• 48th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

    Huntsville, Alabama | May 2026.

    Sponsored and Organized by the Mechanisms Education Association.

    In co-operation with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin Space.

Call for Papers

The 48th AMS will be held in Huntsville, Alabama, USA in May 2026 and is Sponsored and Organized by the Mechanisms Education Association (MEA) in cooperation with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin Space. The deadline for abstract submission is 16th November 2025.

SUMMARIES AND PAPERS

Papers for presentation and publication are selected from summaries of approximately 1000 words plus figures (total of 4 pages maximum). Summaries are due 16 November 2025. The summary must include:

  • A clear description of what is to be presented. Minimize non-essential design information and emphasize what lessons will be presented, results and conclusions. Tell what is unique about the work and why your paper should be chosen.
  • Identify the status of the work; one of the following statements shall be included:
    • Concept only
    • Design/Analysis complete only
    • Engineering/Breadboard/Development testing complete only
    • Qualification testing complete only
    • Flight model built and testing complete only
    • Flown
  • Indicate whether the subject has been previously published.
  • One or two figures, preferably containing test data that supports important findings and photographs to illustrate the maturity of the work.
  • Indicate if the submission is to be considered only for a poster paper, only for a full paper, or either one.

Paper selection is based on the following criteria:

  • Ability to educate with “lessons learned” from development difficulties, ground tests, or flight anomalies. First preference is given to papers that discuss fully-developed, tested and/or flown space or aircraft mechanisms. Lessons learned are particularly important; such papers are often more valuable than reports of purely successful efforts since they help others avoid similar problems in the future. University student space project work is also highly encouraged and the Mechanisms Education Association may provide some registration/travel stipends for student authors.
  • Unique and innovative characteristics of design solutions.
  • Quality, general usefulness, and lasting value of the information to be presented.

More details can be found on the Call for Papers page or download the updated Call-for-Papers pdf for more details of the symposium objectives and abstract details.

Download 2025 Call For Papers (pdf)

Registration for the 47th AMS will open in 2024

REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN SPRING 2024

Virtual, On line via WWW

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic

Because of the on-going uncertainty over the Covid-19 pandemic the AMS organizing committee have taken the decision to switch from a face-to-face symposium to a virtual symposium similar to that used by ESA for the ESMATS symposium in 2021. The 46th AMS symposium will use an on-line tool that will allow delegates to participate in the symposium in a virtual environment that replicates the face-to-face environment. Delegates will be able to listen to and watch presentations, ask questions and engage with presenters and other delegates in chat rooms in a manner similar to that of a face-to-face symposium.

The 46th AMS symposium will, as usual, be supported by a series of training courses that delegates can sign up to at the time of registration. These will also be on-line in a virtual classroom.

Pre-event Courses

Fundamentals of Space Vehicle Mechanisms

May 13 – 14, 2024

Learn More

Compliant Mechanism Design Course

May 13 – 14, 2024

Learn More

Rolling-Element Bearings: Fundamentals and Mechanics

May 13 – 14, 2024

Learn More

What is the purpose of the Symposium?

The Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium is concerned with the problems of design, fabrication, test, and operational use of aerospace mechanisms. Emphasis is on hardware developments. The symposium provides both a social and technical forum for personnel active in the field of mechanisms technology, as well as providing a source of information for others with an interest in this field. The symposium is sponsored by the Mechanisms Education Association. It is hosted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Lockheed Martin Space. The symposium site rotates among eight NASA centers and the symposium attracts papers and attendees internationally.

Read History

The 46th AMS has been changed to an on-line virtual symposium and the deadline for abstract submission has been extended to 3rd December, 2021 – Submit your abstract now! Download the updated Call-for-Papers pdf below for more details of the symposium objectives and abstract details.

Download 2022 Call For Papers (pdf)

Registration for the 46th AMS will open in 2022

REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN 2022

Virtual, On line via WWW

Impact of Covid-19 pandemic

Because of the on-going uncertainty over the Covid-19 pandemic the AMS organizing committee have taken the decision to switch from a face-to-face symposium to a virtual symposium similar to that used by ESA for the ESMATS symposium in 2021. The 46th AMS symposium will use an on-line tool that will allow delegates to participate in the symposium in a virtual environment that replicates the face-to-face environment. Delegates will be able to listen to and watch presentations, ask questions and engage with presenters and other delegates in chat rooms in a manner similar to that of a face-to-face symposium.

The 46th AMS symposium will, as usual, be supported by a series of training courses that delegates can sign up to at the time of registration. These will also be on-line in a virtual classroom.

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Aerospace Mechanisms Symposia