The Aerospace Corporation collaborates closely with the United States Government and contractors to ensure launch and spacecraft programs are successful, particularly for National Security Space (NSS) missions. Schedule and cost constraints can result in truncated test programs and potential gaps in analysis and execution. To increase program success, The Aerospace Corporation leverages lessons learned from many programs and augments this insight with independent verification & validation (IV&V) activities. This talk will discuss how IV&V has played a critical role in ensuring the success of spaceflight missions.
Mr. Brett Soltz is a Senior Engineering Specialist and a member of the leadership team within the Structures Department at The Aerospace Corporation. He received a master’s degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (TAM) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he specialized in solid mechanics and experimental stress analysis. Mr. Soltz is currently the co-chair of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Structural Committee on Standards, a member of the Structures Technical Discipline Team (TDT) for NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), and a NAFEMS certified Professional Simulation Engineer (PSE). He provides technical expertise and guidance to programs and customers in the areas of structural mechanics, design evaluation, requirements and planning, risk identification and mitigation, anomaly resolution, additive manufacturing, finite-element modeling, and advancing the state-of-practice in structural analysis and testing. In the past 24 years at The Aerospace Corporation, Mr. Soltz has helped establish and execute IV&V processes on Space Force programs to assist more than a dozen launch vehicle programs, and more than a half-dozen spacecraft programs. Prior to joining The Aerospace Corporation, he worked at Caterpillar Inc. for three (3) years performing structural analysis and manufacturing process simulations of big yellow machines.
Planetary surface mobility remains a fundamental challenge for the success of robotic and human exploration missions on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. At NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC), cutting-edge experimental facilities and materials innovations are advancing the fundamental understanding of rover-terrain interactions and enabling next-generation mobility systems. Specifically, the Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Laboratory, part of Glenn’s Planetary Exploration Test Facilities, provides highly controlled indoor environments to replicate lunar and Martian surface conditions for systematic assessment of rover traction, sinkage, slope traversal, and subsystems performance. With multiple soil bins containing lunar simulant and high- sinkage Mars analogs, an adjustable tilt bed, and sub-millimeter optical motion tracking, the SLOPE Lab uniquely supports full-vehicle and subsystem tests under repeatable soil mechanical states to quantify vehicle mobility across a broad range of surface conditions relevant to future missions. Concurrent with testbed advances, NASA GRC has innovated compliant, non-pneumatic tire technologies using shape memory alloys (SMAs), materials that exhibit superelastic behavior through reversible phase transformations, to overcome limitations of traditional rigid or spring- mesh tire designs. SMA-based rover tires, built from nickel-titanium alloy elements capable of sustaining orders-of-magnitude larger recoverable strains than conventional metal springs, provide enhanced terrain envelopment, durability, and energy absorption without plastic deformation. This approach evolves earlier airless Spring Tire concepts and delivers improved traction, resilience to extreme off-road loading, and mitigation of puncture and damage mechanisms observed on current planetary rovers. Prototypes have demonstrated robust performance in life-test rigs and simulated terrain tests, showing promise for future high-traverse-speed missions where resilient mobility systems are critical. Together, the SLOPE Laboratory’s capability to emulate extraterrestrial terrain mechanics and the SMA tire program’s advanced materials solutions form a synergistic pathway toward enhanced surface mobility for next-generation exploration platforms. These developments support NASA’s strategic objectives to expand operational reach, increase surface traverse efficiency, and enable both robotic and human surface operations across diverse planetary environments.
Dr. Heather Oravec is a distinguished researcher specializing in mechanical and geotechnical engineering, with a focus on planetary soil mechanics and advanced aerospace seals. She earned her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 2009 and has over 14 years of professional experience. Currently, she is a Research Professor at the University of Akron and a federal contractor at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In her NASA role, Dr. Oravec served as the Facilities and Test Lead Engineer for the Mars Spring Tire Project in conjunction with the Mars Sample Return program. She currently leads facilities and testing for off-planet tire development, supporting future Lunar missions such as LTV. Her work involves overseeing tests like vibration, compliance, endurance, durability, and traction to ensure tire readiness for extreme space environments. Her research extends to developing low-leakage seals for the NASA Docking System and thermal protection systems for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. She pioneered a reliable analytical method for determining compression force in elastomeric space seals, enabling accurate material comparisons. Dr. Oravec has also made significant contributions to lunar regolith research, particularly in mobility testing for exploration vehicles. She developed a lunar regolith simulant, GRC-1, used by leading research institutions and companies. Additionally, she is interested in mitigating orbital debris and dust impact on spacecraft components. Dr. Oravec has been a member of the Lunar Simulant Advisory Committee since 2022. Her academic contributions including over 140 journal articles, technical papers, posters, and reports. Beyond her technical expertise, Dr. Oravec is a passionate advocate for STEM education. She has made significant contributions, inspiring the next generation of engineers, through a variety of philanthropic events, engaging students from elementary age to college level. Her dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in engineering makes her a true leader in the field. Notably, she was named the Cleveland Section ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineer of the Year in 2024 for her contributions to the field and community.
Use this link to book your lodging in our room block and receive our preferential rate!
Stay up to date with our technology updates, events, special offers, news, publications and training
If you want to find out more about NAFEMS and how membership can benefit your organisation, please click below.
Joining NAFEMS© NAFEMS Ltd 2026
Developed By Duo Web Design
