The SPHERES Team

MIT Space Systems Laboratory

The Space Systems Laboratory is part of Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Founded in 1995, the SSL engages in cutting edge research projects with the goal of directly contributing to the present and future exploration and development of space. The objectives of the Laboratory are to explore innovative concepts for the application to future space systems and to train a generation of researchers and engineers conversant in this field.

The Team

• David W Miller, Principal Investigator

Director, MIT Space Systems Laboratory
Associate Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

77 Massachusetts Ave.
Room 37-327
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 253-3288
 

• Dr. Alvar Saenz-Otero, Lead Scientist

77 Massachusetts Ave.
Room 37-381
Cambridge, MA 02139
617.324.6827
spheres@mit.edu

• Dr. Simon Nolet, Metrology & Docking, Post-Doctoral Associate
• Swati Mohan, Autonomous Assembly, PhD Student
• Georges Salim Aoude, Control (advisor: JP How), PhD Student
• Christophe Mandy, Formation Flight, SM Student
• Amer Fejzic, Docking, SM Student
• Matt Jeffrey, Control (advisor: JP How), SM Student
• Jacob Katz, Formation Flight, SM Student
• Brent Tweddle, Vision Based Navigation, SM Student
• Christine Edwards, Satellite Inspection, SM Student

Past SPHERES Team Members

• Dr. Edmund Kong (PhD 02)
• Prof. Soon-Jo Chung (PhD 07)
• Dr. John Enright (PhD 02)
• Dr. Hiraku Sakamoto
• Nicholas Hoff (MS 07)
• Dustin Berkovitz (MS 07)
• Lenon Rodgers (MS 05)
• Danielle Adams
• Pierre Blanc-Pacques
• Mark Hilstad (MS 02)
• Allen Chen (MS 02)

Plus a vast number of UROPs.

Original CDIO Class Members

• Prof: David W Miller
• George Berkowski
• Chad Brodel
• Sarah Carlson
• Dave Carpenter
• Stephanie Chen
• Allen Chen (SSL MS 02)
• Shannon Cheng (SSL PhD 07)
• Daniel Feller
• Stuart Jackson
• Fernando Perez
• Bradley Pitts
• Jason Szuminski
• Julie Wertz (SSL PhD 05)
• TA: Alvar Saenz-Otero
• Mentor: Ray Sediwck
• Mentor: Paul Bauer
• Mentor: Steve Sell (PSI)
• Mentor: Mark Hilstad
• Mentor: Alice Liu

Payload Systems, Inc.

The Space Systems Laboratory is developing the SPHERES testbed in conjunction with Payload Systems, Inc., a local provider of science and engineering services for spaceflight experiments. Payload Systems will fabricate the flight hardware and is managing the NASA integration, safety, certification, and acceptance process.

The PSI SPHERES Program Manager is:

• John Merk, SPHERES Program Manager

Other PSI members working on SPHERES are:

• Javier de Luis, PSI Owner
• Joe Parrish, PSI President
• Joanne Vining, Electronics Engineer
• David Fair, Mechanical Engineer

The past PSI members are:

• Steve Sell, SPHERES Program Manager 2000-2006
• Edison Guerra, Mechanical Engineer
• Stephanie Chen, Procedures & Operations
• Robert Grimes, Avionics Engineer
• Robert Renshaw, Safety/QA Officer
• Fernando Perez, Operations