This book was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Academy Space Mission Analysis and Design Program with support from program offices at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and organizations within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) has begun to rebuild the advanced space technology program in the agency with plans laid out in 14 draft technology roadmaps. It has been years since NASA has had a vigorous, broad-based program in advanced space technology development and its technology base has been largely depleted. However, success in executing future NASA space missions will depend on advanced technology developments that should already be underway. Reaching out to involve the external technical community, the National Research Council (NRC) considered the 14 draft technology roadmaps prepared by OCT and ranked the top technical challenges and highest priority technologies that NASA should emphasize in the next 5 years. This report provides specific guidance and recommendations on how the effectiveness of the technology development program managed by OCT can be enhanced in the face of scarce resources.

This book offers a unified presentation that does not discriminate between atmospheric and space flight. It demonstrates that the two disciplines have evolved from the same set of physical principles and introduces a broad range of critical concepts in an accessible, yet mathematically rigorous presentation. The book presents many MATLAB and Simulink-based numerical examples and real-world simulations. Replete with illustrations, end-of-chapter exercises, and selected solutions, the work is primarily useful as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate-level students.

Topics for the 1997 conference on modelling and simulation technologies included: motion systems; rotor-craft and air cushion vehicle dynamics and modelling; pilot training and low-cost simulation; weapons and engagement modelling and simulation; simulator network and information technologies; visual, radarf and environmental modelling and simulation; test and evaluation; space systems; simulator fidelity; aircraft dynamics, modelling and performance; simulator development and software re-use; human factors; and research and test facilities.

Satellite development worldwide has significantly changed within the last decade and has been accelerated and optimized by modern simulation tools. The classic method of developing and testing several models of a satellite and its subsystems with the aim to build a pre-flight and finally a flight model is being replaced more and more by a considerably faster and more inexpensive method. The new approach no longer includes functional test models on entire spacecraft level but a system simulation. Thus overall project runtimes can be shortened. But also significantly more complex systems can be managed and success oriented tests on integration and software level can be realized before the launch. Applying modern simulation infrastructures already during spacecraft development phase, enables the consistent functionality checking of all systems both in detail and concerning their interaction. Furthermore, they enable checks of the system's proper functionality, their reliability and safety / redundancy. But also analysis regarding aging and lifetime issues can be performed by simulation. Project-related simulations of operational scenarios, for example with remote sensing satellites, and the checking of different operational modes are of similar importance. On the whole, risk is reduced significantly and the satellite can be produced in a considerably more cost efficient way, with higher quality and in shorter periods of time. Therefore "Simulating Spacecraft Systems" - the title of the present book - is an important domain of modern system engineering, which meanwhile has successfully established a position in many other sectors of industry and research, too.

Derelict satellites, equipment and other debris orbiting Earth (aka space junk) have been accumulating for many decades and could damage or even possibly destroy satellites and human spacecraft if they collide. During the past 50 years, various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) communities have contributed significantly to maturing meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) programs to their current state. Satellites have been redesigned to protect critical components from MMOD damage by moving critical components from exterior surfaces to deep inside a satellite's structure. Orbits are monitored and altered to minimize the risk of collision with tracked orbital debris. MMOD shielding added to the International Space Station (ISS) protects critical components and astronauts from potentially catastrophic damage that might result from smaller, untracked debris and meteoroid impacts. Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Program examines NASA's efforts to understand the meteoroid and orbital debris environment, identifies what NASA is and is not doing to mitigate the risks posed by this threat, and makes recommendations as to how they can improve their programs. While the report identified many positive aspects of NASA's MMOD programs and efforts including responsible use of resources, it recommends that the agency develop a formal strategic plan that provides the basis for prioritizing the allocation of funds and effort over various MMOD program needs. Other necessary steps include improvements in long-term modeling, better measurements, more regular updates of the debris environmental models, and other actions to better characterize the long-term evolution of the debris environment.

This volume is a collection of papers on various areas of current interest in mathematical biology, such as epidemic disease modeling, including the effects of vaccination and strain replacement; immunology, such as T-Cell dynamics and the mechanism of phagocytosis; knot theory; DNA computation; and Boolean networks.