Courses

All core courses and select technical elective classes are offered online to satisfy the requirements for the online Post-baccalaureate Certificate and Master of Science (non-thesis) and Ph.D. degrees.  These courses are conducted asynchronously, with students having access to online videos, documents, discussion boards, assignments and other material to cover at their convenience during periods assigned by the instructor.

In addition, given the rich diversity of professions, background, and expertise of our students located all around the world, we firmly believe in the valuable interaction gained through real-time discussions among all members of the class, instructors, and guest lecturers.  Thus, all online courses also include weekly video-conferencing, synchronous sessions scheduled at different times of the day (morning and evening) for easy access to students of all time zones.

Most online courses are offered in 8-week periods, on either session A or B of the Fall and Spring semesters.  The project online courses are offered in full semester, 16-week sessions in the Fall (Project I) and Spring (Project II). Residential PhD students or online students living close to Mines have also access to all technical electives offered on campus.

 

Core Courses

Space Resources Fundamentals (SPRS 501)

Overview of the space resources field, including the current knowledge of available resources in the Solar System, extraction and utilization systems under development, economic and technical feasibility studies, legal and policy issues, and space exploration architectures that may be enabled by utilizing extraterrestrial resources.
Credit hours: 3
Duration: 8-week online (Fall & Spring, Session A)
Prerequisites: none

Space Systems Engineering (SPRS 502)

Systems engineering course with focus on In Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) technologies, from spacecraft design to mission architectures relying on space resources.
Credit hours: 3
Duration: 8-week online (Fall & Spring, Session B)
Prerequisites: SPRS 501 or instructor’s approval

Space Resources Project I (SPRS 591)

Team design project of a space-mission architecture enabled by space resources and utilizing ISRU components. Working with faculty members and experts from space agencies and commercial entities, the outcome of these projects will be relevant to public exploration goals and private-industry needs.
Credit hours: 2
Duration: Semester-long, 16-week online (Fall)
Prerequisites: SPRS 501 and SPRS 502

Space Resources Project II (SPRS 592)

Team design project of a space-mission architecture enabled by space resources and utilizing ISRU components. Working with faculty members and experts from space agencies and commercial entities, the outcome of these projects will be relevant to public exploration goals and private-industry needs.
Credit hours: 3
Duration: Semester-long, 16-week online (Spring)
Prerequisites: SPRS 591

Space Resources Seminar (SPRS 503)

Presentation and discussion of original research work and developing technologies in current topics in the space resources field by faculty members, guest experts, and students.
Credit hours: 1
Duration: 8-week online (Fall & Spring, Session A)
Prerequisites: none

Technical Elective Courses

Technical elective courses from the Space Resources program (SPRS) and other departments can be taken from a variety of important topics in space resources centered around five subject areas: I) Remote Sensing, Exploration, and Resource Assessment; II) Resource Extraction, Material Processing, and Refining; III) Power and Energy; IV) Economics and Policy; and V) Robotics, Autonomy, and Communications. New courses continue to be introduced as relevant topics are identified.

Elective courses provide students with a broad interdisciplinary coverage of critical topics in space resources. Thus, students are encouraged to mix and take courses from the five subject areas. New online courses are being continuously developed. Residential Ph.D. students and online students living close to Mines also have access to many in-person technical electives offered on campus, some of which are listed below.

Remote Sensing, Exploration and Resource Assessment


Online

  • SPRS 507 Advanced Planetary Geology
  • CEEN 501 Life Cycle Assessment
  • GEOL 410 Planetary Geology
  • GEOL 557 Earth Resource Data Science: Fundamentals
  • GEOL 558 Earth Resource Data Science: Apps. & Machine Learning
  • GEOL 598 Plate Tectonics
  • GPGN 547 Physics, Mechanics, And Petrophysics of Rocks
  • MNGN 598 Geospatial Big Data Analytics
  • PHGN 498 Elements of Modern Optics

On-Campus

  • GEGN 401 Mineral Deposits
  • GEGN 403 Mineral Exploration Design
  • GPGN 570 Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing
  • MNGN 510 Fundamentals of Mining & Mineral Resource Development

Power and Energy


Online

  • SPRS 598D Space Nuclear Power Systems
  • EENG 577 Advanced Electrical Machine Dynamics for Smart-Grid Systems
  • MEGN 566 Combustion
  • MEGN 571 Advanced Heat Transfer
  • MEGN 671 Radiation Heat Transfer

On-campus

  • CBEN 509 Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
  • EENG 580 Power Distribution Systems
  • EENG 581 Power System Operation and Management
  • MEGN 561 Design and Simulation of Thermal Systems
  • MEGN 569 Fuel Cell Science and Technology
  • MEGN 593 Engineering Design Optimization

Economics and Policy


Online

  • SPRS 504 Economics of Space Resources
  • SPRS 506 International Space Law and Policy
  • SPRS 598C Innov8X–Space Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • EBGN 525 Business Analytics
  • EBGN 560 Decision Analytics

 

On-campus

  • CEEN 592 Environmental Law
  • CEEN 594 Risk Assessment
  • EBGN 504 Economic Evaluation and Investment Decision Methods
  • EBGN 510 Natural Resources Economics
  • EBGN 535 Economics of Metal Industries and Markets
  • EBGN 560 Decision Analysis
  • MNGN 501 Regulatory Mining Laws and Contracts
  • MNGN 585 Mining Economics
  • PEGN 530 Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Law

Resource Extraction, Material Processing and Refining


Online

  • SPRS 598 Regolith Properties and Processing
  • AMFG 501 Additive Manufacturing
  • AMFG 521 Design for Additive Manufacturing
  • AMFG 522 Lean Manufacturing
  • AMFG 531 Materials for Additive Manufacturing
  • AMFG 598A Build Preparation for Additive Manufacturing
  • AMFG 598B Economic Considerations for Additive Manuf.

On-Campus

  • CBEN 550 Membrane Separation Technology
  • MNGN 503 Mining Technology for Sustainable Development
  • MNGN 514 Mining Robotics
  • MNGN 515 Mine Mechanization and Automation
  • MTGN 414 Processing of Ceramics
  • MTGN 531 Thermodynamics of Metallurgical and Materials Processing
  • MTGN 539 Principles of Material Processing-Reactor Design
  • PEGN 508 Advanced Rock Properties
  • PEGN 517 Drilling Engineering Principles
  • PEGN 519 Advanced Formation Evaluation
  • PEGN 590 Reservoir Geomechanics

Robotics, Autonomy and Communications

 

Online

  • SPRS 505 Space Operations

 

On-Campus

  • CSCI 572 Computer Networks II
  • CSCI 575 Machine Learning
  • EENG 525 Antennas
  • EENG 527 Wireless Communications
  • MEGN 544 Robot Mechanics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control
  • MEGN 545 Advanced Robot Control