Rabinovitch Research Group

Combining Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Space Exploration!

Welcome!

In our research group, we combine an interest in space exploration with fundamental computational fluid dynamics research. Our areas of interest include investigating plume-surface interactions during powered descent of spacecraft, modeling supersonic parachute inflation, hybrid rocket propulsion for small satellites, and modeling geophysical phenomena, such as the plumes on Enceladus or Yardangs on Earth and Mars! We are always looking for new and exciting projects as well.

Interested in learning more about what we have been up to recently? Please see our Activities and News page!

A few recent highlights from the RRG:

• March 10th, 2025 - Prof. Rabinovitch attends The 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in the Woodlands, Texas, and presents a poster on the VATMOS-SR Mission Concept.

• March 1st, 2025 - The Rabinovitch Research Group, in collaboration with the Computational ThermoFluids Lab (CTFLab) at Cornell University, is excited to start working on the ONR-funded project “Advancing understanding of and predictive modeling capabilities for high-speed shock-induced droplet aerobreakup and surface damage.” This project is supported through the ONR Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics, High-Speed Propulsion and Materials Program and has a 4-year period of performance.

• Dec. 17th, 2024 - The paper “Sensitivity Analysis and Validation of a Computational Framework for Supersonic Parachute Inflation Dynamics” has been published in the AIAA Journal. The supersonic parachute FSI modeling work is a Stanford/JPL/Stevens collaboration.

• Nov. 27th, 2024 - The publication “Experimental and numerical investigation of inertial particles in underexpanded jets” is available open-acess in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics (JFM) - in volume 1000! This paper is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between Stevens, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University!

• Nov. 18th, 2024 - We are excited to announce that our proposal “To What Extent Does Enceladus' Plume Sample its Ocean: Insights from Conduit Flow Modeling” was recently selected for NASA funding through the Solar Systems Working (SSW) program. This work will be in collaboration with JPL and SWRI, and click here for more information!