Studies in Space Exploration
HET610
Overview
To enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into a course from the provider.
Read before you start
Level of study: What does Postgraduate mean?
Postgraduate
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$1,600.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$1,825.00 (AUD)
Description
This unit presents the basic principles, issues and scientific goals in space exploration, and traces its history and development with particular reference to manned versus unmanned space exploration, spacecraft design, launch and navigation, imaging and remote sensing. Public perception of space science and analysis of the costs, risks and benefits of space exploration are discussed with special reference to ethical and legal implications of topics, such as the use of radioisotope fuel sources, 'space junk', and mining rights in space.
Enrolment Restriction
In order to enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into one of the following courses:
If you wish to seek approval to enrol in this unit without being accepted in a course, please contact OUA regarding the process.
Prerequisites
Recommended prerequisites
You are recommended to have completed the following unit(s) or have equivalent knowledge before starting this unit:
- HET602 — Exploring the Solar System
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- understand the basic principles, issues and science goals in space exploration
- discuss the history and development of space exploration, especially issues such as manned versus unmanned space exploration, spacecraft design, launch and navigation, imaging and remote sensing, and the biomechanics of space flight, in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public
- understand the social implications of space science and an analysis of the costs, risks & benefits of space exploration, including the ethical and legal implications of topics such as the use of radioisotope fuel sources, 'space junk' and mining rights in space
- research an astronomy topic in depth, using dependable sources of astronomical information on the internet and refereed journal articles.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ground-based space exploration: telescopes, detectors, limitations of ground-based observations |
| 2 | Unmanned space exploration: orbiting observatories, planetary missions, observing asteroids, comets, the sun, the heliopause and beyond |
| 3 | People in space: manned versus robotic missions, space stations, colonisation and terraforming |
| 4 | Evolution of human space flight |
| 5 | Spacecraft design, launch and navigation |
| 6 | Imaging and remote sensing: instrumentation, telemetry, communication, space observatories, data processing and manipulation |
| 7 | Fuelling interplanetary missions |
| 8 | Costs, risks and benefits: scientific, legal and ethical dimensions: the science goals, public perception, legal implications & ethical considerations |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Embedded Multimedia
- Online Quizzes/Tests
- Online assignment submission
- Standard Media
- Web links
Textbook information for this unit is currently being updated and will be available soon. Please check back regularly for updates. Alternatively, visit the Unibooks website and enter the unit details to search for available textbooks.
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit is an approved elective in the following courses:
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
