The Space in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Courses








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The Space in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering • Courses • Hokie. Sat • Labs • Vomit Comet • New Projects Chris Hall, Randolph 224 D cdhall@vt. edu www. aoe. vt. edu/~cdhall
Courses • AOE 4134 Astromechanics (Fall, Junior/Senior Year) – Required for all AE students – Orbital dynamics of satellites and interplanetary probes • AOE 4140 Attitude Dynamics (Spring, Junior/Senior Year) – Elective – Pointing dynamics and control of spacecraft • AOE 4065/6 Design (Fall/Spring, Senior Yr) – Required Course with Aircraft, Spacecraft, or Ship options – Current projects: • • Mission to Deliver Hydrogen to Mars Submillimeter Probe of Early Cosmic Structure Solar Imaging Radio Astronomy Hubble Space Telescope Retrofit
Hokie. Sat • • • Project began as Senior Project Launch in 2004? 18 kg, 18” diameter, 12” high Solar cells, Ni. Cd batteries Magnetic torque coils for pointing control • Micro-pulsed plasma thrusters use teflon propellant for propulsion • GPS receiver provides navigation for orbit determination • Designed and built by students in Aerospace, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
Satellite Tracking Laboratory Operational ground station in 311 A Randolph Hall Allows tracking and communications with amateur satellites, Space Shuttle, and eventually Hokie. Sat
Space Systems Simulation Laboratory • In Hancock 214 • Two rotational spacecraft simulators to conduct experiments on coordinated pointing and formation flying • Designed and built by AE undergrads and grads • Three-dimensional rotation • Computers, sensors and actuators, RF communications
Vomit Comet • Four AE juniors designed, built, and flew an experiment on a KC-135 aircraft • Tested effects of reduced gravity on human’s ability to point a rotating object • Always looking for 4 more brave souls to carry on the project
Sounding Rocket • New project began last year • Design, build, and fly a payload on a sounding rocket • Payload will conduct two atmospheric science experiments and be recovered at sea off the coast of Virginia (Wallops Island)
Other Space Cadets in the AOE Faculty • Dr. Hanspeter Schaub is an orbit and attitude dynamics and control specialist and joined the faculty after working with Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico • Dr. Joseph Wang is an electric propulsion expert who joined the faculty after working with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California