The Malcolm D. Shuster Astronautics Symposium

June 13-15, 2005


General Chair and Contact
John L. Crassidis
Professor
University at Buffalo
Dept of Mech & Aero Eng
Amherst, NY 14260
Phone: (716) 645-1426
Fax: (716) 645-3668


Dr. Malcolm D. Shuster


Dr. Malcolm D. Shuster has been one of the most important influences on Spacecraft Attitude Estimation for the past quarter century. His many papers, carefully written, self-contained, tutorial, complete, and highly innovative, have become standard references and a guide for this field, and his elegant and efficient algorithms and methodologies are a part of almost every spacecraft mission. Dr. Shuster began his professional life as a nuclear physicist and for seven years enjoyed a productive career in France, Germany, Israel, and the United States. His Physics publications continue to be cited today. In 1977 he chose to abandon Physics and joined the Attitude Systems Operation of the Computer Sciences Corporation in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he learned for the first time that attitude could mean something other than a mental posture. Within a year of this inauspicious beginning in Astronautics he produced the QUEST algorithm for attitude estimation, now an industry standard used extensively for spacecraft both in Earth orbit and at the farthest reaches of the Solar System. He has illuminated, organized and extended almost every area of Spacecraft Attitude Estimation. In 2000 he received the Dirk Brouwer Award from the American Astronautical Society. We wish to honor Dr. Shuster for his path-breaking work in bringing order and science to what had been a disorganized and underdeveloped area of Astronautical Engineering, for his many algorithms and methodologies for spacecraft attitude support, and for his special contributions as writer and teacher.

The University at Buffalo, State University of New York, in collaboration with the American Astronautical Society, will host a special symposium on June 13–15, 2005 to celebrate Dr. Shuster’s contributions. The organizers of the symposium are Drs. John Crassidis, F. Landis Markley, and John L. Junkins. Dr. Kathleen C. Howell is AAS liaison.


Pictures from the Symposium


Welcoming Remarks

Short Biography of Malcolm D. Shuster

Selected Publications of Malcolm D. Shuster


Program

List of Attendees and Guests

Call for Papers


Proceedings Volume Contents

Malcolm D. Shuster Publications


Information for Attendees Information for Authors General Information on Buffalo


Information for Attendees

If you have any special dietary needs please let Linda Mehnert know about them as soon as possible.

The registration desk will be open Sunday, June 12 from 6:00PM-9:00PM, as well as each day of the symposium.

Please join us in welcoming Malcolm on Sunday, June 12 at the reception in the hotel from 6:00PM-9:00PM.

Hotel Reservations at the Grand Island Holiday Inn. Please use Group Booking Code UAB.

Please be aware that we are traveling to Canada for the Niagara Falls Tour. For US citizens bring your passport or your ORIGINAL birth certificate and valid ID. If you are bringing children with you, please follow the following guidelines. For foreign travelers you may need another Visa to enter Canada. More information can be found here.

Directions from the Buffalo airport to the Holiday Inn can be found here.

There are no shuttles from the airport to the hotel. A taxi costs around $40. If you need a ride please let John Crassidis know. We will try to find someone with a rental car that will be arriving around the same time.


Information for Authors

Please adhere to the NO PAPER/NO PODIUM rule.

Paper instructions are given by the standard AAS Guidelines.

A sample cover sheet can be found here. Please see the program to find your AAS paper number.

Bring 35 copies of your paper to the symposium. Also, bring or email an original black and white version of your paper to John Crassidis for publication in the Advances of the Astronautical Sciences Proceedings. A CD-ROM will also be created by Univelt Inc. Publishers. Please email a pdf file of your paper to John Crassidis (this version can contain color graphics).

A special issue of the AAS Journal of the Astronautical Sciences is planned in Malcolm's honor. After the symposium, we will ask all authors if they wish to have their papers considered for the special issue. Note, inclusion in the proceedings does not affect the journal submission. These papers will be peered reviewed as regular papers. Upon acceptance authors will be required to pay the usual page charges for the special issue at the rate of $65.00 per printed page.

All presentations are 20 minutes with 5 minutes for questions afterwards.

A computer projector and overhead projector for transparencies will be available. Please make sure to test your laptop on the computer projector the day before your presentation if possible. Any time required to set up your computer will have to come out of the 25-minute presentation time. If you require other equipment please let John Crassidis know as soon as possible.

Bring a set of transparencies just in case there are problems with the computer projector.

A laptop running Windows XP with Office 2003 and Acrobat 5.0 will also be available for presentations. If you wish to use it please email your presentation to John Crassidis at least a week before the start of the symposium. Also, if you wish to use your own software, then we prefer that you bring your own laptop instead.


General Information on Buffalo

If you are arriving early on Sunday or Saturday we encourage you to attend the Allentown Art Festival in downtown Buffalo, which is only 20 minutes from the hotel.

More information on Buffalo can be found at the online home of the Buffalo-Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For you wine connoisseurs check out Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada. They offer tours of the many wineries in the region and have other great attractions. It's about a half drive from the hotel.

For those of you who want to test their "estimation skills" check out Seneca Niagara Casino on the U.S. side or Casino-Niagara in Canada. Both casinos are 20 minutes from the hotel.

For those truly adventurous types check out Letchworth State Park, also known as the Grand Canyon of the East. It's about an hour and half drive from Buffalo.

For those shoppers check out the Niagara Falls Prime Outlets with over 150 brand name outlet stores. It's only minutes away from the hotel (ask them for directions).