| 10606345 | INTERPLANETARY TRAJECTORIES [ING-IND/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives The aim of the course is to prepare the student the design of trajectories for interplanetary missions both in theoretical and applied terms. To this end, the study of topics, both basic and advanced, is constantly supported by numerical applications. The tools needed for simulations, are developed by students during the course and applied to real missions.
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| 1051406 | SPACE ROBOTIC SYSTEMS [ING-IND/05] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives The course provides the required knowledge to cope with the design of robotic space systems. The main objective is the study of the guidance, navigation and control systems for missions of on-orbit-servicing, rendez-vous and docking, and planetary exploration.
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| 10606310 | TECHNOLOGY OF AEROSPACE MATERIALS [ING-IND/04] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives Materials used in aerospace applications must meet particular performance requirements by extending the design limitations of conventional engineering materials and design demand and considering products that are more effective in terms of energy efficiency, life cycle performance and sustainability. environmental (use of reusable and / or recyclable materials).
In this context, the development of in situ manufacturing processes in a planetary environment (Moon and Mars) based on local resources to limit transport from Earth and the related use of non-renewable resources. The aim of the course is to illustrate to students all aspects of materials, technologies and processes and their use in the aerospace field, also with a view to sustainability and the circular economy in space.
Students will develop knowledge of aerospace materials technology in relation to design, analysis and testing. Particular emphasis will be placed on practical applications and ongoing research. The course will include a short laboratory section, in which students will fabricate and test a simple advanced composite material structure.
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| 10606312 | INSTRUMENTS FOR SPACE EXPLORATION [ING-IND/05] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives The objective of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of scientific and navigation payloads of a spacecraft and its accommodation onboard the spacecraft. The course offers the students the possibility to develop the necessary skills to understand the challenges of instrument design starting from high level performance requirements to low level implementation requirements.
The first part of the course focuses on technical aspects, starting from payload design to its final accommodation inside the spacecraft. These technical aspects include: scope and requirements of an instrument; power and data interfaces with the spacecraft; mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic compatibility with other onboard instrumentation in a given environment; instrument mass, volume, and power consumption and their impacts on the spacecraft design. This module tackles the main design phases and reviews of an instrument and the test campaign before being integrated in the spacecraft. This module also covers the challenges of adapting an instrument to work in different mission scenarios. As an example, the selection of the launcher plays an important role in determining the vibration environment of the instruments inside a craft, or radiation tolerances can significantly vary depending on the mission profile.
The second part of the course focuses on the analysis of payloads and their main characteristics and purposes. A set of selected instruments will be analyzed using the underlying design choices and challenges that engineers must face. The student will be familiarized with these challenges during the first part of the course. Technical features and requirements of the instrument will be compared with the measurement performances and needs based on real world examples. The payloads that will be analyzed include (may change yearly): laser altimeter, radio transponder, spectrometer, radar, camera, accelerometer, magnetometer, particle analyzer, and laser reflectors. The scientific measurements and information that they can provide are analyzed independently for each instrument, highlighting their synergies. As an example, the laser altimeter data can be combined with radio tracking data to measure physical and gravity tide of celestial bodies, thus helping us to infer internal structure of those body.
The theoretical background that the students developed during bachelor’s and master’s degree is applied in a specific topic allowing the student to understand the challenges of realizing space qualified instruments.
At the end of the course, the student will acquire the following skills:
1) Understanding of the interfaces (mechanical, electrical, thermal) between the instrument and the spacecraft;
2) Understanding the instrument requirements and its impact on the spacecraft design;
3) Assessing the impact on the instrument design of the operational environment;
4) Capability to write clear requisites for the spacecraft system engineers;
5) Understanding the functions and goals of the instrument in the context of the mission and the usage from the data user.
6) Acquire knowledge on some of the most widely employed instruments in space exploration.
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| 10606314 | MICROGRAVITY FLOWS [ING-IND/06] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Before entering the master of science program, aerospace engineers are already acquainted with the basic principles of fluid motion being trained on fundamental aspects of aerodynamics and gas dynamics. This level of knowledge is however deeply insufficient to understand how, even ordinary, fluids, such as air and water, behave in low gravity. The reduced weight adds indeed to the complexity of fluid behavior and enhances the effects of forces like surface tension that are usually negligible at the human scale on the Earth. In addition to that, the long permanence in the restricted environment of the spaceship, or, respectively, inside habitation modules, requires confidence with the more complex physiological fluids, and an understanding of how rheologically exotic fluids may behave.
