Don Platt, Ph.D.

Associate Professor | Director of the Spaceport Education Center Florida Tech

  • Melbourne FL

Dr. Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications and rocket propulsion systems.

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Spotlight

2 min

Could China Beat America in the Race to Get Boots Back on the Moon?

Call it a matter of pride, national security or a desire for astronomical dominance; there's a sense of urgency within the U.S. government to return to the moon, sparked by China's team of taikonauts, who could land there before American astronauts get back to the lunar surface. The latest space race is a topic that is making national news. Florida Tech's experts are lending their opinions and insights about the likelihood of a lunar return, and what it might mean. NASA, with the urging of many politicians, has been racing to get astronauts back to the moon — before the Chinese land taikonauts on the lunar surface. But what’s the rush to return to a place the United States has already been and left 53 years ago? Especially when Mars looms as an enticing option for interplanetary travel. Space experts say there’s plenty of reasons for the urgency: national pride and national security. But also returning to the moon and building habitats would mean long term dominance in space and ensure access to resources that NASA didn’t know where there when the Apollo missions flew. Now with the Chinese making significant progress in human space exploration, the clock is ticking. “The Chinese in the last 20 years have made amazing strides in all aspects of space. They’re sending robots to the moon on a very regular basis. Now they’re doing some pretty amazing activities even on the far side of the moon, and they have a Chinese space station now in Earth orbit,” said Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech. Can China beat NASA to the moon? “The Chinese have really caught up,” said Platt. “I do believe that the Chinese are definitely advancing their efforts on the moon, and are identifying it as a critical aspect of their strategic future in space." When asked about the prospect of Chinese astronauts making it to the moon before NASA's planned Artemis III mission, Platt said he believes it’s a possibility and he cited the efforts China is making to highlight the importance of the nation's space efforts to its own populace. “They have some amazing videos. They’re really engaging the Chinese public, and really using it to do what what we’ve always done in space, and that is to inspire the next generation and to show the world the technical abilities of the Chinese,” said Platt.  May 21 USA Today The race is on, and it's getting a lot of attention. If you're a journalist following this ongoing story, let us help with your coverage. Dr. Don Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications and rocket propulsion systems. He also studies astrobiology and biotechnology systems and human deep space exploration tools. Don is available to speak with media anytime. Simply click on the icon below to arrange an interview today.

Don Platt, Ph.D.

2 min

The ISS is Leaking! What Happens Now? Florida Tech's Don Platt Can Explain

There's an issue on the International Space Station (ISS) that is becoming a growing concern for both the Russian and American space programs. The ISS is leaking, and the matter is rightfully getting attention from media around the world. The reporters looking for answers are connecting with Florida Tech's Don Platt to explain what exactly is happening and what it means for the future of this $100 billion facility. Dr. Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications and rocket propulsion systems. He teaches about space systems. The problem exemplifies how NASA is contending with aging but critical space infrastructure: The orbiting laboratory, with a living area larger than a six-bedroom house, is the agency's only way to learn about health impacts to astronauts, develop or test life support systems for future missions, and advance a plethora of space technologies. NASA wants to keep it running until 2030 — but doing so will require constant surveillance and, literally, patching. "It's an old station, and it has done some amazing things," Don Platt, an associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech, told Mashable. Mashable, Nov. 19 Local television and national networks like NPR were also seeking Platt's expert insights. NASA and Russian space officials are at odds over the significance of a long-standing air leak aboard the International Space Station. The leak, originating from a Russian module, has reportedly persisted for about five years. Don Platt, an associate professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, explained the potential risks. “There’s definitely concerns about this leak and the potential for it to get worse over time,” Platt said. While NASA views the issue as a serious safety concern, Moscow insists the situation is under control and the module is safe. “NASA is quite concerned about it, and the Russians are more or less saying, ‘We have it under control. Don’t worry about it,’” Platt said. The affected module is one of the oldest on the station, having been operational for more than 20 years. “One of the Russian modules on the space station, one of the oldest, is starting to lose some of the air that astronauts need to breathe,” he said.  November 18 NBC News The coverage featuring Platt's insight is also being carried by Russian media and news sites. Are you following this developing story? Let us help with your coverage. Dr. Don Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, rocket propulsion systems as well as astrobiology/biotechnology systems and human deep space exploration tools. Don is available to speak with media. Simply click on the icon below to arrange an interview today.

Don Platt, Ph.D.

