David Spencer is an Associate Professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the director of the Space Flight Projects Laboratory at Purdue University. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue, and earned his Ph.D. from the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Spencer’s program of research conducted through the Space Flight Projects Laboratory spans theoretical astrodynamics, applied research in mission design, flight operations, and space technology, and interdisciplinary flight projects that bridge space science and engineering. The overarching goal of this work is to conceive, enable and implement innovative missions to advance Earth and planetary science.

Past Flight Projects

Publications

Alumni Students