| UNITOV Dott. D. Del Moro | Space Science (S3, elective, 6 ECTS) |
| Learning Outcomes: | Fundamental knowledge on the characteristics of space mission for planetary exploration and Earth or Space observation; on their definition in term of launch, cruise and technical and scientific payloads necessities. |
| Knowledge and Understanding: | Detailed knowledge of the dynamics of orbital launchers, of circumterrestrial environment physics and its consequences on instrumentation and human crew. – Fair knowledge of the state of the art of relevant missions of astrophysical interest. |
| Applying Knowledge and Understanding: | To be able to define the main properties of a space mission on the basis of the technical and scientific requirements. – To be able to read and understand recent scientific articles about space physics. |
| Prerequisites | Basic knowledge of general physics and plasma physics. |
| Program | Space mission design – Orbital mechanics – Launch vehicles and propulsion – Physics of the Earth’s space environment – Space history and policies – Space life sciences and human factors Spacecraft payload instrumentation – Earth remote sensing – Planetary exploration – Space telescopes and observatories |
| Description of how the course is conducted | Classroom lectures. |
| Description of the didactic methods | Power Point presentations, chalkboard and other didactic material |
| Description of the evaluation methods | Discussion about a space mission project. Questions on selected program topics. |
| Adopted Textbooks | • Bate, Mueller & White, Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, Dover • Prolls, Physics of the Earth’s Space Environment: An Introduction, Springer • Lecture Notes |
| Recommended readings | Updated literature papers on the topics covered by the course are mentioned during the lectures. |
