WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Center for Space Research and Assurance was selected as the winner of The General Muir S. Fairchild Educational Achievement Award for 2019.
“This most prestigious award is a well-deserved recognition of all of the outstanding contributions of the faculty, students and staff affiliated with AFIT’s Center for Space Research and Assurance. With the recent establishment of the United States Space Force as the nation’s newest military service, it is particularly fitting that this award recognizes and highlights AFIT’s unique capabilities to support the advance education needs of that new service,” said Dr. Todd Stewart, AFIT director and chancellor.
The General Muir S. Fairchild Educational Achievement Award was established in 1964 to recognize the most significant contribution to Air Force education. Its purpose is to stimulate and reward creative and outstanding achievement in military education and to increase interest in furthering professional educational development with the Air Force.
During the award period, 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2019, CSRA graduated 26 master’s and doctorate astronautical engineering and space systems students and delivered over one thousand quarter hours of graduate credit in high-priority space-related disciplines.
In addition, CSRA’s laboratories enabled unique hands-on graduate student research projects, including the successful launch of AFIT’s Space Object Self-Tracker on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in June 2019. The SOS payload was entirely designed, manufactured and tested by AFIT’s CSRA faculty, staff and students.
As a participant in AFIT’s centennial celebration in November 2019, CSRA hosted Apollo 11 astronaut, Col. (retired) Buzz Aldrin and four space shuttle astronauts as the highlight of the event. In addition, eighteen student-collaborative research papers were published in internationally-recognized, peer-reviewed journals signaling the caliber of AFIT’s students, faculty, and research.
“2019 was a great year for AFIT and the Center. I’m proud of our team and the work we accomplished last year when the DoD and USAF spotlight shined on the space domain,” said Col. Tim Albrecht, CSRA director.
“We’re honored Lt. Gen. Hecker, commander and president of Air University recognized us with this award and look forward to carrying this momentum through 2020 in support of our students and research programs,” said Albrecht.
CSRA is one of eight interdisciplinary research centers of AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management.
The Air Force Institute of Technology, or AFIT, is located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and is the Air Force’s graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. AFIT is committed to providing defense-focused graduate and professional continuing education and research to sustain the technological supremacy of America’s air, space, and cyber forces.
For additional information about graduate or post-doctoral degrees in astronautical engineering or space systems, please visit the CSRA website at https://www.afit.edu/CSRA/ , call 937-255-6565 extension 4753 or email Jaclyn.knapp.ctr@afit.edu.