ATI's Fundamentals of Rockets & Missiles course

Summary: The seminar is designed for engineers, decision makers and managers of current and future projects needing a more complete understanding of the complex issues of rocket and missile technology. This course is also relevant for government and industry officials who need an understanding of rocket and missile technology. It provides a foundation in the use, regulation and development of rocket systems of the future. You will learn a wide spectrum of problems, solutions and choices in the technology of rockets and missile used for military and civil purposes. The seminar is taught to the point-of-view of a decision maker needing the technical knowledge to make better informed choices. How rockets and missiles work, why they are built the way they are, what they are used for and how they differ. How rockets and missiles differ when used as weapons, as launch vehicles, and in spacecraft or satellites. Attendees will receive a complete set of printed notes. These notes will be an excellent future reference for current trends in state-of-the-art rocket and missile technology and decision making. Instructor: Edward L. Keith is a multi-discipline Launch Vehicle System Engineer, specializing in integration of launch vehicle technology, design, modeling and business strategies. He is an independent consultant, writer and teacher of rocket system technology. He is experienced in launch vehicle operations, design, testing, business analysis, risk reduction, modeling, safety and reliability. Mr. Keith’s experience extends to both reusable and expendable launch vehicles, as well as to both solid and liquid rocket systems. Mr. Keith has designed complete rocket engines, rocket vehicles, small propulsion systems, and composite propellant tank systems, especially designed for low cost. Mr. Keith has worked the Space Launch Initiative and the Liquid Fly-Back Booster programs. He also has 13-years of government experience including five years working launch operations at Vandenberg AFB. Mr. Keith has written 18 technical papers on various aspects of low cost space transportation over the last decade. What You Will Learn: Fundamentals of rocket and missile systems. The spectrum of rocket uses and technologies. Differences in technology between foreign and domestic rocket systems. Fundamentals and uses of solid and liquid rocket systems. Differences between systems built as weapons and those built for commerce. Who Should Attend: Aerospace Industry Managers. Government Regulators & Administrators. Engineers supporting rocket and missile projects. Contractors or investors involved in missile development. Course Outline: Introduction to Rockets and Missiles. Introduction to the practical uses of rocket systems as weapons of war, commerce and the peaceful exploration of space. Classifications of guided, and unguided, missile systems. Rocket Propulsion made Simple. How rocket motors and engines operate to achieve thrust. Use of the rocket equation and staging theory for rockets and missiles. Introduction to rocket efficiency metrics. Propellant tanks. Introduction to Mass Properties. Introduction to Propellant Performance, Utility and Applications. Propellant performance and mixture ratio issues.Propellant density and specific impulse theory.Hypergolic propellants.Propellant storability cryogenic propellants. Introducing Solid Rocket Motor Technology. Advantages and disadvantages of solid rocket motors.Solid rocket motor materials, propellant grains and construction. Applications for solid rocket motors as weapons and as cost-effective space systems. Liquid Rocket System Technology. Cryogenic and non cryogenic liquid rocket systems. Turbo pumps vs pressure-fed rocket engines. Propellant tanks. Foreign vs. American Rocket Technology. Examination of the strengths, and weaknesses, of Domestic, and foreign, rocket technology, and the value of import or export of technology. How the former Soviet aerospace diverged from American systems. Discussion of the issue of developing a space program to disguise a weapons program. Rockets in Spacecraft Propulsion. Examination of the differences between launch vehicle booster systems and that found on spacecraft, satellites and transfer stages. The use of storable and hypergolic propellants. Operations of rocket systems in microgravity. Rockets and Missiles as Weapons. Surface to surface, surface to air, ABM and air to surface weapons. Technology for short, intermediate and long-range weapons. Examination of lethality, probability of kill and accuracy. Active and passive guidance strategies. Technologies supporting delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction. Rockets and Missiles as Commerce. Civil uses for rockets and missiles, and how they differ from systems designed as weapons. Uses for satellites in communications, navigation, and imaging. Useful Orbits and Trajectories Made Simple. Introduction to simplified orbital mechanics. Orbital coordinate elements of Inclination, Apogee, Perigee, xxx. Special orbits; geostationary, sun synchronous and Molnya. Reliability and Safety of Rocket Systems. Introduction to the issues of safety and reliability of rocket and missile systems. A study of the hazards of rocket operations. The causes of failures in rocket systems and strategies to improve reliability is discussed. Expendable Launch Vehicle Theory, Selection, Performance and Uses. Understanding the continued dominance of expendable launch vehicles in the field of transportation from earth to low earth orbit. Reusable Launch Vehicle Theory and Performance. Provide an appreciation and understanding of why Reusable Launch Vehicles have had difficulty replacing expendable launch vehicles since the first operational space shuttle began service, and how the performance of Reusable Vehicles differs from Expendable systems. The Direction of Technology. A final open discussion regarding the direction of rocket technology, science, usage and regulations of rockets and missiles is conducted to close out the class study. Tuition: Tuition for this three-day course is $1590 per person at one of our scheduled public courses. Onsite pricing is available. Please call us at 410-956-8805 or send an email to ati@ATIcourses.com. Register Now Without Obligation