Tom Schwartzentruber

When a NASA spacecraft returns to Earth or lands on another planet, it enters the atmosphere with velocities higher than seven kilometers per second. The spacecraft is subjected to extreme conditions with temperatures above 5000 degrees that wind tunnels on Earth simply cannot recreate. Professor Schwartzentruber’s research is developing predictive computer models, used to design spacecraft heat shield materials, through multidisciplinary collaboration with experts in theoretical and experimental chemistry.