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Master of Engineering Program - Astronautics Focus
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Exploring space, the prospect of traveling beyond the confines of Earth, inspires engineers like perhaps no other endeavor. This degree will appeal most to those with a passion for spacecraft. Along with the early contributions of Newton, Kepler, Euler, and Hamilton, the past century of practical, predictive, and speculative work in space travel constitutes a body of work that can guide us toward new discoveries. Cornell researchers in astronautics are combining the subtle dynamics of spaceflight with new strategies for control and estimation to create innovative architectures, systems, and algorithms for next-generation spacecraft. They receive funding from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Naval Research Labs, and DARPA, and collaborate with industry and government co-investigators.
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Master of Engineering Program in Astronautical Engineering
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The astronautics-focused M. Eng. Degree is all about how to build spacecraft--and why. It is designed to build upon an undergraduate aerospace or mechanical engineering degree to allow students to focus on conceiving, designing, implementing, and operating satellites, rockets, and other space systems. Research groups in this area are addressing high-precision GPS applications, formation flight, spacecraft swarms, celestial mechanics, spacecraft propulsion, space-system architecture, adaptive control, and in-orbit inspection and repair. M.Eng students at Cornell have participated in the design and construction of three spacecraft (the ICE Cubesat and two CUSat inspection satellites) and the development of high-agility spaceborne robotic arms. These programs and others are available for M.Eng. research projects.
Students in the Master of Engineering program with Astronautics focus can choose a course schedule that best fits their particular interests; however the following curricula are suggested for those with an interest in Attitude Control or the Robotics Exploration. |
Suggested Course Sequence - Astronautical Engineering Focus
| Term 1: |
Coursework (Attitude Control Sample Curriculum)
• MAE 571 - Applied Dynamics (3 credits)
• MAE 521 - Theory of Linear Systems (3 credits)
• MAE 578 - Feedback Control Systems (3 credits)
• MAE 415 - GPS: Theory and Design (4 credits)
Coursework (Robotic Exploration Sample Curriculum)
• MAE 579 - Modeling & Simulation of Mechanical & Aerospace Systems (3 credits)
• MAE 535 - Advanced Mechatronics (3 credits)
• ASTRO 523 - Signal Modeling, Statistical Inference, and Data Mining in Astronomy (3 credits)
• MAE 415 - GPS: Theory and Design (4 credits)
Research
• Research Project within Astronautics Group (3 credits)
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| Term 2: |
Coursework (Attitude Control Sample Curriculum)
• TAM 672 - Celestial Mechanics (3 credits)
• MAE 577 - Engineering Vibrations (3 credits)
• MAE 606 - Spacecraft Dynamics and Mission Design (3 credits)
• MAE 678 - Multivariable Control Theory (3 credits)
Coursework (Robotics Exploration Sample Curriculum)
• TAM 672 - Celestial Mechanics (3 credits)
• ASTRO 621 - Seminar: Planetary Radar Astronomy (3 credits)
• MAE 606 - Spacecraft Dynamics and Mission Design (3 credits)
• MAE 517 – Introduction to Robotics: Dynamics, Control, Design (3 credits)
Research
• Research Project within Astronautics Group (3 credits) |
When selecting a personalized curriculum M.Eng students may also wish to consider the following related courses
• MAE 591 – Applied Systems Engineering [Fall, 3 credits]
• ECE 547 - Computer Vision [Fall, 4 credits]
• TAM 570 - Intermediate Dynamics [Fall, 3 credits]
• TAM 674 – Applied Multibody Dynamics [Fall, 3 credits]
• TAM 673 – Mechanics of the Solar System [Spring, 3 credits]
• MAE 570 – Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical & Aerospace [Spring, 4 credits]
• MAE 675 – System Identification and Control [Fall, 3 credits]
• MAE 676 – Model-Based Estimation [Fall, 3 credits]
Current M.Eng. Research Projects
• CUSat In-orbit Inspection Nanosatellite
• High-Agility, Low-Power Space Robotics
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