Fault Management and Autonomy: Improving Spacecraft Survivability - 675.713

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of fault management engineering as it pertains to space systems. It describes how the fault management engineering viewpoint differs from that of systems engineers and engineering specialists, as well as the role that fault management plays throughout the mission design life cycle. Fault management is a systems engineering function that defines the functional requirements distributed throughout the spacecraft (hardware, software, and autonomy) and ground/mission operations that enable the detection, isolation, and recovery from events that upset nominal operations. Students will learn about the principles of fault management architecture (i.e., driving requirements, redundancy concept, safing and modes concept, ground intervention concept, and critical sequences) and how those principles inform the fault management design, the analytical techniques used for fault analysis, trade studies, and requirements allocation, and the role of the fault management engineer from the initiation of the project through design, integration and test, launch, and flight operation. Examples will be presented from real space missions and programs to emphasize the different implementations of fault management systems given the technical, cost, and schedule constraints.

Course Prerequisite(s)

EN.675.600 Systems Engineering for Space AND EN.675.601 Fundamentals of Engineering Space Systems I or with approval of the instructor.