Robotic Systems Laboratory

formerly known as the Santa Clara Remote and Extreme Environments Mechanisms (SCREEM) Laboratory

  

Spring 2008 Courses

 

MECH/ENGR 371 Space System Design and Engineering I

This is being offered as a 4-unit course with a scheduled class time of W 5-9 pm.  The course will be taught in the CREST building (either in the main classroom or in the atrium, depending on class size), which is Building 583c in the NASA Research Park.  Directions. 

This is the 1st class in a two course sequence.  You do NOT have to take 371 prior to taking this class (note that the intro lecture during Week 1 may be a bit repetitive for students who have taken 371 since we need to spend a little time to bring new students in the sequence up to speed on the basic elements of space systems).

Note that this is a 4-unit class.  Standard graduate classes at SCU are 2 units.  This means that this course is equivalent to taking two normal 2-unit courses at once - be advised that the workload will reflect this.

The official course descriptions for each course in this sequence are:

• MECH / ENGR 371 Space Systems Design and Engineering I:  A review of the engineering principles, technical subsystems, and design processes that serve as the foundation of developing and operating spacecraft systems.  This course focuses on subsystems and analyses relating to orbital mechanics, power, command and data handling, and attitude determination and control.  Note: MECH 371 and 372 may be taken in any order. (4 units)

• MECH / ENGR 372 Space Systems Design and Engineering II:  A review of the engineering principles, technical subsystems, and design processes that serve as the foundation of developing and operating spacecraft systems.  This course focuses on subsystems and analyses relating to mechanical, thermal, software, and sensing elements.  Note: MECH 371 and 372 may be taken in any order. (4 units)

There are no prerequisites other than having graduate standing in the SCU engineering program. We will have students from a wide range of engineering fields: mechanical, electrical, computer, etc.  Having graduate standing means that you have had experience and can apply standard undergraduate knowledge in engineering across a number of fields to include basic electronics, basic statics, and basic programming.  You will be expected to understand mathematics through differential equations and on occasion other more advanced topics.  In addition, we will occasionally make use of modern engineering tools such as Matlab/Simulink; as a graduate student you are expected to be able to learn the basics of using such tools on your own if you don't already have experience doing so.

Lockheed Martin has agreed to provide a set of auxiliary instructors to provide some lecture content relating to specific case studies, lessons learned, and other content directly related to industrial application. In fact, this course is a requirement for students in the Lockheed ELDP program.

The primary text is Understanding Space by Seller, but it will be supplemented by other references, such as spacecraft design texts by Piscane, Fortescue, Agrawal, Wertz & Larson, etc.  Lecture material will be compiled in Powerpoint slides available for download.

Grading will be based primarily on a number of homework assignments, a personal research paper/presentation, and a final examination.

Many of the students who enroll in this class will be working full-time.  I understand that many of you will have travel commitments.  While I want to accommodate students in this situation, the size of the class (we expect ~ 30 or more) makes individual arrangements for handling these situations impractical.  In general, you will be expected to review missed material with other students (I encourage you to form a study group), and you will generally have 2 weeks to submit homework; your lowest homework grade will be dropped, allowing you to use this to your advantage in balancing course requirements with other activities in your life.  Undergraduates interested in taking this class should consult with Dr. Kitts; in general, your GPA must be strong, and preference may be given to students in the 5-year Co-op program and/or students involved in SCU's satellite development projects.

 

MECH 379 Satellite Operations Laboratory

This course introduces analysis and control topics relating to the operation of on-orbit spacecraft.  Several teaching modules address conceptual topics to include mission and orbit planning, antenna tracking, command and telemetry operations, resource allocation, and anomaly management.  Students will become certified to operate real spacecraft and will participate in the operation of both orbiting satellites and ground prototype systems. This is a 1-unit graduate class.

The class will be taught on a TBA basis.  There are 3 lecture sections: A -Introduction to Satellite Operations (waived for students in either MECH 371 or 372), B - Engineering Overview of SCU Space Systems, and C - Operational Procedures.  In addition, students will participate in multiple satellite contacts during which commands and telemetry operations are conducted with real spacecraft and ground prototypes.

Students showing an acceptable level of proficiency in conducting operational procedures will become certified members of the SCU mission operations team, which manages on-orbit control of several NASA spacecraft.

 
MECH 296 - Special Topics in Dynamics and Control: Introduction to Space Entrepreneurship

The Space Age began 50 years ago with the flight of Sputnik. This small mission catalyzed an international space race leading to humankind's first steps beyond its home planet, missions to observe all the planets in our solar system and our first detailed look back upon our own home world. In the past decade a new movement has begun, which promises to greatly broaden access to space through privately-financed rockets, space hotels, and a new space industry in such areas as biotechnology.

Introduction to Space Entrepreneurship will give the student an overview of the rapidly-changing entrepreneurial space industry through a series of lectures on key aspects such as spacecraft design, systems engineering, space applications, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business and finance fundamentals. As a major part of the course, students will conceive an idea for a potential space business and in teams, go through a business planning process to result in a final presentation of their company business plan to experts.

The course will be co-instructed by two engineers from NASA Ames Research Center who have been integral in NASA's recent efforts to stimulate and collaborate with privately-financed space initiatives.

The course will be offered on Tuesdays from 5-7 pm in the CREST Building, which is Building 583c in the NASA Research Park.  Directions.