(Scheeres, Daniel J. - 2015) -- Distinguished Professorship
Overview
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Professor Scheeres is the A. Richard Seebass Endowed Chair in the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. He also serves as the associate chair for graduate studies while directing the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research. He is widely recognized as a preeminent researcher in celestial mechanics and has helped to develop precise constraints on the gravitational evolution of multibody distributed systems. His work has focused on the gravitational dynamics that exist close to small, irregularly shaped minor planets. Scheeres’ research has led to crucial discoveries about the physical nature of asteroids. Currently, he is the radio science team lead for NASA’s OSIRISRex project, which will collect samples from an asteroid and return them to Earth. In 2012, Scheeres was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Dirk Brouwer Award, which recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of spaceflight mechanics and astrodynamics. A fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics, he was also honored by having asteroid 8887 renamed “Scheeres” to celebrate his contributions to the field of aerospace research.
