ROBERT H. CANNON, JR.: Charles Lee Powell Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Director, Aerospace Robotics Laboratory

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Professor Robert H. Cannon Jr. is Charles Lee Powell Professor and just-past Chairman of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. He and his 18 current PhD students are doing research on free-flying space robots and high level precision control of flexible, two-arm robotic manipulators. After 10 years in the aerospace industry, he established Stanford's Guidance and Control Laboratory (where an example project was a drag free control system for the Transit navigation satellite which achieved 10^-12g in orbit). He was a co-founder of the Stanford Orbiting Gyro Test of General Relativity project which must achieve gyro drift of < 0.001 arc sec during a year of spacecraft flight. He is a co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Manufacturing and Automation (and was first chairman of its steering committee).; Professor Cannon is author of the text Dynamics of Physical Systems, plus some 40 technical journal articles and 11 encyclopedia sections.

BACKGROUND: [1979-93] Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University; [1974-79] Professor of Engineering and Chairman, Div. of Engineering & Applied Science, California Institute of Technology (named one of three top teachers in 1979); [1970-74] U.S. Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Systems Development and Technology; [1959-70] Professor and Vice Chairman of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Director, Guidance and Control Laboratory, Stanford University; [1966-68] Chief Scientist, U.S. Air Force; [1957-59] Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT

HONORS AND ASSOCIATIONS: Chairman, President's Committee on the National Medal of Science (1984-88); Member, National Academy of Engineering (Past Chairman, Assembly of Engineering); Member, National Research Council Governing Board (1975-78); Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Fellow, International Academy of Astronautics; Member, National Research Council Ocean Studies Board; Recipient, Oldenburger Medal, ASME (1988); Recipient, Outstanding Achievement Award, U.S. Dept. of Transportation (1974); Recipient, Exceptional Civilian Service Award, U.S. Air Force (1969); Member, NASA's Space Station Automation and Robotics Advisory Panel; Chair, NASA's Flight Telerobotic Servicer Project Advisory Committee

ROBERT H. CANNON, JR.