University of Michigan Space Institute – Page 7 – University of Michigan Space Institute

Director Leads U-M Space Institute Into a New Era

Posted on February 21, 2024 (February 6, 2025) by U-M Space Institute

In 2023, Dr. Chris Ruf took the helm as the new director of the U-M Space Institute. We sat down with Ruf to discuss his work, his ideas related to space research, and the future of the U-M Space Institute.

Welling Named Director of the Center for Space Environment Modeling

Posted on January 25, 2024 (October 3, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

Dan Welling, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, has been named the new director of the Center for Space Environment Modeling. He will serve a three-year term from 2024 to 2026.

Plasma Thrusters on Satellites Could Be Much More Powerful

Posted on January 24, 2024 (October 3, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

Research conducted at Michigan Aerospace Engineering may be the propulsion breakthrough that gets humans to Mars. A study suggests that smaller Hall thrusters can generate more thrust—potentially making them candidates for interplanetary missions.

NASA’s 6-Pack of Mini-Satellites Ready for Their Moment in the Sun

Posted on January 4, 2024 (April 3, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

In a mission led by Principal Investigator Justin Kasper, Ph.D., from U-M Climate and Space, six small satellites are now ready for launch in the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) Mission.

Researchers Lead Science, Discovery and Engineering Forward at AGU23

Posted on January 4, 2024 (February 28, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

Many faculty, research scientists and students from the U-M Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering attended the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December 2023.

Dwarf Galaxies Use 10-Million-Year Quiet Period to Churn Out Stars

Posted on November 21, 2023 (February 28, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

University of Michigan researchers have discovered that galaxies enjoy a 10-million-year delay in blowing out the gas cluttering up their environments.

Jim McDivitt Memorial Symposium Held by Michigan Aerospace

Posted on November 9, 2023 (January 25, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

Experts in space gathered to honor Michigan Aerospace alumnus, Jim McDivitt, to reflect on the Department's history, and look forward to the future of space exploration.

NASA advances U-M’s Mission Concept Study to photograph entire auroras from space

Posted on October 12, 2023 (November 15, 2023) by U-M Space Institute

MAAX is the Magnetosphere Auroral Asymmetry eXplorer, a pair of satellites equipped with ultraviolet cameras for creating images that completely cover the auroral ovals at each pole.

‘Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine’ Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Posted on August 25, 2023 (November 15, 2023) by U-M Space Institute

Join us for a screening of "Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine," on Wednesday, September 27 at 5:30 pm. The event will feature the Netflix documentary about the design and launch of the James Webb Space Telescope

$9.7M for Tools to Improve Forecasts of Harmful Space Weather

Posted on August 17, 2023 (February 28, 2024) by U-M Space Institute

Space weather predictions are neither accurate nor timely, and that leaves astronauts without enough time to react to dangerous particles flung out by the sun. Now, NASA is providing $9.7 million to establish a Space Weather Center of Excellence