Professor Gilchrist was a Co-Investigator on the 1992 high-energy electron beam CHARGE-2B tethered rocket experiment with responsibility for the science design of its neutral gas payload charge-neutralization experiment. He participated in both the VCAP Experiment on the Spacelab-2 Shuttle mission and the CHARGE-2 tethered rocket experiment which was a conducting tether experiment testing some of the TSS concepts.
His doctoral research at Stanford University was divided into two primary areas: a) investigations of electrodynamic effects due to electron beam and neutral gas emissions into a space plasma; and, b) radar and theoretical investigations of energetic electron beam generated artificial plasma density structures in the ionosphere using rockets and spacecraft. His masters thesis research, sponsored in part by a General Electric Fellowship, at the University of Illinois involved implementing an ionospheric total electron content radio measurement experiment optimized for nighttime application in the E and lower F regions of the ionosphere. The experiment was based on Faraday rotation, using a ground based HF transmitter, rocket borne receiver, and digital signal processing to extract the desired signals.
Professor Gilchrist has also held both technical and supervisory positions in industry (Watkins-Johnson Company) over a twelve-year period associated with microwave integrated circuit and subsystem design for radar and ecm applications. Research activities included: phased array radar, low-noise amplifiers, phase-shifters, and microwave sample-and-hold circuits.
Research Experience | Patents | Awards, Honors, and Recognitions | Publications |