University of South Carolina

College of Engineering and Computing

Department of Mechanical
Engineering

AESP 101 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering

1 Course Information

Course Description
Historical overview of air and space flight; Principles of flight and characterization of the atmosphere and
space; Physical principles of flight; Vehicle concepts; Introduction to aerodynamics, materials, structures,
propulsion, flight mechanics, control, aircraft systems, and design.
Pre-requisites: None.
Contact hours – 3

2 Instructor Information

Zafer Gürdal
Email: zgurdal@sc.edu
Phone: 803-777-1910
Office Hours: Teams—Twice a week, TBD (Mondays 1 hr. Wednesdays 1 hr.)
Other: Emails and posts, One-on-one by appointment.

3 Textbook
Class notes and lecture charts
References:
John D. Anderson, Jr., Introduction to Flight— 8th th Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1989.
Ben Senson and Jasen Ritter, Aerospace Engineering: From the Ground Up , Delmar Cengage Learning, 2011.
Stephen Corda, Introduction to Aerospace Engineering— with a Flight Test Perspective, John Wiley & Sons,
2017.
E. L. Houghton, P. W. Carpenter, Steven Collicott, and Daniel Valentine, Aerodynamics for Engineering
Students— 7th Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2016.
John Cutler and Jeremy Liber, Understanding Aerospace Structures— 4th Edition, Blackwell Publishing, 2005.

4 Meeting Time/Location

Meeting Time
Section 1: Tuesday, Thursday | 08:30am - 09:45am
Meeting Location
Section 1: Rm. 112 Sloan College

5 Course Topics

1. Introduction of flight.

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2. History of flight.
3. The atmosphere and space.
4. Air and space vehicle concept.
5. Principles and functions of aerospace engineering: Aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, systems, flight
mechanics, control, and design.
6. Stakeholder analysis.

6 Course Outcomes

1. Students will identify key technology requirements in aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, flight
mechanics, control, and aircraft systems.
2. Students will summarize the history of flight.
3. Students will apply fundamental physics to air and space flight analysis and design.
4. Students will describe the atmosphere and space and their basic characteristics as a function of altitude.
5. Students will identify key technology requirements necessary for future air and space vehicle concepts’
design.

7 Lecture Schedule

Week 1: Introduction of flight.

Weeks 2 - 3: History of flight.
Week 4: The atmosphere and space.
Weeks 5 - 9: Air and space vehicle concept.
Weeks 10 – 15: Principles and functions of aerospace engineering: Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion,
systems, Flight mechanics, Control, and Design.

8 Grading Policy

The course is designed to provide students with an overview of the aircraft and spacecraft value chains and all
the disciplines involved in the development and operation of these vehicles. Since it is a freshmen course,
students are only expected to be able to reproduce presented material and be able to interpret specific past,
current and future vehicle development in their historical context. The typical class session will consist of:
 Presentation of new material
 Assignment of reading work
 Discussing homework results
 Question/answer session
Course Requirements: Students are required to take in-class examinations, complete assigned homework,
and take the final exam. Students are expected to attend class, complete the weekly readings before class,
ask questions, and turn in assignments on time.
Homework: Graded homework will be assigned approximately six times. Homework is posted on Blackboard
at the start of a new topical cluster of lectures. All homework must be worked in electronic form (MS Word,
Excel, Mathematica, MATLAB, etc.) and submitted in electronic form (no hand written submissions). The
homework must be turned in following the completion of the material at prescribed time.
Examinations: In-class tests will cover one or multiple topical clusters and take the total time allotted for a
class session. The final exam will be comprehensive and should take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
Course Policies: Homework will not be accepted after the due date. Exceptions will only be made in
extenuating circumstances and at the discretion of the instructor.
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The examinations must be taken as scheduled on this syllabus and as announced in class. Exceptions will only
be made in extenuating circumstances and at the discretion of the instructor. Make-up exams will differ from
those given in class but will cover the same material. The examinations are closed book unless announced
otherwise in class.
Students who have disabilities requiring special arrangements for class participation or test administration
should notify the instructor of the need for such arrangements at the beginning of the semester.
Students in this course should be familiar with the university policies on Academic Responsibility contained in
the Carolina Community: Student Handbook & Policy Guide, 2005-2006. Violations of academic responsibility in
this course will be handled as stipulated in that publication.
Assessment and Grading Policy: Students will be evaluated on homework assignments and two
examinations. The examinations will be objectively scored using a scoring key.
The homework assignments will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10, reflecting percent of possible points
earned. Grades will be assigned using the following weights and ranges in the scale from 0 to 100:

9 Attendance Policy

When you miss class, you miss important information. If you are absent, you are responsible for recovering
the material covered in class. If you are absent when an assignment is due, you must have submitted the
assignment prior to the due date to receive credit. If you miss more than 15% of the classes, whether excused
or unexcused, your grade will be dropped one letter grade. Instructor bonus based on individual performance
and/or class attendance may be used in determining the final grade.

10 Miscellaneous Policies
Accommodating Disability
In order to learn, we must be open to the views of people different than ourselves. In this time we share
together over the semester, please honor the uniqueness of your fellow classmates and appreciate the
opportunity we have to learn from one another. Please respect each others’ opinions and refrain from personal
attacks or demeaning comments of any kind. Finally, remember to keep confidential all issues of a personal or
professional nature that are discussed in class.
Diversity
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability
and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, contact the Student Disability Resource
Center: 777-6142, TDD 777-6744, email sasds@mailbox.sc.edu, or stop by LeConte College Room 112A. All
accommodations must be approved through the Student Disability Resource Center.

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Academic Integrity
University policies and procedures regarding academic integrity are defined in policy STAF 6.25, Academic
Responsibility - The Honor Code (see http://www.sc.edu/policies/ppm/staf625.pdf). Prohibited behaviors
include plagiarism, cheating, falsification, and complicity. All potential Honor Code violations will be reported to
the Office of Academic Integrity, which has the authority to implement non-academic penalties as described in
STAF 6.25. Academic penalties for Honor Code violations in this course range from a zero on the assignment
to failure of the course.

11 Miscellaneous Information

Online Learning Outcomes: All LOs are equivalent of those of a face-to-face (F2F) version of the course.
Fair Policy: All readings/materials comply with copyright/fair use policies.
Technology: Course delivery will be conducted through Blackboard Ultra/Microsoft Teams.
Software Requirements: This course will not require any special software.
Interactions:
S2I: Blackboard announcements will be used with a combination of emails/teams for further interaction.
S2S: This is not required.
S2C: All course material is posted on Blackboard.

12 Relationship of Course Outcomes to Student Outcomes

SO 1 - Complex Problems
an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering,
science, and mathematics

SO 2 - Design
an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of
public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

SO 3 - Communication
an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences

SO 4 - Judgement
an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed
judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and
societal contexts

SO 5 - Teams
an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative
and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives

SO 6 - Experiments
an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use
engineering judgment to draw conclusions

SO 7 - Knowledge
an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

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SO/CO Table CO 1 CO 2 CO 3 CO 4 CO 5

SO 1 - Complex Problems 1 0 0 1 1

SO 2 - Design 0 0 0 0 1

SO 3 - Communication 0 1 0 0 0

SO 4 - Judgement 0 0 0 0 0

SO 5 - Teams 0 0 0 0 0

SO 6 - Experiments 0 0 0 0 0

SO 7 - Knowledge 1 0 1 1 1

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