Space Mission Design Lecture 1 Class Notes
Course overview and policies
Introductions: I’ll get to know you and explain why I’m teaching this class
Course objective: To provide engineering students with the knowledge and skills to understand and design spacecraft, with emphasis on the systems required to sustain human life on board.
Goals: Mine are to:
Make you want to learn to design spacecraft system
Share my experiences with you
Inspire you to go do great things in our space program
You should aspire to learn about and understand:
Historical perspective of spaceflight
Lessons learned from actual experience in spacecraft
Current human space vehicles
Spacecraft system design details
The design process and trade studies
How to work as part of a design team
How to collaborate with other design teams
How to present your work and ideas
Expectations:
Mine are that you:
Attend class and participate in daily class work and current events discussions
Read assignments and other material - web site and current events
Do the assigned work
Learn from this class and my experience
Contribute to your group
Have fun
You should expect:
Organized, well presented classes
Class notes/outline
Guidance and mentoring
Access to help and assistance
To become a better engineer
A good grade if you do the work
Student Design Project:
Two semester sequence
Team meetings in lieu of some classes
Fall – Individual Research and Group Spacecraft System Project
Spring – Spacecraft group design proposal
Team project
Organization
Group oral presentation
Group written report
Based on NASA reference mission to Mars
Contact information:
My offices: Aerospace Engineering Bldg Room 329 Phone: 4-2894
Ramsay Hall 213A Phone: 4-2894 or 4-2308
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 – 12:00
Wednesday 9:-12:00
Web site: http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/voss/AERO4730.html NOTE: Case sensitive!
Includes course outline, schedule, links to information, class notes
Grading:
10%
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
Below 60% F
Quizzes
10%
Homework
25%
Exam
20%
Individual Research 20%
and Presentation
Group Project
15%
and Presentation
Peer Rating
5%
Class participation 5%
Why go to space?
Homework assignment 1 (Why go to space paper)
Human spaceflight has always required justification and has often been controversial for scientific, political and societal reasons. There are good arguments for including humans in space missions but there are equally valid reasons to use robotics or to not explore space at all, and use our national resources for other purposes.
Assignment:
Your assignment is to write a paper on the advantages and disadvantages associated with human space flight. You should answer the question:
Should the United States continue our human spaceflight program? If so, why and if not, why not?
You must come to a conclusion (yes or no) and defend your answer and be prepared to discuss your answer in class.
You should use facts, statistics, and reason, and if you want, feeling and emotion in your discussion of your answer and the pros and cons.
Administrative instructions:
The paper should be 3-5 pages in length not including the cover sheet, table of contents, and reference page.
The cover sheet should include the following centered on the page : Title of your paper, class name and number, your name, date.
You should include at least the following sections: cover sheet, introduction, a discussion of the question, discussion of your logic and rationale, conclusion, references.
The paper should be double spaced with margins of approximately 1 inch. Use 12 point font for the text.
References must be cited in the text of the paper and should be listed at the end of the paper in a standard accepted format.
Required references:
At least three from scholarly sources - books, technical journals, professor's space library.
The paper is due at the start of class on August 26, 2004.