Course syllabus

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RRY016 Space science and techniques lp2 HT20 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Space, Earth and Environment

 

Contact details

Lecturers and examiners:

Arto Heikkilä (AH), lecturer and examiner, arto.heikkila@chalmers.se, tel. 031–772 5723

Rüdiger Haas  (RH),  lecturer, rudiger.haas@chalmers.se, tel. 031–772 5530

Karine Le Bail (KL), lecturer, karine.lebail@chalmers.se, tel.

Teaching assistant:

Periklis Diamantidis (PD), periklis.diamantidis@chalmers.se, tel. 031-772 5575

Administrators:

Paulina Sjögren,  paulina.sjogren@chalmers.se, tel. 031-772 1579

Robin Garnham, robin.garnham@chalmers.se , tel. 031-772 6530

 

Offices:

Arto has an office ("Rum 4320") at the Department of Space, Earth and Enviroment (Campus Johanneberg) and at Campus Lindholmen. Rüdiger, Karine and Periklis have their main offices at the Onsala Space Observatory, and share an office at the Department of Space, Earth and Enviroment (“Rum 4354”).

 

Student representatives and course evaluation

Federico Corazza, Amritha Rajan, Isac Rydbjer, Panagiotis Strikos, Yagnasri Eswarasai Pavankumarreddy Telluri
                           

The student representatives have been randomly selected by the programme administration.

The course will be evaluated using the standard procedure at Chalmers, see information about the course evaluation procedure: Course evaluation at Chalmers

There will be a short meeting between teachers and student representatives in the middle of the course. There will be a questionnaire and a meeting after the course.

 

Aim of the course

After the course, the students will be able to understand the complexity of spacecraft systems, the space environment and its effect on spacecraft, and how spacecraft are used for scientific and commercial purposes. Students will be able to perform basic calculations in spacecraft systems engineering (especially orbit and link budget calculations), and be ready for deeper studies of various aspects of space science and technology.

 

Schedule

Time Edit RRY016

 

Course literature

              

  • “Spacecraft Systems Engineering”, P. Fortescue, G. Swinerd & J. Stark (eds.), Wiley, 4th edi­tion (2011). Can be bought at Cremona. Also available on-line as an e-book at Chalmers Library. See separate reading instructions for details. The 3rd edi­tion (2003) can also be used.
  • “Lecture notes on the space environment and its effect on spacecraft”, M. Thomasson. Available electronically in Ping Pong. See separate reading instructions for details.
  • Excerpts from “The Space Environment”, A.C. Tribble, Princeton Univ. Press (2003) on plasma physics.
  • Other material to be posted on the web site handed out during lectures (or) includes important concepts, exercises and an exercise plan, student mission instructions and fact sheet, formulae, and some notes related to satellite orbits.

 

 

Course design

The teacher supported learning activities are lectures, problem solving sessions, (compulsory) group work. Also there is an ambition to invite guest lecturers from the industry. The majority of  activities will be done remotely via Zoom. A possible exception is the group work: It is not yet decided if they will be run completely remotely, or as a combination of physical meetings (for those students who can be present) and remote sessions. In any case it will be possible to follow the course completely remotely for those who wish it.

 

A weekly schedule about the content of these activities:

Information about the group work: 

 

Changes made since the last occasion

Transition to remote teaching and learning, i.e. large parts of the course has been launched to cyberspace.

 

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

  • Give examples of applications of space techniques and discuss its role in the society. Discuss ethical aspects, and consequences of the digitalization of society, from a space techniques point of view. 
  • Describe which subsystems a satellite has and what they are used for.
  • Analyse satellite orbits using Kepler's laws and related equations.
  • Sketch and analyse a ground track.
  • Perform azimuth and elevation calculations.
  • Explain perturbations on orbits and how they are used or counteracted for practical orbits.
  • Describe how a rocket works and give advantages and disadvantages with different types of rockets.
  • Use the rocket equation for orbit transfer calculations.
  • Perform a link budget calculation.
  • Describe the motion of a charged particle in an electromagnetic field.
  • Define a plasma and explain the concepts plasma oscillations and Debye shielding.
  • Describe the near-Earth environment.
  • Describe space environmental effects on spacecraft and spacecraft design.
  • Perform simple calculations related to space environmental effects, in particular Single Event Effects. 
  • Calculate the equilibrium temperature of a satellite.
  • Perform reliability calculations on simple systems. Give examples of methods to increase the reliability of a spacecraft system.
  • Use computer based tools to study ground track and space environmental effects on spacecraft.

 

Link to the syllabus on Chalmers' Study Portal: RRY016 Syllabus

 

RRY016 is  a joint course (Chalmers and Göteborgs Universitet (GU)).

The corresponding course code at GU is ASM470. Link to the syllabus at Göteborgs Universitet: ASM470 syllabus

 

Examination

  • Written exam. Wednesday, 13 January 2021, 14.00–18.00 (re-exam in 9 April 2021, 8.30-12.30 and 23 August 2021, 14.00-18.00). The exam will contain both essay questions and calculations. You may use a calculator with cleared memory, Physics Handbook and Mathematics Handbook. A sheet of useful formulae will be provided.
  • The compulsory student mission group work with hand-in assignments (see separate information here on the course wepage).

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due