3 min

Stuck in Space - Florida Tech's Don Platt is the go-to expert for anyone covering the stranded Boeing’s Starliner

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams '95 M.S. took the trip of a lifetime in June, traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.  Not long after their arrival to the ISS, however, the spacecraft began having mechanical issues. Since then, the pair have been left stranded in space with no return flight booked to come home. As the scientific world, public and international media watch, experts like Don Platt from Florida Tech are supporting ongoing media coverage until the two astronauts return to Earth. To return Starliner to Earth, the thrusters need to fire correctly at the right time to get the crew safely out of orbit. "Clearly, you need to have thrusters to be able to position your spacecraft, to move away from the space station, to get into the position to safely reenter the Earth's atmosphere," said Don Platt, associate professor of space systems at Florida Tech. "They claim just doing a rocket burn, they can probably make it home, but they don't know where'd they land," said Platt. The problem lies with the propulsion system inside the service module. "It sounds as if they've experienced a different amount of heating than expected with some of these thrusters, and had some affected things like valves that control the flow of propellant to the thrusters. So sometimes those valves will leak or not open all the way based on the amount of heat they are experiencing," said Platt. Platt explained that the valves for these thrusters are comparable to fuel injectors in a car. They simply open and close to feed the propellant into the combustion chamber − the end result being thrust (power). Part of the challenge for Boeing teams is that they can't exactly replicate what the spacecraft is experiencing in space. Platt said that heat is not just created from the thruster itself, but from the Sun. August 11 Florida Today Don Platt, the director of Florida Tech’s Spaceport Education Center in Titusville and an associate professor of space systems, explained that Boeing is currently trying to figure out what went wrong with Starliner and to see if there is still a chance to use the thrusters. "There's probably very little they can do to fix them at this point," Platt said. "What they can do is they can look at what thrusters are working properly, and how can we then use those thrusters to efficiently get the vehicle back into the atmosphere and then to the surface of the Earth." While Starliner has been having extensive issues and now Boeing has some tough decisions to make about what's next, Platt said we need to remember that this was a test mission. "I think that we've had a lot of success in space over the last decade or so, and we've probably gotten used to things going perfectly," Platt said. "Although space is not that easy, and we can see problems, problems do pop up from time to time. Even back in the days of the shuttle program, there used to be issues with the orbiter, even on orbit, and they'd have to think about, 'can we keep flying this mission, or do we need to return to the Earth?'" August 13 Central Florida Public Media For now, all we can do is watch and wait. But if you're a journalist following this ongoing story, then let us help with your coverage. Dr. Don Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, rocket propulsion systems as well as astrobiology/biotechnology systems and human deep space exploration tools. Don is available to speak with media anytime. Simply click on the icon below to arrange an interview today.

Don Platt, Ph.D.
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Areas of Expertise

Space Systems
Rocket Propulsion Systems
Deep Space Exploration
Satellite Design
Astrodynamics
Avionics

About

Dr. Don Platt's work has involved developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, rocket propulsion systems as well as astrobiology/biotechnology systems and human deep space exploration tools. He is familiar with NASA design and engineering processes such as 7150.2A and 7120.5.

Key areas of focus include human space exploration and the adaptation to deep space exploration, high performance small satellite systems and ways to utilize both human and satellite constellations as we move forward. These small satellite systems can also be used to solve research problems of interest in guidance navigation and control, astrodynamics, propulsion, optics, advanced materials and more.

Dr. Platt is also owner of Micro Aerospace Solutions, which conducts R&D and development of advanced systems for small satellites as well as other high-tech industries such as biotech, asset tracking, auto racing and military.

Media Assets

Media Appearances

NASA reschedules Artemis 1 launch to Saturday

UPI  print

2022-08-30

"The cooling liquid was not flowing into the engine and so it's most likely some sort of valve problem. It really depends on how well they can get to that part of the engine while still on the pad," Don Platt with Florida Tech said.

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What Russia's threat to pull out of the ISS might mean for NASA

Florida Today  print

2022-07-26

Don Platt, an associate professor at Florida Tech who specializes in space systems and a former Boeing space employee, agreed that Russia's actions aren't backing up their claims. But it's also a reminder that serious planning needs to go into spinning down the aging ISS. "(Russia) has had a lot of plans through the years for all sorts of space missions and new projects and I've yet to see a single one of them actually make it to completion," Platt said. "But it shows us that we do need to be thinking about the endgame for the space station."

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NASA reconnects with Capstone spacecraft en route to find new pathway to the moon

WFTV  tv

2022-07-07

Before the next NASA astronauts launch to the moon, NASA is testing a lunar orbit that’s never been flown before. The Capstone mission is underway and is planned to serve as a “pathfinder” for NASA’s moon Gateway space station. Florida Tech's Don Platt offers insight.

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Education

Florida Institute of Technology

Ph.D.

Aerospace Engineering

2013

Florida Institute of Technology

M.S.

Space Systems

1997

Western Connecticut State University

B.A.

Physics, Astronomy

1989

Social

Selected Articles

Participatory Design of a Cooperative Exploration Mediation Tool for Human Deep Space Risk Mitigation

International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics

2014

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Design and Evaluation of an Exploration Assistant for Human Deep Space Risk Mitigation

IFAC Proceedings Volumes

2013

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A Situation Awareness Assistant for Human Deep Space Exploration

HCI International Conference

2013

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