3 units. Spacecraft Mission Design and Implementation.
Description of Course
This course will provide an overview of NASA and international planetary exploration. The focus is on the development and implementation of planetary robotic exploration missions. The instructor is the Principal Investigator for the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, which successfully collected a sample from near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2020. All aspects of mission development and operations will be covered including political, scientific, engineering, management, and resources.
Course Format and Teaching Methods
The course will be a combination of seminar-style lectures, assigned reading, and group projects. The group projects will focus on the development of science and engineering requirements and design for a planetary exploration mission. Final grades will be calculated based on classroom attendance, participation in in-class discussion, and the quality of the work demonstrated in the group-project reports.
Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes
The primary outcome of this course is for the students to gain an understanding of all aspects of planetary mission design. Spacecraft mission development will be presented as a multi-faceted challenge that involves political processes, scientific investigation, engineering disciplines, and project management.