By Harry Lundy
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – At the U.S. Air Force Academy, cadets deliver end-of-semester reviews to faculty and leaders from the Department of War and the aerospace industry for the Academy’s Falcon satellite program.

Cadets focus on a specific FalconSAT area, such as design, testing, building or operations. Faculty provide guidance throughout the yearlong capstone project. Cadets present findings, receive feedback and generate interest in future collaborations.

Cadet 1st Class Keerthana Avvaru, left, receives feedback from Maj. Julia Bell in the Space Systems Research Center, at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 6, 2026. Avvaru and her team developed a reaction wheel for the FalconSAT program that helps satellites adjust their position in space. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

Cadets take active role in satellite development

Maj. Julia Bell, director of the Space Systems Research Center, said the review focuses on a cadet-first mission concept when supporting mission partners.

“We get them involved as much as we can in development efforts,” said Bell. “We look at every project and decide how cadets can take part in important projects that provide a meaningful learning experience in the capstone.”

Cadet 1st Class Keerthana Avvaru works on the reaction wheel team. The wheel allows the satellite to adjust its position in space. This marks the first year cadets have built the reaction wheel in-house rather than outsourcing the component.

“This is really important for the FalconSAT program,” said Avvaru, an astronautical engineering and applied mathematics major, “This is a capabilities-based program, so we are able to manufacture the component, change the design and test based upon changing requirements.”

Cadet 1st Class Emma Sanchez prepares a star tracker camera for a pointing test at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 6, 2026. The camera supports the FalconSAT program by helping operators to change a satellite’s position and orientation during its mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

Cadets learn to adapt under pressure

Cadet 1st Class Emma Sanchez, an astronautical engineering major, worked on the star tracker team. The team is responsible for adjusting the satellite orientation using a camera that captures images of stars to ensure the satellites are properly aligned during missions.

“There have been a couple of times we have had a test ready to execute, and on the day we were presenting, we learned that the mission is going in a different direction,” said Sanchez. “At first, it was frustrating to lose two months’ work, but you quickly learn that in a competitive field, this is an operational reality, and now I like knowing that I can deal with that change and continue to move forward.”

Sanchez and her team encountered another challenge while calibrating a star tracker camera during an evening pointing test. The team initially planned to use the North Star because it was easiest to identify, but nearby mountains blocked their view.

With limited time to adjust, Sanchez and her partner quickly identified an alternative solution.

“Luckily, we thought of a well-known star in Orion’s belt, Betelgeuse,” said Sanchez. “We were able to pivot and use that start to conduct the test.”

Cadet 1st Class Giorgio Simoncioni tests a solar array in the Space Systems Research Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 6, 2026. The array will help power future FalconSAT program missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

Sustaining progress across cadet classes

Although the capstone is a year-long senior design experience, building a Falcon satellite can take up to two years, making continuity essential.

The SSRC maintains contractors in the lab year-round. They provide continuity by advancing projects during academic breaks and integrating cadets with each new capstone class.

“Cadets have to build annual continuity documents,” said Bell. “It is part of their grade to document everything they have done to support the next class of cadets.”

This knowledge management process helps preserve technical expertise and ensure long-term project continuity.

Cadet 1st Class Emma Sanchez checks the connection for a star tracker camera before conducting a test at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 6, 2026. The camera supports the FalconSAT program by helping operators determine a satellite’s position and guide its movement during the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

Developing critical thinking and leadership skills

The FalconSAT program helps cadets develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills they can apply anywhere.

“We do not want cadets to focus on one way to solve an issue,” said Bell. “We ask them to solve problems in several ways, so they think about options they have to use across a broad range of situations in their future.”

Cadets also learn to take ownership of decisions while working through complex problems as a team.

“Cadets don’t know what the right answer is when they start a project, but they work together to solve a problem,” said Bell. “That is what they are going to have to do on day one.”

Avvaru experienced this firsthand while serving as the avionics lead for a nine-person team. She said managing a team and seeking their input when making decisions with limited information has helped prepare her for a future career as an Air Force engineer.

For nearly 20 years, the FalconSAT program has provided cadets hands-on experience while supporting research for government and industry partners.

See cadets working on their projects on Flickr.

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By Harry Lundy
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – In the Department of Physics and Meteorology at the U.S. Air Force Academy, cadets gain experience building payloads. In the department’s Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC), their latest project in the International Space Station is the Falcon Optical Defense and Intelligence through Neuromorphics (ODIN) camera. With this technology, cadets gather and analyze data to predict events in the near-Earth orbit of space, increasing awareness in the contested space domain.

Cadet 2nd Class Alexander Le and Dr. Matthew McHarg examine the optics on the engineering unit of Falcon Optical Defense and Intelligence through Neuromorphics, Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Sept. 16, 2025. Le is the lead cadet compiling data monitoring the geospace environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Critical thinking is challenged

Falcon ODIN is an event-based camera attached to the International Space Station. It uses a neuromorphic camera that operates more like the human eye than a regular camera. It can track items that move fast across its field of view.

With this new technology comes new problems that challenge what cadets learn in the classroom and require them to use critical thinking, according to Cadet 2nd Class Alexander Le, a double major in astronautical engineering and physics.

“Our critical thinking skills are challenged by data that is non-uniform and non-linear,” said Le. “This has made me go back to the fundamentals from class and take a deeper look at how to interpret data.”

This experience has impacted his future plans and goals.

“It also made me realize that I want to be a physicist.”

Cadet 2nd Class Anna Harden compares the high-speed Phantom camera, left, with the event-based sensor camera, right, Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Sept. 16, 2025. The compact event-based camera monitors the geospace environment at 10,000 frames per second compared to the 1,850 fps of the Phantom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Increasing capabilities and reliable nuclear detection in space

Since its launch in April, cadets and faculty employ the Falcon ODIN camera to develop innovative methods for utilizing data to monitor spacecraft and detect fast-moving objects within the atmosphere.

The new technology also enables the camera to function as a bhangmeter- a specialized imaging radiometer- which detects atmospheric nuclear detonations.

“The research we are doing is important because reliable nuclear detection in space or the atmosphere is critical for national security and defense,” said Cadet 2nd Class Anna Harden, an electrical and computer engineering major. “This project supports developing more advanced detection methods.”

Harden is also learning skills that will apply to her future career.

“This is teaching me the valuable skills of critical thinking, decision making and understanding rapidly changing situations,” Harden said. “All of these are important in any operational environment I may be in after graduation.

The $4,500 event-based camera, foreground, has the same effective capability as the Phantom camera, in monitoring the geospace environment, Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Sept. 16, 2025. The event-based camera provides a lighter payload and provides cost savings of $180,500. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Partners with purpose

The event camera on Falcon ODIN has a faster-than-real-time recording capability, running at 10,000 frames a second. This is important for detecting challenging threats such as hypersonic re-entry vehicles, missiles or fast-moving aircraft.

The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate works with SPARC, helping design experiments that cadets can analyze and use in their research.

“Our partnership has a lot to do with space domain awareness, which is very important to the Space Force,” said Dr. Mathew McHarg, director of SPARC. “We can also track fast-moving things on earth, which is important to the Air Force.”

The technology helps achieve a Department of War priority of deterrence through defending our homeland in the space domain.

Additionally, McHarg and the cadets hope that this experiment will help the Space Force improve the tracking of active and inoperable satellites, as well as debris, and better distinguish between them, including their locations and activities.

“By analyzing real national security problems, this project emphasizes the need for military readiness,” said Harden.

Learn more about the Academy’s research centers.

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By Tech. Sgt. Sahara Fales
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Fairchild Hall’s F-1 auditorium filled with the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 1996 alumni, faculty, staff, cadets, and loved ones who came together to celebrate Brig. Gen. Linell A. Letendre’s 29 years of service with a retirement ceremony here on May 30, 2025.

The Academy’s 12th Superintendent, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Bradley Hosmer, served as the presiding official for the event, while Lt. Gen. (ret.) Christopher Miller, Chief Executive Officer of the Academic Research and Development Institute and the inaugural Chair for the Study of the Profession of Arms at the Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development, gave remarks.

