Overview

This unit aims to present the basic principles of space exploration, a brief history of manned and unmanned spacecraft, and the challenges facing current and future missions.

Requisites

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Study Period 3
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-August-2024
24-November-2024
Last self-enrolment date
08-September-2024
Census date
16-September-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
11-October-2024
Results released date
17-December-2024
Study Period 3
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-August-2024
24-November-2024
Last self-enrolment date
08-September-2024
Census date
16-September-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
11-October-2024
Results released date
17-December-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify and describe the basic principles, issues and science goals in space exploration
  • Discuss and explain the history and development of space exploration, especially issues such as manned versus unmanned space exploration, spacecraft design, launch and navigation, imaging and remote sensing, and the biomechanics of space flight, in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public
  • Recognise how the social implications of space science and an analysis of the costs, risks & benefits of space exploration, including the ethical and legal implications of topics such as the use of radioisotope fuel sources, 'space junk' and mining rights in space
  • Use problem solving skills to explain solutions to problems in space exploration
  • Design and create a research project using credible sources of astronomical information and research articles and/or observational means

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Learning activities
4.62 13 week 60
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
6.92 13 week 90
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
NewsgroupsIndividual 20 - 30% 1,2,3,4 
Online TestsIndividual 20 - 30% 1,2,3,4 
ProjectIndividual 40 - 60% 

Content

  • Ground-based space exploration: telescopes, detectors, limitations of ground-based observations.
  • Unmanned space exploration: orbiting observatories, planetary missions.
  • People in space: manned versus robotic missions, space stations, colonisation and terraforming.
  • Evolution of human space flight: from fireworks to V-2 rocket, Sputnik to Gargarin, the Moon, Skylab to Space Station, living and working in space, future space flight.
  • Spacecraft design, launch and navigation: a probe for every purpose, lift-off and boosters, docking and course correction, navigating in space, basic orbital mechanics and calculations.
  • Imaging and remote sensing: instrumentation, telemetry, communication, space observatories, data processing and manipulation.
  • Fuelling interplanetary missions: energy sources and techniques, present and planned space missions, relative benefits, risk analysis.
  • Costs, risks and benefits: scientific, legal and ethical dimensions: science goals, public perception, legal implications and ethics

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.