spacecraft design
Vehicle for orbit
Spacecraft design is the engineering discipline concerned with conceiving and developing vehicles intended for travel or operation in space.
The field integrates structures, propulsion, thermal control, power systems, and life support into functional craft—from satellites to crewed capsules to interplanetary probes.
She studied spacecraft design at MIT before joining NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- launch vehicleRocket carrying spacecraft upward
- heat shieldsReentry burn barriers
- thermal blanketHeat-conserving emergency cover
- radiatorsHeat-dispersing metal fixtures
- sensorsDevices that detect input
flight computer · attitude control · mission control · orbital mechanics · temperature sensors · rocket engines · scientific instruments · gyroscopes · zero gravity · systems engineering · satellite · airlock · life support · docking port · insulation materials · booster · solar panel · stress analysis