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Space Systems Brochure (1.2 MBytes PDF)
EDUCATIONAL
SKILL REQUIREMENTS
SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
CURRICULUM (591)
Subspecialty Code 5500P – Space Systems Engineering
All officers with graduate education in Space Systems Engineering must be
competent in the below core subjects. Theses competencies will enable
graduates to serve in positions that design, acquire, operate, or secure
military space systems and/or deny potential adversaries the effective use of
their own. The skills and competencies are detailed below.
- Joint Strategy and Policy:
- Orbital Mechanics, Space Environment and Remote Sensing:
- Military Space Systems:
- Project Management and Systems Acquisition:
- Spacecraft Communication and Signals Processing:
- Computers: Hardware and Software:
- Spacecraft Dynamics, Guidance and Control:
- Spacecraft Structures and Materials:
- Propulsion Systems:
- Spacecraft Thermal Control and Power:
- Spacecraft Design and Integration:
- Conduct and Report Independant Research:
JOINT STRATEGY AND POLICY:
a. Officers develop a graduate-level ability to think strategically, critically analyze past military campaigns, and apply historical lessons to future joint and combined operations, in order to discern the relationship between a nation's policies and goals and the ways military power may be used to achieve them. This is fulfilled by completion of the first of the Naval War College course series leading to Service Intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) and Phase I Joint PME credit.
b. Understand current Navy and USMC doctrine (e.g., Sea Power 21, Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare).
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ORBITAL MECHANICS, SPACE ENVIRONMENT AND REMOTE SENSING:
a. Understand the basic physics of orbital motion, the parameters used in the description of orbits and their ground tracks. Understand the design of orbits, how they are achieved, maintained, and controlled including the design of constellations and how spacecraft are maneuvered and repositioned. Understand spacecraft tracking and command/control from a ground station. Understand the various orbital perturbations, including those due to nonspherical earth and due to atmospheric drag. Understand the relationships of orbits to mission requirements, including the advantages and disadvantages of various orbits.
b. Understand the natural and induced environment of space including solar activity, geomagnetic and magnetospheric phenomena, physics of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere and their response to natural and artificial disturbances. Understand the impacts to spacecraft parts and materials due to this space environment.
c. Understand the principles of active and passive sensors used in current and future spacecraft for sensing through the atmosphere. Understand the effects of the space environment and countermeasures on sensor performance. Understand the tradeoffs among various sensor techniques, including area of coverage, resolution, processing, and power requirements.
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MILITARY SPACE SYSTEMS:
Understand the two major components of military space systems: (These systems include MILSATCOM, Commercial systems, GPS, Meteorological systems, space surveillance, National systems, space-based warning, and other nations’ systems)
a. Military Space Operations: Understand the operational requirements and limitations of current and future space systems used by the DoD for Space Control and Force Application. Understand the roles of the Services in the development, operation, and use of these systems. Understand the roles, responsibilities and relationships of national and Joint DoD organizations in establishing policies, priorities, and requirements for these space systems; and in their design, acquisition and operation. Understand the nature of space warfare (theory, history, doctrine, and policy) including space control, assured access, global engagement, and full force integration. Be familiar with Joint Doctrine (e.g. JP 3-14).
b. Warfighter Support Obtained from Space: Understand the capabilities and use of space systems to enable and support Joint air, land, and sea military operations (i.e. Force Enhancement). Understand the intelligence collection and analysis process for space systems and how warfighters access information from these sources. Understand doctrine and operational concepts (e.g. USSTRATCOM’s “Long Range Plan”) and be able to contribute to the development of space tactics that enhance or support military operations.
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND SYSTEM ACQUISITION:
a. Understand project management and DoD system acquisition methods and procedures to include contract management, financial management and control, and the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System (PPBS). Receive an introduction to the Defense Acquisition University and the acquisition courses and qualifications available.
b. Understand the system acquisition organizational responsibilities and relationships (e.g. Congress, DoD, Services; Resource Sponsor, Systems Commands, Operating Forces) as they pertain to the acquisition of systems for DoD, Naval, and civilian agency users.
