Astronautics

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Ability to work with technical uncertainty
• Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader
• Apply skills in problem solving, communication, information retrieval, working with others and the effective use of general IT facilities
• Plan self-learning and improve performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understanding of concepts from a range of areas, including some outside engineering, and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them in a spacecraft engineering context
• Ability to identify, classify and describe the performance of systems and components of spacecraft subsystems through the use of analytical methods and modelling techniques
• Awareness of developing technologies related to Astronautics
• Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied to spacecraft subsystem design
• Understanding of, and the ability to apply, an integrated or systems approach to solving spacecraft systems engineering problems
• Contributes to a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin spacecraft engineering, and an understanding and know-how of the scientific principles of related disciplines, to enable appreciation of the scientific and engineering context, and to support understanding of relevant historical, current and future developments and technologies
• Understanding of appropriate codes of practice and industry standards
• Knowledge and understanding of the commercial, economic and social context of spacecraft engineering

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• C1/M1 Spacecraft are complex systems of systems (subsystems) with interdependencies requiring skill to understand such that designs may be optimised. Additionally, spacecraft design is heavily constrained (e.g., by cost and regulation) and requires an understanding of how such systems interact with and behave within the space environment. Often spacecraft are used to deliver vital data about the Earth or to provide critical infrastructure services (e.g., communications). Although spacecraft design is traditionally conservative, the rise of commercial (or “New Space”), has led to the rapid deployment of emerging technologies (e.g., for propulsion and sensing) and new environmental challenges (e.g., space debris). For the mission design assignment and final assessment students must demonstrate their ability to understand these issues and to apply a comprehensive knowledge of the broad topics to solve complex problems related to the design of spacecraft. C2/M2 For the mission design assignment students must identify elements of the spacecraft design where there may be a multiplicity of solutions but insufficient information to perform a formal evaluation leading to an optimal outcome. Students must use engineering judgement to make an appropriate selection and provide a rationale as part of the final reporting of the design. C3/M3 Students are provided with a set of simple computational models (in Microsoft Excel) for addressing some aspects of spacecraft or mission design. Additionally, analytical and semi-analytical approaches are developed within the module. For the mission design assignment and final assessment, students must choose and apply appropriate tools to understand and solve the complex spacecraft design problems. For the mission design assignment, students must provide a rationale for the approaches adopted and a reflection on their limitations. C5/M5 For the mission design assignment students must develop a design for a spacecraft mission by adopting a concurrent approach to the design and selection of components for the individual subsystems components that must function together to deliver the mission objectives, incorporating customer requirements and the consideration of constraints and the (possibly beneficial or detrimental) broad sustainability, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts. C6/M6 For the mission design assignment students must use a concurrent approach to the design of a spacecraft, recognising and addressing the interdependencies between the spacecraft subsystems and using robust systems engineering principles to identify and solve issues arising in the design. C13/M13 For the mission design assignment students must research and select appropriate materials, subsystem components, and technology and make appropriate configuration choices measured against the design and customer requirements and constraints. In the final assessment students will be assessed based on appropriate material, component, configuration, and process choices for examples of different spacecraft and missions. C15/M15 For the mission design assignment students must adopt a suitable management approach for the spacecraft design task based on organisational principles used within the space sector, typically featuring a systems engineering lead and several subsystems engineers working concurrently. Students must acknowledge and incorporate the commercial and regulatory drivers into their processes, recognising the need for suitable monitoring of key budgets, including cost, mass, power, and delta-V, and inclusion of an appropriate space debris mitigation plan (for missions in Earth orbits). For the final assessment students must also demonstrate their knowledge of the systems engineering approaches used within the space sector. C16/M16 The mission design assignment is completed as a group of up to 8 or 9 students. The students undertake a self-evaluation of personality and working strengths and weaknesses, reflecting on this to enable the appropriate division of subsystem design and systems engineering (leadership) tasks. Peer review and further self-reflection may be used to aid the marking process. C17/M17 For the mission design assignment students must identify key aspects of the spacecraft design task and provide a written and/or oral summary of a complex spacecraft design, making decisions about the inclusion of detail.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Investigate and define problems related to spacecraft systems engineering, identifying any constraints including environmental and sustainability limitations; ethical health, safety, security and risk issues; intellectual property; codes of practice and standards
• Understanding use of technical literature and other information sources

Introduction and Systems Engineering

Introduction to spacecraft subsystems, the design approach from an industrial perspective

Payload

Types, operation, interface requirement

Mission Analysis

Orbit selection, Keplerian (idealised) orbits, co-planar orbit transfers

Attitude Control

Spacecraft angular momentum, types of spacecraft stabilisation, the closed loop system and impacts on the spacecraft design

Propulsion

Types, fundamental performance parameters, chemical systems, electrical systems

Power

Power sources, solar arrays, power storage (batteries), sizing up the system component

Communications

Frequencies, encoding, modulation, bandwidth, the communications link analysis

Thermal Control

Material properties, spacecraft thermal balance, thermal control

A spacecraft design case study

A specific spacecraft type and mission (remote sensing) is treated as a case study to illustrate spacecraft design features. This case study includes:

Overview of Mission Objectives

Spacecraft Payload

Review of payload types suitable/available for proposed mission.

Selection of payload. Study of payload operation to provide a mission

and payload interface requirements.

Mission Analysis

Assessment of payload derived mission requirements to establish

candidate mission orbits. Orbit trade-off and mission specification.

Spacecraft System Design

Identification of subsystem design requirements, and system design

drivers. Establishment of candidate configurations. Feasibility study

phase trade-off. Selection of spacecraft configuration.

Subsystem Design

Overview of subsystem design, taking account of interactions and

drivers for the particular mission: attitude control, propulsion,

spacecraft power, thermal control, communications, structures.

Impact of ground segment and operations.

Coursework Briefing

Teaching methods will include lectures and coursework tutorial sessions. Learning activities include directed reading, problem solving, a presentation, and report writing.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Tutorial sheets

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Self-assessment
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.