AE professors of practice, Joseph Gonzalez and Matt Hausman, were invited to share their space knowledge this week on a WDWS podcast hosted by David Leake, president of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society. Leake asked them questions about the Artemis program and space-related projects in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Written by Debra Levey Larson
At the WDWS studio, Matt Hausman and Joseph Gonzalez.
AE professors of practice, Joseph Gonzalez and Matt Hausman, were invited to share their space knowledge this week on a WDWS podcast hosted by David Leake, president of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society. Leake asked them questions about the Artemis program and space-related projects in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Gonzalez joined the faculty this past August. He brought his decade of experience from Boeing where he began as a principal investigator for battery technologies and testing, leading to a patent and two Boeing publications.
Most recently, Gonzalez served as the systems integration and specialty engineering manager for the Space Launch System. He led a multidisciplinary team of over 20 engineers for both the core stage and exploration upper stage space vehicles. For SLS and the Starliner program, he served as a materials and processes engineer and a mechanical/fluids test engineer.
In addition to teaching AE 100 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering, Gonzalez developed a new course, Rocket Development Safety and Leadership and is faculty advisor for student rocketry teams.
Matt Hausman
Hausman joined the faculty in 2024. He brought real-world knowledge from his years at Boeing and SpaceX. Drawing on his unique industry perspective, Hausman shaped two new courses to help prepare Illinois graduates for jobs in launch vehicle design and the small satellite launch vehicle market. He also works with the Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois to provide students with hands-on experience working on satellite technology. He also teaches a course on orbital mechanics.
Both Gonzalez and Hausman are University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni. Gonzalez, BS ’10, MS ’11, PhD ’15. Hausman, BS ’01.