Colloquium: Physics & Astronomy – Dr. Jacob Fisher
About the event
The Department of Physics and Astronomy invites all to a colloquium featuring Dr. Jacob Fisher, Aerojet Rocketdyne. Dr. Fisher will present their talk, “Physics Principles used for Electric Propulsion at Aerojet Rocketdyne.”
Meet for refreshments before the lecture at 3:45 – 4:10 p.m. in the foyer on floor G above the lecture hall.
Abstract:
Aerojet Rocketdyne(AR) is on the cutting edge of electric propulsion technologies that are based on fundamentals learned in physics. Engineers and scientists at AR work to control charged particles in order to propel some of the most daring space missions humanity has imagined. These missions stretch across the inner solar system from communication satellites around earth to human habitats around the moon to planetary defense at the asteroid belt. In this talk, the fundamentals of electric propulsion will be described and how they relate to design inputs used in AR products. Special interest will be paid to plasma particle interactions and the challenges they create for electric rockets. The goal here is to get students, faculty, staff and public to direct their knowledge of physics principles to solve challenges in technologies that could one day save earth.