The SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite) project is a groundbreaking initiative developed by MIT’s Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) in collaboration with NASA, DARPA, and Aurora Flight Sciences. It aims to revolutionize spacecraft technology by providing a safe and reusable zero-gravity platform for testing sensor, control, and autonomy algorithms.
Overview
Curriculum
Competition
Overview
SPHERES LAB DESCRIPTION
In this lab, you will learn how to program SPHERES, simulate, watch visualization, and get score.
CERTIFICATION
After completing the course students will receive a certificate of SPHERES robot programming expert.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Learn SPHERES hardware
- Learn C++ programming
- Play with different space problems
- Learn Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Physics
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/ PREREQUISITES:
- Basic knowledge of PCs, MS Windows,
- Hi speed internet connection
- Familiarity with coding
Curriculum
- Basic SPHERES Controls
- Create variables, arrays, and make the satellite move
- Practice using arrays and make your satellite rotate to face a certain direction
- Programming Concepts
- Intro to conditional statements
- Enhance the “if-then” statement with logic operators and learn to print to the debug console
- Use the “and” and “or” logic operators
- Learn about the “else-if” statement, nesting conditionals
- Use a “for” loop to repeat an action a set number of times, as well as find the position of the other satellite
- Use getMyZRState in conditional statements
- Organize your code with procedural functions
- Learn to use a step counter and practice creating functions
- Useful Math and Physics
- Basic information on weightlessness, translation, and rotation
- Conceptual fundamentals of motion
- Fundamentals of using and combining vectors
SPHERES LAB DESCRIPTION
In this lab, you will learn how to program SPHERES, simulate, watch visualization, and get score.
CERTIFICATION
After completing the course students will receive a certificate of SPHERES robot programming expert.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Learn SPHERES hardware
- Learn C++ programming
- Play with different space problems
- Learn Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Physics
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/ PREREQUISITES:
- Basic knowledge of PCs, MS Windows,
- Hi speed internet connection
- Familiarity with coding
- Basic SPHERES Controls
Competition