Propulsion Research and Academic Programs at the University of Alabama in Huntsville - 2018

Abstract

The UAH Propulsion Research Center (PRC) is beginning its 26 th year at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The mission of the Propulsion Research Center is to provide an environment that connects the academic research community with the needs and concerns of the propulsion community while promoting an interdisciplinary approach to solving propulsion problems. This paper describes highlights from the research and academic programs associated with the center over the past eighteen months. Academic highlights include the offering of new graduate courses in liquid rocket engineering and solid rocket combustion instability. Research highlights include a new supersonic wind tunnel capability and a new program in nuclear thermal propulsion systems engineering. In the 2016 fiscal year, total research expenditures rose to $1.563 million and four Ph.D., eleven master's students, and numerous undergraduate students obtained degrees in conjunction with the center. The center continues to be a resource for both fundamental and applied research as well as a significant contributor to workforce development in the propulsion and energy field.