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The goal of this capstone spacecraft dynamics project is to employ the skills developed in the rigid body Kinematics, Kinetics and Control courses. An exciting two-spacecraft mission to Mars is considered where a primary mother craft is in communication with a daughter vehicle in another orbit. The challenges include determining the kinematics of the orbit frame and several desired reference frames, numerically simulating the attitude dynamics of the spacecraft in orbit, and implementing a feedback control that then drives different spacecraft body frames to a range of mission modes including sun pointing for power generation, nadir pointing for science gathering, mother spacecraft pointing for communication and data transfer. Finally, an integrated mission simulation is developed that implements these attitude modes and explores the resulting autonomous closed-loop performance. Tasks 1 and 2 use three-dimensional kinematics to create the mission related orbit simulation and the associated orbit frames. The introductory step ensures the satellite is undergoing the correct motion, and that the orbit frame orientation relative to the planet is being properly evaluated. Tasks 3 through 5 create the required attitude reference frame for the three attitude pointing modes called sun-pointing, nadir-pointing and GMO-pointing. The reference attitude frame is a critical component to ensure the feedback control drives the satellite to the desired orientation. The control employed remains the same for all three pointing modes, but the performance is different because different attitude reference frames are employed. Tasks 6 through 7 create simulation routines to first evaluate the attitude tracking error between a body-fixed frame and a particular reference frame of the current attitude mode. Next the inertial attitude dynamics is evaluated through a numerical simulation to be able to numerically analyze the control performance. Tasks 8-11 simulate the closed-loop attitude performance for the three attitude modes. Tasks 8 through 10 first simulate a single attitude at a time, while tasks 11 develops a comprehensive attitude mission simulation which considers the attitude modes switching autonomously as a function of the spacecraft location relative to the planet.

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control covers three core topic areas: the description of the motion and rates of motion of rigid bodies (Kinematics), developing the equations of motion that prediction the movement of rigid bodies taking into account mass, torque, and inertia (Kinetics), and finally non-linear controls to program specific orientations and achieve precise aiming goals in three-dimensional space (Control). The specialization invites learners to develop competency in these three areas through targeted content delivery, continuous concept reinforcement, and project applications. The goal of the specialization is to introduce the theories related to spacecraft dynamics and control. This includes the three-dimensional description of orientation, creating the dynamical rotation models, as well as the feedback control development to achieve desired attitude trajectories. Applied Learning Project The capstone project integrates the analytical skills you build through the courses into a Mars mission concept where the attitude pointing of a small satellite is developed for different mission requirements. Numerical simulations are developed to validate the predicted closed loop attitude control.

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5734, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. In this course, you will learn how to design balancing systems and to compute remaining energy and available power for a battery pack. By the end of the course, you will be able to: - Evaluate different design choices for cell balancing and articulate their relative merits - Design component values for a simple passive balancing circuit - Use provided Octave/MATLAB simulation tools to evaluate how quickly a battery pack must be balanced - Compute remaining energy and available power using a simple cell model - Use provided Octave/MATLAB script to compute available power using a comprehensive equivalent-circuit cell model

This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5387, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. This is part 3 of the specialization. In this course students will learn : * About SystemC and how it can be used to create models of cyber-physical systems in order to perform "what-if" scenarios * About Trimble Engineering's embedded systems for heavy equipment automation * A deeper understanding of embedded systems in the Automotive and Transportation market segment * How to debug deeply embedded systems * About Lauterbach's TRACE32 debugging tools * How to promote technical ideas within a company * What can be learned from studying engineering failures

The courses in this specialization can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5385-5387, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Enroll here . In this specialization, you will engage the vast array of technologies that can be used to build an industrial internet of things deployment. You'll encounter market sizes and opportunities, operating systems, networking concepts, many security topics, how to plan, staff and execute a project plan, sensors, file systems and how storage devices work, machine learning and big data analytics, an introduction to SystemC, techniques for debugging deeply embedded systems, promoting technical ideas within a company and learning from failures. In addition, students will learn several key business concepts important for engineers to understand, like CapEx (capital expenditure) for buying a piece of lab equipment and OpEx (operational expense) for rent, utilities and employee salaries.

