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Kevin M. Crosby is the Hedberg Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, director of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, and founder of Carthage’s Space Sciences program. Through these roles, he has built pathways that connect students, faculty, and external partners to aerospace research, innovation, and workforce development.

As director of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, Dr. Crosby leads a statewide NASA-supported program that creates opportunities for faculty, college students, and K-12 educators across Wisconsin through scholarships, research experiences, educator programs, workforce development initiatives, and partnerships with industry and government.

Dr. Crosby is also a visiting research scientist at NASA Johnson Space Center, where his work focuses on fluid physics, propellant management, and related spaceflight technologies. He is co-founder of Space for Teachers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding educator and student access to authentic space research experiences.

At Carthage, his work centers on leadership in space sciences and technical entrepreneurship, including the development of research programs, strategic partnerships, and initiatives that position Carthage as an active contributor to the evolving space economy.

Dr. Crosby came to Carthage in 1998 from the University of Northern Colorado, where he was a visiting assistant professor of physics.

Prof. Kevin Crosby CV

Media Mentions:

National Space Grant Foundation recognizes the Carthage team’s NASA TechLeap Prize win for microgravity ullage trapping technology. (National Space Grant Foundation, December 12, 2025)

Wisconsin Public Radio covers ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s $500,000 NASA TechLeap Prize for space technology research. (Wisconsin Public Radio, November 7, 2025)

Urban Milwaukee reports on ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students winning the competitive NASA TechLeap Prize for microgravity research. (Urban Milwaukee, November 9, 2025)

WGTD profiles Carthage Space Sciences students working on cutting-edge NASA problems in microgravity fluid dynamics. (WGTD, October 16, 2025)

Carthage Space Sciences Team Wins NASA TechLeap Prize ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students win $500K NASA TechLeap Prize for their work on microgravity ullage trapping technology. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, October 15, 2025)

Local college students take top honors in competitive NASA prize competition for space technology innovation. (Kenosha News, October 20, 2025)

Carthage Payload Launches on Blue Origin NS-35 Carthage Space Sciences team launches research payload aboard Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital rocket on mission NS-35. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, September 15, 2025)

Carthage Students Selected for MOSAICS Internship at Johnson Space Center Carthage Space Sciences student earns prestigious NASA internship at Johnson Space Center through the MOSAICS program. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, August 1, 2025)

NASA selects ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ for a STEM education grant tied to the Quesst supersonic research program. (NASA, June 11, 2025)

NASA funds collaboration with ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ to study bubble trapping behavior in microgravity environments. (NASA, August 12, 2024)

Wisconsin Private Colleges features Professor Kevin Crosby’s appointment to lead the Hedberg entrepreneurial studies program at Carthage. (Wisconsin Private Colleges, November 1, 2024)

Carthage physics professor recognized for entrepreneurial contributions to space technology commercialization. (Racine Journal Times, July 15, 2024)

The MPG technology developed by ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and NASA enters commercialization phase with major aerospace partners including Airbus and Intuitive Machines. (Parabolic Arc, August 31, 2022)

National Space Society features Carthage’s innovative program that flies K-12 teachers on NASA parabolic flights. (National Space Society, April 15, 2022)

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program selects ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ for continued suborbital research flights. (NASA, February 23, 2022)

Professor Kevin Crosby receives $650K NASA grant NASA awards ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ a $650,000 grant to continue propellant management research in microgravity environments. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, February 15, 2022)

Wisconsin teachers participate in NASA-sponsored parabolic flights through ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s Embedded Teacher Program. (Racine Journal Times, November 17, 2021)

Air & Space/Smithsonian profiles the Carthage student team whose research earned the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. (Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine, October 1, 2021)

Local educators selected to fly aboard a parabolic aircraft as part of ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s embedded teacher initiative with NASA. (Kenosha News, September 29, 2021)

NASA previews the upcoming Blue Origin New Shepard NS-17 mission, which includes ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s propellant gauging experiment. (NASA, August 20, 2021)

Professor Kevin Crosby leads Carthage students in conducting NASA-funded fluid dynamics experiments in zero gravity. (Racine Journal Times, February 23, 2021)

Carthage Space Sciences students fly aboard a parabolic aircraft to test microgravity fluid behavior for NASA. (Kenosha News, February 23, 2021)

NASA features the propellant slosh control and gauging technologies developed in partnership with ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. (NASA, November 1, 2020)

Carthage physics professor Kevin Crosby and his students receive a major NASA grant to advance space propellant research. (Urban Milwaukee, September 15, 2020)

Carthage inventors win prestigious Lemelson-MIT prize ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students are awarded the $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for their innovative space technology research. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, April 29, 2020)

MIT News announces ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ as a winner of the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventive research. (MIT News, April 29, 2020)

