Welcome to the course Space Mission Design and Operations!

Space exploration is truly fascinating. From the Sputnik mission to the assembly and exploitation of the International Space Station or the Apollo program, we are just beginning to uncover the many mysteries of our universe!

This course may help you decide if you really want to become an aerospace engineer or, why not, an astronaut.

This course builds on university-level mechanics to introduce and illustrate orbital dynamics as they are applied in the design of space missions. You will learn from the experiences of Claude Nicollier, one of the first ESA astronauts, specifically, his role in the maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope with NASA.

The course will start with a brief history (and mainly human) of space exploration , an introduction to main space missions before reviewing the fundamental laws of newtonian mechanics and conservation laws. It will present some basic concepts on space environment, robotic and human spacecraft and  will introduce operational aspects of such vehicles, including maneuvers and propulsion.

The list of concepts that will be explained during the course is also available here

Learners will gain knowledge of the challenges related to the use of the space environment as a scientific and commercial platform.

We hope that you will enjoy the course!

The Team
 
https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:EPFLx+EE585x+2016_T1/info