Spacecraft
Design

AE 482

University of Southern California (USC)

Mike Gruntman's web sites on
Astronautics and Spacecraft Design:

• Spacecraft Design and Spacecraft Systems
• Books on Astronautics and Spacecraft Design and Spacecraft Systems
• USC Astronautics Program

Number of visitors since September 1, 1997:

Homework solutions:  see AE-501 web site

About the Course

• Spacecraft Design course (AE 482) is offered by the USC Astronautics Program.
• The class is usually taken by AE and other engineering and science undergraduate students.
• This class is a core requirement for the USC Astronautics Program.
• Instructor: Professor Mike Gruntman
• AE 482 is offered during the Spring Semester.
• AE 482 is a core class for the Bachelor of Science Degree in
  Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics).
• This class is a must for science and engineering students,
  regardless of major, considering work in space industry.

AE 482 Spacecraft Design

Course Outline

1. Organization of the class. Design Project.
   Introduction. History of space exploration. Units.
   Universe, galaxy, solar system. Introduction to plasma.
   Angular resolution. Error analysis.
2. Space environment. Hardness.
3. Space mission geometry; astrodynamics.
4. Orbit design. Basic orbits, perturbations, delta-V.
5. Spacecraft and mission design overview. Operations, launching facilities. Reliability.
6. Guidance, navigation and control; attitude determination; reaction control system.
   Global Positioning System.
7. Propulsion. Launch systems.
8. Payload integration. Introduction to communications; antennas.
9. Communication link.
10. TT & C; data handling.
11. Electric power systems.
12. Thermal control.
13. Structures and mechanisms.

REQUIRED TEXT

Space Mission Analysis and Design, ed. W.J.Larson and J.R.Wertz,
Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2nd or 3rd Edition.

The book is available in the softcover edition. The price should be around $50.
The best way to obtain the book is to purchase it directly
from the publisher, Microcosm Corp.:
tel. 310-726-4100, fax 310-726-4110
e-mail: microcosm@smad.com
URL http://www.smad.com

REQUIRED CLASS NOTES

Class Notes (600+ pages) are essential and mandatory to the course.
The notes are available electronically through 
USC Distance Education Network (DEN).

• 28% Midterm
• 28% Final
• 20% Homework
• 24% Term Paper

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Copyright © 2001 by Mike Gruntman. All rights reserved.