Local students recognized nationally for their innovations in space technology with the Lemelson-MIT award. (Racine County Eye, April 29, 2020)

Carthage experiment launches into space aboard Blue Origin rocket ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s propellant gauging experiment successfully launches to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-12 rocket. (ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ News, December 11, 2019)

BizTimes Milwaukee covers ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s historic suborbital launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle. (BizTimes Milwaukee, December 12, 2019)

Official press release announces the successful flight of ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s Modal Propellant Gauging experiment on Blue Origin. (PR Newswire, December 12, 2019)

ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ professor Kevin Crosby leads students to answer critical questions NASA has about fuel management in orbit. (Milwaukee Independent, September 3, 2019)

ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ professor Kevin Crosby and three students are working on how to measure fuel in zero gravity for NASA program. (Wisconsin Public Radio, August 28, 2019)

Professor Crosby and Celestine Ananda ’20 discuss Carthage’s research payload that flew on the latest Blue Origin launch in Texas. (Kenosha News, February 3, 2019)

NASA reports on parabolic flight test results for the Modal Propellant Gauging system developed with ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. (NASA, March 21, 2018)

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program documents ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s parabolic flight campaign aboard the C-9B aircraft. (NASA, June 15, 2015)

NASA reports on ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ student team’s suborbital rocket payload launched from Wallops Flight Facility. (NASA, June 21, 2014)

NASA announces ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ as one of two colleges nationally selected for all six years of the SEED microgravity program. (NASA, February 15, 2012)

The Racine Journal Times documents ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ students’ first NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program flights. (Racine Journal Times, April 6, 2011)

• Ph.D. — Physics, Colorado State University
• M.S. — Physics, University of California-Davis
• B.A. — Physics, Beloit College

Professor Crosby’s research focuses on low-gravity fluid dynamics and propellant management for spacecraft — a set of problems critical to long-duration human spaceflight, on-orbit refueling, and lunar and planetary missions. His group develops and tests Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG), a non-invasive technique that uses structural vibration analysis to precisely measure liquid propellant mass in microgravity, where conventional gauging methods fail. This work is conducted in partnership with NASA Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, and has been validated across multiple flight platforms including NASA parabolic aircraft, Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital vehicles, and sounding rockets. Related research threads include propellant slosh dynamics, microgravity bubble trapping and ullage management, and magneto-active slosh control systems. The program emphasizes hands-on student involvement at every stage, from laboratory development through flight operations.

Over $20M in external grants and contracts

NASA TechLeap Space Technology Challenge Award, Microgravity Ullage Trapping, 2025. $500,000.

Orr Reynolds Distinguished Service Award, American Society of Gravitation and Space Research, 2024.

NASA Science Mission Directorate Bridge Seed Program, Bubble Trapping and Ullage Formation in Microgravity, 2024-2026. $295,662.

First Place Award in international NASA Tank Venting Challenge competition, Who Let the Gas Out? 2024. $30,000.

NASA Office of STEM Engagement QCOSE Program, STEM QUESST X59 Community Overflight Planning Program, 2024. $40,000.

International Space Station National Laboratory NLRA-2023-5: Embedded Teacher Program, 2023-2025. $113,242. P.I.

International Space Station National Laboratory NLRA-2022-7: Embedded Teacher Program, 2022-2024. $96,835. P.I.

Space Force Orbital Prime Program: STTR Award for In-Space Mass Propellant Gauging System for On-Orbit Propellant Transfer and Refueling Missions, 2022-2023. $250,000. Co-I.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Non-invasive Detection of Liquid Propellant Location During Microgravity Transfer, 2022-2024. $730,000. P.I.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Propellant Refueling and On-orbit Transfer Operations. 2021-2023. $600,000.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Phase III MPG Re-flight and Embedded Teacher. 2020-2021. $144,795.

NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Program: MPG-ISS International Space Station Project. 2020-2021. $139,390.

NASA: Propellant Gauging in Gateway Architecture Vehicles. 2019-2021. $500,000.

NASA National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Lead Institution/Director, Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, 2014-2024. $7,407,755.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Magneto-Active Slosh Control System for Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles (2018-2019). $271,749.

NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project: Canopy Near-IR Observing Project (CaNOP), 2016-2018. $210,000.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Modal Propellant Gauging in Microgravity Phase III. $285,000.

National Space Grant Foundation: First Nations Launch Rocket Competition program 2014-2018. $600,000+.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Modal Propellant Gauging in Microgravity Phase II, 2016-2017. $173,134.

NASA Flight Opportunities Program: Modal Propellant Gauging in Microgravity, 2015-16. $126,000.

Midstates Math and Science Consortium: Janet Anderson Lecture Award, 2014.

