AAE59000 - Fundamentals of Space Systems Thinking and Engineering

March 31, 2026

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The course will provide students with the opportunity to study and gain skills in the tools, methods, and processes of designing, analyzing, controlling, and improving complex engineered space systems.

Credit Hours: 3

Instructor(s): Daniel Dumbacher

Phone: (301) 820-2460

Email: dan-dumbacher@purdue.eduLearning Objective:

Learning Objective:


  1. Analyze critical components, subsystems and interfaces of space programs

  2. Analyze key requirements and constraints (safety, performance, cost) of space system utilizing common industry tools such as hazard analysis and failure modes and effects analysis

  3. Create professional mission and system documentation using industry accepted formats such as defined in the NASA Systems Engineering handbook to communicate system design and operational concepts

  4. Analyze successful and unsuccessful teams in the aerospace industry to productively participate in a successful technical team to design, develop, and operate a space system


Description:

The course will provide students with the opportunity to study and gain skills in the tools, methods, and processes of designing, analyzing, controlling, and improving complex engineered space systems. The course is designed to produce students with a firm grounding in space systems thinking and engineering. The course will help prepare students to lead and execute transdisciplinary processes that result in space systems that are responsive to stakeholder's needs. Specifically, the course will educate students to develop new products, services and organizations to addrss grand challenges facing society in space in the commercial space, civil space and national security space sectors.

Dan Dumbacher is a Professor of practice in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, former CEO of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and former NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems

Spring 2026 Syllabus


Topics Covered:

  • Space Systems Engineering and Thinking Introduction
  • Mission Design
  • Environments
  • Astrodynamics
  • Propulsion
  • Atmospheric Entry
  • Attitude Deterination and Control
  • Configuration and Structural Design
  • Thermal Control
  • Power Systems
  • Telecommunications
  • Reliability Analysis
  • Hazard Analysis
  • Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
  • Teamwork
  • Leadership
  • Ethics
  • Private Enterprise Context
  • Project/Program Management
  • Current Mission Examples

Web Address:

https://purdue.brightspace.com


Homework:

This course is a reading and online discussion based course, there will be no weekly problem sets or assignments. The assignments are the readings. Completing the readings and participating in online discussion are key parts of this course. As such, students will be grading on participation in discussions. At a few points throughout the semester, class may be cancelled so students can attend a lecture or conference. Any assignments related to these will be included under the participation grade. Quizzes and written responses to questions on the assigned readings will be expected from each student at the discretion of the instructors as part of the participation grade.

Reading Summaries

Each student will provide a report summarizing a reading from the enclosed list. The report should contain:

  1. The Main Theme or Themes
  2. Personal description of 3-5 major lessons learned
  3. How you intend to apply those major lessons in your career
  4. Use proper citations for other people's work

The report should be no more than 3 pages, no smaller than 12 point font, and will be graded consistent with the grading scale.


Projects:

Team project: Each team will complete a final project to assess a past, existing, or potential future systems failure in the space industry.

This is the major assignent for the course and accounts for 50% of the final grade. The components of the exercise are as follows:

  • General description for class understanding, include key project objectives and why this project is important
  • Key challenges and risks that the project must address for project success
  • Mitigation strategies to be addressed for the key risks, no more than 3 key risks or challenges need to be addressed
  • Assessment of likelihood of success by the class project team, consensus is greatly preferred, dissenting opinions with supporting rational permitted (even expected!)
  • Proper citations required (similar to peer reviewed journal article) when quoting other people's work

Written report: 1-2 page Executive Summary, no more than 15 pages from each project team covering points above, single space, no smaller than 12 point font, figures and plots encouraged, length guidelines are inclusive of figures and footnotes but exclusive of works cited and sources.


Textbooks:

  • Space Vehicle Design, 2nd Edition - Griffin, French
  • Space to Grow, Weinzierl and Rosseau, Introduction and Chapter 1
  • An Introduction to System Safety Engineering, Chapter 3 and Chapter 9, Leveson
  • Additional readings and online chapters provided on Brightspace

Computer Requirements:

Word processor, i.e. MS Word