Mechanical & Astronautical Engineering Department

Welcome New and Current Students! Course descriptions and scheduling pages are located within our Academics pages.

Mechanical & Astronautical Engineering - Research & Technology

MAE Research Centers

The following Research Centers are organized by the MAE Department.
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Center for Materials Sciences and Engineering
The Center for Materials Sciences and Engineering provides a focus for research and education in Materials Science and Engineering at NPS.
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Center for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Research
The primary goal of the NPS Center for AUV Research is to educate Navy and USMC officer students in the development and use of technologies needed for unmanned underwater vehicles through coursework, thesis and dissertation research.
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Turbo Propulsion Laboratory
The Turbopropulsion Laboratory houses a unique collection of experimental facilities for research and development related to compressors, turbines and advanced air-breathing propulsion engine concepts.
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Spacecraft Research and Design Center
The Spacecraft Research and Design Center at the Naval Postgraduate School consists of six state-of-the art laboratories: Fltsatcom Laboratory, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control Laboratory, Smart Structures laboratory, Spacecraft Design Center, NPS-AFRL Optical Relay Mirror Spacecraft Laboratory, and Satellite Servicing Laboratory.
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MAE Research Laboratories

MAE Laboratories are designed as complements to the educational mission and research interests of the department. In addition to extensive facilities for the support of student and faculty research, a variety of general use equipment is available.

Unmanned Systems Lab/Center
CAD/CAE Computer Lab
Fluid Mechanics Combined Labs
Technical Support Facility
Materials Lab
Propulsion Lab
Structural Dynamics Lab
Thermal Engineering Labs
Ship Systems Engineering (TSSE) Lab
Astro-Engineering Lab

Click here to view more information about MAE Research Labs.

Research Project Summaries:

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Student Theses Abstracts:

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NPS Center for AUV Research Showcase Autonomous Vehicles -- Professor Tony Healey (second from left) and Cmdr. Doug Horner (left) co-principal investigators for the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for AUV Research showcase some of the autonomous vehicles that will be deployed in an upcoming field experiment.

Alum Astronaut Phones from International Space Station -- From 210 miles above earth, NPS alum and current ISS Commander Navy Capt. Michael Lopez-Alegria, thrilled an audience of students, faculty, staff and their kids April 5. Pictured above eight-year old Mark and nine-year old Julianne asked Lopez-Alegria what it’s like to float and what do stars look like from the space. Lopez-Alegria did one better. He tumbled himself like a whirling dervish and then told Julianne that when they are on the far side of Earth, away from the sun, there are so many billions-of-stars that it’s more like seeing a whitish background with little black specks!

NPS Professor’s Software Breakthrough - Allows Zero-Propellant ISS Maneuvers -- Naval Postgraduate School Professor of Mechanical and Astronautical Engineering I. Michael Ross briefs NPS Space Systems Academic Group students on NASA’s use of his optimal control software to maneuver the International Space Station cost-free, without the need to use thrusters and expend valuable fuel.

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