NASA Cooperative Agreement STEM Persistence through Early Engagement with Balloon-Platform Research, 2014-2017. $485,844.

NSF Noyce STEM Teacher Training Grant: Community Alliance for STEM Teaching (CAST), 2014-2016. $299,131.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Research Seed Grant: Normal Field Instability in Ferrofluids in Microgravity, 2014. $15,587.

NASA: Microgravity Propellant Gauging Using Modal Analysis, 2013. $68,000.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Parabolic Flight Campaign: De-gassing FC_72 Using Radial Membrane Filtration, 2013. $5,700.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Fluid Mass Gauging in Spacecraft Propellant Tanks Using Modal Analysis, 2012. $41,550.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Using Real-time Modal Analysis to Determine Spacecraft Propellant Tank Volume, 2011. $3,000.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Modeling Propellant Slosh in the Orion Crew Module Downstream Propellant Tanks, 2010. $2,000.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Space Sciences Capstone Curriculum – Higher Education Initiatives Program, 2009. $16,000.

NASA Regional Space Grant: Repose Angles of Lunar Regolith in Reduced Gravity – NASA Reduced Gravity Flight Program, 2009. $2,500.

NASA Regional Space Grant: Team Participation in Rock-On Suborbital Payload Development and Launch, 2009. $8,000.

Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium: Inertial Filtration of Lunar Dust – NASA Reduced Gravity Flight Program, 2008. $2,500.

Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction: Advancing Science Knowledge (Middle School Science Education, co-P.I.) 2007. $100,000.

NSF-STC Grant: Education and Outreach under the Center for Adaptive Optics (co-collaborator), 2000. $50,000 (Carthage Portion).

NSF-DUE (CCLI) Grant: A Computation and Visualization Laboratory at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ (co-P.I.), 2000. $150,000.

NSF Travel Grant: Travel Grant to Bring Speakers to ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, 1999. $1000.

ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Faculty Research Grant: Seeing Science: Visualizing Complex Data, 1999. $2,000.

NSF-DUE Grant: Case Studies in the Introductory Physics Laboratory, 1998. $150,000.

40+ publications in peer-reviewed journals and proceedings.

Acoustic detection of the liquid–vapor interface in settled propellant tanks. K.M. Crosby, J. Wheeler, T. Steineke, S. Graves, E.A. Hurlbert. Acta Astronautica. 2025.

Liquid mass gauging during propellant transfer in microgravity. K.M. Crosby, E.A. Hurlbert, R.J. Werlink. Acta Astronautica. 2024.

Liquid Propellant Mass Measurement in Microgravity. Kevin M. Crosby, Rudolph J. Werlink, Eric A. Hurlbert. Gravitational and Space Research, Vol. 9. 2021.

Preliminary Results from the Modal Propellant Gauging Experiment on New Shepard P9. Kevin M. Crosby, Taylor Peterson, Cassi Bossong, Celestine Ananda, Nicholas Bartel, Megan Janiak, Sheila Franklin, Rudy Werlink. Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, Broomfield, CO. March 2020.

Modal Propellant Gauging: The Spectral Density Method. Kevin M. Crosby, Rudolph J. Werlink, Eric A. Hurlbert. AIAA SPACE 2020.

On-Orbit Propellant Transfer and Mass Gauging. Kevin M. Crosby. International Conference on Environmental Systems 2020, Lisbon, Portugal.

The CaNOP CubeSat Mission: Updates, Results, and Applications. Andrew Santangelo, Kevin M. Crosby. AIAA ASCEND 2020.

Design and Testing of a Field Gradient System to Control a Hybrid Magneto-active Slosh Control System. Manikanda Vairamani, Kevin M. Crosby, Pedro J. Llanos, Sathya N. Gandadharan, Nagendra Somanath. AIAA SCITECH 2020 Forum, Orlando, FL. January 2020.

Modal Propellant Gauging: High-resolution and non-invasive gauging of both settled and unsettled liquids in reduced gravity. K.M. Crosby, N.J. Williams, R.J. Werlink, E.A. Hurlbert. Acta Astronautica. 2019.

Modal Propellant Gauging: High-resolution and non-invasive gauging of both settled and unsettled liquids in reduced gravity. K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink, N. Williams, E. Hurlbert. 69th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Bremen, Germany. October 2018.

Non-Intrusive Zero-G and Settled Mass Gauging System using Piezoelectric Actuation and Sensing of Modal Response for Spacecraft Cryogenic or Earth Storable Propellants. K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink, N. Williams, E. Hurlbert. JANNAF Interagency Propulsion Committee, In-Space Chemical Propulsion Technical Interchange Meeting, Huntsville, AL. August 2018.

Modal Propellant Gauging in Low Gravity. K.M. Crosby, T. Rundle, K. LeCaptain, R. Werlink. AIAA SPACE 2016, AIAA SPACE Forum.