Miller summarized Letendre’s career, describing her as a natural leader and a self-starter. He highlighted her achievements, beginning as a young lieutenant who earned a Joint Service Commendation Medal all the way through the end of her career.

Letendre was the 11th Dean of the Faculty, nominated to the position by President Donald Trump in July of 2019 and officially assumed the role in October that same year.

As dean, she commanded the 750-member Dean of Faculty mission element and oversaw the instruction of more than 500 undergraduate courses for 4,000 cadets across 32 academic disciplines. In this role, she also directed the operation of five support staff agencies and faculty resources involving more than $350M.

“[Letendre] focused on developing world class curriculum, faculty and facilities. Her drive and vision were enhanced and accomplished by the thoughtful hard work of very many of you in this room,” Miller said.

“This dean was the right person at the right time to propel the Academy to prepare cadets to be officers of character, ready to deter America’s adversaries,” he added. “Thank you, Linell, for what you’ve done as a powerful leader and educator for the Airmen and Guardians of the future.”

A flag is folded during Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre’s retirement ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Fairchild Hall, May 30, 2025. The Academy’s 12th Superintendent, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Bradley Hosmer, served as the presiding official for the event, while Lt. Gen. (ret.) Christopher Miller, Chief Executive Officer of the Academic Research and Development Institute and the inaugural Chair for the Study of the Profession of Arms at the Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development, gave remarks. She was also joined on stage by her daughter, 2nd Lt. Madelyn Letendre. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Where it all began

Letendre took the stage in the auditorium, hanging a faded blue and white pennant from the podium.

“I’ve carried this pennant with me since 5th grade, when a precocious little girl announced that she was going to attend the United States Air Force Academy,” she said. “It’s traveled with me and hung in every bedroom, every dorm room, and every office that I’ve ever occupied.”

“This place—the Academy—is where I became who I am today,” she added. “From my first oath that I took in basic cadet training to this final moment as dean, the Academy has shaped every chapter of my professional life.”

Letendre commissioned from the Academy as a distinguished graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1996. She began her career as an acquisitions officer, later becoming a judge advocate.

Throughout her career she found herself serving in multiple roles here such as the Assistant Professor of Law, Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Law, and more recently as the Chair of the Social Sciences Division.

“Over half of my years in uniform have been spent here, dedicated to the mission of this institution because I believe in it. I believe in what this place does, and I believe in what it demands of us.”

Other Assignments

In between her assignments at the Academy, Letendre served at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., Scott AFB, Ill., Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Joint Base Andrews, Md., and the Pentagon.

Early on, she was selected for the Funded Legal Education Program at the University of Washington, where she graduated law school with high honors. She was named to the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers and is barred at the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Washington, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals—a feat that only approximately 10,000 lawyers in the United States have achieved.

Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty (center), receives the retirement pin from her husband, Greg, and children, Madelyn and Ethan, during her retirement ceremony at Fairchild Hall here, May 30, 2025. Letendre was the 11th Dean of the Faculty, nominated to the position by President Donald Trump in July of 2019 and officially assumed the role in October that same year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

The Final Chapter

“After 33 years of wearing this uniform—four as a cadet and 29 as an officer—I can think of no place I’d rather hold my retirement than here in F-1, which is filled with lots of memories,” Letendre said. “As I reflect, it feels only fitting however, that my central message of my last time talking in F-1 will be what has been at the heart of my journey—the importance of education in the military.”

“Over the last 6 years I’ve had the honor of watching this faculty and academic staff create a culture grounded in the deliberate development of warfighters. You’ve transformed the classrooms into dynamic and immersive environments. You brought learning back to life,” she added.

Under her guidance, the Academy successfully graduated and commissioned its first class of cadets to the U.S. Space Force and became the center of gravity for innovation, earning 37 patents. Her leadership contributed to the addition of approximately 5,700 junior officers to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

“What we teach and how we teach it directly shapes the leaders that this nation depends on. The battlefield does not forgive intellectual complacency–it punishes leaders who rely on old models, outdated assumptions, and unchallenged vices,” Letendre continued. “That’s the role of education in the profession of arms.”

During her tenure at the Academy, Letendre had the unique experience of watching her daughter, Madelyn Letendre, complete the same four years of rigorous military training and education she once did. Madelyn earned her commission just 28 years after her mom.

“Watching you step into this profession with purpose and distinction has been one of the greatest moments of my life,” she said to her daughter.

Letendre had Hosmer, Miller and Madelyn integrated into her ceremony—meticulously chosen to represent the pursuit of intellect in military service across the Long Blue Line. All three are Rhodes Scholarship recipients, with Hosmer being the Academy’s very first and Madelyn being its most recent, in 2024.

She thanked Miller for the guidance and mentorship throughout her career and credited many of her leadership attributes to the teachings of Hosmer who was the first superintendent she served under.

The ceremony concluded with her husband Greg pinning the retirement pin to her uniform. She then rendered her final salute to now 2nd Lt. Madelyn Letendre, and embraced her son, Ethan.

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By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Cadets from different academic disciplines credit U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Political Science Professor Madison Walker with stoking their passion for space law, policy and research.

Cadet 1st Class Anjulina Abdon, a Political Science major, worked with the space policy professor on her space deterrence theory capstone project during the fall. Abdon will attend U.S. Air Force remotely piloted aircraft pilot training after she graduates May 29.

“Space law and policy can feel abstract at times; Professor Walker makes it seem much more tangible,” Abdon said. “Working with her gave me a new appreciation for how complex space policy is and how important it will be for our future national security. I walked away with a deeper understanding of the space policy world.”

Department of Political Science Professor Madison Walker instructs cadets in one of her courses Oct. 1, 2024. Walker is the Political Science national space policy professor and director of the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

Fostering critical thinking in space policy

Walker is the Political Science national space policy professor and director of the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies. She specializes in viewing space law and policy holistically to identify contradictions in the U.S.’s approach to the space domain. Walker adopted this approach while focusing on active space debris removal and on-orbit servicing during her time working with novel space activity start-ups. She is now a Stanton Fellow in political science after completing a space law and policy fellowship with the Institute for Future Conflict last year. In Walker’s political science and space policy classrooms, cadets exercise critical thinking skills in a variety of innovative ways.

“From my philosophy of learning by doing, I create opportunities for cadets to work with external stakeholders and apply their operational knowledge to support academically rigorous research,” Walker said. “When dealing with more theoretical concepts, I create activities that demonstrate the principles in an organic manner. By going through the exercises, cadets learn the content and skills that will help them in their future careers. At the same time, I learn and grow as a professor.”

Simulating real-world space policy challenges

One tool Walker uses to demonstrate theoretical principles is a game she co-created to emphasize the weight of decisions future U.S. Space Force officers may one day be expected to make. Modeled after several classic board games, Walker introduced The Space Policy Game during the 2023-24 academic year and again in the Azimuth Space Program at the Academy in June. The game incorporates national real-world policies, goals and postures and tests cadets’ space policy decision-making capabilities. She is considering pursuing a patent for the game.

“In the game, you are supposed to choose the path to victory that most aligns with your real-life country’s goals and strategic posture,” Walker said. “But you should have an alternate path to victory if that one fails. What is great about this game is that I do not enforce the rules; the cadets must enforce the rules on each other. The game mirrors the anarchical nature of the international community.”

Department of Political Science cadets play Professor Madison Walker’s Space Policy Game Oct. 1, 2024. The space policy professor and Stanton Fellow introduces the game in class and in the Academy’s Azimuth summer space program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

Preparing cadets for space careers

Outside the classroom, Walker assists cadets preparing for Space Force careers. Cadet 2nd Class Kaden Kolle, a Management major with plans to commission into the U.S. Space Force, works with Walker on a cadet team research program that would tackle the service’s wicked problems. Kolle first took Walker’s Politis, American Government and National Security course. In the fall, another class with Walker gave him the opportunity for research with the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

“We immediately developed a cadet-mentor relationship over our shared passion for space and space research,” Kolle said. “Her mentorship has led to multiple opportunities to enrich my knowledge about space.”

