A Spacecraft Simulator as an Educational Tool for the New Generation of Aerospace Professionals

Paper number

IAC-08.E1.1.1

Author

Ms. Emily Chwialkowski, United States

Year

2008

Abstract

Practically all students taking engineering classes today were born after the end of human exploration of the Moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Now, as NASA gets ready to return to the Moon and continue human exploration to Mars and beyond, the only space vehicle known to younger generations is the Space Shuttle.  As plans call for the Shuttle to be phased out, it is necessary to provide proper background about NASA’s Orion and other vehicles in development.
	The UND Spacecraft Simulator is an attempt to address some of the needs of educating a new generation of aerospace professionals at the Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota.  It was built under a grant from the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium as a learning tool for students who are interested in human space operations.  Using the simulator, students will have the opportunity to practice missions of different spacecrafts from vertical launch to landing, including orbital maneuvers, docking and re-entry procedures.  
	The simulator is the approximate shape of the original Apollo Command Module.  Students lie on couches and face a control panel which contains a monitor and numerous controls.  The monitor seen by the test subjects is also observed by a mission control specialist outside of the simulator.  Through headsets and a live video stream, a link is provided to mission control. Undergraduate students built the capsule, couches, control panels, and designed the electronics interface between computers and switches and controls.
	The spacecraft simulates the flight of NASA’s Orion, as well as other spacecrafts.  Constellation missions to the Moon, trans-lunar injection maneuvers and International Space Station docking maneuvers are a few of the key simulations.  Entire re-entry procedures, including parachute opening and landing, can also be simulated.  These different missions are simulated using the Orbiter Space Simulator, a software package developed by Dr. Martin Schweiger.  The simulator also uses Orbiter add-on packages provided by third parties.  The UND Spacecraft Simulator is also compatible with other software packages, such as Satellite Toolkit and X-Planes. 

Abstract document

IAC-08.E1.1.1.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.E1.1.1.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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