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Madhusudan V

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Iowa State University

Expertise

Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics, Space Research

Bio

Hi! I am Madhu, an Astrodynamics researcher at Iowa State University. I study how gravity and other invisible forces affect the way spacecraft move. My work is to figure out the best paths for spacecraft to take so they can reach where they need to go. It's like planning a fun road trip to the stars. It is where science meets space exploration to study stars, explore planets, and place satellites in the right spots, making phones, GPS, and other technology possible. Outside work, I like exploring nature on hiking trails or just traveling. I plan to visit all 63 national parks. Sports and music are also big passions of mine. Whether on the court playing racquetball or jamming with my buddies in the band, I'm always up for some fun and excitement outside of work.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Designing Spacecraft Trajectories with Newton's Laws

Whether it is exploring other worlds or simply going on a trip around the Earth, one of the fundamental task is to design the trajectory our spacecraft has to take. In this project, we'll learn how gravity influences spacecraft movement and how to calculate the force needed to send a spacecraft from one place to another. Then, we'll put our newfound knowledge into action by creating a cool computer program to help us visualize and design spacecraft trajectories. Ready to take off on this cosmic journey? Let's explore the wonders of orbital mechanics together!

Space Debris Problem

Have you ever wondered what happens to the remains of a rocket that goes into space? Or a satellite that is no longer in use? They remain in space as floating junk forming a layer around Earth. They even have a name, Spcae Debris. In this project, we will investigate the problem of space debris and its impact on spacecraft and satellite operations. Develop a project to analyze and classify the orbits of known debris objects using publicly available data from organizations like NASA. We will identify regions of space that need more attention and look at possible ways of reduce and eliminate space debris. We will learn to write computer programs that will help us visualize the debris floating in space.

Coding skills

Matlab, Python,

Languages I know

Tamil, Kannada, Hindi

Teaching experience

I have about three years of experince teaching/mentoring students students. My teaching experience is diverse in nature, from mentoring students at a middle school level for LEGO LEAGUE to teaching a graduate class. I have previously worked with about five undergraduate-level students wanting to get involved in aerospace research and helped publish papers and present at National/International level conferences. I am also mentoring some overseas students wanting to gain space research experience.

Credentials

Work experience

SpaceNav LLC (2024 - 2024)
Aerospace Engineer - III
Indian Institute of Science (2019 - 2019)
Controls Engineer - Research Intern

Education

Visvesvaraya Technological University
BTech Bachelor of Technology (2018)
Electronics and Communication Engineering
Iowa State University
MS Master of Science (2023)
Astrodynamics/Spaceflight Mechanics
Iowa State University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Astrodynamics/Spaceflight Mechanics

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