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SPACECRAFT COMMUNICATIONS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING:
a. Understand the basic principles of communications systems engineering including the space and ground segments. Understand digital and analog communications architecture design, including frequency reuse, multiple access, link design, repeater architecture, source encoding, waveforms, and propagation media. Understand current and future communications systems used or planned by Naval operating and Joint forces afloat and ashore. Understand how space systems are used to meet Joint warfighters’ communications requirements.
b. Understand link budget calculations/analysis, waveforms, and modern SATCOM hardware design. Understand signal processing techniques, both digital and analog, as applied to spacecraft communications, surveillance, signals intelligence, and electronic warfare. Understand spacecraft vulnerabilities in an electronic warfare context.
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COMPUTERS: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE:
a. Understand the fundamentals of digital logic and digital system design. Design simple digital computer subsystems.
b. Gain knowledge of current computer architecture, such as one of the common 16-bit or 32-bit micro-processor systems. Understand the ways in which computers are used in complex systems such as guidance, signal processing, communications and control systems.
c. Understand the fundamentals of electronic component design, fabrication, reliability, and testing (to include radiation hardening), with emphasis on parts, materials and processes.
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SPACECRAFT DYNAMICS, GUIDANCE AND CONTROL:
A fundamental understanding of the field of spacecraft guidance and control which includes, linear control, rotational kinematics, rigid body dynamics, single-spin stabilization, stability of dual-spin stabilized spacecraft, active nutation control, gravity-gradient stabilization, disturbance torques: solar, magnetic, gravity gradient, and aerodynamic, attitude sensors, actuators, attitude determination, quaternion feedback control, three-axis-stabilized spacecraft attitude control design, biased momentum, thrusters, magnetic, three reaction wheel system, and control moment gyro system, rapid spacecraft reorientation maneuvers and tracking, and military spacecraft guidance and control.
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SPACECRAFT STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS:
a. Understand the engineering of space structures including simplified sizing calculations and analytical modeling of advanced materials, which can be incorporated in system design and integration. Understand the advanced dynamics and control of these structures.
b. Apply reliability and maintainability to testing, evaluation, and manufacturing, which can be used to predict the functional dependability of spacecraft structures
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PROPULSION SYSTEMS:
Understand the operating principles of current and proposed propulsion devices for space applications; including launch, orbit changing and maneuvering engines. Understand the interaction between mission requirements and propulsion requirements.
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SPACECRAFT THERMAL CONTROL AND POWER:
a. Understand the principles of heat transfer on spacecraft, including radiation and conduction. Understand the variations in the radiative properties of surfaces with respect to wavelength and temperature. Understand the design and applications of current active and passive thermal control devices (including heat pipes, louvers, and materials).
b. Understand the sources of heat in space (solar, terrestrial, reflected solar, internal vehicle generation) and their variation as a function of vehicle orbit.
c. Gain knowledge of the major power generating systems for spacecraft and their operating characteristics, including the performance of photovoltaic sources in the natural and artificial radiation environment. Understand the role of energy storage devices in power systems design.
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SPACECRAFT DESIGN AND INTEGRATION:
a. Understand the principles of space systems design, integration, and systems engineering, and their application to an overall spacecraft/mission. Consideration will be given to life cycle costs, performance, maintainability, reliability, configuration control and systems integration.
b. Gain an appreciation of system design criteria from stated performance requirements, of trade-offs between payload and other spacecraft subsystems, and of test and evaluation procedures.
c. Gain proficiency in CAD, MATLAB, Satellite Tool Kit (STK), or similar programming simulators and analysis tools.
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CONDUCT AND REPORT INDEPENDENT RESEARCH:
Conduct independent research on a space systems problem, including resolution of the problem and presentation of the results and analysis in both written and oral form.
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ESRs approved by
Commander SPAWAR Space Field Activity
Nov 2004