How to Design a Space Mission: from Concept to Execution
Course Description
Space exploration is truly fascinating. From the space race led by governments as an outgrowth of the Cold War to the new era of space commercialization led by private companies and startups, more than 50 years have passed, characterized by great leaps forward and discoveries. We will learn how space missions are designed, from concept to execution, based on the professional experience of the lecturer and numerous examples of space missions, including unique hardware demonstrations by startups of the Silicon Valley and NASA. We will study the essentials of science case development and systems engineering as applicable to a variety of mission types. We will explore the various elements of a space mission, including the spacecraft, scientific instruments, ground, and launch segments with their functionalities. Special emphasis will be given to the design cycle, to understand how space missions are born, from the stakeholders' needs, through analysis, synthesis, all the way to their integration and validation. We will compare the current designs with those employed in the early days of the space age and show the importance of economics in the development of spacecraft. Finally, we will brainstorm startup ideas and apply the concepts learned to a space mission design as a team.
Meet the Instructor: Anton Ermakov
“I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. My research lies at the intersection of planetary science and geophysics and focuses on studying the internal structure and evolution of the Solar System bodies ranging from asteroids to gas giants. In my research, I combine a diverse range of spacecraft data (e.g., radiometric tracking, stereo-imaging, magnetometry, microwave radiometry) with geophysical and orbital dynamics modeling allowing me to probe the interiors and histories of Solar System bodies. I have participated in NASA’s Dawn mission, which was the first spacecraft that orbited two small bodies: asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres. Small bodies are a time machine that lets us explore the environment in which planets formed. My research within the Dawn mission team highlighted just how lively and diverse that environment was. Currently, I am a participating scientist in NASA’s Juno mission to the Jupiter system. From 2021 to 2024, Juno did one flyby of Ganymede and Europa and two flybys of Io – the satellites of Jupiter – collecting gravity and magnetic field data. In addition, for the first time, Juno conducted microwave radiometric observations of the Jupiter moons, which can be used to study their subsurface thermal structure and composition.
“Prior to joining Stanford, I was a post-doctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley as well as a research scientist at the Space Sciences Laboratory of UC Berkeley.”
Of related interest
