Interplanetary Spacecraft and Satellite Engineering

Explore space vacuum effects like ultraviolet degradation and polymer outgassing that threaten spacecraft materials. Learn how no convection and Newton's first law demand onboard stabilization and clean manufacturing.

Explore Earth's atmospheric layers from troposphere to exosphere, their temperature trends and altitude-dependent composition, and how atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit degrades polymers and threatens spacecraft electronics.

Define orbital mechanics and its role in mission design and transfers. Identify six orbital parameters: semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, longitude of ascending node, argument of periapsis, and true anomaly.

Explore earth-based orbits, including low earth orbit, medium earth orbit, and geostationary orbit, with a focus on orbital periods, coverage, and trade-offs for satellite missions.

Explore Lambert's problem and how delta-v, propulsion, and transfer time shape interplanetary transfers from Earth to Mars. Learn how flybys and gravity assists optimize propulsion and orbit design.

Explore space propulsion fundamentals, defining delta-V, Newton's third law, and thrust as space robots accelerate to change orbits; compare chemical, electric, and nuclear propulsion and outline mission-specific requirements.

Discover chemical rocket propulsion: propellants burn in a combustion chamber to produce high thrust. Learn how specific impulse, mass flow, and nozzle design affect performance, with liquid and solid propulsion examples like SpaceX and Saturn V engines.

Learn electric propulsion, using high specific impulse and low thrust to accelerate ions with electricity for orbital changes, maintenance, and attitude control, with examples from deep space missions.

Nuclear thermal rockets achieve high specific impulse by heating liquid hydrogen in a reactor and expelling it through a nozzle, enabling faster Mars trips amid material and safety challenges.

Explore how spacecraft antennas transmit and receive electromagnetic waves, relate frequency and wavelength to antenna size, and compare isotropic, omni directional, and high-gain directional designs.

Explore the architecture of satellite links, from modulation and upconversion to encoding, amplification, and satellite repeaters, and analyze uplink and downlink paths through space and atmosphere.

Explore attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) for spacecraft, defining attitude and the roll and pitch axes, sensors, onboard computer, and actuators in a closed-loop to achieve a desired orientation.

Explore attitude determination using gyroscopes, magnetometers, sun sensors, horizon sensors, telescopes, and star trackers, and learn how optical and infrared methods calibrate spacecraft orientation for control.

Explore spacecraft attitude control actuators: momentum wheels, control moment gyros, magnetic torquers, and thrusters, and learn how angular momentum changes enable precise three-axis orientation.

Explore solar arrays that convert solar flux into power, using deployable and body-mounted designs. Learn how triple-junction gallium arsenide cells maximize energy and how temperature and orbital cycles affect efficiency.

Compare primary (one-shot, high energy density, for deployment and separation) and secondary (rechargeable, auxiliary power during shadow) batteries, and design for shadow duration, charging rate, and cycle life.

Explore radioisotope thermoelectric generators (rtg) that convert plutonium-238 decay heat into electricity via the Seebeck effect, powering distant spacecraft without solar panels.