MAE 146  ASTRONAUTICS

Spring Quarter 2003

 

 

Course Description:

MAE146 Astronautics (Credit Units: 4) S. Motion in gravitational force fields, orbit transfers, rocketry, interplanetary trajectories, attitude dynamics and stabilization, navigation, reentry, the space environment. Prerequisite: MAE80. (Design units: 1)

 

 

Resources:

Spaceflight Dynamics, W. Wiesel, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, 1997.                    

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, R.R. Bate, D.D. Mueller, J.E. White, Dover, 1971.

 

Course Objectives:

Introduce students to the major issues of astronautics and spacecraft dynamics.

 

Course Schedule:

Lecture: Time, Place: MW 2:00-3:50p, EIC 122

Discussion: Time, Place: F 3:00-3:50p, CS 259

 

Instructor:

Professor Melissa Orme

Office Hours:  Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 – 3:00

 Engineering Gateway 3227

Tel: (949) 824-8148

Email:  melissao@uci.edu

 

TA:  Reza Moghbel 

office hours: 11:00 – 12:00 Friday, EG 2123  

email:  rmoghbel@uci.edu

 

 

Add Drop Policy:

Add/Drop for all Engineering courses has been changed to the end of week 2  (April 12, 2002).

 

Attendance Policy:

Attendance is not required, however each student is responsible for the subject matter covered in lectures (which may not necessarily be covered in the textbook).  The instructor’s lecture notes will NOT be made available to students and audio or video taping of the lectures is not permissible.

 

Grading Policy:

Homework 15%

Midterm 30%

Design Project 20%

Final Exam 35%

 

 

Your grade is based largely on your position in the class, ranked by your total score. I do take into account the pattern of your scores in assigning final grades for the course. Hence, a poor start can be overcome by a strong finish.

     I expect and encourage students to work in groups on homework assignments and design projects. Discussion on how to approach problems, both in interpretation and solution, is an important part of the learning process. But I also expect that the homework that you turn in is your own work. It is acceptable that your homework solutions have been influenced by your group discussions. It is not acceptable for you to turn in a copy of someone else’s work.

     Unless otherwise stated, homework is due at the beginning of class one week after it is assigned. Late homework is not accepted.

 

Academic Honesty:

Please refer to the section of the Spring Quarter Schedule of Classes entitled “Academic Honesty.”  All of the language pertaining to “cheating,” “dishonest conduct,” and ‘plagiarism” applies to this course and violations of academic honesty will be dealt with according to UCI Senate Policy stated therein. 

 

Lecture Topics:

The following is a preliminary outline of the course progress. Actual progress may vary depending on feedback from the active course participants. Variations in the schedule will also occur in order to view four PBS video tapes on Spaceflight.

WEEK 1 

Introductory remarks, vertical structure of the earth’s atmosphere, solar system, historical background of orbital motion. Chapter 9

WEEK 2 

Newtons laws, particle dynamics, systems of particles, angular momentum, the n-body problem, Keplers laws, the two body problem, Chapter 1 §1.9 - 1.14, Chapter 2, § 2.1, 2.2

WEEK 3 

The orbit equation, escape speed, conic sections, Keplers equation, orbital elements, position and velocity, orbit determination and satellite tracking. Chapter 2 § 2.3 - 2.10

WEEK 4 

Earth Satellite Operations: Hohmann transfer, inclinination change maneuvers, Chapter 3 § 3.1 - 3.3

WEEK 5 

Launch to rendezvous, relative motion and rendezvous, decay lifetime, earth oblateness effects, low thrust orbit transfer Chapter 3 § 3.4 - 3.8

WEEK 6 

Rocketry: the rocket equation, propulsion technology, Ch 7 § 7.1 - 7.3

Midterm

WEEK 7 

Rocketry: multistage rockets, Two multistage rockets, tradeoff ratios, the sounding rocket Chapter 7

WEEK 8 

Rocketry: gravity turn trajectories, the aerospace plane, Interplanetary Trajectories: sphere of influence, launch windows, departure and arrival, Chapter 7 and 11

WEEK 9 

Interplanetary Trajectories: synodic periods, departure and arrival, planetary flyby Chapter 11

WEEK 10 

Reentry dynamics, steep ballistic reentry, ballistic orbital reentry, skip reentry, aerobraking, Chapter 8

 

Computer Usage:

Computers will be used for homework assignments and design project.

 

Lab Projects:

None

 

Professional Component:

Contributes toward the Mechanical Engineering Topics experience.

 

 

Objectives: 

Obj-MAE 1, Obj-MAE 2, Obj-MAE 3, Obj-MAE 5

 

 

Outcomes:

Out-MAE (a), Out-MAE (c), Out-MAE (e), Out-MAE (g),  Out-MAE (j), Out-MAE (k), Out-MAE (l)

 

 

Program Criteria:

Crit-AE 2, Crit-AE 3

 

 

Design Content Description:

A design project (worth 20% of the total grade) is a four week project in which the student will design a rocket staging sequence necessary to accomplish a given interplanetary orbital maneuver. 

 

Estimated ABET Category Content:

 

Engineering Science:

3.0

credit units or

75%

Engineering Design:

1.0

credit units or

25%

 

Prepared by:  Melissa Orme    Date: 3/26/02

 

Last modified: 3/26/02