Launch of the NASA Servicing Mission 4 to the Hubble Space Telescope on May 11, 2009. This challenging mission required the astronauts to install two new instruments, repair two other instruments and replace a number of satellite components. 1. Overview (link)
2. Requirements (link)
3. Minor Advising (link)
4. Checklist (link)
5. Sample Programs (link)
6. Suggested Courses (link)
7. Potential Internship Opportunities (link)
8. Oversight of the Minor (link)
Welcome to the Student Handbook for the Minor in Space Science and Engineering (hereafter “the Minor”). The website will tell you about the Minor and its requirements. Also included are a set of sample programs, a list of suggested courses and information about potential internships. The Minor is open to all students in the Whiting School of Engineering and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, who have the prerequisites for the required courses. The objective of the Minor is to prepare students for a career in Space Science and Space Engineering, either directly as an entering professional in industry, government laboratories and other organizations or as a student in a graduate program. The educational goal of the Minor is to enable you to:
• Apply your understanding and mastery of the fundamental scientific, engineering, and mathematical principles obtained through your major subject of study to space science and space engineering.
• Help you develop an understanding and capacity for interdisciplinary approaches to technical activities.
• Improve your ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, which are typical in space and other complex technical activities, through interdisciplinary education and internship(s) or equivalent experience(s). 
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) used the Moon to gain velocity for a slingshot to L2. After 3 phasing loops around the Earth, WMAP flew just behind the orbit of the Moon, three weeks after launch. Using the Moon's gravity, WMAP steals an infinitesimal amount of the Moon's energy to maneuver into the L2 Lagrange point, one million miles (1.5 million km) beyond the Earth. Return to the Table of Contents
The Minor seeks to achieve the goals discussed above by requiring:
• A Proposal and Course Plan, which must be approved by your Advisor for the Minor (hereafter referred to as the “Advisor”). The proposal must discuss a theme that unites the individual elements of the program (courses and internship(s)) into an intellectual whole.
• Five courses in Science and Engineering. One course is specified and the remaining four are chosen through your Proposal and Course Plan, which must be approved prior to taking the courses by the Advisor. All courses must be taken for a grade rather than pass/fail. Courses that are named as requirements for the student’s major may not be used. However, courses that are not named, but satisfy an elective requirement for the major may be used.
• An internship or equivalent experience in the field of space science and engineering is required. This must have prior approval from the Advisor.
• A brief report on the internship or equivalent experience to the Advisor. Specified Course. The specified course is 171.321 Introduction to Space Science and Technology. The prerequisites are Physics 171.101-102 or a similar engineering course and Calculus 110.108-109. The course carries 3 credits. The course is co-listed by the Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Proposal and Course Plan for the Four Courses. To ensure that the program is a coherent intellectual activity, you are required to submit a Proposal and Course Plan to your Advisor early in their program, prior to taking the courses. The Proposal and Course Plan will identify a theme that describes the educational goal that you will pursue through your course of study and a list of courses, including alternates, to achieve your goal. Examples of such themes could be “Remote observations of the earth and planets from space vehicles” or “Spacecraft design for astronomy missions”. Examples of potential course programs are listed in Section 5 below. A list of suggested candidate courses is listed in Section 6 below. If consistent with the Proposal and Course Plan theme, you may use other courses with the permission of your Advisor. The Course Plan should contain alternative courses in recognition that every course may not be taught every year. The Proposal should also include ideas for completing the internship requirement discussed below. Additional Requirements on the Four Courses.
• One of the four courses may be at the 200 level, but at least three must be at the 300 level or higher.
• The total credits associated with the courses must be twelve or more.
• At least three of the courses must be in departments other than the department or program of your major.
• Courses cannot be “named” requirements of the major; however, elective courses for the major may be used.
Practical experience in space science and space engineering can be obtained through an academic internship, non-academic internship or an equivalent experience. This practical experience can be acquired by at least six weeks of full-time effort or the equivalent effort spread over a longer period. This can take place during a summer or during the academic year.
