Research:

Automated Astronomy
Advanced Control Systems

Relevant Links:

Personnel
Publications
Presentations

Affiliated Websites:

Center of Excellence Home Page
Explorers of the Universe Project
Fairborn Observatory Automatic Telescopes
NASA Minority University Research Centers
Network Resource Training Site
Tennessee Board of Regents
Tennessee Space Grant Consortium
Tennessee State University

Partner Universities:

South Carolina State University
Western Kentucky University

Overview

The Center for Automated Space Science (CASS) is a NASA funded University Research Center Based at Tennessee State University. Its goals are to expand the Nation's aerospace research while providing a dynamic research setting for faculty and underrepresented minorities for advanced studies in NASA-related fields.

This is achieved by developing the scientific and technological concepts for autonomous space systems that will contribute to NASA's mission. The Center, which is most closely aligned with the office of Space Science, contributes to two of NASA strategic enterprises.

Scientific Research: The Center operates and is expanding a completely automated ground-based astronomical observatory capable of photometry, imaging, and spectroscopic measurements. The goals are to make observations and operation routinely more flexible and less expensive by automation and to provide supporting observations for space-based observing platforms. The Center is contributing to research in robust control and modeling of spce structures, satellite control, and AI scheduling of autonomous systems.

Mission to Planet Earth: The Center is Investigating Sun-like stars to relate changes in magnetism to changes n luminosity in a way that will be useful for predicting Sun-induced changes in Earth's climate.

Through the Center, students and faculty from TSU and its partners, South Carolina State University and Western Kentucky University, fully participate in on-going research projects.