aerial support.

In this talk, we explore how new technologies being developed at NASA are helping change that picture. By advancing smarter airspace management and coordination tools, these innovations aim to enable safe, continuous (24/7) aerial operations and better integration of both crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The goal is to make firefighting from the sky safer, more flexible, and more effective—even in complex and low-visibility environments.

Join us for a look at how these emerging capabilities could transform wildfire response in the years ahead, expanding what’s possible, improving safety for those on the front lines, and helping communities better face the growing challenge of wildfires.

Advance registration is required. Attendance is free. Refreshments will be available for paid attendees.
https://aiaa-sf.org/event/tech-talk-fighting-wildfires/

Dear San Diego Aerospace Community,

The AIAA San Diego section invites you to attend a great lecture organized by the San Diego State University student branch.  This talk will discuss how X-planes paved the way for modern autonomous aircraft.  We hope to see you there!

Date: Thursday, April 16th, 2026

Time: 6 PM

Location: SDSU, Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA), Room 310

Cost: Free! 

Parking: 10 spots have been reserved on the top floor of Parking Structure 1.  They will be marked with A-frame signs

Abstract:

Autonomous capabilities have existed in aircraft since the beginning of heavier-than-air flight, and experimental vehicles known as X-planes have played a major role in advancing these technologies. This presentation explores several of these aircraft and how their autonomous features improved system safety, survivability, combat capability, and mission effectiveness.  Examples include the X-31 developed through the U.S.-German X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Program, which demonstrated thrust-vectoring, helmet-mounted displays, and controlled flight at extremely high angles of attack. Additional examples come from the Unmanned Combat Air Systems Program, including the Boeing X-45A and Northrop Grumman X-47B, which demonstrated autonomous team operations, carrier landings, aerial refueling, and advanced damage-tolerant control technologies.

Speaker: 

Dr. Michael Francis is an aerospace executive and technologist with over 50 years of experience leading advanced research and technology programs across government, industry, and academia. He currently works as an independent consultant, author, and educator. He recently co-authored the textbook The Anatomy of Autonomy, published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in September 2025, and an online short course based on the book will be presented in April 2026. He is widely known for pioneering work in unmanned air systems, including initiating the original Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle program while serving at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the early 1990s. During his Air Force career, he also directed the award-winning X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability Program through its flight test phase and later led the $4.5B Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems Program. After retiring from a 27-year career in the United States Air Force, he held executive and technical leadership roles in the aerospace industry with companies including Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, and United Technologies Corporation. Dr. Francis holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The Tucson AIAA Section cordially invites you to join us for a special 45-min group tour of the Titan Missile Museum on Saturday, April 11 at 10:30 AM.  

Join fellow aerospace enthusiasts for this unique experience exploring one of Arizona's most iconic pieces of Cold War history.  Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early (10:15 AM) at the museum cashier's desk for check-in.

For tour details, please visit Tours | Titan Missile Museum.

To reserve your spot, please sign up using this form and complete the requested information: Titan Missile Museum Tour Sign-Up

We are pleased to offer up to a total of 20 tickets at a substantial discount for this event:

• Regular AIAA Members: $10

  • Pima County Residents: $5

• AIAA Student Members (with ID): $5

  • Pima County Residents: Free

• One guest per member: $15

  • Pima County Residents or children 12 and under: $10

• Additional guests: Full museum pricing applies per the museum website

Important: If you sign up as a Pima County resident, you MUST bring along proof of residency, which includes either an ID plus utility bill or an ID with a Pima County address.

After you sign up, we will contact people who have signed up with additional information, including payment instructions, if applicable.

We're looking forward to seeing a great group there for what promises to be a fascinating and fun event!

Best,

Stefan Wernz
Technical Programs, Tucson Section of AIAA

Quintina Hardesty Becker
Communications, Tucson Section of AIAA

Ludwig's Biergarten, 383 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041, Apr. 9, 2026, 5 - 6:30pm

(All ages welcome!) Come and join your colleagues and friends in the aerospace profession in a relaxed atmosphere. Network over a pitcher of beer and schnitzel. AIAA-SF will provide the first round of drinks and appetizers. Let's exchange ideas, and talk about what everybody is doing, and what's happening in Aerospace.

Please RSVP so that we can get suitable space:
https://aiaa-sf.org/registration/

Engineering the Lunar Frontier: Mitigating risk for both hypervelocity impacts and cislunar PNT time lag

Dr. Jacob N. Yates, Principal and Founder Mintaka Space Systems LLC, USN Commander (RET)

10401 Roselle St, San Diego, CA 92121

Cross-collaboration event with IEEE.