See more photos on Flickr.

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By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. –The defense of space has shifted from theoretical discussions to real-world planning and strategy. The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Space Warfighting minor equips cadets with the knowledge and skills they will need to operate in an increasingly contested space environment. It also introduces them to space-related career fields.

“The Space Warfighting minor has opened my eyes to the possible jobs offered by the U.S. Space Force,” said Cadet 3rd Class Rebecca Kinstle, who is majoring in Astronautical Engineering and taking the Space Warfighting minor. “From engineering to intelligence, the Space Force plays a variety of interconnected roles in space defense. Investigating this increasingly relevant domain through the Space Warfighting minor has enabled me to visualize these connections better and understand the integral part space plays both domestically and internationally.”

Expanding space operations knowledge

The minor is aligned directly with the Space Force mission. Graduates are prepared to take on core mission roles, including space domain awareness, space superiority, satellite communications and missile warning systems. Cadets complete at least 15 additional semester hours in the minor beyond what is required for their chosen major. The course requirements provide a technical understanding of the space domain and a sociocultural understanding of the future battlespace.

The minor also benefits cadets not pursuing a Space Force career through an educational background on the enhancement that space provides warfighters. Coursework includes communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, missile warning and navigation.

Currently, 35 cadets are enrolled in the Space Warfighting minor, said Lt. Col. Luke Hagen, Department of Astronautics curriculum director. Since 2020 when the minor was stood up, 27 graduates have earned it.

“We realized that we were graduating cadets going directly into the Space Force, and only a few of them had major space coursework other than core astronautics,” Hagen said. “We knew that we had to help future cadets get a broader understanding if they had an interest in Space Force careers.”

Key study areas in the Space Warfighting curriculum

Four tracks comprise the Space Warfighting minor: Acquisitions, Digital, Intelligence and Operator. The minor covers a wide range of topics aimed at developing operational, strategic and technical expertise in space warfare. Cadets complete courses from several areas of study to ensure a broad and well-rounded exposure in space-related topics. Those areas include Space Operations and Strategy, Orbital Mechanics, Space Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity in Space, Space Policy and Law, and Warfighting Tactics in Space.

Cadet 3rd Class Rebecca Kinstle and Cadet 1st Class Ethan Pyle are both majoring in Astronautical Engineering and minoring in Space Warfighting. They are pictured in the Department of Astronautics Oct. 3, 2024. The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Space Warfighting minor provides cadets with a deep understanding of space operations, strategies and technologies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Broadening knowledge beyond Officer Training Course content

The minor also prepares cadets for the new one-year U.S. Space Force Officer Training Course. Cadets learn many of the topics taught in the course, and the minor provides an even broader understanding of space issues, said Cadet 1st Class Ethan Pyle, an Astronautical Engineering major on the Acquisitions track in the Space Warfighting minor. Pyle plans on a Space Force career after completing the officer training course.

Pyle recommends the minor for cadets interested in commissioning into the Space Force.

“This minor will make you more prepared to understand the strategic significance of the space domain,” Pyle said. “Most of the classes in the minor are also required for the Astronautical Engineering major.”

See photos of cadets in the Astronautical Engineering Laboratory at Flickr and learn about majors and minors offered at the Academy.

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By Mackenzie Mendez
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – At the U.S. Air Force Academy, Lt. Col. Heather Greatting-Dufaud combines her operational experience with a deep commitment to mentorship, striving to prepare cadets not only in the technical field of astronautical engineering but also in problem-solving and leadership skills essential for future U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force officers.

A Personal Connection to the Academy

Returning to her alma mater as an Astronautical Engineering instructor, Greatting-Dufaud has a strong personal connection to the Academy and the Department of Astronautics. Reflecting on her cadet experience, she shared, “The Astronautics Department was the best part of my time here. The Academy offers unique engineering programs, small class sizes, and high instructor availability, creating a very personal learning experience that matched my style perfectly.”

Greatting-Dufaud graduated from the Academy in 2005 before earning her master’s in aeronautical engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2007. She now channels her experience as a student into her teaching, hoping to instill the same passion for astronautical engineering in her cadets.

Real-World Insight and Mentorship

In her courses, Astro 310: Introduction to Astronautical Engineering and Astro 332: Satellite Communications, Greatting-Dufaud frequently integrates examples from her operational career to enhance understanding. She explained, “I use real-world examples from the programs I worked on to make the material more approachable and relevant. Engineering is inherently a problem-solving process. I instill an engineering mindset in cadets that will help them solve the big problems they will encounter throughout their careers.”

Greatting-Dufaud brings extensive experience in satellite and missile systems to her role at the Academy. Most recently, she served as chief engineer for the Next Generation OPIR Polar satellite program. Before that, she led advanced satellite initiatives at the National Reconnaissance Office and the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). Her career spans key roles in nuclear capabilities, laser research, and intelligence analysis, including a deployment to Afghanistan—an experience she now draws on to inspire and educate future officers.

Lt. Col. Heather Greatting-Dufaud, U.S. Air Force Academy Astronautical Engineering instructor, teaches cadets during her Introduction to Astronautical Engineering course at the Academy, Colo., Oct. 31, 2024. She graduated from the Academy in 2005 and channels her experience as a student into her teaching, hoping to instill the same passion for astronautical engineering in her cadets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

“The most rewarding part of teaching at the Academy is feeling like I am making a difference every single day,” remarked Greatting-Dufaud. “When you work satellite programs, it could be a decade before the system you worked on goes into space. Here, I get to see my students master a hard concept, celebrate successful graded reviews and toss their caps in joy at graduation.”

Her impact is widely recognized within the department. Col. Luke Sauter, Department of Astronautics head, praised her commitment to mentorship, noting, “Heather is a brilliant engineer and effective educator. Like many of our instructors, she brings a wealth of experience as an engineer in the U.S. Space Force, building our nation’s top satellites. She also connects with cadets as a former grad and mother, bringing her history and family into discussions and lessons.”

Transforming the Curriculum

Greatting-Dufaud’s commitment to enhancing cadet learning also extends into curriculum development. Her experience with satellite systems development has made her one of the leading experts in the department, which led to a significant overhaul of the Satellite Communications course. She restructured it to focus on practical, hands-on learning to ensure cadets fully understand how theory relates to the applications of major satellite systems.

Sauter highlighted this contribution: “Heather has taken our Satellite Communications course and transformed it. She is now helping other instructors learn the course and material, passing on her expertise.”

In addition to the course transformation, she actively seeks support from experts in the field, incorporating experiments and other examples into her courses to create an experiential learning environment.

Lt. Col. Heather Greatting-Dufaud, U.S. Air Force Academy Astronautical Engineering instructor, teaches cadets during her Introduction to Astronautical Engineering course at the Academy, Colo., Oct. 31, 2024. She combines her operational experience with a deep commitment to mentorship, striving to prepare cadets in the technical field of astronautical engineering. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ray Bahner)

Empowering the Next Generation

Beyond the classroom, Lt. Col. Greatting-Dufaud is dedicated to empowering cadets in various ways. She recently led a cadet group to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) conference, giving them opportunities to network with industry professionals and envision their futures in engineering.

“She has a passion for highlighting women in the engineering field and strives to role model how students can be successful engineers, mothers and leaders,” said Sauter. “She is an ardent supporter of empowering women officers and engineers. She leads and educates through the examples she has made with her own life experiences.”

Her mentorship and leadership have left a significant mark on the cadets she works with, ensuring they leave the Academy as well-rounded leaders prepared for the challenges ahead.

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By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A four-cadet team approaches the conclusion of their research project at the U.S. Air Force Academy. They have been using quad-rotor drones to address autonomous aircraft battle damage identification and localization. If their work is successful, the team’s findings could prove valuable for agile combat employment. Their goal is to deliver a real-time assessment of warfare assets.

