Topic outline


  • Course description

    What is in space, what kind of an environment is it, and how can you study it? Space science is a vast research field covering topics all the way from the Earth's atmosphere and the solar system to the most distant galaxies in the Universe and cosmology. Space technology -satellites and probes, and the scientific instruments onboard them- helps us to measure them. This course gives an overview of the contents and dimensions of space, and the basic tools for understanding it: celestial coordinate systems, celestial mechanics and satellite orbits, solar system physics and astronomy, and emission mechanisms relevant for these fields. This knowledge is required in the subsequent space science and technology courses. The course consists of theory and practice sessions, including group and individual assignments, and a final exam.


    Image credit: ESA/Hubble