head2.bmp            MASON A. PECK

                 Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

                        Cornell University, 212 Upson Hall, 607/255-4023, mp336@cornell.edu

 

Biography

Research

Teaching

Publications

Patents

Additional Links

 

 

Biography

Education

B.A. 1989 (Texas), M.A. 1990 (Chicago), B.S. 1993 (Texas), M.S. 1999 (UCLA), Ph.D. 2001 (UCLA)

Biography

After leaving the Ph.D. program in English at the University of Chicago, Peck earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also taught technical writing part time.  He worked at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas from 1993 to 1994 on structural dynamics for the BellAgusta Tiltrotor.  From 1994 to 2001 he was an attitude dynamics specialist and systems engineer at Hughes Space and Communications (now known as Boeing Satellite Systems) in El Segundo, California.  At Hughes he led the attitude dynamics development for the 702 spacecraft product line and worked on the GOES, ICO, TDRS, and Thuraya spacecraft in various capacities.  While at Hughes/Boeing he conducted applied research in attitude control, multibody dynamics, fluid/structure interaction, launch-vehicle integration, and gyrostat dynamics.  He has also contributed to classified spacecraft efforts and currently holds several U.S. government clearances.  During his years at Boeing he served as attitude dynamics lead in the Boeing mission control center, participating in real-time spacecraft operations and helping to resolve spacecraft performance anomalies.  He earned his M.S. and his Ph.D. at UCLA as a Howard Hughes Fellow from 1998 to 2001.  In 2001 he joined Honeywell Defense and Space Systems in Phoenix, Arizona, and in 2003 was named Principal Fellow.  In that capacity, Peck led several research efforts, including the development of the momentum-control and line-of-sight testbed, a full-scale spacecraft dynamics and control simulator for agile spacecraft actuated by control-moment gyroscopes.  He also led or contributed to efforts in areas such as gyroelastic structures, launch-vehicle stabilization, precision inertial-reference development, and the Space Tracking and Surveillance System payload dynamics and control.  He has been issued several patents based on his work at Boeing and Honeywell.  In July of 2004 he joined the faculty at Cornell University, where he teaches courses in dynamics and control and in the systems engineering program.

 

 

Research

News

August 2007

March 14, 2007

March 13, 2007

February 28, 2007

October-November 2006

August 23, 2005 

September 23, 2005

July 8, 2005

December 15, 2004

Research Sponsors

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Air Force Research Lab / Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS)

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC)

Northrop Grumman Space Technologies (NGST)

 

Research Interests

     Space Systems

-          Space Technology

-          Systems Engineering

-          Attitude Determination and Kinematics

-          Spacecraft Mission Design and Operations

-          Spacecraft Momentum Actuators

     Dynamical Systems

-          Design of Robust Dynamical Systems

-          Coupled Dynamics of Rigid, Flexible, and Fluid Systems

-          System Identification and Parameter Estimation

     Embedded Control of Robotic Systems

 Current Research Projects

CMG-Based High-Agility, Low-Power Robotics

Cornell University Nanosatellite Project

Flux-Pinned Space Telescopes

Lorentz-Augmented Orbits

Non-Contacting, Modular, Reconfigurable Spacecraft

Particulate Solar Sails

Satellite-on-a-Chip

 

Teaching

MAE 606: Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Mission Design (Spring 2005 & 2007)

Ph.D. course in attitude dynamics of space systems, including rigid-body dynamics, multibody dynamics, relative equilibria, actuators, sensors, attitude control and estimation, mission-design requirements, simulation, and analysis techniques.


Course
Overview

 

MAE 591: Applied Systems Engineering (Fall 2004 – 2007)

Introductory graduate-level course in systems engineering.

 

MAE 306: Spacecraft Engineering (Spring 2006 & 2008)

Undergraduate course in spacecraft mission design and subsystem technologies, including orbital mechanics, attitude dynamics, payload, power, T&C, structure, thermal, payload, command and data handling, and the space environment.

 

 

Publications

Journal Articles

1.    B. Streetman and M. Peck, “A General Bang-Bang Control Method for Lorentz Augmented Orbits” (in review)

2.    D. Brown and M. Peck, “Scissored-Pair CMGs: A Mechanical Constraint Saves Power,” (in review)

3.    J. Atchison, B. Streetman, and M. Peck, “Prospects for Lorentz Augmentation in Jovian Captures” (in review).

4.    J Shoer and M. Peck, “Stiffness of a Flux-Pinned Virtual Structure for Modular Spacecraft” (in review)

5.    J Shoer and M. Peck, “Reconfigurable Spacecraft as Kinematic Mechanisms,” (in review)

6.    M. Carpenter and M. Peck, “Minimum-Power Robotic Maneuvering Using Control-Moment Gyroscopes” (in review)

7.    M. Carpenter and M. Peck, “Dynamics of a High-Agility, Low-Power Imaging Payload,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics (to appear).

8.    B. Streetman and M. Peck, “New Synchronous Orbits Using the Geomagnetic Lorentz Force,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Nov-Dec 2007, pp. 1677-1690.

