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Kathleen C. Howell

Physics and Astronomy · Purdue University West Lafayette

OpenAlex ORCID
Established · publishing since 1980
Astro and Planetary ScienceSpacecraft Dynamics and ControlSpace Satellite Systems and ControlStellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPlanetary Science and Exploration

Publications

253

Citations

5,459

Est. group size

~6

Recurring co-author estimate

Active years

46

Publishing since 1980

Research summary
AI-generated

Kathleen C. Howell's research focuses on orbital mechanics and trajectory design for spacecraft operating in the region between Earth and the Moon, known as cislunar space. Her work develops mathematical models and computational tools to plan efficient spacecraft paths, including transfers to lunar orbits, near-rectilinear halo orbits, and near-Earth objects, often using low-thrust or low-energy propulsion strategies. This research supports mission planning for lunar exploration, on-orbit servicing, and multi-body gravitational navigation.

Cislunar and lunar orbit trajectory designMulti-body orbital dynamics (three-body and four-body problems)Quasi-periodic orbits and invariant toriLow-thrust and low-energy spacecraft transfersOn-orbit servicing and mission architecture

Publication output has grown over the last decade, rising from around 8-9 papers per year in 2017-2019 to a peak of 19 in 2025, despite some year-to-year fluctuation.

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

Publication cadence
Publications per year over the last 10 years — averaging 10.6/year recently
2017: 8 publications172018: 9 publications182019: 9 publications192020: 11 publications202021: 9 publications212022: 15 publications222023: 6 publications232024: 13 publications242025: 19 publications192526
Recent publications
Publishes in
  • Acta Astronautica×14
  • The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences×10
  • Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy×8
  • Advances in Space Research×6
  • NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA)×6
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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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