“This research has the potential to impact missions, save lives and give the United States and our allies an edge in warfighting domains,” said Cadet 1st Class Elliott Kmetz. “Our idea originated from air battle damage sweeps. Pilots in a two-ship formation with a wingman could sweep underneath and over to look for battle damage while in the aircraft. We thought that leaves room for error. This machine-learning model will autonomously identify that damage and tell the operator where it is on the aircraft to support situational awareness.”

Summer research program paves the way for aircraft damage study

Kmetz, along with fellow Mechanical Engineering majors Cadets 1st Class David Ke and Ashlynn Sweet and Astronautical Engineering major Cadet 1st Class Joseph Olson began their work when they were selected for the Cadet Summer Research Program. The team worked on the aircraft battle damage identification and localization project for the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate at the University of Florida Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory.

When the summer research program ended in August, the team presented their findings to their Air Force Research Laboratory sponsors. Each cadet decided to continue the research upon their return to the Academy. They were selected as the Cadet Summer Research Program institution-wide winners.

Mechanical Engineering labs provide aircraft parts for cadet research

The team benefitted from the Mechanical Engineering department’s laboratory and the Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension. CAStLE’s mission is to extend the life of all U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense weapons systems and train cadets in the science and technology community. The team incorporated the wing of a Cessna T-37 Tweet located in the hall outside the lab in the team’s research. The team safely simulated battle damage on the wing.

“Our project is on aircraft battle damage, and it is difficult to find resources for aircraft damaged in battle,” Kmetz said. “We were fortunate that the Mechanical Engineering lab and CAStLE have airplane parts for us to use in our research. I don’t think anybody else in the world can say that their lab gave them an airplane wing to shoot into.”

The cadets also expressed gratitude to resources in Florida for their summer research project. They gathered data from decommissioned aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, that had multiple types of damage from small arms fire to high-caliber ammunition.

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets 1st Class Ashlynn Sweet, Joseph Olson, Elliott Kmetz and David Ke pose in front of the Cessna T-37 Tweet wing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Aug. 26, 2024. The cadets located the airplane parts crucial to their research in the Center for Aircraft Life Extension and Department of Mechanical Engineering labs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Plans for the application of cadet research

The team’s research proved the system can identify aircraft wing damage. They plan to include the metrics from the testing in their conference paper. One improvement the team considers is obtaining a real-world damage structure for training their system. Different materials and types of damage would allow them to improve damage identification.

“The main thing we are considering is how we can apply our research to current and future warfighting systems to reduce the fog of war by using autonomy and machine learning,” Olson said.

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets 1st Class David Ke, left, Ashlynn Sweet, Elliott Kmetz and Joseph Olson, right, display the drone they use in their aircraft battle damage research in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Aug. 26, 2024. The cadets located the airplane parts crucial to their research in the Center for Aircraft Life Extension and the Department of Mechanical Engineering labs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

The cadets are writing a paper they will present at the 2025 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Aerospace Conference in Big Sky, Montana, in March.

See more photos of the cadets’ project at Flickr.

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By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- U.S. Air Force Academy cadets celebrated as they watched the launch of the FalconSAT-X satellite from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center Nov. 11. FalconSAT-X launched from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

Learn space by doing space

Seniors from each Academy class since 2019 worked on FalconSAT-X. In the U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Astronautics FalconSAT program, cadets learn space by doing space through real-world satellite development and operations.

Cadets design, analyze, build, test and operate small satellites hosting technology experiments funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Cadet Space Operations Squadron conducts daily operations for on-orbit FalconSATs. Their testing is the space equivalent to flight testing, said Cadet 1st Class Parker Brush.

“It is similar to the Space Force in that we are very thorough with our testing,” Brush said. “When creating the satellites, we have different methods that we go through, which are very similar to the way the big Air Force does their testing through, not just satellites but also parts when creating a new airplane frame model.”

Engineers (from left) Braden Virdell, Seth Hart, Zane Sauer and Jack Hallowell watch U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Parker Brush operate FalconSAT-X from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center after its launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The satellite launched at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Nov. 11, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

Initial Contact Team

Brush and Cadets 1st Class Ashley Nies and Garrett Siemen form the squadron’s Initial Contact Team. About an hour after the launch, the team connects a data link to ensure that the spacecraft’s systems, from control to communications, are functioning well, Siemen said.

“The second it launches, we watched it and had a grand old time,” he said. “Then, we sprinted down and get on the computer to make contact and get data moving between us and the satellite.”

On Oct. 24, 1997, the Department of Astronautics launched its first orbiting spacecraft, Falcon Gold, on an Atlas rocket. The Academy later launched seven additional satellites before FalconSAT-X.

A trio of satellites in space

The FalconSAT program aims to develop and operate small satellites that support various scientific and technological experiments. These micro-satellites are approximately 24x28x38 inches with a maximum weight of 395 pounds. The satellites conduct meaningful experiments and collect valuable data. Most recently, FalconSAT-6 launched in 2018, followed by FalconSAT-8 in 2020. Cadets continue to operate both satellites.

“The entire purpose of FalconSAT is to be the test bed for different places to get their parts up in space to see if they will work,” Brush said. “When talking with us, [space industry] companies send up parts to see if they will work and how they will work in space. That is what we have been doing for almost every one of our satellites.”

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Ashley Nies, an initial contact team member, operates FalconSAT-X from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center after its launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The satellite launched at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Nov. 11, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

Another benefit of the program is the experience it is gives future U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force officers. For example, Nies gains experience operating a satellite a year before she begins space operator training.

Cadets training cadets

Approximately 50 cadets majoring in STEM disciplines perform satellite design, development, and testing as part of their senior engineering capstone course. An additional 75-100, representing all class years and majors, operate the spacecraft as part of the Cadet Space Operations Squadron. The squadron operates like the Airmanship program, with cadets training cadets.

“This is a real-world spacecraft program,” said Lt. Col. Dan Showalter, Space Systems Research Center director. “The cadets perform work similar to young [U.S. Space Force] officers and engineers in the industry.”

Through the years, the program’s satellites conducted a wide range of experiments, including studying Earth’s upper atmosphere, testing new communication technologies, and investigating the effects of space radiation on electronic components.

Building on the work of previous classes

The three cadets who handled FalconSAT-X’s initial contact were high school juniors when the program began in 2019. Now, Brush is looking forward to an Air Force piloting career, while Nies and Siemen have their futures in the U.S. Space Force. Each cadet remains amazed at their opportunity to build off the work conducted by seniors in the last four classes.

“It’s crazy that they have been working on this for four years, and we got to be the people who are operating it and be a part of the launch,” Nies said. “It is important. They have put a lot of time into FalconSAT-X.”

Even before FalconSAT launched into orbit, cadets were already working on the next spacecraft, FalconSAT-Xtra.

Learn more about the Academy’s space program.

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Ashley Nies (back) and Cadet 1st Class Parker Brush (front), part of the three-cadet initial contact team, operates FalconSAT-X from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center after its launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The satellite launched at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Nov. 11, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco)

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U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The U.S. Air Force Academy has a long history of supporting the country’s space mission and developing officers ready to face the challenges of tomorrow. In fact, a member of the Academy’s very first graduating class went on to be an astronaut and we now commission graduates into the U.S. Space Force.

Among the first wave of Guardian graduates in 2020, was 1st Lt. Coen Williams, an astronautical engineering and applied math major. He recalls the surprise and excitement he felt when President Trump signed into law the defense bill that officially established the Space Force on Dec. 20, 2019.

For Williams, joining the Space Force provides an opportunity to make an incredible impact. He tells cadets the future is now and to get excited.

“Learn, read widely, be willing to challenge yourself and grow,” said Williams. “Not every assignment is going to be wonderful, but if you find the right people, you can always make the best of it. Nothing is ever certain but watching the Space Force grow into itself has been incredible to watch.”

