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MAE 180A
SPACECRAFT GUIDANCE I

First rendezvous mission with two Gemini spacecraft -Gemini VII
and Gemini VI- in December 1965. Photograph, taken by Gemini VII crewmembers Frank Lovell
and Frank Borman, shows Gemini VI in orbit 139 nautical miles above Earth. Credits: NASA.



University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

 

Last modified July 30 2009, 00:30  (UT).



ANNOUNCEMENTS:

- Instructor's notes: (PDF).

- The Final Exam is on Sat August 1st, 8:00AM-11:00AM, at WLH 2204. The exam includes all the material in class and has exactly the same format as the midterm exam.

 


INSTRUCTOR: Javier Urzay. Office: 564 EBUII. E-mail: jurzay@ucsd.edu

OFFICE HOURS: Javier Urzay, Thursdays 2:00-3:00 PM, and Mondays 3:00-4:00 PM, at 564 EBUII.

READER: William Hayes. E-mail: williamhayes14@gmail.com

 


COURSE SYLLABUS: (PDF)

PREREQUISITES: Upper-division standing in physics, mathematics, or engineering department.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course in Spacecraft Dynamics. The principles of Astrodynamics are studied, including the two-body orbital motion in conic orbits, as well as orbit determination techniques from radar observations. Basic spacecraft dynamics are addressed by studying orbital maneuvers, insertion into special spacecraft orbits, and interplanetary missions in the Solar System.

TEXTBOOK (REQUIRED): “Fundamentals of Astrodynamics,” Bate, R.R., Mueller, D.D. & White, J.E.; Dover Publications, 1971. Supplementary material will be provided in class.

EXAMS: Midterm Exam: Thursday 16th, 11:00-12:30 PM, WLH 2112. Final Exam: August 1st, 8:00-11:00 AM, location TBA. Both exams will consist of two parts: i) Short Questions (closed books, closed notes, no calculator), and ii) Problems (open book and open notes, calculator required). No Blue Books required.

GRADING SCHEME: 20% Homeworks + 35% Midterm Exam + 45% Final Exam.

REGRADING POLICY: Please contact the Reader for homework regrades, and the Instructor for exam regrades.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: UCSD Policy on Integritry of Scholarship will be followed.

ACCOMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Requests for appropriate accommodations must be presented to the instructor, and students must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.

HOMEWORKS: There will be 4 homework assignments. Homework will be assigned each week and collected on Tuesdays on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th of July, at the beginning of the corresponding lecture. No late homeworks will be accepted. Homework solutions must be clean, clear and neatly written.

 


MIDTERM EXAMS, HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT AND SOLUTIONS.

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Description

Due date:

Statistics:

Homework 1 HW1

July 7th

Solution

AVE: 73/100, STDEV: 21/100

Homework 2 HW2 July 14th Solution

AVE: 87/100, STDEV: 9/100

Midterm Exam Midterm Solution

AVE: 78/100, STDEV: 9/100

Homework 3 HW3 July 21st Solution

AVE: 84/100, STDEV: 12/100

Homework 4 HW4 July 30th
Solution

AVE: 80/100, STDEV: 15/100

Final Exam Final
Solution

AVE: 71/100, STDEV: 11/100

 


NATIONAL SPACE AGENCIES:

-European Space Agency (ESA).

-National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

-Russian Federal Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos).

-Centre National de'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) .

-Instituto Nacional de Tecnicas Aerospaciales (INTA).

-German Aerospace Center (DLR).

-Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).