Gossamer Spacecraft Program Committee Subcommittees

The Gossamer Spacecraft Program Committee draws on the expertise and energy of its members through its subcommittees. There are currently seven subcommittees as listed below. For chairs and members, please click here. For contact information, please use the link to the left (contacting members).

1. Technical Affairs:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Support AIAA Journals.
   • Provide focal point for technical expertise in each main discipline of Gossamer spacecraft.
   • Facilitate public access to technical information on historically significant Gossamer spacecraft systems.
   • Encourage the use of history as a teacher for future Gossamer spacecraft systems.
   • Organize a session every few years at the SDM to provide a forum for the presentation of Gossamer spacecraft related historical materials. Coordinate with the GSF Technical and Program Chairs.
   • Provide continuing liaison with AIAA standards activities committee and other technical society groups.
   • Organize and implement methods of standardization.
   Contact the Technical Affairs Subcommittee Chair, for more information.
   
   
2. External Affairs:
   Responsibilities:
   • Represent GSPC at AIAA advocacy events such as Congressional Visits Day.
   • Conduct other political and external advocacy activities as are appropriate.
   • Prepare position papers and informational material for advocacy activities. Also, provide this material to the Website Editor.
   • Establish and maintain liaisons with AIAA Technical Committees and other societies, such as the Structures, Adaptive Structures, and Balloon Systems's and other professional societies.
   Contact the External Affairs Chair, for more information.
   
   
3. Communications:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Prepare minutes of each GSPC meeting and submit to Chair. (Chair edits, approves, and distributes the minutes by email.)
   • Write Gossamer Spacecraft Highlights article for December issue of Aerospace America.
   • Update and maintain GSPC Website.
   • Post the minutes, newsletter, and Highlights article, membership list, and brochure on the Website.
   Contact the Secretary (Communications Chair) for more information.
   
   
4. Education:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Initiate courses for the working engineer to improve technical proficiency in Gossamer spacecraft, such as conducting a short course in conjunction with the SDM or other conference.
   • Provide educational materials to Gossamer website.
   • Review the status of Gossamer spacecraft subject material currently being offered in engineering curricula, and advocate how new material may be introduced into the curricula.
   • Sponsor student design and paper competitions.
   Contact the Education Subcommittee Chair, for more information.
   
   
5. Conferences:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Assist the Gossamer Spacecraft Forum Program and Technical Chairs in developing sessions for the AIAA SDM.
   • Organize committee for selecting the best Gossamer spacecraft paper presented at the SDM conference, and notify AIAA Honors and Awards focal of selection.
   • Organize Gossamer spacecraft sessions at other conferences.
   Contact the Conferences Subcommittee Chair, for more information.
   
   
6. Steering:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Update the GSPC Three-Year Plan annually.
   • Review annually the industry trends, uses, needs, and issues and develop an action agenda for committee consideration.
   Contact the GSPC Chair for more information or to offer information on your PC's activities related to Gossamer Spacecraft.
   
   
7. Membership:
   Responsibilities:
   
   • Select new members. Maintain balanced numbers of industry, government, university, and international members.
   • Update and maintain GSPC membership roster, with affiliation, address, phone number, fax number, email address, subcommittee(s), and year of selection to the GSPC.
   • Maintain subcommittee assignment listings.
   • Transmit communications concerning membership application forms, ground rules, supervisory approval forms and termination dates. Provide letter of welcome for new GSPC members and letter of appreciation for outgoing members.
   • Nominate GSPC members for the positions of Vice-Chair (Chair-elect) and Secretary.
   • Respond to requests for AIAA nominations for various functions as requested.
   Contact Membership Subcommittee Chair, for more information. Please see the GSPC sign up form to become a member or friend of the committee.
   
   

This page was last modified on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:31:49.