Lassonde School of Engineering (LE) – Space Engineering |
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| Location: | 102 Petrie, 416-736-5245 |
| Interim Chair: | R. S. K. Lee |
| Distinguished Research Professors: | G. G. Shepherd |
| Professors: | Q. Cheng, G .T. Jarvis, C. Haas, J. Kozinski, I. C. McDade, T. McElroy, S. D. Pagiatakis, M. Shoukri, P. A. Taylor, J. A. Whiteway, Z. H. Zhu |
| Professors Emeriti: | K. D. Aldridge, J. R. Miller, G. G. Shepherd, D. Smylie |
| Associate Professors: | C. Armenakis, S. Bisnath, M. Daly, B. Hu, M. A. Jenkins, G. P. Klaassen, R. S. K. Lee, B. M. Quine, J. Shan, G. Sohn, A. M. K. Szeto, G. Vukovich |
| Assistant Professors: | Y. Chen, J. Moores |
| Associate Lecturers: | H. Chesser, J. G. Wang |
Offered by the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering (ESSE), Space Engineering is a discipline focused on the exploration and utilization of space for the benefit of humanity. Space engineers routinely push the frontiers of what is technologically feasible and work on exciting one-of-a-kind projects.
Based on a multi-disciplinary framework of applied mathematics, physics, computer and software engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, space engineers gain multi-disciplinary training in the design, development and operation of the complex and highly reliable mechatronic systems used in space flight. They become well versed in the design and management of complex hardware and data systems and have an understanding of the legal and entrepreneurial aspects of space engineering.
Space engineers develop and sustain space-based information systems that support the knowledge economy including those employed in global navigation, digital media, communications, weather forecasting and disaster prediction. They are responsible for the production of the rockets and space vehicles that allow humans to access space.Space engineering is also concerned with the development of space technology to improve our knowledge of the solid Earth, oceans and atmosphere and of the evolution of our planetary system and universe. Probing the Earth and its atmosphere from space provides an efficient, cost-effective and rapid approach to discovering and mapping natural resources and understanding climate system behaviour globally.
Space engineering faculty members bring their experiences from past and current projects to the classroom thereby providing first person relevant and reality-based examples and case studies. Faculty members are engaged in the development of nano-satellites and associated instruments in the YUsend project as well as with the Lassonde-developed Argus instrument onboard the CanX-2 nanosatellite that observed infrared emissions from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Faculty members also support the development of remote sensing instrumentation for the exploration of the solar system, having developed and led Canada’s first instruments that operated from the surface of a solar system body other than the Earth. These instruments provided unique scientific insights with an appropriate Canadian highlight being the discovery of snowfall. An upcoming project, led by space engineering faculty is the Canadian instrument onboard the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission that will study the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2018. Members have been or are engaged in a wide variety of research projects including the development of pneumatically supported space elevators, nanosatellite subsystems, gossamer solar sails and the active control of formations of spacecraft. Student members may also participate in a range of extracurricular engineering design activities including the student Mars rover team that has secured first place in recent international competitions and the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge competition.