Texas A&M University (2018-present)
AERO 437/637 – Foundations of Aerospace Autonomy
An introduction to the mathematical and computational foundations of aerospace systems autonomy. The course covers the necessary basic concepts to undertake the study of aerospace autonomous and intelligent systems — data structures, algorithms, probability theory, and optimization — as well as classical AI topics including search, constraint satisfaction, and logical and probabilistic reasoning. Example applications include autonomous planetary rovers, smart space habitats, and UAV swarms. Offered as a stacked undergraduate/graduate course (AERO 437/637); a synchronous distance education section (700) is also available to MEng students.
AERO 489/689 – Autonomous Aerospace Systems
An advanced course on the design, implementation, and verification of robust aerospace autonomous systems that incorporate expert knowledge and learn from interacting with their environment. Topics include knowledge representation and reasoning, sequential decision-making models, and reinforcement learning. Example applications include Earth observation satellites, planetary rovers, and UAV swarms. The course is co-taught with Prof. John Valasek and builds on the foundations established in AERO 437/637.
AERO 489/689 – Spacecraft Engineering
A comprehensive treatment of spacecraft engineering with emphasis on the analysis and design of satellite systems. The course covers all major spacecraft subsystems in detail — propulsion, attitude determination and control, power, communications, structures, thermal control, and on-board data handling — as well as selected topics in payload design, orbit selection, constellation design, and systems engineering. Case studies span remote sensing, communications, and navigation satellites across scientific, defense, and commercial missions. Offered as a stacked undergraduate/graduate course with a distance education section; undergraduate students complete an individual design project report.
AERO 401/402 – Aerospace Vehicle Design
This two-semester sequence serves as the capstone design experience for seniors. The course goes through the process of designing a space mission, from fuzzy stakeholder needs to detailed requirements, a mission concept and concept operations, functional baseline, and some sort of hardware and/or software prototype of all or part of the mission. In the first semester, we go through each of the spacecraft subsystems as well as the other elements of a space mission (ground and launch segment). We also go through key systems engineering topics, such as requirements development, functional analysis, trade studies, risk assessment, and cost modeling. In the second semester, we delve deeper into some space system design concepts such as detailed spacecraft simulations, and cover additional systems engineering topics, including verification and validation, concurrent design, uncertainty quantification, optimization and data analysis.
Cornell University (2014-2018)
SYSEN 5400 / 5410 / 6400 / MAE 5950 – Theory and Practice of Systems Architecture
Every system has an architecture (its essence, or DNA), i.e., a high-level abstraction of its design that provides a unifying concept for detailed design and commits most of the system’s performance and lifecycle cost. This course presents the frameworks, methods, and tools required to analyze and synthesize system architectures. The course has a theory part that emphasizes synergies between humans and computers in the architecture process, and a practical part based on a long project and guest lectures by real system architects. The theory part covers topics such as architecture views, layers and projections, stakeholder networks, dealing with fuzziness, automatic concept generation, architecture space exploration, patterns and styles, heuristics, and knowledge engineering. The practice part focuses on special topics such as commonality, platforming, reuse, upstream and downstream influences, and software architecture.
MAE 4160/4161/5160 – Spacecraft Technologies and Systems Architecture
A survey in contemporary space technology from satellite subsystem design through launch and mission operations, focusing on the classical subsystems of robotic and human-rated spacecraft, rockets, planetary rovers, and habitats, and with an emphasis on issue of spacecraft-system architecture and design. Topics covered include subsystem technologies and the systems-engineering principles that tie them together into a spacecraft architecture. Subsystem technologies discussed include communications, thermal subsystems, structure, guidance/navigation/control, spacecraft power, space propulsion, payloads (remote sensing, in-situ sensing, human life support), entry/descent/landing, surface mobility, and flight-computer hardware and software. The final project consists of architecting a complete spacecraft system with appropriate subsystems, with designs supported by parametric analysis and simulation.