675.752.81 - Attitude Determination and Control

Course Structure

Course Structure

• Modules officially open on Monday mornings at 12am, but the entire course is unlocked to allow flexibility for travel and work or family schedules.
  
• Please refer to the Course Outline for module topics and deliverables.
• Please refer to individual assignments in Canvas for specific instructions and due dates.
• Although you are welcome to work ahead, assignments will not be graded until the official due date.

Course Topics

Module 1 - Introduction to Attitude Determination and Control Systems
Module 2 - Reference Frames, Rotational Motion, and Kinematics
Module 3 - Dynamics of Rigid Bodies, Part 1
Module 4 - Dynamics of Rigid Bodies, Part 2
Module 5 - Spacecraft Equations of Motion
Module 6 - Control Systems, Part 1
Module 7 - Control Systems, Part 2
Module 8 - Control Systems, Part 3
Module 9 - Attitude Control, Part 1
Module 10 - Attitude Control, Part 2
Module 11 - Attitude Control, Part 3
Module 12 - Attitude Determination Fundamentals
Module 13 - Kalman Filtering and Estimation
Module 14 - Attitude Sensors & Performance

Course Goals

By analyzing real ADCS mishaps through course discussions using the lens of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, students will learn to identify how technical, organizational, operational, and programmatic decisions interact over a system’s lifecycle to produce failures—and how better requirements, architecture, verification, and risk management could have prevented them.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Analyze the dynamics and stability of rigid-body spacecraft motion and its implications for attitude determination and control.
• Design a space vehicle attitude determination and control system that meets specified requirements and interfaces appropriately with other spacecraft subsystems.
• Apply classical control methods and attitude determination algorithms, including sensor models and Kalman filtering, to ADCS problems.
• Evaluate the performance and stability of ADCS components and control systems using fundamental analysis and verification methods.
• Analyze historical mission mishaps and failures attributed to the ADCS system with a focus on hardware, requirements, systems, and organizational impact.

Textbooks

Sidi, M. (2012). Spacecraft dynamics and control: A practical engineering approach. Cambridge University Press.

Hallock, H. L., Welter, G, Simpson, D. G., & Rouff, C. (2017). ACS without an attitude. Springer Verlag.

Both available as a PDF through Sheridan Libraries.

Required Software

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 available through myJH and using online search tools for academic purposes, properly citing information sources, and preparing a presentation of such findings.

Help guides for using Canvas are available in the course site and at Canvas at JHU. The Canvas site includes a page on Student Resources, Canvas Help Guides & Tech Tools with information on accessibility in the course, tech tools, privacy states for tech tool vendors, and links to a variety of students resources through Whiting School of Engineering.

This course will use MATLAB for assignments. Installation directions will be provided in the Canvas Course Information Module.

Student Coursework Requirements

Assignment Grading Breakdowns
Discussions - 20%
Module Assignments - 30%
Course Project - 50%

Rubrics and participation expectations are provided in Canvas. Please see individual assignments for detailed deliverables and due dates.

Grading Policy

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

Score Range	Letter Grade
100-97	= A+
<97-93	= A
<93-90	= A−
<90-87	= B+
<87-83	= B
<83-80	= B−
<80-77	= C+
<77-73	= C
<73-70	= C−
<70-67	= D+
<67-63	= D
<63	= F

Course Policies

Please see the Canvas Course Information Modules for information on course policies, contact information, and instructional alignment between department and course learning objectives and assignments.

We have taken a proactive approach to accessibility in designing the course knowing that neurodiversity and disability are the norm, not the exception, in engineering and space systems fields. The course was designed to be accessible to assistive technology, however, you are encouraged to review the information on accessibility in the course and reach out to Student Disability Services to best meet your specific needs.

Student Generative AI (GenAI) Use

Yellow: Moderate GenAI use is permitted, with restrictions

• Using GenAI to generate brainstorming ideas, but writing the final response independently.
• Using GenAI to refine grammar or clarity after drafting original work.

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. 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. Our courses are designed with a proactive approach to accessibility to minimize the need for disability disclosure and accommodation requests, but we recognize that you may need additional support. 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 EP Student Disability Services at 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 Student Conduct Code website.

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.