University of Houston to launch Aerospace Engineering Research Center with $5M NASA Grant

The University of Houston is set to open an aerospace engineering research center, courtesy of a $5 million grant from NASA. The center aims to support NASA's strategic goal of sustainable, long-term space exploration, development, and utilization on the moon and Mars.

The University's ongoing space research allows students to experience virtual spacewalks in simulated virtual reality environments. The new facility will be named the NASA MIRO Inflatable Deployable Environments and Adaptive Space Systems (IDEAS2) Center at UH. The grant, amounting to $4,996,136, is funded by the NASA Office of STEM Engagement Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO) program.

MUREP also supports another of NASA’s goals - developing a talented and diverse aerospace workforce for future space explorations. In line with this objective, NASA is allocating approximately $45 million to 21 higher education institutions to enhance their research capacity.

“The vision of the IDEAS2 Center is to become a premier national innovation hub that propels NASA-centric, state-of-the-art research and promotes 21st-century aerospace education,” said Karolos Grigoriadis, Moores Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program at UH. Grigoriadis spearheaded the effort to establish the center and will serve as its leader.

Researchers at IDEAS2 will collaborate closely with Johnson Space Center in building robust orbital and surface infrastructure for sustainable human habitation in space. This initiative will pave the way for establishing a lasting presence on and around the moon and further Mars exploration.

“Our mission is to establish a sustainable nexus of excellence in aerospace engineering research and education supported by targeted multi-institutional collaborations, strategic partnerships, and diverse educational initiatives,” Grigoriadis stated.

The center plans to collaborate with Texas A&M University, Stanford University, Houston Community College, San Jacinto College, and industrial partners Boeing, Axiom Space, Bastion Technologies, and Lockheed Martin.

Grigoriadis further added that the center’s research-integrated educational activities will cater to graduate, undergraduate, and middle/high school students. These activities aim to provide opportunities for research, experiential learning, and STEM engagement in aerospace to stimulate their imagination, enrich their education, and promote their pathway to aerospace careers.

The associate directors of the center include Dimitris Lagoudas, professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University and Olga Bannova, University of Houston's research professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Space Architecture Graduate Program.