Stephen D. Heister, Ph.D.
Strategic Development Director

Dr. Stephen Heister, a founding member of IN Space, provides significant knowledge on solid, liquid, and hybrid rocket design and analysis. He is the firm’s computational modeling expert and has modeled such phenomenon as injector sprays (ligament breakup, droplet formation, mixing), solid/liquid/hybrid propellant combustion flow, liquid rocket engine startup transient, and combustion initiation requirements.

Dr. Heister is also presently a Professor at Purdue University and leads the propulsion group within the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He teaches courses on jet propulsion power plants, rocket propulsion, aerospace propulsion system design, advanced rocket propulsion, advanced propulsion concepts, hypersonic propulsion, and stability of free surfaces. Dr. Heister was selected as a University Faculty Scholar, an award reserved for the top 5% of Purdue’s faculty. He has also been presented with the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Teaching Award four times. Dr. Heister is involved in several engineering organizations including the Tau Beta Pi National Honor Society and the Sigma Gamma Tau Engineering Society.

Dr. Heister launched his career by working at the Lockheed California Company in Burbank, CA, following the completion of his Master’s degree. In 1983 he joined the staff of the Propulsion Department within The Aerospace Corporation, in El Segundo, CA. During his seven-year tenure he worked in solid, liquid, and hybrid motor design and analysis. Dr. Heister also led the Propulsion Technology Section for two years while working for The Aerospace Corporation.

Following his employment with The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Heister worked in Phillips Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base. At Phillips Laboratory he conducted research on the Liquid Propulsion Branch. After working in Phillips Laboratory, Dr. Heister spent sabbatical time in 1997 at TRW Space Systems (now Northrop Grumman) in California at the Propulsion and Combustion Center. During this time Dr. Heister conducted intensive research on the combustion stability of pintle engines.

Dr. Heister earned a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, though we try not to hold that against him. He completed his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA in 1988.

Dr. Heister has published two book chapters and over 100 papers in the area of liquid atomization; rocket design; combustion in solid, liquid, and hybrid rockets; combustion instability; and atomizer design.

In addition to his publications, Dr. Heister has been an Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power and a member of the AIAA Technical Committees in solid rocket motors and hybrid rockets. He was also named Director of the Rolls-Royce High Mach Propulsion University Technology Center in 2003.

Select Publications:

1. Martin, T. N., Edwards, J. M., Heister, S. D., and Meyer, S. E., “A Device to Investigate Peroxide Reactivity at Elevated Pressures,” 5th Intl. Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion Conference, 2002.
2. Beutien, T., Heister, S., Rusek, J., and Meyer, S., “Cordierite-Based Catalytic Beds for 98% Hydrogen Peroxide,” AIAA No. 2002-3853, AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, 2002.
3. Miller, K., Martin, T., Edwards, J., Heister, S., and Meyer, S., “Immersion Test Apparatus for Studying Monopropellant Decomposition with Various Catalysts,” AIAA-2002-3854, 38th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, Indianapolis, Indiana, July 2002.
4. Austin, B., Matthews, J., and Heister, S. D., “Engine/Injector Development for New Nontoxic, Storable, Hypergolic Bipropellants,” 13th Propulsion Engineering Research Center Annual Symposium on Propulsion, Huntsville, AL, 2001.
5. Wernimont, E. J. and Heister, S. D., “Combustion Experiments in a Hydrogen Peroxide/Polyethylene Hybrid Rocket with Catalytic Ignition,” Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 318–326, 2000.
6. Wernimont, E. J., and Heister, S. D., “A Reconstruction Technique for Reducing Hybrid Rocket Combustion Test Data,” Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 128–136, 1999.
7. Funk, J. E., Heister, S. D., Humble, R. W., and Purcell, N. L., “Development Testing of Non-Toxic, Storable, Hypergolic Liquid Propellants,” AIAA No. 99-2878, 35th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, 1999.
8. Rusek, J. J. and Heister, S. D., “Propulsion and Power Testing Capabilities at Purdue University,” 2nd International Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion Conference, Purdue University, 1999.
9. Heister, S. D., Wernimont, E. J., and Rusek, J. J., “High Test Peroxide Hybrid Rocket Research,” Hydrogen Peroxide Propulsion Workshop, Surrey England, July 1998. (See also: http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/EE/CSER/UOSAT/conf/sheister.htm)
10. Caravella, J. R., Heister, S. D., and Wernimont, E. J., “Characterization of Fuel Regression in a Radial Flow Hybrid Rocket,” Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 51–56, 1998.
11. Wernimont, E. J. and Heister, S. D., “Experimental Study of Chamber Pressure Effects in a Hydrogen Peroxide-Oxidized Hybrid Rocket,” AIAA No. 97-2801, 33rd AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, 1997.
12. Wernimont, E. J. and Heister, S. D., “Performance Characterization of Hybrid Rockets Using Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidizer,” AIAA No. 95-3084, 31st AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, 1995.
13. Ventura, M. and Heister, S. D., “Hydrogen Peroxide as an Alternative Oxidizer for a Hybrid Rocket Strap-on Booster,” Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 562–565, 1995.