Academic internships. The Undergraduate Student Handbook describes the regulations governing academic internships. You may find the following quoted material from the Handbook helpful:
• “Academic internships are practical work experiences which have an academic component as certified by a member of the faculty.”
• “Academic credit for independent academic work must be sponsored by a full-time member of the Homewood faculty. This is the case whether the work is done on campus or not. The work supervisor and the faculty sponsor may be the same individual. If the faculty sponsor is not the work supervisor, the work supervisor must provide the faculty sponsor with a report on the student’s achievements while doing the independent project “
• “only one credit may be earned for an academic internship during one semester or summer”
• “the grading method is Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory only.”
• “Independent work done for academic credit must be unpaid.”
• “The use of credit for independent academic work to satisfy the requirements of a major or minor is subject to prior written approval by the appropriate department or program.” Non-academic internships. These internships are offered by non-academic organizations such as the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Applied Physics Laboratory and a number of NASA laboratories to provide undergraduate students practical work experience in space science and space engineering. These internships often carry a stipend and are not eligible for academic credit. Equivalent experiences. Other activities that meet the spirit of the requirement may be accepted. For example, employment opportunities, often in the summer, can provide practical experience in space science and space engineering. Prior approval is required. The student is responsible for identifying and arranging the internship or equivalent experience. However, in order to count towards the Minor, it must be approved in advance by the Advisor. In general, the Advisor will require that the mentor or supervisor be either a space scientist or space engineer. Required Report on the internship or work experience. In order to have it count towards the Minor, the student must provide a brief Report (typically one page) describing the internship or equivalent experience to the Advisor at the beginning of the semester immediately following the activity. The Report should give the name of the organization or laboratory (e.g. STScI, JHU-APL, NASA-GSFC), the start date and duration, and the name, position and email address of the mentor/supervisor. It should have a brief summary describing the activity, a description of new knowledge and skills learned and information about the overall experience. 
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) in the pre-launch clean-room. The 1400 kg astronomical observatory was launched from Cape Canaveral into a circular low-Earth orbit June 24, 1999 and operated from the JHU Homewood Campus until July 2007.
Return to the Table of Contents Advanced consulting with the Advisor is crucial for success in the Minor program. At the beginning, the student will propose to the Advisor an academic program based on the Proposal and Course Plan described above. The student will plan a set of courses that meets the student’s academic objectives and satisfies the requirements for the Minor. Subsequent changes in the Course Plan or overall educational goals for the Minor must be approved by the Advisor. The student must have prior approval of an internship or equivalent experience in order for it to satisfy the requirement for the Minor and the Advisor must approve the Report on the internship or equivalent experience. Students in the Whiting School of Engineering and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences will have different Advisors. The Advisors are: | Arts & Sciences | Engineering | | Professor C.L. Bennett | Professor Joseph Katz | | Dept. of Physics and Astronomy | Dept. of Mechanical Engineering | | 209 Bloomberg | 219 Latrobe Hall | | cbennett@jhu.edu | katz@jhu.edu |
If you have questions or suggestions about the Minor please direct them to the above faculty. If you wish to meet with either Professor Bennett or Professor Katz, please make an appointment by emailing the appropriate faculty member.
Return to the Table of Contents A Degree Audit Checklist for students in both the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and in the Whiting School of Engineering can be obtained through the KSAS Undergraduate Academic Advising web site at http://www.advising.jhu.edu/degree_checklist.php.