In this framework, the course in microgravity flows is dedicated to providing the students interested in the microgravity environment with the appropriate tools to understand and design fluidic applications for and in the context of space sciences. The overall purpose is to train the students to identify the challenges posed by fluid motions in space systems and to propose effective solutions to problems involving their dynamics in the context of payload design, onboard systems, and manned missions.
In this context, the following educational objectives are envisioned for the course in Microgravity Flows.
Knowledge:
- Provide the students with a basic understanding of the equations governing fluid motion starting from basic principles, leading them to master the most fundamental models of fluid rheology, surface effects, and the processes of phase change in fluids under microgravity.
- Introduce the student to the behavior of soft materials and physiological fluids, with emphasis on hemodynamics and the lymphatic system and their response to the low gravity environment.
- Understand the effect of fluid motion on the dynamics of a spacecraft.
Know-how:
- Capacity to identify the relevant model to describe different kinds of fluid motions in microgravity and understand the relevant application context.
- Capacity to conceive basic microfluidic systems and define the fabrication procedure at the prototypal level.
- Capacity to translate the mathematical models of fluid motion into computational algorithms.
- Capacity to perform numerical simulations and interpret the results.
- Define the main characteristics of an experiment involving fluids in microgravity, select the most appropriate platform for its realization, and interpret the data.
Soft skills:
- Ability to produce a report concerning technical aspects of fluid motion in the space environment.
- Ability to actively work in a team and contribute ideas to a given project.
- Ability to publicly discuss and explain aspects related to fluid motion in low gravity to both technical and general audiences.
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| 10606315 | SPACE SURVEILLANCE AND SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT [ING-IND/05] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives The SPACE SURVEILLANCE AND SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT course introduces the student to the study of the motions of the satellite in orbit and, by considering the satellite as an element of a multicomponent system (constellation, formation, space traffic), establishes the links between the subjects of Astrodynamics, of Navigation, Tracking and Space Guidance and of Orbital Determination.
Specific learning objectives:
- Understanding the fundamentals of Astrodynamics with particular regard to environmental perturbations affecting the trajectory
- Knowing how to design and calculate, having understood the physical sense, driving strategies, based on impulsive and low thrust maneuvers, for station keeping, Constellation and Formation flight maintenance, Collision Avoidance
- Definition and determination of accurate ephemeris and Two Line Elements from ground based measurements
- Definition of Close approach and collision risk analysis
- Initial and accurate orbital determination systems and attitude determination systems based on optical measurements
- Navigation and tracking systems, based on sequential filters, for launchers and stratospheric aircraft
- Students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience based on the use of network of observatories for the Space Surveillance of Sapienza
- Be able to solve problems with the appropriate computational tools through the knowledge, application and development of computational code and / or modern applications for the simulation of space missions.
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| 10589414 | ADVANCED SPACECRAFT DYNAMICS [ING-IND/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives - Widen the knowledge and skills in orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics, starting from the topics learned in the preceding courses
- Describe and simulate semi-passive attitude stabilization systems, with special reference to dual-spin systems
- Understand the problem of spacecraft attitude reorientation and simulate the related maneuvers
- Describe, simulate, and understand the overall dynamics of space vehicles (trajectory and attitude) in complex mission scenarios, such as planetary entry
- Describe and simulate low-thrust trajectories and understand their use in orbit transfers
- Learn advanced techniques for satellite constellation design and performance evaluation
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| 10606307 | SPACE GUIDANCE AND TRACKING SYSTEMS [ING-IND/05] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Acquisition of analysis and synthesis skills of guidance and navigation systems in space missions and interaction with control, other vehicle subsystems. Applications of space surveillance techniques for the monitoring, prevention, and removal of space debris. Knowledge and evaluation of the effect of environmental perturbations on the evolution of complex orbital systems (i.e. megaconstellations, clouds of fragments, formations ...) and sustainability of space traffic.
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| 10606311 | SPACECRAFT PROPULSION [ING-IND/07] [ENG] | 2nd | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Provide a fundamental knowledge of in-space propulsion systems, i.e., thrusters which are used in space missions for a variety of applications, including deep space exploration, attitude control and station keeping. Provide the necessary tools and models for analyzing the operation and performance of electrothermal, electrostatic, electromagnetic, and nuclear thermal rockets. Attention will be devoted to "green" alternatives to conventional chemical propulsion systems for future spacecraft to improve overall propellant efficiency, while reducing the handling concerns associated with the usage of toxic fuels.
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