1st  Lt. Coen Williams (left) sits with his classmates during graduation from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he received a Master in Public Policy, May 2022. Williams worked as a support officer to the Combined Forces Space Component Command commander’s action group. (Courtesy photo by 1st Lt. Coen Williams)

Grads in space

Since the Class of 1959 and Col. Karol Bobko, NASA has selected 40 graduates for astronaut training. Most recently, Nichole Ayers, Class of 2011, joined NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class. Col. Raja Chari, Class of 1999, spent 177 days on the International Space Station and is a member NASA’s Artemis program, making him eligible for future moon missions.

Chari is not the only grad connected to Artemis, explained the head of the Department of Astronautics, Col. Luke Sauter.

“For years now, cadets have been participating in research efforts to support Artemis in conjunction with NASA. Artemis continues to excite and motivate cadets toward careers in space in and out of Air and Space Force service,” Sauter said. “I believe Artemis will continue to show cadets the truly unique educational experience they receive learning astronautics as a part of their core curriculum.”

The Academy continues to train and educate cadets to meet future space missions. Currently, there are more than 180 cadets majoring in space-related fields and over 60 minoring in space warfighting. Plus, since 1958, all cadets have taken core astronautics, a space fundamentals course, as part of their core classes.

Chari said he loves exploring new scientific discoveries, especially from his lab in space.

“Whether it’s going to the space station, whether it’s going around the moon or landing on the moon, or whether it’s doing exploration beyond the moon. Any mission I wind up on has the potential to come up with new science that helps further the United States and the world.”

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U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – U.S. News and World Report ranked the Academy one of the nation’s best undergraduate educational institutions in the publication’s 2022 annual report.

The Best Colleges Rankings report rates the Academy as third in the Top Public Schools category and names the Astronautical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering programs as the best in the nation (at schools where a doctorate is not offered). The report rates the Academy 18th overall in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category, having consistently risen from the 39th ranking since 2020.

“To rise in formal ranking alongside the finest institutions of higher learning in our country is an incredible honor for the Academy,” said the Dean of the Faculty Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre. “It should serve as a great source of pride for our faculty and academic staff who work hard to develop officers of character every day for the U.S. Air and Space Forces.”

The Academy offers 20 different departments and a broad core curriculum so cadets can find an area of study that interests and challenges them. The robust curriculum includes educational requirements that fill cadets’ schedules including athletics and military training. This makes for a well-rounded experience that prepares graduates as they commission as second lieutenants in the military.

Explore the majors and minors offered at the Academy.

U.S. Air Force Academy rankings for 2022, among schools where a doctorate is not offered:

#1 in Astronautical Engineering

#1 Aeronautical Engineering

#4 in Electrical / Electronic / Communications, up from 8 in 2021 (a tie)

#6 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (a tie)

#6 in Mechanical Engineering (tie)

#8 in Civil Engineering, up from 12 in 2021 (a tie)

#9 in Computer Engineering (a tie)

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Falcon Neuro is hosted on the STP-H7/8 external payload in outer space. The payload was photographed by external cameras on the International Space Station. (Photo credit: NASA)

By Public Affairs/Strategic Communications
Photos by Joshua Armstrong/Trevor Cokley

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Cadet research projects at the United States Air Force Academy are frequently launched into low-Earth orbit, giving cadets ample opportunities to learn space by doing space.

An ongoing project is Falcon Neuro, with cadets and faculty using neuromorphic cameras attached to the International Space Station to study lighting across the Earth and electrical discharges in space known as “sprites.”

Falcon Neuro represents the first use of neuromorphic data obtained from space. Its technology mimics biological systems such as the brain and the nervous system, responding only to changes in light.

Senior Cadet Rayomand Bam is project leader for the team of Falcon Neuro cadets and their research is managed by Geoff McHarg, physics professor and director of the Academy’s Space Physics and Atmospheric Center.

“The goal of the project is to investigate lightning and sprites from space,” McHarg said. “Overall, we hope to show sensors like Falcon Neuro have the capability to work as high speed cameras from a space-based platform.” Falcon Neuro’s neuromorphic cameras are more efficient and more responsive than their digital camera counterparts.

Bam said Falcon Neuro and other research projects at the Academy are supported by numerous government agencies including the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Space Test Program, and leading industry and international partners.

“It’s all part of the ‘research bank’ cadets can access,” he said.

From back to front: Cadets Liam Champagne, Kaylee King, and Rayomand Bam conduct data analysis in the SPARC’s data operations center on March 1, 2022

Bam’s team is also researching the potential neuromorphic cameras offer the Defense Department in studying natural and manmade objects in space. The cameras are scheduled to orbit aboard the space station until July 2023 with images sent to the Defense Research and Engineering Network in Alexandria, Va., the Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center, and the International Center for Neuromorphic Systems at Western Sydney University, Australia, led by Prof. Greg Cohen. Cohen’s team and Academy cadets developed the neuromorphic cameras to capture objects in orbit and share information to advance each nations’ space capabilities.

“It takes skill to build hardware for space, especially a crewed spacecraft like the International Space Station,” Cohen said. “This starts at the design process as you have to consider complications that don’t occur on Earth. Testing and fixing problems in space is incredibly challenging. It’s an immense achievement given we did this during the coronavirus pandemic and built the system separately in Australia and the U.S. It is a testament to the skills of our collective design teams that our cameras work and producing great data.”

Cohen said he and his researchers appreciate the collaboration between the Academy and the Center.

“Our partnership has been one of the most productive in our research group,” he said. “Exciting and ambitious projects require diverse teams to be successful. It is entirely the reason we’re called the ‘International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems.”’

Research is part of every cadet’s life, Bam said, and the Academy provides abundant opportunities for high school students looking for the right university to grow their scientific talent.

“The Academy does a terrific job of connecting cadets’ passions with the right people and places,” he said, “and the faculty has the expertise and ability to get you where you want to be. Everyone realizes the import roles they play and the implications of their research and that makes me want to work harder and do the best I can.”

From left to right: Cadets King and Champagne analyze the Falcon Neuro engineering unit on March 31, 2022.

To learn more about Falcon Neuro, watch Professor Geoff McHarg’s video on neuromorphic imagery.

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On Thursday 9 July Lt Gen Silveria recognized the United States Air Force Academy Class of 2020 Top Graduate, 2Lt Zack Bailey during a small ceremony in Polaris Hall. Lt Bailey was also recognized as the Outstanding Cadet in Mechanical Engineering, the Outstanding Cadet in Engineering and the Outstanding Cadet in Academic Performance.

Lt Bailey is a recipient of the Marshall Scholarship and is on his way to King’s College London in the fall.

Congratulations Lt Bailey!

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By Jennifer Spradlin, June 5, 2020

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Data + analysis = command decision.

This simple equation can be applied to most modern military action and shows how one element must be in concert with the other to create the right sight picture for commanders.

“It’s not enough to have more data than our adversaries. It’s how we understand the information and use it at the speed of relevance that matters,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.

To better prepare future officers in the Air and Space forces, the Academy has created a data science major, approved by the Academy Board, June 4. The Academy will also introduce data science principles into various academic disciplines.

“Data science is the tip of the spear in terms of importance to winning future conflicts,” said Professor Bradley Warner, data science program director. “It has also emerged as a leading new career field in the private sector, so much so that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advocated that all undergraduate students receive a foundation in data science.”

The data science major will be interdisciplinary, built with core classes from the Academy’s management, math, computer science and philosophy departments. Warner anticipates this technical discipline will appeal to a wide cross-section of cadets, including those who struggle in advanced math courses but want to pursue a technical degree.

Cadet 3rd Class Devin Wasilefsky will be one of the first cadets to major in data science.

“I was attracted to the Air Force and the Academy for the opportunities you’re given to gain a skillset and a top-tier education,” he said. “Data science is such a broad capability that it will be useful during my military service, but it also lends itself to employment opportunities in the civilian sector.”

Forbes recently ranked data scientist as the “best job in America” for three years in a row.

After graduation, Wasilefsky hopes to serve in hospital management and use data science to improve hospital efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Dean of Faculty Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre celebrated the new major in a June 5 statement announcing its approval.