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Below are illustrative examples of course programs that student might propose. A student in the Minor must take Physics and Astronomy 171.321 Introduction to Space Science and Technology. In addition, the student will propose a program of four courses as discussed above. The courses usually will be drawn from the list in Section 6, but other courses may be used if appropriate. Example 1. If the student is majoring in one of the engineering departments or programs and is interested in designing space missions for remote observations of the earth or for planetary studies from space, the student might propose a four-course program drawn from the list below: * Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.220 The Dynamic Earth: An Introduction to Geology
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.315 Natural Catastrophes
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.318 Remote Sensing of the Environment
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.325 Introductory Oceanography
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.355 Introductory Atmospheric Science
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.360 Climate Change: Science and Policy
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.378 Present and Future Climate
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.407 Seminar in Planetary Sciences (Taught by APL staff. One credit; additional course required to meet the 12 credit total requirement for the Minor.)
* Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.395 Planetary Physics & Chemistry
* Either Electrical Engineering 520.326 Introduction to Optical Instruments or Physics 171.411 Geometric and Physical Optics (Optical techniques are important for remote observations.) Example 2. If student is majoring in Physics and Astronomy or in Earth and Planetary Sciences and is interested in a better understanding of spacecraft design and attitude control for astronomy and remote sensing of the earth from space, the student might propose a four-course program drawn from the list below: * Electrical and Computer Engineering 520.214 Signals and Systems
* Electrical and Computer Engineering 520.401 Basic Communications
* Mechanical Engineering 530.343 Design and Analysis of Dynamic Systems
* Mechanical Engineering 530.418 Aerospace Structures and Materials
* Mechanical Engineering 530.424 Dynamics of Robots and Spacecraft
* Mechanical Engineering 530.425 Mechanics of Flight
* Mechanical Engineering 530.432 Jet and Rocket Propulsion
* Mechanical Engineering 530.467 Thermal Design Issues for Aerospace Systems
* Mechanical Engineering 530.470 Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control. Example 3. An understanding of biology and its observable effects on a planet is likely to be important, both for better understanding our earth, for the search for life on other planets (both solar and exosolar) and for the demands of the associated engineering tasks. A student interested in this area might propose the following program of four courses drawn from the list below: * Earth and Planetary Sciences 270.318 Remote Sensing of the Environment
* Biology 020.305 Biochemistry
* Biology 020.315 Biochemistry Laboratory
* Biology 020.327 Molecular Biology of Extremophiles
* Biology 020.329 The Microbial World
* Biology 020.334 Planets, Life and the Universe
* Geography & Environmental Engineering 570.328 Geography and Ecology of Plants Example 4. An expanding area of interdisciplinary space research is understanding the properties of Exoplanets. A student might prepare for this area by proposing a four-course program of four courses based on a list combining the courses under Examples 1 and 3. Example 5. Communication and data management are becoming critically important in space missions. As experiments become more and more capable, the transmitted data sets are becoming very large and complex. A four-course program drawn from the list below would strengthen a student’s knowledge in this area: * Applied Mathematics and Statistics 550.310 Probability and Statistics for the Physical and Information Sciences and Engineering
* Applied Mathematics and Statistics 550.413 Applied Statistics and Data Analysis for the Physical and Information Sciences and Engineering
Applied Mathematics and Statistics 550.436 Data Mining
* Computer Science 600.226 Data Structures
* Computer Science 600.315/415 Database Systems
* Computer Science 600.320/420 Parallel Programming
* Computer Science 600.337/437 Distributed Systems
* Computer Science 600.417 Data Streaming Processing
* Computer Science 600.427 Data Organization: Storage and External Memory Systems
* Electrical and Computer Engineering 520.214 Signals and Systems
* Electrical and Computer Engineering 520.401 Basic Communications
* Either Electrical and Computer Engineering 520.403 Introduction to Optical Instruments or Physics 171.411 Geometric and Physical Optics (Included because of the possible importance of laser communications.)
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Students are not restricted to this list, but it represents a good starting point for constructing the Proposal and Course Plan. Based on their advising experience, the Director and Co-Director of the Minor, from time to time, may modify the list in cooperation with the Oversight Committee.
