Air Force recognizes Baylor professor for actual rocket science

It’s just physics-based hypersonic boundary-layer stability and transition prediction — it’s not rocket science.

Okay, it is rocket science.

That the subject of Baylor professor Joseph Kuehl‘s research — for which he has earned a large research grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Research Program. Dr. Kuehl, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science, will study the physics of high-speed vehicles to accurately gauge their speed, efficiency and trajectory.

Why? As the world continues to explore space, it opens questions about the safety and fuel-efficiency of these vehicles. What’s the perfect angle to launch from? How fast should the vehicle be going? How does passing through the various layers in Earth’s atmosphere affect accuracy and fuel efficiency?

“This project, in collaboration with other existing research and resources at Baylor, will ideally place Baylor in a position to lead the way in answering such questions,” says Kuehl, who has taught at Baylor since last summer.

Sic ’em, Dr. Kuehl!