Space Systems Modeling and Design

November 19, 2010 USC Astronautics – USC/VSOE 1/6

[email protected] Systems Modeling and DesignMike Gruntman

Space Systems Modeling and Design

Mike GruntmanDepartment of Astronautical Engineering

Viterbi School of EngineeringUniversity of Southern California

Los Angeles, California



Background – USC Astronautics – Department

• Established as Astronautics and Space Technology Division in 2004 “to take full advantage of growing opportunities in space”

– founding Chairman (2004–2007)

– history, rational, development – in AIAA-2007-6042, downloadable from http://astronauticsnow.com/SpaceEducation/

• Operated as a department from 2004

• Built upon astronautical specialization, started in 1995

• Followed standard process in building a new department in a university (degree approval, course development, student affairs, ...)

• Responsible for programs in space engineering in USC

• Established a full set of degrees, including a large nationally-prominent Master’s degree program

• Department of Astronautical Engineering since July 2010



Background – USC Astronautics – Education & Faculty

• Unique pure-space-engineering department• Offers the full set of degrees in

Astronautical Engineering (ASTE) Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science Minor Master of Science Engineer PhD Graduate Certificate

• Among largest national programs in space engineering

• 4 tenured faculty + several joint appointments and research faculty; ~20 adjunct faculty and part-time lecturers

Nationally prominent MS Program

Student reachThrough DEN



Background – USC Astronautics – Research

• Astronautics• Space missions and space systems• Space environment and spacecraft interactions• Space science, instrumentation and sensors• Spacecraft propulsion• Space mission and spacecraft design• Non-equilibrium processes in gases and plasmas• Computational physics and high performance computing

• Faculty were/are PI’s and Co-I’s on programs supported by NASA, Air Force, Navy, NSF, industry

• Science team member/investigator/development:Pioneer 10/11, SOHO, Deep Space 1, IMAGE, Dawn

• Current NASA missions Co-I: TWINS and IBEX

• Student (undergraduate) projects Sounding rocket Lunar lander Student microsatellite International Student Satellite



Space Systems – Relevant Experience

• Key participant in effort in 2003-2007 (jointly with ISI) to advance satellite-related technologies for national security space

• Closely interacted with SMC and Aerospace and engaged other gov’t

• Part of the vision: to establish a Space Mission Development Center (SMDC), with heavy student participation

• Simplified version of Aerospace’s CDC and JPL’s Team-X

– Education of students in astronautics and system engineering

– Serve as testbed for new tools and concepts

• Mission concept (preliminary) design for outside customers

Never implemented or tried

• Co-I – two current NASA missions• Interaction with Team-X and CDC• Numerous (simplified) space missions (paper)

designed by senior students (1998-2004)• Graduate course in Spacecraft Design –

perhaps largest in the U.S. (1000+ in 8 years);also short courses for industry and gov’t



Space Mission Development Center

Space Mission Development Center

• very much the area of interests• Great educational and training tool• Testbed for development of new tools

and concepts• Possibility to expand to R&D, in

cooperation with systems engineering and others

• Possibility of providing mission design for outside customers

• Does not require significant hardware resources/investment

• Can be operated on campus as ITAR compliant – most astronautics students are U.S. citizens or greencards (U.S. persons)

Space Systems Modeling and Design

Documents

Space Systems Modeling and Design