16.00x Introduction to Aerospace Engineering

10/05/2017

We are back online for this years offering of 16.00x!

As we are starting on Unit 2, you will learn about Tsiolkovsky's famous rocket equation, different forms of propulsion, staging and more. Although many of these ideas were formulated as long as a century ago, they apply just as well today.

Give it a go with SpaceX's BFR proposed last week, you will recognize many of the same properties and values you encountered in your homework, but now for a "fresh of the press" rocket!

11/18/2016

A note from Professor Hoffman now that the course has ended (for 2016):

Dear 16.00x Students,

Well, we have come to the end of 16.00x. I want to thank all of you who have participated actively in the discussion forums, and especially those of you who have tried to provide answers for your fellow students. I also want to thank the many students who sent in compliments about the course. A lot of work on the part of many people went into creating this course, and it makes all of us feel good to know that the work is appreciated.

This course is just an introduction to astronautics, concentrating on human space flight. There are many topics that we have not had time to cover, for instance the whole area of satellite technology, which has huge scientific and technical importance. In addition, many topics can be studied in much greater depth, such as rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, systems safety, etc. I hope that 16.00x has stimulated your interest to learn more about some of these topics.

MIT, as well as many other universities, has a large selection of “Open Courseware” offerings, some of which deal in greater depth with the topics we covered in 16.00x. Open Courseware (OCW) presents the lecture notes used in university classes, without the actual lecture deliveries that we had in 16.00x, so they may be a little harder to follow; but for those of you interested in deepening your understanding of spaceflight, OCW provides an avenue to pursue your interests.

Your feedback is very important to all of us who developed 16.00x, and we look forward to reading the results of your exit surveys. This will help us improve 16.00x for the next time that it is offered.

Best wishes and good luck,
Professor Jeffrey Hoffman

A note from Eric:

Thanks to everyone for their hard work in this course and for all the attention on the page. It has been a pleasure being your T.A. and I wish you all the very best!

Eric

10/17/2016

Unit 5 is coming to an end, but that means that we get to start Unit 6 soon! As a precursor to Unit 6, take a look at MIT's BioSuit, the next-gen spacesuit for astronauts traveling to Mars that is coming out of my own lab!

Spacesuits of the future may resemble a streamlined second skin.

10/09/2016

As we wind down Unit 4 on Orbital Mechanics, get ready for Unit 5 to start in just two days! You will be learning about astronauts in microgravity, physiological challenges, and space radiation.

Also, here is a video of Hurricane Matthew from the International Space Station's point of view.

Dramatic footage captured from the International Space Station shows powerful Hurricane Matthew preparing to slam into the southeastern United States.

10/02/2016

Hello Everyone! I hope the course is going well so far. We have now moved into our unit on Orbits after finishing up the week on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). You have a bit of extra time for this unit because it is longer. Best of luck, and enjoy the content!

09/21/2016

The Future of Propulsion? Photonic Propulsion and Getting to Mars in 3 days.

In the spirit of this week's content for Unit 2 on Rocket Propulsion, here is a quick look into where propulsion may be going in the future. Enjoy!

To reach the power levels needed to reach a proportion of the speed of light humanity will need to create new technologies. One such technology, photonics propulsion, is showing promise.

09/12/2016

For those of you interested in the scientific side of Astronautics, here is a fascinating article on Dark Matter. The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) collaboration has been attempting to locate WIMPs, which are thought to be Dark-Matter particles.

http://www.livescience.com/56041-dark-matter-just-got-murkier.html?utm_source=ls-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20160909-ls

A non-discovery is causing physicists to rethink how they think about dark matter, the mysterious "stuff" that pervades the universe.

09/06/2016

16.00x is now live! You can access the material for Unit 1 (Introduction to 16.00x) at any point in the next 7 days. Enjoy the content, and send me a message if you have any questions or issues.

Quick Link here:

Spaceflight is exciting, and you don’t have to be a “Rocket Scientist” to share in the excitement! 16.00x makes the basics of spaceflight accessible to everyone.

09/02/2016

Watch the SpaceX Falcon 9 explosion that occurred earlier today during a static test fire. Cause still unknown, although likely due to a failed strut that caused a rupture in the LOX (Liquid Oxygen) tank.

Rocket science is hard, even for the pros.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/01/news/companies/spacex-explosion/

Explosion rocks the SpaceX launch pad at Cape Canaveral early Thursday.

08/31/2016

Welcome, everyone, to the page of MIT's Introduction to Aerospace Engineering course on edX!

Are you ready to become a rocket scientist? We are very excited to have you all following this page, and hopefully enrolled in the course too!

The course starts on September 6th, and we have a lot of great content for you (including some new updates from the last time the course was offered).

Here is a sneak peek at one of the lectures in the first week, with our very own astronaut, Professor Jeff Hoffman:

08/12/2015

UPDATE: 16.101x will now start 9/28.

Enjoyed 16.00x? Then you should check out 16.101x: Introduction to Aerodynamics on MITx on edX. Sign up today: http://ow.ly/QL8Ax

Take this course for free on edX: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-aerodynamics-mitx-16-101x-0 ↓ More info below. ↓ Follow on Facebook:...

07/18/2015

We are excited to announce that 16.00x is the featured story on the MIT homepage today through Monday! Check out the video and let us know what you think.

Spaceflight is exciting, and you don’t have to be a “Rocket Scientist” to share in the excitement! 16.00x makes the basics of spaceflight accessible to every...