Related papers: A surface constraint approach for solar sail orbit…
Recent studies of optimization methods and GNC of spacecraft near small bodies focusing on descent, landing, rendezvous, etc., with key safety constraints such as line-of-sight conic zones and soft landings have shown promising results;…
Near Earth Asteroids have a possibility of impacting with the Earth and always have a thread on the Earth. This paper proposes a way of changing the trajectory of the asteroid to avoid the impaction. Solar sail evolving in a H-reversal…
This paper develops a general observing strategy for missions performing all-sky surveys, where a single spacecraft maps the celestial sphere subject to realistic constraints. The strategy is flexible such that targeted observations and…
We consider a special relativistic effect, known as the Poynting-Robertson effect, on various types of trajectories of solar sails. Since this effect occurs at order $v^{\phi}/c$, where $v^{\phi}$ is the tangential speed relative to the…
We present a procedure for determination of positions and orbital elements, and associated uncertainties, of outer Solar System planets. The orbit-fitting procedure is greatly streamlined compared to traditional methods because acceleration…
We study how the curvature of spacetime, in conjunction with solar radiation pressure (SRP), affects the bound orbital motion of solar sails. While neither the curvature of spacetime nor the SRP alter the form of Kepler's third law by…
A simple orbit classification constraint extension to stellar dynamical modeling using Schwarzschild's method is demonstrated. The classification scheme used is the existing `orbit circularity' scheme (lambda_z) where orbits are split into…
Recent successes in the deployment of sails in space have reduced the risk associated with solar sailing missions. The attitude control requirements for a solar sailing mission is low with only slow attitude maneuvers needed to maintain a…
The POLAR Investigation of the Sun (POLARIS) mission uses a combination of a gravity assist and solar sail propulsion to place a spacecraft in a 0.48 AU circular orbit around the Sun with an inclination of 75 degrees with respect to solar…
The shape of a rotating electric solar wind sail under the centrifugal force and solar wind dynamic pressure is modeled to address the sail attitude maintenance and thrust vectoring. The sail rig assumes centrifugally stretched main tethers…
Images of both rotating celestial bodies (e.g., asteroids) and spheroidal planets with banded atmospheres (e.g., Jupiter) can contain features that are well-modeled as a circle of latitude (CoL). The projections of these CoLs appear as…
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…
Conjunction analysis and maneuver planning for spacecraft collision avoidance remains a manual and time-consuming process, typically involving repeated forward simulations of hand-designed maneuvers. With the growing density of satellites…
Context. The potential field source surface model is frequently used as a basis for further scientific investigations where a comprehensive coronal magnetic field is of importance. Its parameters, especially the position and shape of the…
Using methods from symplectic geometry, the second and fifth authors have provided theoretical groundwork and tools aimed at analyzing periodic orbits, their stability and their bifurcations in families, for the purpose of space mission…
We utilize the well-established properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL) to consider realistic observational scenarios. Actual exoplanets, which may be the target of an SGL observational campaign, are not stationary. Their…
The kinematics of the Solar zenith passage on the Earth was shown as a simple harmonic motion. This analytical model used the uniform circular motion to describe the Earth's rotation relative to its axis and relative to the Sun, also this…
Using the orbit method we attempt to reveal geometric and algebraic meaning of separation of variables for the integrable systems on coadjoint orbits in an $\mathfrak{sl}(3)$ loop algebra. We consider two types of generic orbits embedded…
Solar sails with the capability of generating a tangential radiation pressure at the sun-pointing attitude, such as refractive sails can provide more efficient methods for attitude and orbital control of sailcraft. This paper presents the…
It is argued that, for motion in a central force field, polar reciprocals of trajectories are an elegant alternative to hodographs. The principal advantage of polar reciprocals is that the transformation from a trajectory to its polar…