Aerospace engineering

Planetary magnetic fields; magnetic fields for attitude determination and control; space tethers and their uses. Atmospheres; radiative equilibrium, equilibrium temperature of planetary bodies and space probes; greenhouse effect. Ionospheres; basic concepts of plasma physics; propagation of electromagnetic waves in space plasmas. Magnetospheres; radiation belts. The solar wind and the interplanetary space environment. Interactions between solar wind and magnetospheres; auroras and geomagnetic storms. Space weather. Radiations in space and their effects on spacecraft; protection systems. Spacecraft charging; effects and protection systems. Erosion from atomic oxygen, sputtering; airglow; micrometeorites. Planetary gravity fields. Rotation and tides of solar system bodies. The shape of the Earth (reference ellipsoid). The solar system: the sun, planets, satellites, asteroids, comets.

Basic knowledge acquired in the math and physics courses.

Bertotti, Farinella, Vokrouhlicky: Physics of the Solar System, Springer 2003 Tribble: The Space Environment: Implications for Spacecraft Design, Princeton Univ. Press, 2003 Class notes (pdf) and other helpful material may be downloaded from the teacher's web site http://radioscience.dima.uniroma1.it.

The course entails five lectures per week (one hour each), including the solution of some problems.

The teacher expects that the students attend regularly all lectures.

The exam consists of a standard oral session of about 30 minutes, preceded by a multiple choice test (MCT). Students will take a quick multiple choice test prior to the oral exam. The MCT is offered only at the first session of each month and is valid for all sessions of that month. Typical duration is 20 minutes, for 15 questions. On the basis of the outcome, students will be notified the maximum score attainable in the oral exam. They will then decide whether or not to take the oral exam. For additional details on the exams and the MCT test scoring, follow the link: https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/radioscience/teaching/space-missions-and-systems/exams-as-sms?authuser=0

The course entails five lectures per week (one hour each), including the solution of some problems.