9.    M. Peck, B. Streetman, C. Saaj and V. Lappas, “Spacecraft formation flying using Lorentz Forces,” Journal of British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 60, No. 7, pp. 263-267, July 2006.

10. M. Peck, "Uncertainty Models for Realizable Inertia Dyadics," Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 54, No. 1, January-March 2006, pp. 1-16. Draft

11. M. Jarc, A. B. Kimes, M. E. Pearson, and M. A. Peck, “The Design and Control of a Low-Power, Upper-Limb Prosthesis,” AHW, Volume XII, No. 5, September-October 2006.

12. J. Schwartz, M. Peck, and C.D. Hall, “Historical Review of Spacecraft Simulators,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, vol. 26, n. 4, July-August 2003, pp 513-522. On-Line

 

13. M. Peck, “Newton’s Tyranny: The Suppressed Discoveries of Stephen Gray and John Flamsteed,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 0731-5090 vol.27 no.4 (734-735), August 2004. On-Line

Conference Proceedings

1.    B. Streetman and M. Peck, “Propellantess Gravity-Assist Maneuvers with the Lorentz Force,” 2007 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Aug. 20-23, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

2.     M. Carpenter and M. Peck, “Minimum-Power Robotic Maneuvering Using Control-Moment Gyroscopes,” 2007 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Aug. 20-23, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

3.     J. Shoer and M. Peck, “A Flux Pinned Magnet-Superconductor Pair for Close-Proximity Station Keeping and Self-Assembly of Spacecraft,” 2007 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Aug. 20-23, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

4.     J. Atchison and M. Peck, “Dynamics and Feasibility of a Millimeter-Scale Lorentz-Propelled Satellite,” 2007 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, Aug. 20-23, Hilton Head, South Carolina.

5.    M. Norman and M. Peck, “Characterization and Modeling of a Modular Satellite Network,” 2007 AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Aug. 20-23, Mackinac Island, Michigan.

6.    M. Carpenter and M. Peck, “Dynamics of a High-Agility, Low-Power Coelostat Telescope,” 2006 AIAA GNC Conference, Keystone, CO, Aug. 21-24, 2006.

7.    J. Atchison, B. Streetman, and M. Peck, “Prospects for Lorentz Augmentation in Jovian Captures,” 2006 AIAA GNC Conference, Keystone, CO, Aug. 21-24, 2006.

8.    B. Streetman and M. Peck, “Synchronous Orbits and Disturbance Rejection Using the Geomagnetic Lorentz Force,” 2006 AIAA GNC Conference, Keystone, CO, Aug. 21-24, 2006.

9.    M. Jarc, A. B. Kimes, M. E. Pearson, and M. A. Peck, “The Design and Control of a Low-Power, Upper-Limb Prosthesis,” 32nd Northeast Bioengineering Conference, Lafayette, PA, April 1-2, 2006.

10. M. Peck, “Agile Three-Axis Telescope for Acquisition and Tracking,” 2006 Beam Control Conference, March 20-24, 2006, Monterey, CA.

11. M. Peck, "Prospects and Challenges for Lorentz-Augmented Orbits," Proceedings of the 2005 AIAA GNC Conference, San Francisco, CA, Aug. 15-18, 2005. Paper No. AIAA-2005-5995.

12. M. Peck, “Low-Power, High-Agility Space Robotics," Proceedings of the 2005 AIAA GNC Conference, San Francisco, CA, Aug. 15-18, 2005. Paper No. AIAA-2005-6243.

13. M. Peck and A. Cavender, “Practicable Gyroelastic Technology,” 2004 AAS Guidance Control Conference, Breckinridge, Colorado, February 4 - 8, 2004.

14. M. Peck and S. Kim, “New Results from the Momentum Control and Line of Sight Testbed,” 2004 AAS Guidance Control Conference, Breckenridge, Colorado, February 4 - 8, 2004.

15. M. Peck, L. Miller, et al., “An Airbearing-Based Testbed for Momentum Control Systems and Spacecraft Line of Sight,” 2003 AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Conference, Ponce, Puerto Rico, Feb 9 – 12, 2003.

16. J. L. Schwartz, M. Peck, and C. D. Hall, “Historical Survey of Spacecraft Simulators,” 2003 AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Conference, Ponce, Puerto Rico, Feb 9 – 12, 2003.

17. J. S. Gibson and M. Peck, “Dynamics and Control of a Gyroscopic Exercise Device,” Proceedings of the 2002 Conference on Decision and Control, Las Vegas, Nevada, 10-13 December 2002. Paper No. CDC02-REG1127.

18. M. Peck, "Stable Relative Equilibria of a Dissipative Controller for Gyrostat Attitude," Proceedings of the 2001 AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Quebec City, Canada; July 2001.  Best Paper of Session; Finalist, Best Paper of Conference.

19. M. Peck, "Estimation of Inertia Parameters for Gyrostats Subject to Gravity-Gradient Torques," Proceedings of the 2001 AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Quebec City, Canada; July 2001.  Best Paper of Session.

20. M. Peck, "Dynamics of a Gyroscopically Stable Hopping Robot," Proceedings of the 2001 AAS Spaceflight Mechanics Conference, Santa Barbara, CA; Feb. 2001.

