• Ryan Russell
  • Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Office: Knight 309
Phone: 404.385.3342
Fax: 404.894.2760

Education

  • B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1999.
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2000.
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2004.

Biography

Prior to coming to Georgia Tech, R.P.R. served as a member of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control Section at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was involved as mission designer and orbit determination analyst for projects such as JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter), Chandra, Spitzer, Ulysses, TPF (Terrestrial Planet Finder), and limited roles on Cassini and Dawn. He also worked on proposals and advanced concepts for space missions to Earth, the Moon, Mars, comets, asteroids, and the moons around Jupiter and Saturn. He further supported internal research on developing technologies such as low-thrust trajectory optimization and science orbit design at planetary moons.

R.P.R. has authored or co-authored dozens of journal, conference, and other technical publications; and has been a recipient of several NASA, JPL, AIAA, AAS, and other awards. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.

Research

Orbital mechanics with applications in the following areas:
  • General trajectory designs for spacecraft missions to low-Earth-orbit, Geo-stationary, the Moon, libration points, Mars, comets, asteroids, and the Jupiter and Saturn moon systems
  • Periodic orbits and general orbit stability (high-fidelity repeat ground track design, constellation design, cyclers, planetary moon trajectories)
  • Third-body and manifold dynamics (efficient gravitational captures and escapes)
  • Trajectory optimization algorithms and techniques (ballistic, low-thrust, impulsive-thrust)
  • Development of general mission design tools using fast, robust, higher-order methods
  • Efficient software implementation – (fast ephemeris propagation, parallel computing, multi-objective optimization)

Honors and Distinctions

  • Best Paper Award at the AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting (3 times: 2008, 2005, 2003)
  • Best Paper Award at the AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and Exhibit (2006)
  • NASA Tech Brief Award (2006)
  • JPL Great Achievements Award (2006)
  • JPL Project Team Award (2005)
  • JPL Mission Analysis Team Award (2005)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award (2003)

Selected Publications

  • Russell, R. P., Strange N.J., “Planetary Moon Cycler Trajectories,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 32, No. 1, 2009, pp. 143-157.
  • Lara, M., Russell, R.P., Villac, B. “Fast estimation of stable regions in real models,” Meccanica, Springer, Vol. 42, No. 5, 2007, pp. 511-515, DOI 10.1007/s11012-007-9060-z.
  • Russell, R. P., Lara, M., “Long-Life Lunar Repeat Ground Track Orbits,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 30, No. 4, 2007, pp. 982-993.
  • Russell, R. P., “Primer Vector Theory Applied to Global Low-Thrust Trade Studies,” Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2007, pp. 460-472.
  • Russell, R. P., “Global Search for Planar and Three-dimensional Periodic Orbits Near Europa,” Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 54, No. 2, 2006, pp. 199-226.