COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dr. John L. Junkins, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering and holder of the George J. Eppright Chair at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the 2004 Tycho Brahe Award from the Institute of Navigation (ION). ION gives the award annually to one individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the science of space navigation, guidance and control. The award is named in honor of the 16th century pioneering Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, whose measurements of the motion of Mars led to the discovery -- by Brahe’s colleague Johannes Kepler -- of the laws of planetary motion. The award cites Junkins’ prolific and fundamental advances, which have supported over a dozen spaceflight missions and are documented in over 300 publications, including five textbooks. Junkins will receive the award during the Institute’s 60th Annual Meeting June 7-9 in Dayton, Ohio. A Texas A&M faculty member since 1985, Junkins’ research interests are in engineering mechanics broadly and spacecraft dynamics, navigation, guidance and control in particular. Junkins is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Astronautical Society (AAS). Among his numerous honors are the 1990 AIAA G. Edward Pendray Aerospace Literature Award; the 1991 Auburn University College of Engineering Outstanding Aerospace Engineering Alumnus Award; the 1992 Sigma Xi Distinguished Scientist Award; the 1997 AIAA Theodore Von Karman Medal and Lectureship; and the 1999 International Astronautical Federation Frank J. Malina Medal. Junkins holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, all in aerospace engineering.