Designing for an organization, while requiring technical skill, is not just about knowing how to use a pagination program such as InDesign or manipulate photos using Photoshop. A designer is a visual storyteller, a person who pairs words with images and typography to best convey information to an audience. Good design evokes emotion and presents the news of the day with clarity and the proper tone. A business card, brochure, or website that has good design provides content that is more inviting, more easily comprehensible and is faster to process. Design isn’t about “making it look pretty,” it’s also about content, layout and audience analysis.

Examining and exploring the various types of images and graphic elements will be the focus of this course. We will start with color theory to distinguish between CMYK, Pantone and RGB color options and their usages. Then we will review the various types of images used in both print and digital design projects. Finally we will look at logo designs to determine what makes for the best images and graphic elements for corporate branding and imaging.

Graphic design is telling a story by using both images and text. With that definition in mind, this course will focus on the textual elements of graphic design. From the history of typography, the difference between type, fonts and text as well as exposure to typography spacing, students will learn the value of selecting the best kind of type and combinations of fonts to get their message across in a visually pleasing manner.

Graphic design projects can be delivered in either a printed format or a digital format, or both. This course will look at how to work with creative professionals to get the ideal usage out of a design to use in print medium such as logos, brochures and larger printed projects that will also carry over as seamlessly as possible into the digital realm of websites and social media. We will also cover the user experience and how to keep the end result in mind when working on creative endeavors.

In this hands-on specialization, you will explore basic graphic design elements, color theory, images, publication design and techniques for creating effective layouts. You will also learn about typography, the creative process, the importance of brainstorming, and how to discuss and critique design in a professional setting. Page layout software and online sites will be used to incorporate and manipulate text, color, photographs and images. If you are curious about the design process, work on a team with designers and need to speak some of their language, or want to empower the creatives on your team to be even better, this specialization is made for you. Applied Learning Project You will design a business card or one-sided flyer, an advertisement, a brochure and an outline for a website. In addition, this course will include optional discussions with fellow students and a peer review process for each assignment. We encourage you to take advantage of all of these opportunities, and immerse yourself in the design process!

With the sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of other organisms, we now have a list of the parts that make up these genetic systems. Using this information, researchers are now able to engineer synthetic genetic circuits for a range of applications in the environmental, medical, and energy domains. Crucial to these efforts' success is the development of methods and tools for designing these genetic circuits. While inspiration can be drawn from experiences with electronic design, design with a genetic material poses several challenges. Genetic circuits are composed of very noisy components making their behavior more asynchronous, analog, and stochastic in nature. This specialization presents recent research into new methods and software tools for the modeling, analysis, and design of genetic circuits that are enabling this exciting new field of synthetic biology. As in the sequencing of the human genome, collaborations between engineers and biologists will be essential to the success of synthetic biology. Therefore, the goal of this specialization is to facilitate these collaborations by teaching both the biological and engineering principles necessary for such research. Applied Learning Project Throughout the specialization, learners will complete a series of hands-on projects where they will design, model, and analyze genetic circuits of their choosing. These projects will provide practical experience in using computational tools and experimental techniques, allowing students to explore the complexities of genetic circuit engineering.

This specialization covers the fundamentals of networking within modern computing infrastructure. IT infrastructure has shifted towards software-oriented networks and cloud-based services, changing the roles of engineers. The specialization begins with Network Systems Principles to establish a foundation. Whether you have prior experience or not, this section will be beneficial. Next, we focus on two key areas: Linux Networking and Cloud Networking. In Linux Networking, you'll learn to build network infrastructure using Linux, applicable to switches, routers, and containerized infrastructure like Kubernetes. In Cloud Networking, you'll explore network abstractions in the cloud and understand the underlying infrastructure of cloud providers. By the end, you'll be equipped to create complex networked applications in the cloud and effectively troubleshoot them. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Masters of Science in Computer Science (MS-CS) degrees offered on the Coursera platform. This fully accredited graduate degree offer targeted courses, short 8-week sessions, and pay-as-you-go tuition. Admission is based on performance in three preliminary courses, not academic history. CU degrees on Coursera are ideal for recent graduates or working professionals. Learn more: MS in Computer Science: https://coursera.org/degrees/ms-computer-science-boulder Applied Learning Project Throughout the specialization, learners will engage in projects like building Linux-based network infrastructure, work with different cloud network services, and troubleshooting networks. You'll set up virtual routers, create cloud networks, and optimize performance, gaining practical skills in modern networking.