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Luis Zea is investigating the possibility of mining metals from asteroids in space using an unlikely agent: bacteria.

Hank Scott, a lecturer in Smead Aerospace, and Kevin VanLiere (MechEngr BS'95) are working to improve the design of the middle seat on airplanes. They've received major media attention for their startup, Molon Labe Seating, which has just received FAA Certification of a new seat design to increase passenger space by utilizing a patented staggered payout.

Jeff Forbes is working on a research project slated for the International Space Station (ISS) to help us better understand and forecast conditions on the edge of space. NASA is funding the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) to analyze gravity (or “buoyancy”) waves in a region of the upper atmosphere that can cause disruptions in radio and satellite communications as well as GPS – key tools for safe airplane and ship travel.

A ����������ý�Ļ���Ʒ planetary scientist is this year’s recipient of the Richard H. Emmons award for ‘extraordinary teaching’

Fifty years ago today, the command module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, safely returning the first astronauts to set foot on the moon. Now, students from Colorado and across the world will continue that legacy of exploration via the Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone (GLEE), a space mission led by NASA’s New York and Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Inspired by the Apollo moon landings, the project will send 500 spacecraft small enough to fit in the palm of your hand to the moon by 2023.

On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps on the moon. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of that landmark event, ����������ý�Ļ���Ʒ is highlighting the stories of scientists and engineers from across the university who contributed to the first five decades of human space exploration—and who are paving the way for future journeys to the moon and beyond.

Everyone living in 1969 remembers where they were when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. But how many can say they were in Neil Armstrong’s parents’ garage? On the 50th anniversary of “one giant leap,” CU Engineering alumnus John Kies (MSTelecom’74) shares his memories.

Want more accurate weather forecasts? You’re in luck: Last month, researchers at ����������ý�Ļ���Ʒ saw the fruits of their labors launch aboard a new satellite. That satellite is the first in a planned fleet of Earth-orbiters that the team says will one day record weather data at every point on the globe every 15 minutes.

For more than four years, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has explored the mysteries of the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere. More recently, the spacecraft has gotten up close and personal with that same expanse of gas.

NASA has named a University of Colorado Boulder team a finalist in a competition to design a greenhouse for use on Mars.