Edward Belbruno
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Edward Belbruno (born 1951 in Heidelberg, Germany) is a mathematician whose interests are in celestial mechanics, dynamical systems, dynamical astronomy, and aerospace engineering. Belbruno received his Associate Degree from Mitchell College, his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from New York University and his PhD in mathematics from New York University’s Courant Institute in 1981, where his mentor was mathematician Jürgen Moser. He was employed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1985 to 1990 as an orbital analyst on such missions as Galileo, Magellan, Cassini, Ulysses, Mars Observer, and others. During that time, he laid the foundations for the first systematic application of chaos theory to space flight originally called fuzzy boundary theory, which allows for the construction of very low energy paths for spacecraft. In 1991 Belbruno applied his ideas for low-energy transfer orbits to the Japanese spacecraft Hiten, finding a path to the Moon for the spacecraft even though it was very low on fuel.
Belbruno is president and founder of the company Innovative Orbital Design, Inc. based in Princeton, New Jersey and holds patents on routes in space. Belbruno's books include Fly Me to the Moon and Capture Dynamics and Chaotic Motions in Celestial Mechanics. He is a consultant with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and has made appearances on NBC's Today Show. He is also an oil painter and has had many international exhibitions of his works, including in Paris, Rome, Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York, Minneapolis, and a painting of his is in NASA’s executive collection in Washington, DC.
