Space Environments ASTRO5011

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Physics and Astronomy
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course provides a physics-based qualitative and quantitative overview of the space environment. Topics covered include overview and historical introduction; solar sources and physics of space weather; remote sensing of the space environment; the physics of particles in space; interaction between spacecraft and their environment; space debris and collision avoidance; space weather forecasting. 

Timetable

18 teaching contact hours, which would be split between lectures and seminars/guest lectures/problem sessions  

Requirements of Entry

Advanced Higher Physics or equivalent

Advanced Higher Maths or equivalent

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

This course will be assessed by computational exercises, an individual report on a chosen aspect of the course, and a viva on this report. The material included in the course will also feed into the proposed 60-credit project which will be a complete portfolio describing the lifecycle of a space science project.

Course Aims

The aim of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to explore the space environment and the hazards it presents to spacecraft and astronauts. Students will learn how basic physics is harnessed to understand and predict the space environment. The course will enable students to understand the hazards of the space environment and use this experience to develop mitigation strategies for space missions. This course will also prepare students for the modern space sector through skills-aligned assessments, including developing confidence in analysing space environment data, interpreting space weather forecasts, and understanding the latest research in the field.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Describe quantitatively the physical properties of the space environment and identify the main sources of space weather

■ Analyse the impact of space weather on satellite operations, both direct impact of particle radiation on satellite hardware, and operational and orbital effects due to the effects of space weather on the Earth's space environment

■ Discuss mitigation strategies for space environment hazards within the constraints of particular mission design envelopes

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components of the course's summative assessment, including the test.