SEI Courses
The Space Exploration Initiative facilitates space research across the Media Lab, MIT, and with outside collaborators. One way SEI supports research efforts is by offering two graduate level MIT courses, Zero Gravity Flight Course: Prototyping Our Sci-Fi Space Future and Operating in the Lunar Environment. These courses provide students with the skills needed to develop launch-ready payloads for microgravity and lunar environments, enabling the development of a diverse spectrum of spaceworthy science, engineering, art and design work.
Zero Gravity Flight Course: Prototyping Our Sci-Fi Space Future
Since 2018, SEI has offered a course on project development, prototyping, and deployment readiness for parabolic flights. This course supports an annually chartered research flight. Admitted student teams are offered project-deployment slots on SEI’s annually chartered parabolic research flight. This course covers three main topic areas: rapid prototyping and engineering skills to prepare projects for operation in microgravity; logistics, training, and safety pre-approval steps to meet flight readiness requirements and pass a Technical Readiness Review (TRR); and creative and technical lenses for the future of space exploration.
Operating in the Lunar Environment
New for Spring 2021, Operating in the Lunar Environment is a collaboration between MIT AeroAstro and SEI. This course is a detailed exploration of the design and engineering challenges posed by operating in the lunar environment. Students gain hands-on experience, working in teams, to design a payload to address strategic objectives associated with NASA’s Artemis program, aiming to enable near-term sustainable settlements on the lunar surface. Lectures and associated recitations explore varying mission goals and operating environments, from lunar-class launch, to orbiters, landers, rovers, and habitats. Guest lectures include prominent engineers, scientists, industry players and policymakers, who have direct experience in lunar mission design and development.