“Graduates of the data science major will have the strong decision-making capabilities expected of the Air and Space force leaders in this increasingly data-drive world,” she wrote.

The data sciences major is the newest major at the Academy. In fall 2019, the Academy relaunched the space operations major and approved a space warfighting minor this month.

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Story by Ray Bowden, photo by Trevor Cokely, June 6, 2020

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Cadets at the Air Force Academy will see a new minor added to their academic schedules: space warfighting.

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United launch Alliance, May 18, 2020

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Colo. — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 rocket carrying the USSF-7 mission for the U.S. Space Force lifted off from Cape Canaveral May 17.

This marks the 84th successful launch of an Atlas V rocket, 139th launch for ULA, the second launch for the U.S. Space Force and sixth flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle or “OTV-6.”

“The success of this mission resulted from collaboration with our customer while working through challenging, and ever changing, health and safety conditions,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of government and commercial Programs. “We were honored to partner with the U.S. Space Force to dedicate this mission to first responders, front-line workers and those affected by COVID-19.”

Along with OTV-6, this mission deployed FalconSAT-8, a small satellite built and designed by cadets at the Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory to conduct experiments on orbit.

FalconSAT is the Academy’s small satellite engineering program. Cadets design, build, test and operate these satellites. The Academy’s Space Systems Research Center, under the direction of the astronautics department, administers these projects. Most cadets who work on FalconSAT projects pursue bachelor of science degrees in astronautical engineering, although electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or computer science students often join in.

The mission also carried two NASA experiments, including a material sample plate to determine the results of radiation and other space effects on various materials and an experiment to assess space effects on seeds used to grow food. Another experiment sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory will examine transforming solar power into radio frequency microwave energy and transmitting it to the ground.

For more information, visit www.ulalaunch.com.

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U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, May 6, 2020

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — A satellite built by Air Force Academy cadets will launch into space May 16 aboard the X-37B, Orbital Test Vehicle sponsored by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and built by Boeing. This is the first time a satellite built and designed by cadets will catch a ride into space aboard the X-37B.

(See the May 6 report from the Secretary of the Air Force about the launch here: https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/2177702/next-x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle-scheduled-to-launch)

Lt. Col. Dan Showalter, assistant astronautics professor at the Academy, said “as novel as this mode of transportation might be, the purpose for cadets in the school’s space program is the same as it was when the school’s space program began in the 80s.”

“FalconSAT-8 is an educational platform for cadets.  We perform technology demonstrations for the Air Force,” he said. Showalter added that several cadets, including 2020 graduates Class Reagan Good and Claudio Yambao, traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida to deliver, test, and integrate FalconSAT-8 with the X-37B.

“Few undergraduate programs allow their students to work on flight hardware and design and build their own flight components,” Good said. “Cadets are given hands-on work that allows us to get a feel for real engineering on real projects.”

FalconSAT-8 will carry five experimental payloads, and members of the Cadet Space Operations Squadron will operate FalconSAT-8.

There’s little doubt that the work by cadets will have an effect on the new Space Force, which opened for business in December and is designed to maintain and enhance the competitive edge of the Defense Department in space. Eighty-six cadets in this year’s graduating class commission into the Space Force.

‘Learning Space by Doing Space’

The Academy’s space program consists of aerospace experts, mechanics, and engineers. The FalconSAT program serves as an academic platform for an array of aerospace industry and DoD experiments. Cadets design spacecraft and integrate payloads in the Space Systems Research Center with faculty support.

FalconSAT-8 is the Academy’s capstone undergraduate systems engineering course managed by the school’s Astronautics department.

Yambao said the space program’s motto, “Learning Space by Doing Space,” means cadets get to experience the postgraduate engineering world while at the Academy.

“It entails building and testing components of a spacecraft and understanding how it plays a role in the entire space engineering community,” he said.

The FalconSAT Program provides cadets with experiential, hands-on learning opportunities with the latest space technology, Showalter said.

“It’s like an engineering internship – we fly experimental technologies for the Air Force to evaluate their performance on-orbit,” he said.

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Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Oct. 24, 2019

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Bailey Hopkins wants to be an Air Force pilot, but like seven-to-ten percent of other men, he has red-green color blindness – an instant disqualifier.

Hopkins, a junior cadet at the Air Force Academy, took to the stage Oct. 18 during Falcon Tank, an innovation-themed competition, to present an idea on modifying commercially available technology to correct color blindness in Air Force-issued pilot visors.

“It’s easy to just think about Academy cadets who are color blind and can’t fly, many of which are very high-achieving individuals who could make great pilots,” he said. “But there’s also a large group of students who may never even consider the Academy because they know that due to their color vision limitations, they will never be able to fly.”

His idea earned him first place in the competition and the opportunity to work with USAFA Spark, which hosted the event, and other Academy leaders for further development and funding.

Spark cells are part of an AFWERX-led initiative to create an innovation network at Air Force bases around the world to foster local improvement ideas. The Academy stood up their first cell in 2019, joining more than 40 other cells.

“I think it’s important to teach cadets about innovation principles and design thinking to help them be successful in an era of rapidly changing technology,” said Cadet 1st Class Yann Wollman, USAFA Spark director.

The cell is run and operated by cadets, although Wollman said he would like to expand the program to include enlisted Airmen and officers. Each cadet squadron has a representative in the cell where Wollman said the focus is split between innovation education and application sessions with problem/solution workshopping.

“We have to adopt a culture where we learn to fail quickly, and that it’s okay to fail so that we can push through to find solutions to complex problems,” he said.

The Academy also hosted an innovation panel for cadets and faculty with representatives from the Department of Defense and cutting-edge industry projects, Oct. 22.

Lauren Knausenberger, Air Force chief transformation officer, outlined some key Air Force initiatives, including Hack the Air Force, Spark Tank and Digital Air Force. She encouraged all cadets to take courses in coding or rapid prototyping while gaining awareness of key technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“We need [future leaders] to understand what possibilities there are in emerging technical fields so that they are prepared to shape the future, rather than feel limited by it,” she said.

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By Janine Dreger, Oct. 15, 2019

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Ever wonder what cadet researchers are doing these days at the Air Force Academy? Here’s five projects we think are very interesting.

Falcon Satellite Program

All systems are “go” for FalconSat-6, a 400-pound satellite designed and built by cadets. It’s been in orbit for 10-months, receiving and transmitting information allowing cadets to track the progress of several space-technology projects.

New Dimensions

Cadets are developing technology to give pilots mission information during their “debriefs” in three dimensions. If cadets have their way, our pilots will eventually wear 3-D glasses to enhance their understanding of flight-mission goals, results and performance.

A Swarm of Aircraft 

Cadets are designing and testing self-governing or “autonomous” unmanned aircraft that operate in swarms to cover military ground units. They’ll be installed with high-bandwidth video stream allowing teams to link-up with command posts and medical experts.

An International Project

Cadet researchers are helping NASA and our European allies improve the capabilities of Orion, an international spacecraft designed to shuttle four astronauts into-and beyond a low-Earth orbit of 1,242 miles. Cadets are currently researching ways to improve the spacecraft’s flight performance.

Man and Machine

Cadets are using artificial intelligence to maximize human performance. The project is in its nascent stage, but the goal is to form cooperative or “symbiotic” relationships between man and technology. Cadets have already used AI to calibrate aircraft trust in flight simulators at the Academy.

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Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Oct. 9, 2019

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Duane G. “Digger” Carey, a former NASA astronaut who piloted the STS-109 Columbia mission in March 2002, spoke to more than 300 fifth and sixth graders from schools across the Front Range at the Air Force Academy, Oct. 9.

The annual “Audience with an Astronaut” event is held in partnership with the Space Foundation and highlights science, technology, engineering and math education as well as the role of the space industry.

Carey shared his journey from childhood poverty in Minnesota to a career as a fighter and test pilot and later as astronaut to demonstrate a non-traditional path to success.

