In The News

Assistant professor in aerospace happy to play role in DART's smashing success

Masatoshi Hirabayashi, co-author on three recently-published DART-related reports, helped quantify DART's effect of kinetic deflection.
Professor proud to be a 'pioneer in developing planetary defense strategies'

Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, will study the dynamic motion of an asteroid after an intentional collision with a space craft on Sept. 26.
Graduate student in aerospace engineering selected for prestigious fellowship

Yaeji Kim will learn essential skills for dealing with big data in astronomy-related fields and apply this toward creating surface color maps of asteroids at the LSSTC Data Science Fellowship Program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Sept. 18-23.

#GINNing Podcast: Armageddon It Done

Did the movie "Armageddon" seriously inspire the incredible career of Toshi Hirabayashi, an aerospace engineer so apprised on the current status of the asteroid-monitoring apparatus that one of those rocky minor planets of the inner solar system actually bears his name? 
Aerospace engineering professor authors book on mission to asteroid Ryugu

Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, shares what was learned and from the 2014-2018 scientific mission to asteroid Ryugu in his book "Hayabusa2 Asteroid Sample Return Mission: Technological Innovation and Advances."
Auburn joins NASA's Artemis rover mission to explore volatiles near the lunar South Pole

Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, will study the amount and location of water on the moon
Will NASA's DART mission succeed? Assistant professor to measure success

Will crashing a spacecraft into the heart of a celestial object change its trajectory? That’s what Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, and a team of NASA scientists, will soon find out.
Could asteroid strike Earth by 2300? Professor discusses slim chances

NASA scientists recently disclosed that asteroid Bennu’s slim odds of striking Earth by 2300 increased to 1 in 1,750. Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, discusses scenarios.
Aerospace doctoral student reaches for the stars with NASA FINESST award

Aerospace engineering doctoral student Ryota Nakano is one of the latest recipients of the prominent FINESST research award from NASA.

Aerospace researcher to study surface samples returned from asteroid Ryugu

A small space capsule containing surface samples taken from asteroid Ryugu has returned to Earth and researchers including Auburn's Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, are eager to examine its contents.
Aerospace engineering assistant professor reports asteroid surface sampling a success

Aerospace engineering assistant professor Masatoshi Hirabayashi reports a recent NASA mission to collect surface material from Asteroid Bennu, a carbonaceous asteroid more than 321 million kilometers from Earth, was successful.
Aerospace doctoral student honored with Amelia Earhart Fellowship

An Auburn University aerospace engineering doctoral student has received the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship, becoming one of only 30 recipients worldwide for the 2020-21 academic year.

Auburn Engineering researchers awarded NASA grant to aid in future moon landings

Auburn University researchers recently received a grant from NASA through the organization’s Early Stage Innovations 2019 initiative for a project that aims to aid in future moon landings.

Aerospace assistant professor joins two asteroid exploration missions

Masatoshi Hirabayashi, assistant professor in aerospace engineering, is part of two on-going asteroid exploration missions — OSIRIS-Rex, a NASA asteroid sample-return mission, and Hayabusa2, a Japanese asteroid sample-return mission. Hirabayashi investigates the geophysical features of these target asteroids.