From West Lafayette to the Moon — and Beyond
By: Purdue College Of Engineering
Tags: Engineering, Space, Space Exploration, Future, Astronauts

How Purdue’s leadership and vision are woven into the story of human space travel

As he watched the American flag fly on the lunar surface in the early moments of humanity’s first venture on the moon, Neil Armstrong (BS ’55) also proudly carried a pair of Purdue flags: one he later gifted to his alma mater and another he kept for himself. Twenty-two years after beginning his pursuit of an aeronautical engineering degree in West Lafayette, Armstrong helped cement his and Purdue’s place in history by introducing a whole new stage for human beings to explore.

“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” — taken by a Boilermaker — was just the start. Throughout the 50 years since the monumentally historic Apollo 11 moon landing, Purdue has played a key role in the broader legacy of space exploration, always with an eye toward the future. So much so that the story of space exploration — past, present and future — cannot be told without weaving in the contributions of Purdue alumni astronauts and engineers and dozens of forward-looking discoveries made at Purdue labs over the decades.

In the coming weeks, Purdue Engineering Review will celebrate all aspects of that tradition and its continuation into the future. Because 2019 also marks the 50th anniversary of the University’s Women in Engineering Program, the first of its kind in the nation to promote female leadership in our field, we’re focusing on groundbreaking female astronauts and engineers. Women have played, and continue to play, a key part in Purdue’s space leadership, and this series will share how their story fits into the broader narrative.

‘Cradle of Astronauts’

Since Armstrong set foot on the moon, Purdue has gained the reputation as the “Cradle of Astronauts” as one of the leading institutions in the world from which NASA recruits its next crop of voyagers. Twenty-five alumni have been selected for space travel, and one-third of NASA human space flights have included at least one Purdue alumnus. Boilermaker astronauts have included Gene Cernan (BS ’56), the last astronaut to walk on the moon, during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972; Janice Voss (BS ’75), who is among one of the leaders in most space flights by a woman; and Scott D. Tingle (MS ’88), who spent nearly six months on the International Space Station in 2017 and 2018 as Flight Engineer. Looking forward, Loral O’Hara (MS ’09) is one of 12 astronauts in training in NASA’s newest class of candidates.

As private space exploration gains momentum, Purdue is leading the charge there as well. Beth Moses (BS ’92; MS ’94), chief astronaut instructor, became the first woman to make a commercial spaceflight earlier this year.

“Every child looks up at the stars and wonders, and I never let that go,” she said. “Places like Purdue draw in the space geeks of the world.”

Leadership on the Final Frontier

While the names of those who traveled to the stars might be more widely known, Purdue alumni have made an impact throughout the industry over the years, in NASA laboratories, training facilities, and control rooms. William J. O’Neil (BS ’61), who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed the Galileo Project, which sent a spacecraft to Jupiter and its moons — reaching the planet in 1995 and discovering the most intense interplanetary dust storm ever observed, as well as uncovering new evidence of volcanic activity on Earth’s moon. And, most recently, Purdue recognized William H. Gerstenmaier (BS ’77), the current head of human space exploration at NASA, with an Honorary Doctorate in Aeronautics and Astronautics earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Moses and her team are on the cusp of ushering in an era of commercial space travel, as she works to train civilian passengers for tours in space.

Groundbreaking Research

Back on campus, researchers have long fueled greater understanding and ambitions for where humans can go next. At Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, the nation’s largest university propulsion laboratory, engineers have — since two decades before the moon landing — performed propulsion-related research on rockets, jet engines and other internal combustion engines. And research on spacecraft trajectory by Kathleen Howell, the Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor at the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has helped lay the groundwork for how humans can one day reach Mars.

Recently, NASA named Purdue the headquarters of one of the two national centers to develop and test the systems needed to enable human beings to live on the moon and Mars and elsewhere in space. Purdue’s efforts are led by Shirley Dyke, Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering and leader of the Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats Institute (RETH).

“It takes many wonders of engineering and technology for human space exploration to fly. At Purdue, we embrace the new frontier in the next 50 years of giant leaps in space,” said Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue University. “Boilermaker engineers are excited to contribute to research advances, the talent pipeline and societal impact as we get back on the moon, stay on the moon, and explore the vast possibilities of traveling to Mars and beyond.”

More space-related stories:

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The New Space Race: How We Can Return to the Moon by 2024

Meet Purdue’s Virgin Galactic Astronaut

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