I am a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where I direct the Space Exploration Analysis Laboratory. I study how spacecraft navigate in deep space. Some of the methods my students and I developed have been used to fly missions around the Moon and across the Solar System; a few have become standard tools of the field.

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My work spans many aspects of space navigation, especially the algorithms that allow spacecraft to interpret camera images, inertial measurements, and other sensor data. Much of my research has focused on the use of visible and infrared space images for celestial optical navigation, planetary terrain relative navigation, and star pattern identification.

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Over the years, I have had the privilege of supporting navigation activities for the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, Orion/Artemis, Lunar Flashlight, and other space exploration missions. Techniques from my research have also been used on missions I did not directly support.

 

My scholarly publications include the textbook Fundamentals of Spacecraft Optical Navigation and over 150 technical papers on navigation and autonomous space systems.

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Before joining Georgia Tech, I held faculty appointments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and West Virginia University. Earlier in my career, I was an aerospace engineer in the GNC Autonomous Flight Systems Branch at NASA Johnson Space Center. I am an American Astronautical Society (AAS) Fellow and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellow. I earned my PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.