The Fundamentals of Aerospace

The Fundamentals of Aerospace

Explore flight & space! Learn aerodynamics and forces of flight intuitively, with hands-on projects.

Course Instructor

Prof. Bharath Govindarajan

Prof. Ranjith Mohan

Duration

8 Weeks

Course Fee

500

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About The Course

Introduction to Aerospace, an 8-week course offered by Prof.Bharath Govindarajan and Prof. Ranjith (IIT Madras). Understanding aerospace principles opens doors to a wide range of exciting fields: Engineering: This course provides a fantastic foundation for pursuing degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Materials Science. Aviation: Students interested in becoming pilots, air traffic controllers, or aircraft maintenance technicians will find the core concepts invaluable. Space Exploration: For those dreaming of working at NASA, ISRO, or private space companies, this course is an excellent first step into understanding spacecraft design, mission planning, and satellite technology. Research & Development: The problem-solving and critical thinking skills developed can be applied to research in areas like aircraft design and fabrication and drone technology. Industry and labs: HAL, NAL, DRDO and drone manufacturing companies

Course Instructor

Prof. Bharath Govindarajan

Prof. Bharath Govindarajan
Assistant Professor, IIT Madras

Prof. Bharath Govindarajan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras. He holds a B.Tech from IIT Madras and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.

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Prof. Ranjith Mohan

Prof. Ranjith Mohan
Associate Professor, IIT Madras

Prof. Ranjith Mohan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras. He earned his B.Tech from NIT Calicut (formerly REC Calicut) and completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Atlantic University. Prior to joining IIT Madras, he worked with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

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Content Overview

Course Duration: 8 Weeks

Week 1: World of Flying Vehicles

  • Classification of aircrafts
  • Flying vehicles
  • Forces on an airplane
  • Closure thoughts

Week 2: The Invisible Air

  • Demonstration
  • Shape of the object: What happens if you change the shape of the object?
  • More Demonstrations
  • Closure thoughts

Week 3: Air and Planes

  • Bluff and streamlined bodies
  • How to move an airplane
  • Control surfaces
  • How should these surfaces move?
  • Concluding thoughts

Week 4: Faster and Faster

  • How fast do different airplanes travel? Introducing the idea of Mach number.
  • Demonstration
  • Different engines: turbofan, turbojet, solid rockets, liquid rockets and hybrid rockets
  • Where is the oxygen? Inside a turbojet engine. Inside a rocket.
  • Closing thought: How fast are our interplanetary satellites travelling?

Week 5: Can We Leave Orbit?

  • Thought experiment
  • How exactly does our atmosphere look?
  • What types of orbits exist?
  • Polar and geostationary orbit. What types of satellites use what types of orbits?
  • Plan an orbit to Mars. Different options for orbits.

Week 6: Slowing Down

  • How do we slow down? The idea of parachutes and drag
  • Why does a slit in the engine open during landing? Similarly, why do multiple surfaces protrude from the wing?
  • What happens to the energy when you slow down a space shuttle? What happens to the kinetic energy? How do you cool the surface when the air temperature is greater than the melting point?
  • Challenging environmental factors: Ice, snow, rain, heavy winds

Week 7: Spinning Wings

  • The power of hover
  • Let us look at a helicopter, why do we have a tail rotor? Need for counter torque, basis Newton’s third law.
  • Where are the control surfaces on a helicopter?
  • Autorotation: Has nature perfected this technique already?
  • Why was flying on Mars a challenge? Why not fly a fixed wing on Mars?

Week 8: Let Us Build a Quadrotor

  • Introduce components of a quadrotor
  • Talk about how input from the pilot’s hands results in the motion of the quadrotor through space.
  • Demonstration: Putting together the quadrotor
  • Demonstration: Showing some flights.

Live Sessions: Weekly live interactive sessions on Saturdays

Course Eligibity

Students from partnered schools in any stream of Class X, XI and XII

Assessment Layout

Assignments: The course includes the release of 4 bi-weekly online assignments (every alternate week). Students need to attempt at least 3 of these assignments and must achieve a minimum score of 40 marks in each to be eligible for the certificate.

Take-Home Project: An optional project consisting of questions that cover all the topics from the theory videos, accompanied by a small project report.

Final Exam: An optional online final exam designed to assess the knowledge gained throughout the course, which can only be attempted after completing and submitting the required assignments and the take-home project.

Certificate Acquisition

Participation Certificate - Check Sample Certificate

To receive this participation certificate, a student must pass 3 out of 4 assignments with an average score of at least 40 marks.

Completion Certificate - Check Sample Certificate

To receive this completion certificate, a student must fulfill the following criteria:

  1. A student must pass 3 out of 4 assignments with an average score of at least 40 marks.
  2. Submission of the take-home project is mandatory for the student.
  3. Once the above two conditions are satisfied, the student should attempt the final exam and must receive a minimum score of 40 marks.