AE 362 Orbital Mechanics Fall 2010

Lecture: TR 8:55-10:10 EC2 103

Instructor: Dr. Amit Sanyal, JH 517, 646-2580, asanyal@nmsu.edu
Office Hours: MTWR 2:30-3:30, F 11:30-12:00
Textbooks: Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students, 2nd ed. by H. D. Curtis
(Elsevier 2010)
Prerequisites: ME 237, MATH 392 (basic dynamics and differential equations)
Course content on Blackboard: learn.nmsu.edu

Catalog Description

Dynamics of exoatmospheric flight of orbiting and non-orbiting bodies; orbit design and
orbital maneuvers; (space environment, including solar, magnetic, atmospheric and
planetary phenomena)
( ) = topics on space environment not included in this course

Schedule

Chps.1.1-1.7, 2.1-2.10, 3.1-3.6: particle dynamics, 2-body orbital dynamics and Earth
satellites, orbit position as a function of time
Midterm Exam 1: TBA
Chps. 4.1-4.8, 5.6-5.8, 6.1-6.9 orbits in three dimensions, orbit determination from
range and angle measurements, impulsive orbital maneuvers
Midterm Exam 2: TBA
Chps. 8.1-8.9, 2.12: lunar and interplanetary trajectories, restricted 3-body problem
If time permits: Chps. 7.1-7.4, 6.10 Relative motion, nonimpulsive orbital maneuvers
Final Exam: TBA

Additional References

Your undergraduate ME 237 dynamics text (for particle dynamics)

Fundamentals of Astrodynamics by Bate, Mueller & White (Dover 1971)
Spaceflight Dynamics, 2nd ed. by Wiesel (McGraw-Hill 1997)
Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, 3rd ed. by Vallado (Springer 2007)

Grading
Letter grades will be determined by either the standard scale (90-100 A, 80-89 B, 70-79
C, 60-69 D, 59- F) or by a curve, whichever gives the best grade.

Midterm Exam 1 20%

Midterm Exam 2 20%
Final Exam 25%
Homework/Labs/Quizzes 25%
Design Project 10% (an interplanetary mission design using gravity assists)
100%
Course Objectives

Develop a basic proficiency in:

1. 2-body orbital dynamics including Kepler’s laws and Kepler’s equation (a,e,AE2)
2. Orbits in 3 dimensions and orbital elements (a,e,AE2)
3. Orbit determination from range/angle measurements (a,e,AE2)
4. Impulsive orbital maneuvers including Hohmann transfer (a,e,AE2,AE4)
5. Lunar and interplanetary trajectories (a,e,AE2,AE4)

ABET-related Educational Objectives

a) ability to apply knowledge of math, science, and engineering

e) ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
AE2) Astronautical – knowledge of orbital mechanics, space environment, attitude
determination and control, telecommunications, space structures, and rocket propulsion
AE4) Design competence that includes integration of aeronautical or astronautical
topics

Homework Policy

Homework will be assigned on a near-weekly basis. Each homework assignment is due

on the given due date and must be turned in at the beginning of the lecture. Normally,
late homework will not be accepted. There are no make-up homework assignments. If
you do not turn in a homework then you get a zero for it. The lowest homework grade
will be dropped, so you can theoretically skip one without it affecting your grade
(although you are not advised to do this early in the semester). If a homework has been
graded incorrectly, you need to see me within 1 week of having the homework returned
to you. The same policy also applies to labs.

Quizzes

Pop quizzes will be given throughout the semester without prior notice. The lowest 2
quizzes will be dropped and the rest will be averaged in with the homework. There will
be no make-up quizzes.

Exams

There will be two mid-term exams and one comprehensive final exam. If you have
exam grading issues, you must write an explanation of your concerns on a separate
sheet of paper (do not write on the exam) and give it to me within 1 week of having the
exam returned to you. Make-up exams for a valid excuse must be arranged 1 week
before the scheduled exam date. If you can’t take the exam for some emergency
reason, you still need to notify the instructor prior to the exam (unless you are in the
hospital). Without prior consent, there will be no make-up exams.
Design Project

There will be one group design project which will require you to work in groups of 2 or 3
and write a technical report (1 report per group). These reports must be type-written
(except possibly for equations) and composed as a professional technical report.

Class Attendance

You are expected to attend class. If you need to miss a lecture, it is your responsibility
to catch up on the missed material. Don’t go to the instructor and ask what was
missed. Speak with classmates and get the notes from them and from the slides
posted on Blackboard.

Classroom Behavior and Participation

Students and faculty each have a responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning
environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to
discipline. Students should participate in class and volunteer answers when the
instructor asks a question. While you may not be comfortable with answering every
question or those in the first few lectures, class participation will be taken into account
for students with borderline final course grades.