Introduction to the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics for applications to aircraft and spacecraft design and performance analysis.

Conservation laws, potential flow, airfoil and wing analysis. Boundary layer theory and pressure gradients on plates and airfoils. Introduction to turbulent and vortex-dominated flows.

This course covers basic one-dimensional flows related to aircraft and rocket engines. The types of engines include propeller driven engines, ramjets, turbojets, turbofans, turboprops and rockets as well as advanced propulsion such as solar sails and ion thrusters. Performance analysis is done on all of these engines as well as performance characteristics of inlets, exhaust nozzles, compressors, burners, and turbines in jet engines. This course also includes an Introduction to hobbyist rocket design using the design, build, test framework.

This is a team-based capstone project course and a continuation of AE 410. Each team is assigned a multidisciplinary aerospace engineering project, involving the design, fabrication, and testing of a system to meet customer requirements.

The course is an introduction to orbital and trajectory design. Topics include: Newton’s law of gravity; relative equations of motion; conic sections; orbits in three dimensions; impulsive maneuvers; transfer orbits; patched conics; Lambert’s theorem.

Introduction to space launch vehicle and spacecraft design, including an understanding of the various subsystems and how the overall vehicle's optimization leads to good conceptual designs. Introduction to parameters in aerospace analysis and how they effect the design.

Airbreathing engines course. Apply fluids, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to analysis of air breathing engines. Topics to include: ideal cycle analysis, component performance, non-ideal cycle analysis, and blade aerodynamics.

Introduction to aircraft design, including an understanding of the various components leading to a good conceptual design. Introduction to parameters in aerospace analysis and how they may impact a design. Application of design concepts to an RFP (request for proposal) for design competition.

Introduction to flight dynamics of aircraft. Basic overview of stability analysis and linear feedback control. Introduction to aircraft design and the design, build, fly framework.

Introduction to elasticity. Torsion, bending and shearing of thin-walled skin-stringer structures. Failure mechanisms. Buckling of beams and plates. Introduction to finite element analysis and composite structural analysis.