AENG 5850 (Space Mission Failures)

Syllabus (Spring 2017)

Course Handouts (You must be signed in with a SLU account to access most of the files on this page!)

Intro charts

Functional Modeling

• Spacecraft Subsystem Design

  • Communications

  • Power

  • Structures

  • Thermal

  • Command & Data Handling

  • Attitude Determination & Control

  • Propulsion

Everything you need to know about orbital mechanics on one (double-sided) page.

In-class activities

• 03/20: Mars Global Surveyor

• Failure Report

• Assignment

• 03/22: Mars Rover Flash Anomaly

• Assignment

• IEEE Paper

• EE Times Article

Failure Reports (those marked with * are to be read before class)

• Incomplete lists of mission failures

  • Aerospace Company Article in Crosslink (2015)

  • 100 Questions to Ask in Every Design Review (w/failure examples)

  • MIT Analysis of Causation in Aerospace Accidents (2004)

• 01/30: Ariane 501

  • Inquiry Board Final Report *

• 02/08: DART

  • DART Mishap Overview *

  • DART Mishap Full Report

  • NASA DART Mission Website

  • DART Class Review

• 02/13: Student Presentations

  • O'Neill: Titan IV *

  • Bzdyk: Challenger

    • Overview *

    • Challenger Failure Official Report (long!)

• 02/15: Student Presentations

  • Bzydk

  • Chlanda: WIRE *

• 02/20: Student Presentations

  • Koch: Mars Polar Lander *

  • Parker: Titan 34D (April 1986)

    • Space Review Article *

  • Failure Report

• 02/22: Student Presentations

  • Pittman: CONTOUR *

• 02/27: Student Presentations

  • Jayne: Mars Climate Orbiter *

• 03/01: Student Presentations

  • Simsarian: ORB-3 *

  • Patel: Genesis *

• 03/06: Student Presentations

  • Simsarian

  • Hunsaker

• 03/27: Student Presentations

  • Mercadante: Lewis

  • Clements: Taurus-XL (Glory Launch)

• 03/29: Student Presentations

  • Clements

  • McNabb: Taurus-XL (OCO Launch)