{"685116":{"#nid":"685116","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mathematics Meets Rocket Science: Jaden Wang Awarded NASA Research Opportunity","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJaden Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E (Zhuochen Wang) has been awarded a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/nasa-space-technology-graduate-research-opportunities-nstgro\/\u0022\u003ENASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;The grant supports graduate students who \u201cshow significant potential to contribute to NASA\u2019s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our nation\u2019s science, exploration, and economic future.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWang, who is a Ph.D. student in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Mathematics\u003C\/a\u003E and a master\u2019s student in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/prospective-msae\u0022\u003EDaniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, will focus on developing mathematically-backed landing solutions for spacecraft.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI first became interested in powered descent problems during my Fall 2024 internship with NASA\u2019s Human Landing System at Marshall Space Flight Center,\u201d he says. \u201cWith my mathematical background in optimization and topology, and my passion for space exploration, I saw this research topic as a perfect fit when my co-advisor Dr. Panagiotis Tsiotras suggested it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWang is co-advised by School of Mathematics Professor and Hubbard Research Fellow\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/etnyre.math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Etnyre\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;alongside\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/panagiotis-tsiotras\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPanagiotis Tsiotras\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who holds the David and Andrew Lewis Endowed Chair in the\u0026nbsp;Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and is also associate director at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/robotics\u0022\u003EInstitute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn addition to his Georgia Tech advisors, Wang will collaborate with a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/learn\/sme-map\/\u0022\u003ENASA Subject Matter Expert\u003C\/a\u003E, who will connect him with the larger technical community. He will perform part of the research as a visiting technologist at multiple NASA centers, giving him the opportunity to work with leading engineers and scientists and share his research results directly with the NASA community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom abstractions to space exploration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cNASA\u2019s upcoming missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond need technology that allows spacecraft to land precisely at their intended sites,\u201d says Wang. \u201cMy research will focus on the last stage of landing, called\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Epowered descent\u003C\/em\u003E. This stage powers up engines, which guide the spacecraft into a safe landing using a pre-designed trajectory that autopilot follows.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis means that researchers need to figure out the correct thrust, direction, and timing to reach a landing spot \u2014 all while navigating a landing that uses as little fuel as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cA common approach is to treat this as an optimization problem: minimizing fuel consumption with rigid-body physics as constraints to determine the best thrust profile,\u201d Wang explains. \u201cThis can work well, but it has drawbacks. It assumes that there is no uncertainty in the system (for example, that the thrust of the engines is applied perfectly) and it simplifies the motion of the spacecraft by treating it as though it\u2019s traveling through flat space instead of on a true curved geometry. Both shortcuts introduce errors\u0026nbsp; \u2014 our research aims to address these gaps.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo improve landing precision, Wang will develop a curved-space geometric\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Emathematical model, which takes into account the curved-space geometry of spacecraft motion rather than assuming flat space. To find a fuel-efficient landing trajectory, Wang will develop the model around\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eoptimal covariance steering\u003C\/em\u003E, a stochastic control problem that both minimizes fuel costs while keeping the uncertainty of the spacecraft\u0027s exact landing spot within a safe amount.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s a problem that leverages his experience in theoretical math and his background in aerospace engineering. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly honored that NASA finds this research exciting and is supporting my pursuit of it,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are so many fascinating engineering problems that could benefit from deeper theoretical scrutiny, especially using abstract machineries not typically covered in an engineering curriculum. I hope this inspires more theoretical researchers and graduate students to explore bridging these gaps.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJaden Wang, a Ph.D. student in mathematics and master\u2019s student in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech, has received a prestigious NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity. His research will focus on improving spacecraft landings by developing a curved-space geometry around optimal covariance steering.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Wang has been awarded a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity to develop mathematically grounded solutions for landing spacecraft."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-09-19 16:20:15","changed_gmt":"2025-09-19 17:01:25","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678082":{"id":"678082","type":"image","title":"Jaden Wang","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJaden Wang\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758300118","gmt_created":"2025-09-19 16:41:58","changed":"1758300118","gmt_changed":"2025-09-19 16:41:58","alt":"Jaden Wang","file":{"fid":"262063","name":"JadenWang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/19\/JadenWang.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/19\/JadenWang.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":18043,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/19\/JadenWang.jpg?itok=Mlm-nGoH"}}},"media_ids":["678082"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192259","name":"cos-students"},{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"},{"id":"193733","name":"_for_math_site_manual_feed_"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}