Dr. Moussa will discuss a study he conducted for the FAA in the mid 1990's on aircraft fuel tank vulnerability to flying debris.  When sufficiently energetic debris impact and penetrate a tank below the fuel level, the result is an increase in pressure that can tear the tank apart.  The subsequent fuel release can have catastrophic consequences.  This hazard is called hydrodynamic ram.  His study in commercial aviation was basically ignored until the Concorde disaster. Since then, the study has received a lot of attention, particularly in Europe.

Come join us for an informal discussion of the subject.

Dr. Moussa is Founder and Technical Director of BlazeTech Corporation.  He specializes in fires and explosions and their impact on the survivability of aerospace structures.  He received the BS from Stanford University, and the M.S/Ph.D. from MIT.  He has published extensively, including one book, and has consulted for the U.S. government and aerospace firms such as Boeing, GE, and Northrop Grumman.  His forewarning about major vulnerabilities in aircraft fuel systems has gained him prominence in the general media including interviews with the New York Times, several European Newspapers, CBS, and the BBC.


        PLACE:  MIT, Room 33-116, Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA

        TIME:           6:00 PM         Pizza Dinner and Social hour

                        7:00 PM         Program
        COST:           $5.00 Members/$7.00 Non-members/Free Students. FREE if not an AIAA member and you sign up for membership this evening.

RSVP:  Please make reservations by Tuesday, January 8, 2002 by contacting Dave Paris at (781) 937-4648 or dsp@....  If leaving a message, please include a contact phone number or e-mail address.

Directions:
The meeting location is in MIT's Aeronautics and Astronautics Building located on the southeast corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, across Massachusetts Avenue from the Student Center and Athletic facilities. This is just north of Memorial Drive. The Aero-Astro building is marked "Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratories" and is set back from street by a moderately sized lawn. Room 33-116 is on the first floor adjacent to the Aero-Astro Library.  At this hour of the day, parking on Vassar Street should be available.