CDF as a tool for space engineering master's student collaboration and concurrent design learning

The IDR/UPM Institute (Instituto Universitario de Microgravedad ‘Ignacio da Riva’) established a Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) for space mission design in 2011. This facility is used primarily for academic purposes within the Master in Space Systems (MUSE) 1 organized and managed by IDR/UPM also. This CDF is based on the Open Concurrent Design Tool (OCDT) from ESA, which allowed a group of students from the master to participate in the Concurrent Engineering Challenge organized by ESA Academy in September 2017. Since the early days of this facility, the development of tools and utilities for space mission design has been conducted by aerospace engineering students at IDR/UPM under the direction of professors. At present, MUSE students are programming a new set of models for the main spacecraft subsystems, to analyze space missions beyond Earth. In order to make easier for MUSE students to achieve a proper level of knowledge and experience in Concurrent Design, a frame of cooperation has been established between the students from the first year, who are new to concurrent engineering, and second-year students, that have gathered a significant level of experience in the previous year. This cooperation enables the comprehensive and resource-effective use of the CDF and ensures the success in the academic skills related to space systems engineering and mission design. It should be also said that this cooperation between two different year students is carried out through different activities conducted in the CDF, involving Concurrent Design (CD) of space missions, and working with the available material of own creation. Through this method, collaboration and communications skills are improved. Additionally, Concurrent Design concepts are more easily learnt. In the present work the activities in relation to this process of cooperation are described, how they fit in the master’s academic program, and the results of the method implementation during the academic year 2017/2018. It also includes the working methodology employed in the CDF, developed mainly by students and that is being improved progressively with each new student generation.