Facilities

The Raspet Flight Research Laboratory

The largest such university flight laboratory in the nation, the Raspet Lab has a long history of research in aerodynamics, flight mechanics, and structural mechanics of aircraft. It is nationally recognized for its accomplishments in the design and operation of new and unconventional aircraft. The lab includes a complete aircraft manufacturing facility that was used in the production of an all-composite, 8 000 lb., twin turbofan aircraft in cooperation with the Honda R&D Co. The Raspet facilities are state-of-the-art and offer a unique level of involvement and excellent hands-on experience for graduate students. The lab is also home to 10 prototype or research aircraft, making it unique among such facilities on college campuses in the country.

HPCC

Founded in 1990 as the NSF Engineering Research Center for Computational Field Simulation with a Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering as Director, the HPCC now comprises several independent centers or groups with the common characteristics of a multi-disciplinary, team-orientated effort that is involved in application and advancement of computational science and engineering using high-performance computing. About a third of the ASE faculty are actively involved in computational research in the HPCC, and several HPCC research faculty hold adjunct appointments in the department.

Diagnostic Instrumentation & Analysis Laboratory

Established in 1980, DIAL is an interdisciplinary research center in the College of Engineering. The laboratory has established a tradition of excellence in diagnostic research at MSU. DIAL’s research program includes the development and application of advanced diagnostic systems, analytical model development and validation, test facilities, process development, and on-site field measurements and analysis. The lab also includes a combustion test facility, plasma torch systems, Hewlett-Packard measurement and control system, and two mobile instrument laboratories. Dial’s primary academic effort is at the graduate level.

Walker Laboratories

This area contains educational labs such as a materials testing lab with two servo hydraulic testing machines, a design lab with 15 PC workstations used to develop designs of aerospace vehicles, and a computer laboratory with 10 Sun workstations for research and general use by students.

Patterson Engineering Laboratories

This laboratory building houses educational labs including a subsonic and supersonic wind tunnel, wood and metal working shops, a water tunnel, a sports equipment testing facility, a liquid rocket motor test stand, equipment for calibration and testing of accelerometers, and a facility for studying supersonic flow past a step.