This technical symposium highlights three cutting-edge graduate research projects from San Diego State University covering aerospace structures, experimental aerodynamics, and autonomous space guidance. Join AIAA members, industry professionals, and students for an engaging evening of presentations and discussion.

Featured Presentations

Modeling of Honeycomb Core Sandwich Composite Fillet Fracture Using XFEM – Austin MacGowan (M.S. Student)

Sandwich composites using aluminum honeycomb cores are widely used in aerospace structures due to their high stiffness-to-weight ratio. However, the structural strength of these materials is strongly influenced by fracture behavior in adhesive fillets located between the face-sheets and honeycomb cell walls. Because these fractures occur at extremely small scales, traditional experimental methods cannot fully characterize them. This research applies to the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) within ABAQUS to model crack initiation and propagation within adhesive fillets. By examining how fillet geometry, material properties, and porosity affect fracture behavior, the work aims to improve prediction of interface strength in honeycomb sandwich structures and reduce reliance on costly experimental testing and conservative knockdown factors.

Prandtl-D Flying Wing Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Characterization – Yuichiro Tobita (M.S. Student)

The Prandtl-D flying wing concept applies Prandtl’s Bell-Shaped Lift Distribution to reduce induced drag and improve aerodynamic efficiency. Wind-tunnel testing conducted at SDSU measured aerodynamic forces and moments while oil-film visualization techniques revealed detailed surface-flow patterns. Results showed strong agreement with prior computational and experimental studies. Flow visualization identified a spanwise laminar separation bubble at low angles of attack that transitions to full-span separation beyond stall. Complementary computational analysis using the OVERFLOW CFD solver further validated the experimental results, providing insight into the unique aerodynamic behavior of the Prandtl-D configuration.

Fuel-Optimized Autonomous Guidance for Human Landings on the Moon and Mars – Christopher Davami (PhD Candidate)

Future human missions to the Moon and Mars will require landing vehicles far larger and more precise than today’s robotic missions. Early Mars landers may exceed 60,000 kg and must land within tens of meters of target sites while consuming large amounts of propellant during descent. This research develops computationally efficient onboard guidance algorithms that minimize propellant usage while maintaining landing accuracy and safety. Using optimal control methods designed for flight computers, the approach enables fuel-optimal trajectory generation and real-time tracking control. Simulation results demonstrate a significant reduction in propellant consumption—from approximately 20,000 kg to 8,000 kg—while maintaining precise landing capability for future crewed planetary missions.

Event Details

Date: Monday 3/23

Agenda:

5:30pm Registration, Social and Pizza
6:15 AIAA Announcements
6:30-7:45 Presentations
Post Social until 8:30pm.

Location: Helix Brewing Co., 8101 Commercial St, La Mesa, CA 91942

Hosted by: AIAA San Diego Section

Costs: Non Members: $15; AIAA Members: $10, Students: $5

Includes: Pizza and (1) drink ticket.

Who Should Attend: AIAA members, aerospace professionals, researchers, and students interested in emerging aerospace technologies.

Registration / RSVP: https://square.link/u/QMkuowo7

Technical Talk

Topic: From Shapes to Systems: Rethinking Design with Topology Optimization

Speaker: Alicia Kim, UCSD Professor

Date and Time: Friday March 20th, 6 PM

Location: UCSD EBU II, Room 305

Cost: Free!

Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ELbvU3w-HcHG0_MY5YtSz9AfMa8YOOQO/view 

More Information: https://www.aiaa-sd.org/events/2026-03-lecture

Ludwigs Biergarten, 383 Castro St, Mountain View, Feb. 26th, 2026, 5 - 6:30pm

(All ages welcome!) Come and join your colleagues and friends in the aerospace profession in a relaxed atmosphere. Network over a pitcher of beer and schnitzel. AIAA-SF will provide the first round of drinks and appetizers. Let's exchange ideas, and talk about what everybody is doing, and what's happening in Aerospace. Please RSVP so that we can get suitable space.

https://aiaa-sf.org/registration/

Northrop Grumman’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) is the first habitable element of NASA’s Gateway lunar station for the Artemis mission. HALO houses the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) and will connect the lunar lander, Orion spacecraft, and future modules. Dr. Akbar Shah will discuss some of the technical challenges faced by the HALO program and what steps the NASA and NG engineering teams are taking to address and solve these challenges.