550.310 Probability and Statistics for the Physical and Information Sciences and Engineering
550.361-362 Introduction to Optimization
550.413 Applied Statistics and Data Analysis for the Physical and Information Sciences and Engineering
550.436 Data Mining 600.226 Data Structures
600.315/415 Database Systems
600.320/420 Parallel Programming
600.337/437 Distributed Systems
600.363/463 Introduction to Algorithms
600.417 Data Streaming Processing
600.427 Data Organization: Storage and External Memory Systems 520.214 Signals and Systems
520.401 Basic Communications
520.454 Control Systems Design
520.403 Introduction to Optical Instruments
520.487 Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems
520.495 Microfabrication Laboratory Colisted with 530.495 and 580.495 510.201 Introduction to Engineering Materials
510.418/618 Electronic and Photonic Processes & Devices
510.405 Energy Engineering: Fundamentals and Future
510.400 Introduction to Ceramics
510.419 Physical Metallurgy 530.231 Mechanical Engineering Thermodynamics
530.327 Fluid Mechanics I
530.328 Fluid Mechanics II
530.343 Design and Analysis of Dynamic Systems
530.418 Aerospace Structures and Materials
530.424 Dynamics of Robots and Spacecraft
530.425 Mechanics of Flight
530.432 Jet and Rocket Propulsion
530.444 Computer Aided Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer (New course Spring 2011)
530.467 Thermal Design Issues for Aerospace Systems
530.470 Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control
020.305 Biochemistry
020.315 Biochemistry Laboratory
020.327 Molecular Biology of Extremophiles
020.329 The Microbial World
020.334 Planets, Life and the Universe 270.220 The Dynamic Earth: An Introduction to Geology
270.311 Geobiology
270.313 Isotope Geochemistry
270.315 Natural Catastrophes
270.318 Remote Sensing of the Environment
270.325 Introductory Oceanography
270.335 Planets, Life and the Universe
270.355 Introductory Atmospheric Science
270:360 Climate Change: Science and Policy
270.378 Present and Future Climate
270.395 Planetary Physics & Chemistry
270.407 Seminar in Planetary Sciences (one credit)
270.425 Earth and Planetary Fluids 171.201 Special Relativity and Waves
171.207 Relativity (one credit, taught as part of 171.201)
171.202 Modern Physics
171.204 Classical Mechanics II
171.313 Introduction to Stellar Physics
171.314 Introduction to Galaxies and Active Galactic Nuclei
171.333 Planets, Life and the Universe
171.411 Geometric and Physical Optics
171.472/672 Plasma Physics
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We will post information about available internships in this section as we receive it. Students should keep in mind that each student is responsible for identifying and arranging her/his internship experience. However, in order to count towards the Minor, students must have his/her internship experience approved by the Director or Co-Director for the Minor prior to the internship experience. Opportunities within the university include the Applied Physics Laboratory, the Center for Astrophysical Sciences, the Space Telescope Science Institute as well as individual professors and research staff. In addition, local laboratories and companies, such as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital Sciences and other private corporations offer excellent opportunities for internships and summer work experiences. *Applied Physics Laboratory program for JHU students:
http://www.jhuapl.edu/employment/summer/aasintern.asp
Students should indicate their interest in the Space Department of the JHU APL. *Space Telescope Science Institute intern program:
http://www.stsci.edu/institute/sd/students *NASA web site. This web site takes you to one at GSFC, but it contains links to the NASA-wide pages.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/education/internships.html
Return to the Table of Contents A standing Oversight Committee, currently comprised of the following faculty, performs the oversight of the Minor:
* Professor Charles L. Bennett, Physics and Astronomy, Director of the Minor
* Professor Timothy Heckman (committee chair), Physics and Astronomy and the Director of the Center for Astrophysical Sciences
* Professor Joseph Katz, Mechanical Engineering, Co-Director of the Minor
* Professor James B. Spicer, Materials Science and Engineering
* Professor Darryn W. Waugh Chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences
* Research Professor Harold (Hal) A. Weaver, Physics and Astronomy and Applied Physics Laboratory
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