“I hated school so much as a kid I’d hide out in the woods during a blizzard to avoid school,” he said. “I missed school more than 60 times during my first and second grade, and even though I later graduated from high school, I didn’t pay enough attention during class and didn’t earn very good grades.”

As a young man he worked a variety of odd jobs, including bartending, where he later met a Vietnam veteran who flew fighter aircraft. That conversation led him to become interested in aviation, although he soon realized that he would have to get a college education first.

“I want to let you in on a secret that I didn’t learn until I was in college: math supercharges your brain,” he said. “You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to be good at it. I wasn’t that smart, but in working hard on math you will get better at all your other subjects – even sports or dance.”

He encouraged the students to pursue their own goals a lot sooner than he did. Those steps included gathering the credentials and education they would need for their fields, which he attributed to his ability become an astronaut.

Carey challenged the students to be first people to ride dirt bikes on Mars and answered questions on everything from space travel to the effects of gravity.

Students also took part in separate sessions that highlighted how fun chemistry, physics and virtual reality technology could be.

“Space is really something you can use to get children excited about STEM,” said Chrys Rheinbolt, Space Foundation program manager for education. “Meeting an astronaut is a big thing for these kids but so is working with cadets – people closer to their own age in STEM-related programs and who the kids can look up to.”

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By Jennifer Spradlin, July 19, 2019

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — What does the Air Force Academy have to do with man’s first flight to the moon?

A lot, actually, if you ask Gary Payton, a NASA astronaut and distinguished visiting astronautics professor at the Academy.

“We’re preparing cadets for a space domain that has transitioned from a sanctuary – pretty much since the Apollo era – to what is now considered a warfighting arena,” he said.

He’s right. In 2019 alone, two cadet-designed satellites are slated to join a collection of U.S. space assets.

FalconSAT-8 will carry a new thruster and other Defense Department experiments. Payton said programs like these are part of a growing number of space efforts involving cadets.

Payton was on the all-military crew for the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-51C mission, which launched Jan. 24, 1985. The three-day mission was the only time Payton left the Earth’s orbit.

Payton said it’s no surprise there’s a renewed interest in space, especially as July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

“The mission led to a wave of interest in [related fields] as well as the development of new technology like the computer microchip,” he said.

Payton said President John F. Kennedy’s directive to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s’ created the drive for the U.S. space program.

“It’s been said John Kennedy reached into the 21st Century and that’s really true,” he said.

Since his space flight, Payton has regularly been consulted by senior government officials to discuss the development of a space force or unified space command.

For all this, the 1971 Academy graduate said teaching cadets is close to his heart. He said today’s cadets are far more advanced than he and his classmates ever were.

“The amount of experience cadets get in all phases of engineering from designing to hands-on building and managing satellites in orbit is about equal to what I had as a captain,” he said.

Learn more about the Academy grads who have gone on to become astronauts.

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(U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong)

By Jennifer Spradlin, Jan. 31, 2019

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947, and the Air Force has never looked back.

The Air Force partnered with NASA to develop and test the X-15, a hypersonic, rocket-powered aircraft in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s.

A great deal of human capital and money was invested in making the leap from supersonic to hypersonic — the potential to travel at five times the speed of sound or more than 3,000 mph.

But a series of near misses and research “gotchas” stalled much of the advancement in hypersonic capabilities, according to Dr. Russ Cummings, Air Force Academy professor of aeronautics, and newly appointed director of the U.S. DoD HPC Modernization Program’s Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute.

Now Defense Department leaders are seeking to combat the weaponization of hypersonic capabilities by peer adversaries.

In December, at a Washington lecture series on hypersonics, Michael Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said, “In the last year, China has tested more hypersonic weapons than we have in a decade. We’ve got to fix that.”

Griffin has pinpointed hypersonic capabilities as his “highest technical priority” since taking office with the goal of creating a decisive American advantage.

The HVSI stood up in 2018. The DoD program will issue $6 million in grants over the next 3-5 years to universities for research to fill computational modeling gaps in the field of hypersonic simulation.

“Outdated modeling leads to conservative engineering approaches,” Cummings said. “For example, having inaccurate estimates for designing to mitigate the high heating on hypersonic vehicles impacts the weight and volume of the design, which can take away from the size of the payload.”

The grants will be used to fund applied science research in ten categories to help engineer accurate computer codes for hypersonic vehicles while jumpstarting interest and scholarship in the field.

Ten-to-fifteen percent of the research will take place in the aeronautics department here. Many test facilities were closed in the 1970s, but the Academy has two on-site high speed wind tunnels, including a Mach 6 Ludwieg Tube. Starting this summer, cadets will join industry and university partners in a variety of hypersonic-related summer research programs.

“We’re excited to see HVSI become the latest center added to USAFA’s research portfolio,” said Col. Donald Rhymer,  the Academy’s dean of research. “Dr. Cummings brings the necessary expertise and leadership to direct the institute, as well as the pulse of the hypersonics community. I’m confident his work will ultimately benefit both the cadets and the Air Force.”

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Faculty members and cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy wait to receive “first contact” from the cadet-designed FalconSAT-6 satellite that successfully launched into space just before noon, Dec. 3, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong)

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Dec. 3, 2018

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — A satellite designed and built by Air Force Academy cadets successfully launched into space just after 11:30 a.m. (MT), Dec. 3.

The FalconSAT-6 satellite was originally slated for a Nov. 19 lift-off but modifications and a change of launch vehicles delayed the launch.

Lt. Col. Luke Sauter, head of the Academy’s Astronautics Department, said delays are commonplace in the space-technology realm.

“It’s always a waiting game,” he said. “Delays are not unexpected when you’re riding on a rocket.”

The satellite launched attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene-based fuel. It’s one of 64 satellites aboard the rocket as part of Space Flight Industries’ SSO-A SmallSat Express mission.

Steven Hart, chief engineer for the Academy’s Space System Research Center, said the satellite will circle the Earth every 90 minutes at 17,000 mph once in orbit.

Sauter said the launch is another highlight in the Academy’s decades-long relationship with the space industry.

“We had a payload in the early 80s’ on the space shuttle,” he said. “Our cadets are ‘hands-on’ engaged with our industry partners and customers to build satellites.”

Cadets recently traveled to Vandenberg to incorporate the satellite with the launch vehicle including Cadets 1st Class Connor Brazinski, Rachel Golding and Devin Saunders.

“My biggest takeaway was how much everyone valued what they were doing,” Conner said. “Each and every team had a project they spent millions of dollars and thousands of man hours on. Each team was working to finally come to the moment when they would attach their project to a rocket and send it into space, and it was inspiring and infectious.”

The exposure to high-level Air Force programs and global experts in the space field is an officer development opportunity built into the FalconSAT capstone, said Maj. Daniel Showalter, director of the Academy’s Space Systems Research Center.

“It’s a lot of operational experience,” he said. “They really get an appreciation for the complexity and risk involved.”

The Astronautics Department’s capstone project motto is “learning space by doing space.” Cadets design, build, test, integrate and operate satellites with experiments sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

“[The cadets] are making the transition from equations on paper to working with hardware, which is a completely different exercise,” Showalter said. “At the fundamental level, they’re learning what it means to be a good engineer.”

FalconSAT-6 also provided additional exposure to deadlines and real-world consequences.

“I learned the importance of how to use the people around you to their best so that the project is getting done on time and efficiently,” Saunders said.

Showalter said Golding and the other cadets know mission outcomes are never certain, but any setbacks with the FalconSAT program become learning opportunities.

“We can’t grow into officers who are afraid to fail,” Golding said. “We have to be willing to take those risks to keep advancing in space and keep coming up with new technology.”

Showalter said the Astronautics Department expects to make the first contact with the satellite in space at 2 p.m., Dec. 3.