Zero Gravity Fuel Gauging Using Modal Analysis. K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink, S. Mathe, L. Lubick. 2013 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, Broomfield, CO. June 2013.

Experimental modal analysis of fluid volume in spacecraft propellant tanks in microgravity. S. Mathe, K. Lubick, K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink. 23rd Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2013.

Degassing of FC-72 in Microgravity. D. Weiland, K.M. Crosby, N. Hall. 23rd Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2013.

Modal Evaluation of Fluid Volume in Spacecraft Propellant Tanks. K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink, S. Mathe, K. Lubick. Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, Greenbelt, MD. October 2012.

Modal Evaluation of Fluid Volume in Spacecraft Propellant Tanks: Part II. S. Mathe, K. Anderson, A. Bakkum, K. Lubick, J. Robinson, D. Weiland, R. Werlink, K.M. Crosby. 22nd Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2012.

Modal Evaluation of Fluid Volume in Spacecraft Propellant Tanks: Part I. S. Finnvik, S. Metallo, J. Robinson, K.M. Crosby, R. Werlink. 21st Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2011.

Slosh Dynamics in the Orion Downstream Propellant Tank. K.M. Crosby, A. Bakkum, S. Finnvik, I. Fritz, B. Frye, C. Grove, K. Hartstern, S. Kreppel, K. Schultz, J.P. Braun. Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, Washington, D.C. September 2010.

A Space Sciences Capstone Curriculum at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½. K.M. Crosby. 20th Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2010.

Reduced Pressure Cyclone Separation Studies using Synthetic Lunar Regolith. J.R. Mackey, J.H. Agui, K.M. Crosby, B. Frye, T. Sietz. 40th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Barcelona, Spain. July 2010.

Scaling Relations for Repose Angles of Lunar Mare Simulants. K.M. Crosby, I. Fritz, S. Kreppel, E. Martin, C. Pennington, B. Frye, J. Agui. Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, Houston, Texas. November 2009.

Repose Angles of Lunar Mare Simulants in Microgravity. Isa Fritz, Samantha Kreppel, Kevin Crosby, Erin Martin, Caitlin Pennington, Brad Frye, Jose Monegato, J. Agui. 19th Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2009.

Computational Fluid Dynamical Model of a Cyclone Separator in Microgravity. K.M. Crosby, B. Frye. 18th Annual Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2008.

Measurements of the Collection Efficiency of an Air Cyclone in Lunar Gravity. K.M. Crosby, J. Agui, C. Pennington, E. Sorensen, E. Martin, I. Fritz, B. Frye. Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Proceedings. 2008.

Inertial Filtration of Lunar Dust in Reduced Gravity. K.M. Crosby et al. Joint Annual Meeting of LEAG-ICEUM-SRR. 2008.

Grain Boundary Diffusion in Nanocrystalline Copper under Tensile Stress. K.M. Crosby. arXiv. 2003.

Hands-on Demonstrations and Teaching Tools for Optics and Adaptive Optics. D.N. Arion, K.M. Crosby, D. Lyons, K. Rand, A. Randolph. Optical Society of America Proceedings. 2003.

New Physics in an Old Machine: Mechanics of the Trebuchet. K.M. Crosby, D. Lyons, C. Pinter, A. Randolph. Distributed with curriculum kits, Arbor Scientific. 2001.

Reinventing the Physics Major at a Small College. K.M. Crosby, D.N. Arion, J.M. Quashnock. AAPT Announcer, Vol. 30, No. 4. 2000.

Case Study Experiments in the Introductory Physics Curriculum. D.N. Arion, K.M. Crosby, E.A. Murphy. Physics Teacher. September 2000.

Pattern formation during delamination and buckling of thin films. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley. Physical Review E, Vol. 59, R2542. 1999.

Pattern Formation in Thin Film Failure. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley. Philosophical Magazine B, Vol. 78. 1998.

Fragmentation of Thin Films Bonded to Solid Substrates: Simulations and a Mean Field Theory. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley. Physical Review E, Vol. 55. 1997.

Simulations of Tensile Fracture in Thin Films Bonded to Solid Substrates. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley. Philosophical Magazine B, Vol. 76. 1997.

Electromigration-induced void drift and coalescence: Simulations and a dynamic scaling theory. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley, H. Boularot. Physical Review B, Vol. 56. 1997.

A Mean Field Theory of Athermal Martensite Growth. K.M. Crosby, R.M. Bradley. Philosophical Magazine Letters, Vol. 75. 1997.

Optical Properties and Laser Damage Measurements of Inorganic Polymer Films. G.H. Exarhos, K.M. Crosby. Laser Induced Damage in Optical Materials. 1989.