The Space Environment: IMplications for Spacecraft Design

A one, two or three day professional development course taught by Dr. Tribble based on the book by the same name.

All facets of the space environment are presented, as categorized in the five main chapters of the book: vacuum, neutral, plasma, radiation, and micrometeoroid/orbital debris.

Course Outline

A general outline is provided below. A more detailed outline can be downloaded as a 16kB pdf.

  1. Vacuum Environmental Effects
    1. Environment: Earths' Fields, Solar-Planetary Connection
    2. Effects: Solar UV Degradation, Contamination
  2. Neutral Environmental Effects
    1. Environment: Atmospheric Physics
    2. Effects: Aerodynamic Drag, Sputtering, Atomic Oxygen Erosion, Spacecraft Glow
  3. Plasma Environmental Effects
    1. Environment: Ionosphere, Magnetospher, Geomagnetic Storms
    2. Effects: Spacecraft Charging, Arc Discharging
  4. Radiation Environmental Effects
    1. Environment: Trapped Radiation Belts, Solar Proton Events, Galactic Cosmic Rays
    2. Effects: Total Dose, Dose Rate, Single Event
  5. Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris Effects
    1. Environment: Empirical Models
    2. Effects: Hypervelocity Impact Damage

Contact Information

If you have questions or would like to inquire about Dr. Tribble's availability, please call or email

(319) 295–9479

alantribble@gmail.com