Related papers: Reduction of Saturn Orbit Insertion Impulse using …
This paper focuses on the spacecraft attitude control problem with intermittent actuator activation, taking into account the attitude rotation rate limitation and input saturation issue simultaneously. To address this problem, we first…
Planets with several Earth masses and a few day orbital periods have been discovered through radial velocity and transit surveys. Regardless of their formation mechanism, a key evolution issue is the efficiency of their retention near their…
How important are gravitational and relativistic effects for interstellar travel? We consider this question in the context of proposed laser-propelled spacecraft missions to neighboring stellar destinations. Our analysis applies to any…
In this paper, we introduce a simplified model to understand the location of Saturn's F ring. The model is a planar restricted five-body problem defined by the gravitational field of Saturn, including its second zonal harmonic $J_2$, the…
We carry out a series of high-resolution (1024 X 1024) hydrodynamic simulations to investigate the orbital evolution of a Saturn-Jupiter pair embedded in a gaseous disk. This work extends the results of our previous work by exploring a…
The best constraints on the internal structures of giant planets have historically come from measurements of their gravity fields. These gravity data are inherently mostly sensitive to a planet's outer regions, providing only loose…
Aims: It has recently been shown that the fast migration of Titan could be responsible for the current 26.7{\deg}-tilt of Saturn's spin axis. We aim to quantify the level of generality of this result and to measure the most likely sets of…
The authors describe the general motion of radiation-pushed sails accelerated near the speed of light with directed energy propulsion. Practical applications of the model are also given, including the interstellar flyby mission to the Alpha…
Seismology allows for direct observational constraints on the interior structures of stars and planets. Recent observations of Saturn's ring system have revealed the presence of density waves within the rings excited by oscillation modes…
In this paper we address the following question: do the recent advances in the orbit determination of the major natural satellites of Saturn obtained with the analysis of the first data sets from the Cassini mission allow to detect the…
The recent progress in laser propulsion research has advanced substantially the prospects to realize interstellar spaceflight within a few decades. Here we examine passive deceleration via momentum braking from ionized interstellar media.…
Using astrometric observations spanning more than a century and including a large set of Cassini data, we determine Saturn's tidal parameters through their current effects on the orbits of the eight main and four coorbital moons. We have…
Recent measurements of Jupiter's gravitational moments by the Juno spacecraft and seismology of Saturn's rings suggest that the primordial composition gradients in the deep interior of these planets have persisted since their formation. One…
The dynamics of the outer regular satellites of Saturn are driven primarily by the outward migration of Titan, but several independent constraints on Titan's migration are difficult to reconcile with the current resonant orbit of the small…
During the Mars ascent vehicle (MAV) launch missions, when encountering a thrust drop type of propulsion system fault problem, the general trajectory replanning methods relying on step-by-step judgments may fail to make timely decisions,…
Performing orbital insertion around Mars using aerocapture instead of a propulsive orbit insertion manoeuvre allows to save resources and/or increase the payload mass fraction. Aerocapture has never been employed to date because of the high…
The task of inducing, via continuous static state-feedback control, an asymptotically stable heteroclinic orbit in a nonlinear control system is considered in this paper. The main motivation comes from the problem of ensuring convergence to…
We present a physically motivated model for the manner in which a stellar magnetic field sculpts the inner edge of a protoplanetary disk, and examine the consequence for the migration and stopping of sub-Neptune and super-Earth planets.…
In this study, we investigate trajectories involving multiple impulses within the framework of a generic spacecraft dynamics. Revisiting the age-old query of "How many impulses?", we present novel manipulations heavily leveraging on the…
To deflect impact-trajectory of massive km^3 and spinning asteroid by a few terrestrial radius one need a large momentum exchange. The dragging of huge spinning bodies in space by external engine seems difficult or impossible. Our solution…