Olsens provide MSU with space emphasis in engineering
January 30, 2006
Husband-and-wife professors Greg and Carrie Olsen are using their engineering know-how and NASA work experience to help guide Mississippi State to a deeper focus on space exploration, spacecraft design and mission control.
The university’s aerospace engineering department will revise its curriculum for the 2006 fall semester to provide separate emphasis areas in aeronautics and astronautics–the former pertaining to flight within and the latter to flight beyond the earth’s atmosphere.
“We will be in a position to offer a space-oriented program to those students who are more interested in astronautics than aeronautics,” said Tony Vizzini, who heads the department that is a part of MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering.
He said recent additions to the aerospace engineering faculty such as the Olsens–MSU alumni who joined the department in 2004–will allow the offering of astronautics courses in orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics and spacecraft design.
“In my opinion, this is an outstanding improvement in the curriculum and is probably long overdue,” said Ray Echols, a West Point native and 1986 aerospace engineering graduate.
“I believe MSU graduates will be much better prepared to participate in, and contribute to, the future of space exploration with the experience of this specialized coursework,” added Echols, current international space station payload operations director for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Both now assistant professors, the Olsens launched successful careers after earning aerospace engineering degrees together in 1985. While working for many years at NASA/ Marshall, both also earned doctorates through the University of Texas at Austin.
Carrie, a Mobile, Ala., native, was a payload operations director for the international space station before joining the MSU faculty. Earlier in her 18-year NASA career, she served as an aerospace engineer for the Flight Mechanics and Guidance, Navigation and Control Group, and the Orbital Mechanics Branch/Mission Analysis Division, all at the sprawling North Alabama research and testing complex.
Greg underwent pilot training in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a space station design engineer for Boeing, performed spacecraft survivability research and testing for NASA at the Marshall center, conducted lethality research and testing for the nation’s ballistic missile defense program, and spent time determining aircraft worthiness of U.S. Army aircraft.
“At this stage of my career, I feel that teaching is just as important (as conducting research) and think that I can bring my industry and government experience into the classroom,” said Greg, who is originally from Jacksonville, Fla.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, the Olsens may be contacted.