Propulsion Research Activities Abound at Auburn University Propulsion Research Activities Abound at Auburn University

Auburn University’s Aerospace Engineering Department is the site of many activities related to the propulsion of aerospace vehicles. The study of propulsion systems at Auburn began with the creation of the aeronautics curriculum for the 1931-1932 academic year, and the fi rst graduates fi nished the program in 1933. Instruction and research associated with aircraft and rocket propulsion have been an integral part of what is now Aerospace Engineering. While coursework related to propulsion had been in the curriculum since its inception in 1933 and specifi c courses dealing with air breathing and rocket propulsion had also been added over a period of years, it was the 1966 arrival continued on page 6 P urdue University has a long tradition in propulsion research, and its unique facilities enable hands-on education in combustion and aerospace sciences. A signifi cant part of propulsion testing facilities at Purdue are located at a remote location, away from the main part of campus, on a 24-acre site adjacent to the Purdue University Airport. Rocket propulsion testing at Purdue began in 1948, under the direction of Dr. Maurice Zucrow. The Advanced Propellants and Combustion Laboratory (APCL) houses two control rooms and three test cells (Cells A, B, and C) for propulsion testing, fuel coking studies, and propellant development. Another rocket test cell (Cell T) is now operational in the Propulsion Laboratory. Test fi rings are conducted and observed from the control rooms. In addition, there are several small-scale experimental labs throughout the Zucrow complex. of Richard Sforzini, a Morton Thiokol solid rocket motor specialist, that marked the beginning of a major emphasis on propulsion, both in the academic curriculum and as a major research topic. In 1967, two new rocket propulsion courses covering liquid propellant rockets and solid propellant rockets were introduced into the undergraduate curriculum as electives. Both courses provided a foundation for the preliminary design and performance analysis of rocket motors. In the early 1970s, because of the intended use of solid rocket motor boosters on the Space Shuttle, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC) needed to provide training in the area of solid rocket motors to engineers whose