The Draper Scholars Program emphasizes empowering students in 14 key research areas to make the greatest impact. We encourage applicants to align their research with these topics.
Hypersonics
Over the past 15+ years, Draper’s efforts have supported the nation’s reinvigorated interested in hypersonic technologies and systems. Initially our efforts focused on Navigation, Guidance and Control technology but have since broadened to benefit from the full breadth of the Laboratory’s expertise, to include: hypersonic vehicle technology, hypersonic propulsion technology and Command and Control capabilities to manage the employment of hypersonic capabilities.
Technical Point of Contact
Research Interests
Draper’s Hypersonic Vehicle Technology Interests
- Navigation sensors (e.g. IMU and alternate Navigation devices) and algorithms that enable operation in dynamic and contested environments.
- Flight computer and vehicle data bus technologies to enable high assurance operations in harsh environments. Including associated microelectronics technologies.
- EO & RF sensors that can be used to localize potential targets. Sensor includes targeting algorithms
- Transmit and receive radio technologies that can receive and send offboard messages or waveforms and/or can be used for electronic warfare purposes
- Radio Frequency antennas to enable receipt or transmission of RF signals, including omnidirectional, beam nulling and/or beam steering technologies and clutter and noise rejection technologies
- Safe, high density power sources
- Miniature actuators that can be employed to affect aerodynamic control either locally or globally
Draper’s Hypersonic Propulsion Technology Interests
- Guidance and control algorithms that enable hypersonic flight while minimizing resulting stresses on the airframe and/or minimizing propulsion energy losses.
- Micro/nano sensors imbedded in the structure and/or propellant to enable better understanding of the systems aging and potential resulting degradation.
- Miniature actuators that can be employed to affect aerodynamic control either locally or globally.
Draper’s Hypersonic Command and Control Technology Interests
- Algorithms that enable detection and tracking of high speed flight vehicles using current and future sensors and sensor modalities and advanced data processing techniques.
- C2 Decision Aid technologies that enable processing of detection, tracking and targeting signals, target typing and data assimilation such that human leadership can quickly absorb incoming information and quickly make actionable plans and courses of action. This includes hardware and software, display approaches, display set ups, data aggregation techniques, automated information processing, etc.
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