Final Thesis within Engineering: Optimisation of a Simulation Framework for Space Debris Observations

Job description

Final Thesis within Engineering: Optimisation of a Simulation Framework for Space Debris Observations

Airbus Defence & Space Friedrichshafen (ex Astrium SL)

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe's number one space enterprise and the world's second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Our people work with passion and determination to make the world a more connected, safer and smarter place. Taking pride in our work, we draw on each other's expertise and experience to achieve excellence. Our diversity and teamwork culture propel us to accomplish the extraordinary - on the ground, in the sky and in space.

Description of the job

Are you looking for a final year project? Would you like to discover the work within developing and improving a tool that uses real or simulated observations of space debris orbiting Earth? Then apply now! We look forward to you joining us at Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen.

Location: Friedrichshafen
Start: 01.10.2017
Duration: 6 months

Since the early days of spaceflight, space has become more and more crowded with active satellites and passive space debris. Over 600.000 objects >1 cm pose a risk for satellites and their mission. In order to be able to predict and avoid collisions, the orbits of objects in space must be known with sufficient accuracy. As passive debris such as rocket bodies do not have the means to determine their own orbit e.g. via GPS, their orbits must be determined through measurements. Different approaches can be used, e.g. radar measurements, telescope observations or laser tracking from ground and from space. By gathering a number of measurements of a target along its orbit one can predict and refine the object's orbital elements over time.

The objective of the work is to further develop and improve a tool that uses real or simulated observations of space debris orbiting Earth, performs an orbit determination and estimates the error of the prediction.

A baseline implementation of the tool already exists (Fortran code), enabling the assessment of different observation strategies for orbit determination and their usefulness.

Desired profile

Tasks & accountabilities

Your exciting topic:

·  Create a data base functionality for generating and maintaining a space object catalogue
·  Implement an object cataloguing logic: Event-driven triggering of (already implemented) functions, e.g. initial orbit

determination for unknown objects, orbit improvement for known objects, tasking of sensors in order to retrieve new
measurements, etc.

·  Optimise the implementation of the tool w.r.t. execution speed (i.e. optimise parallelisation, load balancing and

implementation of algorithms) to enable efficient large-scale simulations

·  Improve 3D visualisation capabilities

Required skills

You offer:

·  Enrolled student (m/f) within Software-Engineering, Space-Engineering or similar field of study
·  Programming skills (e.g. Fortran/C/Java/Python); familiarity with OpenMP
·  Knowledge of database systems (e.g. SQL) and Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) & middlewares
·  Beneficial but not mandatory would be knowledge of visualisation techniques (e.g. NASA World Wind), numerical

methods, orbital dynamics

·  System-oriented thinking
·  English: fluent

You are a good team player, have excellent communication skills, and are able to work independently.