Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Class of 2019: Lindsay Millard
Lindsay Millard was so inspired by images she saw in Astronomy Magazine growing up, her intent was to become a photographer. She even enrolled at the University of Michigan as a photography major.
But once she was exposed to aerospace engineering, she shifted course: She’d found her true passion. Without totally abandoning the former one.
Millard’s research as a master’s student at Michigan focused on developing new optical technologies and control architectures for telescope satellite arrays, and she expanded that application while a Ph.D. student at Purdue to control of satellite imaging arrays in multi-body regimes. Her graduate work at Purdue enabled the development of a NASA mission concept called The Terrestrial Planet Finder, a new design for a space-based telescope.
“At Purdue, I learned that it’s okay to try the ‘impossible,’ even if one risks failure,” Millard says. “In my opinion, truly great leaps in technology only occur if scientists are willing to fail. And, even if one fails, great things are learned in the process.”
Millard recently watched a success — the most rewarding moment of her career, she says — when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) satellite Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) launched on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket in late March. Millard was program manager for R3D2, which will test a new type of membrane reflectarray antenna.
Her role in that kind of a giant leap for the aerospace industry is one reason Millard was selected as an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, an honor given to alumni of Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating excellence in industry, academia, government service or other endeavors that reflect the value of a Purdue aerospace engineering degree.
“It’s an honor to be selected as an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer by Purdue University. I’m very grateful for the education I received at Purdue,” Millard says. “Purdue helped me to be confident in myself. My accomplishments are incredibly enabled by what I learned in Armstrong Hall.”
Millard’s time at Purdue was shaped by her advisor, Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Kathleen Howell.
Millard was never innately good at math or physics, she says, but when she had a good teacher and worked hard, she could learn almost anything. Howell was that teacher at Purdue. Millard calls Howell a “brilliant researcher,” but one who took time to invest and teach students. Millard fondly remembers the twice-weekly research group meetings in which Howell’s students would present progress on their research.
“It was an environment where saying, ‘I don’t know’ was OK, which allowed for a lot of problem solving and a lot of ‘unknown unknowns,’” Millard says.
Since joining DARPA in 2014, Millard’s focus has been on enabling big capabilities on small satellites. That includes the R3D2 project. The antenna, made of a tissue-thin Kapton membrane, packs tightly for stowage during launch and then deploys to a full size of 2.25 meters in diameter in low-Earth orbit. The high-compaction ratio enables larger antennas in smaller satellites, allowing satellite owners to take advantage of volume-limited launch opportunities while providing significant capability.
Previously at DARPA, she led and then transitioned the Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) program to the U.S. Air Force. The SST focused on tracking and identifying debris and objects in geosynchronous orbit, so that required building a telescope that could handle seeing objects far away and also over a wide area. Those challenges were addressed with a unique optical design where a curved focal plane was used, to obtain a wide view but still a relatively high resolution. The SST had the first working curved focal design in the world, Millard says.
More on 2019 Class of OAEs:
March 25: Julie Arndt
March 26: Chris Azzano
March 27: Doug Beal
March 28: Mike Dreessen
March 29: Tony Gingiss
April 1: Scott Meyer
April 2: Lindsay Millard
April 3: David Thompson