Akbar Shah is an NG Fellow in the Mechanical & Energetics Engineering department within Northrop Grumman’s Launch and Exploration Division. With 30 years of aerospace and defense experience, he oversees structural analysis, loads and dynamics, thermal analysis, materials and processes, and mass properties teams supporting all LED programs. Akbar has held multiple technical leadership roles over his 24 years at NG and currently partners with NASA on critical work for the HALO module of the Artemis Gateway.

Please join AIAA for a special behind-the-scenes tour of the wind tunnel facilities in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) at the University of Arizona, hosted by Professors Alex Craig and James Threadgill.

We will meet at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 20 in the courtyard of the AME Department, where we will visit the Mach 5 Ludwieg Tube and the Arizona Polysonic Wind Tunnel, with additional facilities included as a bonus depending on availability.

Following the tour, we invite you to join us for Happy Hour at Gentle Ben’s to continue the conversation and connect with fellow aerospace professionals and students.

Important details:

• Capacity: The tour is limited to 20 participants, so advance registration is required.

• Sign-up: Please register at Windtunnel RSVP to help us provide an accurate headcount.

• Information required at registration:

  • Name

  • Email and/or cell phone

  • U.S. citizen (Yes/No)

  • U.S. permanent resident (Yes/No)

• Please note that a background screening may be required for access to the high-speed tunnels.

Location:
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME)
1130 N. Mountain Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85721

Parking:
Available at the Helen Street Parking Garage, adjacent to the AME Department.

We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be an engaging and informative experience!

On behalf of ASME (as this technology focus is closest to ASME), Utah Section will be planning of a tour of DPS Skis in Salt Lake on Thursday February 16th at 6 PM.  They will be inviting IEEE, AIAA, INCOSE and UoU ME Alumni group as we have been.

650 S 500 W, Salt Lake City. ASME/Utah to provide food.

PoC is Mr. Stu Gleason at DPS

This seminar will cover on-going research efforts on autonomous optical navigation for deep-space missions. Applications of interest include trajectories beyond Geostationary Earth Orbit, lunar transfers, lunar orbits, and missions to asteroids or comets. We explore the potential of techniques such as edge detection, centroiding, neural network-based feature detection (for lunar crater and Earth coastline detection), pattern recognition, etc. An overview of our simulation framework is provided, including image generation, image processing, characterization and modeling of measurement errors, filtering, uncertainty quantification, and validation through hardware-in-the-loop experiments. Autonomous optical navigation can enable lower cost, more flexible, independent, resilient, and sustainable space exploration, and its promise, technical challenges, expected performance, and limitations are discussed in this talk.

Bio:

Pablo Machuca is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at San Diego State University. Pablo completed his Ph.D. on “Mission Design for Asteroid Exploration Using Autonomous CubeSats” at Cranfield University (United Kingdom) in 2021. He then joined University of California San Diego as a postdoctoral researcher on “Cislunar Space Domain Awareness” in 2021, and completed a second postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology on “Space Debris Modeling and Propagation” in 2022. Pablo’s research interests include astrodynamics in dynamically complex environments and autonomous guidance, navigation and control, with applications to deep-space exploration, and small-spacecraft mission analysis and systems design.

AIAA LA Section Space Shuttle and Challenger Tragedy 40th Anniversary Event

Spacecraft orbits seemingly trace out beautiful conic shapes in space, but designing these trajectories is only half of the story: knowing where and when a spacecraft is, and how fast it’s moving, is the art and science of spacecraft navigation. Dr. Matthew Givens, a senior space navigation engineer at Advanced Space LLC, will share historical and technical insights from this field as well as some perilous stories from the journey of his company’s flagship space mission, the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE), which launched in 2022 and has been orbiting in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) near the moon ever since. CAPSTONE has been a testbed for several autonomous navigation and communication technologies and, in partnership with NASA, has pioneered operations and stationkeeping strategies in NRHO for the future Lunar Gateway space station.

How do we navigate spacecraft? What challenges are there for future human colonization of the moon? What technologies are being developed to address these challenges? These and other questions will be the subject of this presentation for the AIAA Utah Section.

About the Speaker: Dr. Matthew Givens

Matthew Givens graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah in 2017. He then completed advanced degrees in aerospace engineering from Utah State University (M.S. 2019) and University of Colorado Boulder (Ph.D. 2023) before joining the navigation staff at Advanced Space. His expertise is in satellite orbit determination, cislunar astrodynamics, and computer vision. He also recently taught a new graduate course at the UME EN 6560 - Introduction to Astrodynamics, in the spring of 2025.

