ASTE 280 Spring 2008:
Astronautics and Space Environment I
3 units; 4:00-5:20 Tuesday and Thursday, GFS 116
Instructor:
Dan Erwin, RRB 222, (213) 740-5358,
erwin@usc.edu.
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-3, Thursdays 10-1, or by appointment.
Text: Course notes. To be posted in pdf form on this website.
Additional text (optional):
Francis J. Hale, Introduction to Space Flight.
Prentice Hall, 1994.
Additional material which may be useful:
R. R. Bate, D. D. Mueller and J. E. White, Fundamentals of Astrodynamics.
New York: Dover, 1971. (Cheap! Its only problem is the units -- it uses feet, slugs, etc.)
Midterm Exams: Thursday, February 28, in class. Thursday, April 3, in class.
Final Exam: Thursday, May 8, 4:30 PM-6:30 PM in the regular classroom
Homework: Assigned weekly. Due on Thursdays in class.
Grading: Homework, 15%; each midterm, 25%; final exam, 35%.
What you should already know:
Calculus through differential equations.
Physics: mechanics, electromagnetism, a little optics.
Enough about Matlab to write simple programs and make plots.
Course Material:
The times and topics given below are approximate.
We will see how things go and take more or less time on each topic as seems appropriate.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
|
1
|
01/15 & 01/17
|
Class organization.
Length scales: Solar system and astronomical unit.
Types of coordinate systems.
Spherical trigonometry laws and applications.
|
|
2
|
01/22 & 01/24
|
Rotations and rotation matrices.
Proofs of spherical trigonometry laws.
Translations and homogeneous coordinates.
|
|
3
|
01/29 & 01/31
|
Location of planets and stars in night sky.
Orientation angles: Euler, RPY.
|
|
4
|
02/05 & 02/07
|
Universal time and Julian date.
Sidereal and solar time.
Newtonian gravitation, circular orbits, escape velocity.
Two-body motion: angular momentum; energy and velocity on orbit.
Conic sections.
|
|
5
|
02/12 & 02/14
|
Time of flight and period of elliptical orbit.
Classical orbital elements.
|
|
6
|
02/19 & 02/21
|
Derivation of Kepler's laws.
Flight path angle.
Geostationary and Molniya orbits.
|
|
7
|
02/26 & 02/28
|
Orbital perturbations: regression of nodes, apsidal rotation.
Ground track.
Hyperbolic orbits.
Velocity in hyperbolic orbit.
Time of flight for hyperbolic orbit.
1st MIDTERM EXAM.
|
|
8
|
03/04 & 03/06
|
Field of view.
Orbital maneuvers.
Hohmann transfer.
Plane changes.
Fast transfers.
|
|
9
|
03/11 & 03/13
|
Gravity assist.
Interplanetary launch opportunities.
Oberth maneuver.
Departure hyperbola.
Launch window.
|
|
|
03/17-03/21
|
SPRING BREAK
|
|
10
|
03/25 & 03/27
|
Intro to vehicle performance.
Rocket equation.
Liquid- and solid-fueled rockets.
|
|
11
|
04/01 & 04/03
|
Specific impulse.
Optimal nozzle area.
Performance in air and gravity.
2nd MIDTERM EXAM.
|
|
12
|
04/08 & 04/10
|
Gravity turn.
Staging.
Launch sites.
|
|
13
|
04/15 & 04/17
|
Intro to attitude dynamics and control.
Gravity-gradient stabilization.
Thrusters and reaction wheels.
Rigid body dynamics.
|
|
14
|
04/22 & 04/24
|
Angular momentum.
Moments of inertia.
Transformation of time derivatives.
Realignment of spinning spacecraft.
Gyros.
|
|
15
|
04/29 & 05/01
|
Intro to space environment.
Atmosphere.
Ionosphere and communications.
Geomagnetic field.
Review.
|
