Robert J. "Bob" Twiggs is a Professor of
Astronautics
Astronautics (or cosmonautics) is the theory and practice of travel beyond Earth's atmosphere into outer space. Spaceflight is one of its main applications and space science its overarching field.
The term ''astronautics'' (originally ''astron ...
and
Space Science at
Morehead State University
Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...
. He is responsible, along with
Jordi Puig-Suari
Jordi Puig-Suari is a professor and aerospace technology developer. He is the co-inventor of the CubeSat standard together with Bob Twiggs, and the co-founder of Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems.
Early life and education
Puig-Suari was born in the ...
of
California Polytechnic State University, for co-inventing the
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
reference design for
miniaturized satellites[
] which
became an
Industry Standard
''Industry Standard'' is the sixth studio album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1982. This was the second of two albums released under the moniker The Dregs, and is their only album featuring vocals (by Alex Ligertwood of Santana and Patrick Si ...
for design and deployment of the satellites.
Education
Twiggs earned a Bachelor of Science in
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
from the
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...
in 1961 and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in
microwave devices from
Stanford University in 1964.
Career
From 1985 to 1994, Twiggs was the director of the
Weber State University
Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
History
Weber State University was founded ...
Center for Aerospace Technology. He served as a consulting professor in the Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 1994 to 2008. At Stanford, he established the Space Systems Development Laboratory. Bob Twiggs became a professor at Morehead State University in 2009 in an effort to push the
PocketQube standard leveraging the University's large aperture (21m) space tracking system, and to help develop a space economy in the state of
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
.
In 2019, Twiggs designed and proposed another smaller, simpler satellite form factor called
ThinSat which could enable high school students to design and build satellites.
References
External links
Official site*
Satellite pioneer joins Morehead State's space science faculty
Morehead State University faculty
Living people
Rocket scientists
University of Idaho alumni
1927 births
Weber State University faculty
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