AIAA Utah Section

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the largest professional society for aeronautical and astronautical engineering professionals in the world. The Utah Section seeks to connect, engage, and recognize the best and brightest aerospace engineers across the Beehive State. Other collaborative partners for this talk include the Utah sections of ASME, IEEE, INCOSE, and

the Alumni Society of the University of Utah Department of Mechanical Engineering.

On October 28, 2025, the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) X-plane took off from Palmdale, CA and safely landed at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. This event was an important milestone towards addressing one of the most significant obstacles that has prevented commercial supersonic aircraft from becoming widespread: the sonic boom associated with supersonic flight. X-59 is a clean sheet, piloted supersonic X-plane that Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has designed and built to support NASA’s QueSST mission. It is designed to create a quiet supersonic “thump” rather than a deafening “boom”.

Cost: Free

RSVP to attend in person

This talk will provide a brief overview of the history of low boom shaping technology. It will cover how modern Computational Fluid Dynamics, computing capabilities, and traditional wind tunnel testing allow us to shape supersonic aircraft to reduce the loudness of sonic booms by more than 30 dB compared to legacy supersonic platforms. The talk will include an overview of the X-59 aircraft design along with a development status and a discussion of how NASA plans to support future efforts to revise current FAA restrictions that prohibit supersonic flight overland.

Dr. Michael Buonanno is the Air Vehicle lead for the X-59 at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale. In this role he coordinates the technical development of the X-plane design. Prior to this role, he served as Program Manager for the activities that immediately preceded QueSST: The Low Boom Flight Demonstrator Concept Formulation and Refinement studies as well as the N+2 Supersonic Validations program. Dr. Buonanno is a Lockheed Martin Fellow and has 20 years of industry experience as a conceptual design engineer at Skunk Works. In that time, he has led or supported a diverse array of aircraft development programs including small UAVs and solar-powered aircraft. He received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and earned his Master of Science and Doctorate degrees in Aerospace

Engineering from Georgia Tech.

AIAA Los Angeles Section Space Architecture Space Philosophy Gathering / Mini-Conference 2025

You are invited to join the AIAA Tucson Section and the University of Arizona Student Branch for our annual Holiday Party at TopGolf! This event is a great opportunity to enjoy an evening of food, fun, and casual networking with fellow students, professionals, faculty, and industry partners from across the Tucson aerospace community.

We will also be presenting the 2025 AIAA Tucson Section Awards, recognizing individuals who have made an impact in engineering, STEM outreach, leadership, and service throughout the year.

Location: TopGolf Tucson, 4050 W Costco Dr, Tucson, AZ
Date: December 5, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM

We hope you’ll join us to celebrate the end of the year and connect with the wider AIAA community in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Respectfully,

Quintina Hardesty Becker
Communications, Tucson Section of AIAA

The AIAA Tucson Section and University of Arizona AIAA Student Branch are pleased to announce a special guest lecture featuring Dr. Mary Roybal.  Dr. Roybal is a distinguished aerospace engineering leader with more than forty years of experience advancing materials, structures, and technology development across the defense and aerospace industries. A retired Sr. Principal Engineering Fellow from Raytheon, Dr. Roybal is widely recognized for her contributions in the field of Mechanical Engineering and her long-standing commitment to engineering excellence.

She is an AIAA Fellow, a dedicated member of the organization for four decades, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors in the engineering profession. Dr. Roybal earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA, and her academic journey also includes coursework and research at MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, and the University of Missouri–Rolla, reflecting a career marked by continuous learning and innovation.

Event Details

Location: Manuel Pacheco Integrated Learning Center (ILC), Room 141

(Underground building directly in front of the Main Library – 1500 E University Blvd.)

Date: Monday, December 1, 2025

 Time: 7:00 PM

Presentation Title:

“A Perspective of the Future of Composite Structures in the Aerospace Industry”

Dr. Roybal will provide an expert-level perspective on advancements, challenges, and long-term trends in aerospace composite materials, drawing on her decades of experience in engineering, research, and leadership in the aerospace and defense sectors.

We hope you will join us for this insightful and inspiring discussion.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Respectfully,

Quintina Hardesty Becker
Communications, Tucson Section of AIAA

San Diego Aerospace Jeopardy!