LabCompass

David A. Spencer

Engineering · Purdue University West Lafayette

OpenAlex ORCID
Established · publishing since 1979
Spacecraft Dynamics and ControlSpace Satellite Systems and ControlAstro and Planetary ScienceSpacecraft Design and TechnologyPlanetary Science and Exploration

Publications

63

Citations

938

Est. group size

—

Recurring co-author estimate

Active years

47

Publishing since 1979

Research summary
AI-generated

David A. Spencer's research focuses on spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control, with particular attention to aerocapture (using a planet's atmosphere to slow a spacecraft instead of using fuel), solar sailing, and small satellite mission design. His work includes flight-tested projects like LightSail 2 and studies of atmospheric entry systems for Mars and Neptune exploration missions.

Spacecraft guidance, navigation and controlAerocapture and atmospheric entry systemsSolar sailing technologySmall satellite (SmallSat) mission designFault protection and autonomous mission planning

Publication output peaked around 2019-2020 with 8 papers each year, but has slowed considerably since 2022, with little to no output recorded in 2023-2025.

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 from public bibliographic data · Jul 20, 2026

Publication cadence
Publications per year over the last 10 years — averaging 1.2/year recently
2017: 2 publications172018: 1 publication182019: 8 publications8192020: 8 publications8202021: 5 publications212022: 4 publications22232024: 1 publication242025: 1 publication2526
Recent publications
Publishes in
  • Acta Astronautica×4
  • Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets×3
  • Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University)×3
  • Journal of Aerospace Information Systems×2
  • NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA)×2
Similar researchers
By research-topic overlap

This profile was generated automatically from public scholarly data (OpenAlex). Group size and activity levels are estimates derived from co-authorship patterns.

Last updated Jul 20, 2026.

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