1 Risk Management of Student-Run Small Satellite Programs by Elizabeth Deems Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY May 2007 © Elizabeth Deems, MMVII. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants MIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Author……………………………………………………………………………….. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics May 25, 2007 Certified by………………………………………………………………………….. Colonel John Keesee Senior Lecturer in Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Supervisor Certified by………………………………………………………………………….. David Miller Professor in Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Supervisor Accepted by…………………………………………………………………………. Jaime Peraire Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Chair, Committee on Graduate Students