21. M. Peck, "Attitude Determination for Gyrostats in Non-Equilibrium Spins from Infrequent Vector Observations," Proceedings of the 2000 AIAA GNC Conference, Denver, CO, Aug. 16-19, 2000. Paper No. 2000-3946

22. M. Peck, "Attitude Propagation with Intermittent Gyro Measurements and Single-Vector Observations," 2000 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Denver, CO, Aug. 16-19, 2000. Paper No. 2000-4243

23. C. M. Saaj, V. Lappas, D. Richie, M. Peck, B. Streetman, and H. Schaub, “Spacecraft Formation Flying and Reconfiguration with Electrostatic Forces,” 1007 AAS Spaceflight Mechanics Conference, Jan 28 – Feb 1, 2007, Sedona, AZ, AAS Paper AAS 07-113.

24. M. Peck, “Very Small Interstellar Spacecraft,” New Trends in Astrodynamics and Applications III - An International Conference, Princeton, NJ, August 16-18, 2006.

25. K. Young, J. Fikentscher, A. Kelsey, J. Rostoker, O. Eldad, D. Gershman, B. Doyle, K. Graf, and M. Peck, “A GPS-based Attitude Determination System for Small Satellites,” 2006 Small Satellite Conference, Logan, Utah, August 14-17, 2006.

26. M. Jarc, A. B. Kimes, M. E. Pearson, and M. A. Peck, “The Design and Control of a Low-Power, Upper-Limb Prosthesis,” 32nd Northeast Bioengineering Conference, Lafayette, PA, April 1-2, 2006.

27. Thomas, S. J., Paluszek, M. A., and Peck, M. A., “Architecture for Low-Power, High-Agility Multibody Control” in Proceedings of Infotech@Aerospace, Arlington, VA., Sept. 26-29, 2005.  Paper No. AIAA-2005-7041.

28. M. Román, E. Valencia, S. Shapiro, and M. Peck,  “On-Orbit Aqueduct for Supply In-Situ (OASIS): Systems Architecture and Mission Analysis,” 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, Orlando, Florida, January 30 – February 1, 2005.

29. M. Peck, M. Paluszek, S. Thomas, and L. Swetharanyan, “Agile Maintenance Bot for In-Orbit Servicing of Manned Spacecraft,” 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, Orlando, Florida, January 30 – February 1, 2005.

30. M. Peck, “Uncertainty Models for Physically Realizable Inertia Dyadics,” Proceedings of the 2003 Flight Mechanics Symposium, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, October 2003.

31. M. Peck and A. Cavender, “Structural Tuning Through Embedded Angular Momentum,” Paper Number AIAA-2003-1560, 11th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference, Norfolk, Virginia, April 7-10, 2003.

32. M. Peck, "Estimation of Momentum Wheel and CMG Alignments from On-Orbit Telemetry," Proceedings of the 2001 Flight Mechanics Symposium, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, June 2001.

33. M. Peck, "Mass Properties Estimation for Spacecraft with Powerful Damping," in Proceedings of the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Conference, Girdwood, Alaska, Aug. 16-19, 1999. Paper No. 99-430.

 

 

Patents

Issued (U.S.)

      7,185,855        March 6, 2007: Method and System for Steering a Momentum Control System

7,152,495        December 26, 2006: System and Method for Adaptive Cancellation of Disturbances

7,090,171        August 15, 2006: Momentum Stabilized Launch Vehicle Upper Stage

7,014,150        March 21, 2006: Method and System for Optimizing Torque in a CMG Array

6,987,257        January 17, 2006: Attitude Determination System and Method

6,758,444        Momentum control system and method

6,456,371        Attitude determination with earth horizon-crossing indicators and relative-attitude propagation

Issued (Europe)

      EP1697212 A2                     Sept. 6, 2006: Dynamic CMG Array and Method

      EP1618039 A1         Jan 1, 2006: Momentum Stabilized Launch Vehicle Upper Stage

      EP1590680 A2         Nov. 2, 2005: Attitude Determination System and Method

      EP1583691 A2                     Oct. 12, 2005: Momentum Control System and Method

Pending (U.S.)

20070029447     Method and System for Determining a Singularity-Free Momentum Path

20070124032     Method and System for Controlling Sets of Colinear Control Moment Gyroscopes

20070023580     High-Torque, Low-Power Reaction-Wheel Array and Method

20060145023     Geometrically Encoded Magnetic Latch Intercontact Face

20060086865     Momentum Tube for Distributed Actuation

20060054433     Cryogenic Fluid-Mass Damper Using Charged Particulates for Stiction-Free Damping

20060049314     Quantized control-moment gyroscope array

20060027708     Method and System for CMG Singularity Avoidance

20050125111     Dynamic CMG Array and Method

 

 

Additional Links

Cornell Systems Engineering

http://www.systemseng.cornell.edu/

Applied Systems Engineering (SYSEN 510)

Cornell Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

http://www.mae.cornell.edu/index.cfm/page/index.htm

Cornell Home Page

http://www.cornell.edu/