675.733.8VL - Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations

Course Structure

Weekly modules will be released at 12am Friday morning ET to allow students the weekend to preview content prior to the virtual live course meeting on Monday evenings. Please refer to individual assignments in Canvas for details on submission and due dates.

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the Canvas course menu. A module will have several sections including the learning path, lecture content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting.

The lecture content presented during class is available on Canvas pages to allow students to use a variety of accessibility tools built into the Canvas learning management system. Information on accessibility tools is available on the Canvas at JHU webpage Accessibility Resources for Students.

Course Topics

This course will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
• Phases of a Rendezvous Mission
• Relative Motion Modeling and Relative Orbits
• Approach Safety, Collision Avoidance, and Introduction to Mission Design in STK Astrogator
• RPO Trajectory Analysis and Modeling
• Mission-Compliant RPO Trajectories using STK Astrogator
• Overview of Relative Navigation
• Case Study: Northrop Grumman MEV
• Relative Attitude Dynamics and Launch Windows
• Low-Thrust Rendezvous and Outline of the Kalman Filter
• Asteroid Rendezvous
• In-space Refueling and Team Project Discussion
• RPO in the Multibody Gravitational Regime
• Formation Flying using Differential Drag: The EZIE Mission

Course Goals

The objective of this course is to study the mathematical principles behind the design of rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) missions. Students will be exposed to modeling RPOD trajectories and navigating these missions across various orbit regimes. Historical missions flown will be analyzed.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Identify the various phases of a typical Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) mission.
• Generate maneuvers and trajectories for a chaser spacecraft rendezvousing with a target spacecraft.
• Explain common methods available for the design of collision-safe RPO trajectories.
• Discuss operational issues and constraints driving the design of an RPO strategy.
• Analyze the techniques used in guidance, navigation, and control of a typical RPO mission.
• Construct RPO trajectories in different orbit regimes and perform the preliminary design of an RPO mission.

Textbooks

Optional Texts (useful but not required):

• Fehse, W. (2008). Automated rendezvous and docking of spacecraft. Cambridge University Press.
• Prussing, J. E., & Conway, B. A. (2012). Orbital mechanics (2nd Ed.). Oxford University Press.

Other Materials & Online Resources

Technical Skills and Digital Information Literacy Skills Expected

This course requires proficiency in digital information literacy and technical skills. Students should be comfortable using Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, PowerPoint, and introductory-level Excel.

Students will need to be familiar with Systems Tool Kit (STK), which was used in pre-requisite courses 675.601 and 675.602 (FESS I & II).

Required Software

Systems Tool Kit (STK) from Ansys is a required software in this course. Installation and usage instructions will be provided in the Canvas course site.

MATLAB is optional for completing Problem Sets.

Student Coursework Requirements

Course Grading - Category Weighting

• Problem Sets 35%
• Graded Discussions 15%
• Team Project 50%

Grading Policy

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10).

Course Policies

Students should attend each class and actively participate whenever possible. The class will be recorded for those that can't be there or for review at a later time.

Students are expected to do their own work. The use of on-line services such as Chegg for homework assignments is strictly prohibited and will be reported as academic misconduct.

You may consult with your fellow students and discuss your general ideas at a high level on the problem sets, but your submitted assignments should be your own product.

All work should be legible, neat & well-organized. Please do not make it difficult for the grader to follow your solution; your thought process and approach should be clear to the grader. Work should be submitted on-time unless other arrangements have been previously discussed with the instructor.  Generally, late-submitted work will not be eligible for full credit because we will go over solutions during class.  

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.