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets clean the components of the FalconSat-6 satellite they and their instructors built at the Academy at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in November. The satellite successfully launched into space Dec. 3, 2018 from Vandenberg. (Courtesy photo)

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By Mark Kuykendall / Oct. 12, 2017

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO – The United States Air Force Academy is developing leaders who will operate at the cutting edge of warfare technology, and who are prepared for a modern battlefield where space is a critical warfighting domain. Here are five numbers that show how the Academy is leading the way in space, and into an increasingly complex future of innovation and discovery:

2: Number of Academy cadets named Rhodes Scholars after completing the FalconSAT senior capstone engineering program. “The FalconSAT experience is invaluable to the development of future Air Force leaders,” said Col Martin France, professor and head of the Department of Astronautics. “USAFA is the only undergrad institution in the world where students help design, build, test, launch, and operate uniquely designed small satellites.” At increasingly complex levels since the early 1980s, FalconSAT has given hundreds of cadets hands-on space experience, operating real satellites accomplishing real DoD missions.

8 hours and 56 minutes: Length of the world record spacewalk by Lt Gen (retired) Susan Helms, class of 1980. On the first of her five space flights, a 1993 mission on the space shuttle Endeavour, Helms became the first military woman to launch into space, and would log 211 days in space over the course of a 12-year NASA career. “I was surprised to see the Earth was white and blue, not green and blue like in the movies. It’s absolutely stunning,” said Helms in a visit with United States Air Force Academy Prep School students earlier this year.

40: Total number of Academy graduates who have traveled in space. The first Academy graduate to travel in space was Col (retired) Karol Bobko, class of 1959, who logged 386 hours in space over the course of three missions. On his third and final mission, Bobko became the first astronaut to fly on three different shuttle orbiters, and the only astronaut to fly on the maiden voyages of two different orbiters. Lt Col Raja Chari, class of 1999, has been selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class, and is the most recent Academy graduate selected. “I grew up with the mentality that education is a gift, not to be taken for granted,” said Chari, who got the call that he’d achieved his dream while briefing a flight test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he commanded the 461st Flight Test Squadron.

Meet our astronauts.

135: Days that Col Jack Fischer, class of 1996, spent in orbit aboard the International Space Station. He returned to Earth on September 3, 2017, after completing a mission that included two spacewalks totaling 6 hours and 54 minutes. Fischer said his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut led him to the Academy. “It started with a trip to see my grandpa at Johnson Space Center when I was six, but it has been cultivated by years of tireless family support, mentorship and friends who helped me along the way,” he said. “I’ve done my best along the way to always take advantage of the opportunities I was given, to put the team first, and to do my absolute best at whatever my job was — whether digging a ditch, or flying an F-22.”

231: Number of summer research opportunities participated in by cadets in 2017 as part of the Cadet Summer Research Program. Each summer cadets from a wide variety of majors participate in space-related internships, including work at SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Northrop-Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office, MIT, Air Force Research Labs, and various operational Air Force Space Command organizations.

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Ray Bowden/May 2, 2017

Cadets gave an end-of-semester review on the Air Force Academy’s Falcon Satellite Program to faculty and the school’s space-community partners April 28.

The FalconSAT program is the Academy’s small-satellite engineering program. Cadets design, built, test and operate satellites, guided by faculty and technical-staff as part of a year-long senior capstone design experience. The program is administered by the Academy’s Space Systems Research Center under the direction of the Astronautics Department.

Col. Martin France, head of the Academy’s Astronautics Department, said the review served several purposes.

“The cadets get the opportunity to hone their briefing skills in front of a large, high-level audience,” he said. “Our stakeholders and sponsors from around the country see what they’re getting for their many diverse investments in our programs.”

France said the review also helped faculty close what he called the “accountability and documentation loop.”

“It assures us that we can pass our programs successfully to the Academy’s next class and not skip a beat,” he said.

Cadet 1st Class Christian Arnold said the FalconSAT program tests new components in space.

“We perform a real Defense Department mission,” he said. “The program gives us hands-on experience. We’re building real satellites, so there are a lot of challenges.”

Cadet 1st Class Ashley Morgan said the review summarized the work cadets have accomplished.

Some of that work discussed at the review is focused on improving future satellites’ power generation capabilities, communications, and understanding of contamination in space.

“We’re building a testbed of technology for the world to use,” Morgan said.

Most cadets involved in FalconSAT projects pursue bachelors’ of science degrees in astronautical engineering but, like Morgan, cadets in several other majors enroll in the FalconSAT capstone class.

“It’s multidisciplinary and inherently encourages teamwork and collaboration,” she said. “As an ‘outside major,’ I feel like a member of the ‘astro’ department after having worked with the department for a year.”

Arnold said the review affects junior cadets, even those who have not selected an academic major, by exposing them to the space community.

“The lessons learned make the program better for them and pushes some of them into an aeronautics or astronautics career,” he said. “The FalconSAT program gives cadets a better understanding of Air Force operations, too.”

Learn about the Academy’s space mission.

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By John Van Winkle/April 17, 2017

An Air Force Academy graduate traveled to the International Space Station April 20 to conduct research NASA hopes will eventually lead to a mission to Mars.

Astronaut Col. Jack Fischer made the six-hour flight to the station, more than 200 miles above the Earth, with cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, Russia’s State Corporation for Space Activities, aboard the Russian-made Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft.

Lift-off was just after 1 a.m. (MT), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan, the world’s first and largest operational space-launch facility.

When Fischer and Yurkchikin reached the station, they joined the astronauts and cosmonauts of Expedition 50-51, and will take part in hundreds of biological, biotechnology, physical, and Earth-science experiments. They’re scheduled to remain on the station until September.

Fischer and Yurkchikin will be alone for two months aboard the station, as Expedition 51 commander Peggy Whitson, Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, are slated to return to Earth this summer. Fischer and Yurchikhin will share the workload left in the wake of the departing crew members.

“If the schedule stays the same and we’re alone for two months, we’ll be working pretty hard to get things done,” Fischer said. “Luckily, we work really well together and I don’t see any problems. It will be a higher workload, but we can handle it.”

Air Force Academy is Pathway to Space

Fischer said his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut led him to the Academy, to the flight line and into space. He’s the 38th Academy graduate to become an astronaut.

“It started with a trip to see my grandpa as Johnson Space Center when I was six, but it has been cultivated by years of tireless family support, mentorship and friends who helped me along the way,” he said.

Fischer is the youngest of four children from a Louisville, Colorado family. The family’s business was construction.

“That’s where I developed the work ethic and sense of team that have guided my life,” he said.

After graduating from the Academy in 1996 with a bachelor’s of science in astronautical engineering, Fischer earned a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988.

He attended Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, that same year, and then F-15E Strike Eagle training at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.

During two combat tours in Southwest Asia after 9/11, he was part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch over Afghanistan and Iraq. He graduated Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

He returned to Edwards in 2006 as part of the F-22 Combined Test Force and 411th Flight Test Squadron, testing the F-22 Raptor. In all, Fischer has more than 3,000 flight hours in more than 45 types of aircraft.

I’ve done my best along the way to always take advantage of the opportunities I was given, to put the team first, and to do my absolute best at whatever my job was — whether digging a ditch, or flying an F-22,” Fischer said.

Fischer said he plans to make the best of the assignment at the International Space Station.

“I just want to see the Earth from my space station window and take photographs and hopefully learn from the experienced photographer on the station, Fyodor,” he said. “He’s taken some amazing photographs from the station over the last 20 years.”

International Space Station Facts

The research conducted on the International Space Station is intended to enable long-term human and robotic exploration into space, including a mission to Mars. The station:

• Has been occupied since November 2000, and visited by more than 200 astronauts and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft
• Is a habitable artificial satellite in low-Earth orbit. Its first component launched into orbit in 1998
• Is the largest man-made body in low-Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth
• Is built of components launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and U.S. Space shuttles
• Serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory where crew members conduct scientific experiments
• Is suited for the testing spacecraft and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars
• Maintains an orbit with an altitude of 205-to-270 miles by means of re-boost maneuvers, using its engines or visiting spacecraft
• Completes 15.54 orbits per day
• Is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut, Almaz and Mir stations and Skylab from the U.S.
• Has been visited by astronauts, cosmonauts and space tourists from 17 different countries

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