Specific topics include competition among aircraft manufacturers, impacts of airline deregulation, and evaluation of large-scale space projects. Emphasizes individual initiative, application of fundamental principles, and the compromises inherent in the engineering design process. Enrollment restricted to seniors in Course XVI who have satisfactorily completed all other departmental requirements for the S.B. degree, or by permission of instructor. Students participate in teams, each responsible for an integrated vehicle design, providing experience in project organization and interaction between disciplines. Enrollment is restricted to seniors in Course XVI who have satisfactorily completed all other departmental requirements for the S.B. degree, or by permission of instructor.
System architectures and interconnection approaches for critical applications.
Real-time computer systems and communication buses and networks. Analysis of redundant systems with examples from modern aircraft and spacecraft systems. Probabilistic methods and modeling for synthesis and evaluation of system architectures including hypothesis testing, Markov models, and detection filters. Studies orbital environment. Analyzes problems of station keeping, attitude control, communications, power generation, structural design, thermal balance, and subsystem integration.