Engineering the Space Shuttle from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

For 30 years the Space Shuttle enabled human spaceflight in the United States and partner nations. Learn all about the Shuttle with this unique course, which also serves as a unique historical record. Since the lecturers are the same people who designed, built and operated the Shuttle, this is a first-hand testimonial to the world’s first reusable spacecraft.

This course examines how the Space Shuttle was designed and how its design was influenced by economics and politics. The course goes into detail on many of the Shuttle’s subsystems (e.g. rocket engines, thermal protection, aerodynamics, environmental control and life support, communications, etc.) and explains how the Shuttle was operated (launch, mission control, payloads, etc.). The course also uses the Space Shuttle to present the fundamentals of Systems Engineering.

* Photos and promotional materials on this page are copyrighted on edx.com.

We only endorse high-quality online courses and educational content.  This page contains affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Read the full policy here.