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A new generation of reusable rockets and smaller more powerful satellites are revolutionizing the space business. Rocket Economics will examine the fundamentals of the rapidly expanding space economy driven by applications for commercial, civil, and national security customers around the globe. The goal is to educate future business, government, and science leaders on next generation markets for space-based services. The course will employ case studies, readings, and guest lectures by space industry leaders to inform the dialectic method as we explore the business of space. Students are not presumed to have a technical background. The course will cover the basic…

This seminar offers students a guided introduction to the cutting-edge space research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Over the course of the semester, participants will hear from prominent LLNL scientists and engineers working on topics such as spacecraft instrumentation, remote sensing, astrophysics, planetary defense, small sats, earth system science, and astrobiology. Students will gain a unique perspective on the inner workings of a national laboratory, and how its structure, priorities, and mission differ from those of a university setting. Lectures will be supplemented with behind-the-scenes case studies of LLNL’s projects and virtual lab tours and reinforced through close…

This class will introduce students to a variety of active research topics in astrophysics today as well as the context and basics of the particular area of study from the Big Bang to the formation of stars and planets.  The course will also provide an overview of different astronomical techniques and observatories as well as a discussion of career pathways for students who are interested in astronomy and astrophysics as an undergraduate or graduate major.  Finally the course will end with the outstanding big questions in the field and how these are likely to be addressed by the national and…

Cislunar governance concerns the rules for the region of space extending from Earth’s orbit out to and including the orbit and surface of the Moon. This zone is fast becoming a crossroads for science, commerce, and security, yet no agreed playbook exists for how countries and companies should operate there, or how existing treaties and agreements should guide behavior. In this class, students will explore: why cislunar space matters, how it could shape the future balance of power, open new markets, and how its exploration may unfold cooperatively or competitively. They will examine the unique governance challenges of this domain—from…

This will be a seminar class about the changing visions and motivations for space exploration, historically and to the present day. Readings will include historical perspectives such as those of K. Tsiolkovsky, Arthur C. Clarke, Gerard O’Neil, and Carl Sagan, the poetry of Diane Ackerman, the newsletters of space enthusiast organizations such as the National Space Society, the L5 society, and the Planetary Society, as well as more current readings from the popular and space policy literature, and from the field of space environmental ethics. Perspectives will also include other cultural reference frames through readings from the literatures of Afrofuturism…

This class explores the concept of extreme environments as a window into the potential habitability of other planets while also teaching students to look more closely at our own world. We will learn what types of environments on Earth are used as analogs for planetary exploration, and in what ways: testing rovers and instruments that will be sent into space, probing the limits of life at extremes of temperature, water availability, and salinity, and improving our methods of life detection. We will also practice the skill of close and careful observation, learning how to investigate Earth as though it were…