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MITx: Introduction to Aerospace Engineering: Astronautics and Human Spaceflight

Spaceflight is exciting, and you don’t have to be a “Rocket Scientist” to share in the excitement! 16.00x makes the basics of spaceflight accessible to everyone.

8 weeks
3–4 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
This course is archived
Future dates to be announced

About this course

Skip About this course

Spaceflight is exciting, and you don’t have to be a “Rocket Scientist” to share in the excitement! 16.00x makes the basics of spaceflight accessible to everyone. Join MIT Professor Jeffrey Hoffman, a former NASA astronaut who made five spaceflights and was the first astronaut to log 1000 hours on the Space Shuttle, as he teaches you the core principles behind space travel and exploration. The course will cover how rockets work, how spacecraft move in orbit, how we create artificial environments inside spacecraft to keep astronauts alive and healthy, what it’s like living in a world without gravity, how the human body adapts to space, and how spacewalks happen, plus more. Many lessons will be illustrated with Professor Hoffman’s own experiences in space.

At a glance

  • Institution: MITx
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Introductory
  • Prerequisites:

    Some lectures use high school level physics and basic calculus, but most of the course is accessible to the general public without specialized background.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Aerospace Engineering, Spacecraft, Space Flight, Astronautics

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • The basic principles of how rockets work (rocket science)
  • How spacecraft move in orbit (orbital mechanics)
  • What is required to keep astronauts alive and healthy in space (environmental control and life support)
  • Basic concepts of safety and risk management
  • The effects of weightlessness on the human body
  • How to carry out a spacewalk

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

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