SpacecraftSystem
Design
ASTE 520
AstronauticsNow.com/aste520 – ASTE520 Spacecraft Design
Spacecraft
System
Design
ASTE 520
ASTE
520 in Fall 2008 semester:
all
course materials will be posted on the class web site at
DEN in late August.
In the
meantime, you can get the information about the course from the first lecture in
Fall
2007 semester:
ASTE 520 – First lecture and detailed information
Past. ASTD usually offered ASTE520 Spacecraft Design in spring semesters. In academic year 2007–2008, the course was offered in the fall 2007 semester because of my sabbatical leave.
Now. In 2008-2009 academic year, ASTE520 Spacecraft Design will be offered both semesters, fall 2008 and spring 2009.
Mike Gruntman's web site on
Astronautics and Spacecraft DesignRecommended books (textbooks and monographs) on Astronautics, Spacecraft Design, and Spacecraft Systems
USC Astronautics and Space Technology Division (BS, BS Minor, MS, Engineer, and PhD Degrees in astronautical engineering; Graduate Certificate in astronautical engineering)
Astronautics Program brochure (slightly outdated)
For fun: Sputnik 1 Explorer 1 Vanguard 1
Special Lecture – 1 hr 10 min
The Road to Space. The First Thousand Years.Fifty years ago in October of 1957, the first artificial satellite of the Earth was launched into space. The lecture focuses on the history of the events that led us to the space age.
Useful video clips – Space Mission Design and Spacecraft Design
Video clips of interest to space mission design and to spacecraft design.
Mike's book Blazing the Trail. The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry (published by AIAA in 2004) received the Luigi Napolitano Award from the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in 2006.
From Astronautics to Cosmonautics – book published in 2007
About the Course ASTE 520
Spacecraft System Design course (ASTE 520) is offered by the USC Astronautics and Space Technology Division (ASTD).
This class is usually taken by astronautical engineering, aerospace engineering, and other science and engineering graduate students.
This class is a core requirement for the MS degree in Astronautical Engineering (code ASTE).
The class is a broad introduction into fundamentals of main spacecraft subsystems and their interplay.
This class is a must for science and engineering students,
regardless of their major, considering careers in the space industry
and government space research and development centers.
This
is a very popular class, perhaps the largest graduate class on fundamentals of
space systems in the United States.
Instructor: Professor Mike Gruntman (detailed bio)
In the past, ASTD usually offered ASTE 520 in spring semesters. In academic year 2008-2009, the course is offered in both semesters, fall 2008 and spring 2009. Always check the class schedule.
ASTE 520 is webcast and available through the USC Distance Education Network (DEN). DEN classes are taken by students pursuing graduate degrees (especially Master of Science) anywhere in the United States. In 2005-2007, students from more than 10-14 states of the United States enrolled each year in Mike's ASTE 520.
Many our students work full time in major space companies and space government research and development centers (Aerospace Corporation, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Boeing, UT, Space and Missiles Systems Center, etc.), in small companies, and are on active duty. There is growing enrollment into the astronautical engineering program of students not affiliated with companies (on an individual basis).
More information on the history, focus, and organization of the USC Astronautics program
To get more information on ASTE-520, other astronautics-related courses, USC graduate and undergraduate programs in Astronautical Engineering, and on DEN, please consult the astronautics web site at http://astronautics.usc.edu for contact information.
Course Outline
Organization of the class.
Introduction. History of space exploration. Units.
Universe, galaxy, solar system. Introduction to plasma.Space environment. Hardness.
Space mission geometry; astrodynamics.
Orbit design. Basic orbits, perturbations, delta-V.
Spacecraft and mission design overview. Operations, launching facilities. Reliability.
Guidance, navigation and control; attitude determination; reaction control system.
Global Positioning System.Propulsion. Launch systems.
Introduction to communications; antennas.
Communication link.
TT & C; data handling.
Electric power systems.
Thermal control.
Structures and mechanisms.
Only for Students enrolled in Mike's ASTE 520
REQUIRED CLASS NOTES
Class Notes (800+ pages) are essential and mandatory to the course.
The notes are available for download at DEN's web site of ASTE520 in the beginning of the semester.
Start with reading the "readme.pdf" file for instructions.
Usually, the full set of notes is ready before the first class meeting. The full set of homework assignments will be available by the end of the first month of the semester.
To access the class web site at DEN, all students enrolled in the class (including all on-campus students) must register with DEN.
Note that the notes are protected with password that can be obtained from the instructor by returning the student survey form.
The survey is in Section 00 of the class notes. This section (see the first lecture – link below) is not password-protected.
Please, download the first lecture before the first class meeting.
From Fall 2007 ASTE 520 – First lecture and detailed information
Required text
Space Mission Analysis and Design, ed. W.J. Larson and J.R. Wertz,
Kluwer Academic Publishers and Microcosm, 2nd or 3rd Edition.
The book is available in the softcover edition. The price should be $50-60.
A convenient way to obtain the book is to purchase it directly from the publisher.Many other textbooks and monographs – recommended by the instructor –
on various aspects of astronautics and space technology are listed at
http://astronauticsnow.com/AstroBooks/
Homework
There are 30-36 homework assignments.
Late homework is graded with grades reduced by a 50% factor.
Grading policy for ASTE 520 (subject to change)
40% Midterm
40% Final
20% Homework
Mike Gruntman's web site (400,000+ visitors since launch) on
Astronautics and Spacecraft Design
Updated in
May 2008
To send e-mail to Mike Gruntman
Copyright © 2000–2008 by Mike Gruntman. All rights reserved.