Paul F. Brewster

About

Paul F. Brewster is a leading aerospace engineer whose work is central to the future of planetary exploration, specializing in lidar sensor technology for autonomous precision landing and hazard detection. His major contributions involve the development and flight testing of advanced 3-D Flash Lidar systems, which enable spacecraft to safely navigate hazardous terrain during landing on other worlds. Brewster’s research has been instrumental in proving that these sensors can, in real time, build digital elevation maps, identify safe landing sites, and guide autonomous rockets—a capability demonstrated for the first time during flight tests on NASA’s Morpheus lander. His most cited paper (14 citations) details a helicopter flight test of a compact, real-time Flash Lidar, while subsequent work (9 citations) marks the first-ever use of such a sensor to autonomously guide a rocket-propelled lander to a safe touchdown in a lunar-like hazard field. Brewster’s cumulative work, with over 35 citations across his top papers, has directly advanced NASA’s next-generation landing missions, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for robotic and human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Helicopter Flight Test of a Compact, Real-Time 3-D Flash Lidar for Imaging Hazardous Terrain during Planetary Landing

   14 citations · 2013
2. 2
   3-D Flash Lidar Performance in Flight Testing on the Morpheus Autonomous, Rocket-Propelled Lander to a Lunar-Like Hazard Field

   9 citations
3. 3
   Lidar Sensor Performance in Closed-Loop Flight Testing of the Morpheus Rocket-Propelled Lander to a Lunar-Like Hazard Field

   5 citations
4. 4
   Lidar Sensor Performance in Closed-Loop Flight Testing of the Morpheus Rocket-Propelled Lander to a Lunar-Like Hazard Field

   4 citations · 2015
5. 5
   Advancing Lidar Sensors Technologies for Next Generation Landing Missions

   3 citations

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links