Related papers: Why do Earth satellites stay up?
This paper considers a downlink satellite communication system where a satellite cluster, i.e., a satellite swarm consisting of one leader and multiple follower satellites, serves a ground terminal. The satellites in the cluster form either…
Current space exploration programs call for the establishment of a permanent Human presence on the Moon. This paper considers periodic orbits of a shuttle between the Earth and the Moon. Such a shuttle will be needed to bring supplies to…
In this paper the planar orbit and attitude dynamics of an uncontrolled spacecraft is studied, taking on-board a deorbiting device. Solar and drag sails with the same shape are considered and separately studied. In both cases, these devices…
We consider the orbital evolution of satellites in galaxy mergers, focusing on the evolution of eccentricity. Using a large suite of N-body simulations, we study the phenomenon of satellite orbital radialization -- a profound increase in…
A planet orbiting in a disk of planetesimals can experience an instability in which it migrates to smaller orbital radii. Resonant interactions between the planet and planetesimals remove angular momentum from the planetesimals, increasing…
The two innermost planets of the Proxima Centauri system are separated by just 0.02 au, inducing strong gravitational interactions between them. We assess this interaction by leveraging fast orbital stability indicators and find that…
We study the planar problem of two satellites attracted by a center of force. Assuming that the center of mass of the two-satellite system is on a circular orbit around the center of force and using Levi-Civita regularization we prove the…
Tidal distension of spacecraft electronics due to spin and solar and galactic gravitation elegantly explains all variations in the anomaly reported by Anderson et al. Contrary to their conclusion, a constant residue seems to be present in…
We investigated the orbital evolution of satellite galaxies using numerical simulations. It has been long believed that the orbit suffers circularization due to the dynamical friction from the galactic halo during orbital decay. This…
Context: As a result of Titan's migration and Saturn's probable capture in secular spin-orbit resonance, recent works show that Saturn's obliquity could be steadily increasing today and may reach large values in the next billions of years.…
The surface layers of the Sun are strongly stratified. In the presence of turbulence with a weak mean magnetic field, a large-scale instability resulting in the formation of non-uniform magnetic structures, can be excited over the scale of…
About half of all known stellar systems with Sun-like stars consist of two or more stars, significantly affecting the orbital stability of any planet in these systems. This observational evidence has prompted a large array of theoretical…
Designing for rotational stability can dramatically affect the geometry of a space station. If improperly designed, the rotating station could end up catastrophically tumbling end-over-end. Active stabilization can address this problem;…
The Nice model of the dynamical instability and migration of the giant planets can explain many properties of the present Solar System, and can be used to constrain its early architecture. In the jumping-Jupiter version of the Nice model,…
The origin of the high inclination of Uranus' spin-axis (Uranus' obliquity) is one of the great unanswered questions about the Solar system. Giant planets are believed to form with nearly zero obliquity, and it has been shown that the…
We investigated the probability that an inelastic collision of planetesimals within the Hill sphere of the Jovian planets could explain the presence and orbits of observed irregular satellites. Capture of satellites via this mechanism is…
We examine the orbits of satellite galaxies identified in a suite of N-body/gasdynamical simulations of the formation of $L_*$ galaxies in a LCDM universe. Most satellites follow conventional orbits; after turning around, they accrete into…
The exponential rise in small-satellites and CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses important challenges for future space traffic management. At altitudes of 600 km and lower, aerodynamic drag accelerates de-orbiting of satellites.…
Pulsars may either be spun up or down by hydrodynamic instabilities during the supernova explosion of massive stars. Besides rapidly-rotating cases related to bipolar explosions, stellar rotation may affect the explosion of massive stars in…
In general, most of communication satellites were designed to be operated in geostationary orbit. And many of them were designed in prolate dual-spin configuration. As a prolate dual-spin vehicle, they have to be stabilized against their…