ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia has prompted public discussion about a wide variety of issues: shuttle technology, space science, the psychological impact on people living in the path of the debris and the management of NASA. Here is a list of faculty from the University of Michigan who are available to comment on these topics.Aerospace engineering and space science

Lennard Fisk, professor and chair of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences in the College of Engineering
Fisk is chairman of the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Prior to joining the University in July 1993, Fisk was associate administrator for space science and applications at NASA. In this position, he was responsible for the planning and direction of all NASA programs concerned with space science and applications, and for the institutional management of the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Fisk can comment on a wide variety of subjects regarding scientific exploration conducted by NASA, including the role of manned and unmanned space missions. He can also discuss administrative and management challenges of the NASA organization. Fisk is prepared to speak about the dearth of new scientists and engineers in the United States and what this means to NASA and the future of American science as a whole. Requests for interviews with Fisk may be directed to Neal Lao, (734) 647-7087 ornjlao@umich.edu.

David Hyland, professor and chair of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering
Hyland is chair of Michigan’s highly-ranked Department of Aerospace Engineering and an expert on the control of aircraft and space vehicles. He spent 14 years at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory studying how orbiting vehicles can reliably enter the Earth’s atmosphere and survive. Hyland’s MACE II project was the first scientific experiment conducted onboard the International Space Station. MACE II was an on-orbit demonstration of self-reliant, adaptive control technologies. Its mission was to detect problems with the spacecraft’s hardware and onboard technologies and correct those problems as they arise. Hyland can discuss the difficulties of controlling space vehicles like the shuttle and how different technologies help human beings manage these tasks. Hyland can be reached at (734) 936-0102 or dhiland@umich.edu

A.W. (Tony) England, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences and of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering
England has a long history with NASA and the space program. He was a NASA scientist-astronaut from 1967 to 1972 and a senior scientist-astronaut from 1979 to 1988. As mission scientist for the Apollo 13 and 16 missions, he served as a capsule communicator and as the interface between the lunar science community and the crews. He also flew as a mission specialist on the Spacelab 2 mission aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985, a flight that studied solar astronomy and plasma physics. In addition, England served as program scientist for the space station during 1986 and 1987. England can be reached at (734) 763-5534 or england@umich.edu

Gerard Faeth, professor of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering
Faeth has been studying combustion problems for NASA for more than three decades and had an experiment aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. He can discuss the trade off between the risks of manned space flights and the scientific benefits of research carried out in space. Scientists are just beginning to understand which fields benefit most from research in space, Faeth said. One such field is his area of expertise, combustion. His space shuttle experiment on preventing pollutant soot from forming in flames was aimed at developing cleaner automobile and jet engines. Such experiments are easier to do in space where there is no gravity because flames don’t flicker. Faeth also had experiments on two previous shuttle missions in 1997 as part of the Microgravity Science Laboratory project. In earlier work, he studied a phenomenon that occurs when fuels vaporize and burn at very high pressure, as they do in NASA’s rocket engines. Faeth can be contacted at (734) 764-7202 or gmfaeth@umich.edu

Thomas Zurbuchen, senior associate research scientist with the College of Engineering Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences
Zurbuchen specializes in the robotic exploration of space. He is team leader for the development of NASA’s Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer for the upcoming MESSENGER mission to Mercury, which will be delivered to NASA later this month. He is also part of the National Research Council’s ongoing Decadal Review. Zurbuchen can discuss the growing role of unmanned missions to space and what the scientific community hopes to learn from them. He can also talk about the role of the space program in encouraging more people to pursue careers in science and engineering. "Stories of exploration often have sad chapters," says Zurbuchen, "But they always end with making the world, better, bigger and more wonderful."Zurbuchen can be reached at (734) 647-6835 or thomasz@umich.edu Psychology

Jerry Miller, director of the Center for the Child and Family
The shuttle disaster, occurring in the wake of 9/11 and amid preparation for war in Iraq, the continuing threat of terrorism and North Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship, raises many questions about the psychological impact of these events on individuals, especially children. Miller has done extensive research on childhood psychopathology as well as community-based treatment of children and adults. Miller has also done extensive research showing how our level of optimism influences our reaction to a variety of circumstances. For more information on the center, visit www.umich.edu/~uccf/

Miller can be reached at (734) 764-9466 or jmmiller@umich.edu.

Albert Cain, professor of psychology
Cain has done extensive research on childhood, object-loss and separation, and childhood bereavement. Cain can be reached at (734) 763-2420 or caina@umich.edu