Guest Lecturer - Henry Pohl

BS Mechanical Engineer, Texas A & M. 38 years with the federal government. Worked at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, under direction of Werner Von Braun, Marshall Space Flight Center and Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center). Test Engineer on Redstone, Subsystem Manager on Apollo, Section Head, Branch Chief, Division Chief, and Director of Engineering at Johnson Space Center. Worked on Redstone, Jupiter, Saturn 1, Saturn 5, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle. Member AIAA since 1957 (American Rocket Society then)
Fellow: AIAA
Fellow: American Astronautical Society
Numerous Awards, Including ASME Westinghouse Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Presidential Meritorious Executive Service, NASA’s Outstanding Leadership, Dwight Look College Of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Honor Award and Several Patents.

Topics Included:

Waste Management and the US$ 20 million toilet, OMS/RCS, OMS RCS, APU Hydraulics, Space Shuttle Program, Jim Chamberlain, Fail OP, 2 engine aircraft, Oxygen/Hydrogen, Oxygen/ Methane, Oxygen/Alcohol, Low development costs, OMS, Bipropellant, MMH-N204, experience-Apollo Agena, Long steady state burns, RCS Monopropellant hydrazine, Too Heavy-Weight, Bi Propellant MMH-N2O4, no gravity, no pressure, Helium bottle, Vibration test, VS fail safe, APU Auxiliary Power unit, PPU-Primary power unit, Dual Tandem actuators, 4 VS 3 Systems, Hydraulics VS Electromechanical, Low Operational costs VS low development costs, Electric VS Turbine, Pressure modulated VS Pulse Modulated, Absent of air and gravity on gas Generator development, Heat soaked to valve in vacuum, Importance of good test program and to think in terms of no gravity and no pressure

1. The Origins of the Space Shuttle
2. Space Shuttle History
3. Orbiter Sub-System Design
4. The Decision to Build the Shuttle
5. Orbiter Structure and Thermal Protection System
6. Propulsion - Space Shuttle Main Engines
7. Aerodynamics - (From Sub - to Hypersonic and Back)
8. Landing and Mechanical Systems
9. OMS, RCS, Fuel Cells, Auxiliary Power Unit and Hydraulic Systems
10. The DoD and the Space Shuttle
11. Use of Subsystems as a Function of Flight Phase
12. Aerothermodynamics
13. Environmental Control Systems
14. Ground Operations - Launching the Shuttle
15. Space Shuttle Accidents
16. Guidance, Navigation and Control
17. Mission Control 1
18. Mission Control 2
19. Design Process as it Relates to the Shuttle
20. EVA and Robotics on the Shuttle
21. Systems Engineering for Space Shuttle Payloads
22. Test Flying the Space Shuttle
23. Exemplary Lecture: Shuttle Operations Video

16.885J offers a holistic view of the aircraft as a system, covering: basic systems engineering; cost and weight estimation; basic aircraft performance; safety and reliability; lifecycle topics; aircraft subsystems; risk analysis and management; and system realization. Small student teams retrospectively analyze an existing aircraft covering: key design drivers and decisions; aircraft attributes and subsystems; and operational experience. Oral and written versions of the case study are delivered. For the Fall 2005 term, the class focuses on a systems engineering analysis of the Space Shuttle. It offers study of both design and operations of the shuttle, with frequent lectures by outside experts. Students choose specific shuttle systems for detailed analysis and develop new subsystem designs using state of the art technology. http://ocw.mit.edu