Related papers: Interior transit orbits in the planar bicircular r…
The minimum-fuel low-thrust transfer between circular orbits is formulated using the Edelbaum's averaged dynamics with the addition of the nodal precession due to the first zonal term. The extremal analysis shows that an optimal transfer is…
Central configurations are fundamental equilibrium solutions of the Newtonian $n$-body problem and play a key role in understanding the structure and dynamics of gravitational systems. However, the classification and enumeration of such…
We present a trajectory concept for a small mission to the four inner large satellites of Saturn. Leveraging the high efficiency of electric propulsion, the concept enables orbit insertion around each of the moons, for arbitrarily long…
In this paper, we seek optimal solutions for a transfer from a parking orbit around the Moon to a halo orbit around $L_2$ of the Earth-Moon system, by applying a single maneuver and exploiting the stable invariant manifold of the hyperbolic…
The aim of this paper is to numerically investigate the orbital dynamics of the circular planar restricted problem of five bodies. By numerically integrating several large sets of initial conditions of orbits we classify them into three…
This work shows that a class of astrodynamics problems subject to mission constraints can be efficiently solved using the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC) mathematical framework by a specific change of coordinates. In these problems,…
The case of the planar circular restricted three-body problem is used as a test field in order to determine the character of the orbits of a small body which moves under the gravitational influence of the two heavy primary bodies. We…
One of the fundamental problems in spacecraft trajectory design is finding the optimal transfer trajectory that minimizes the propellant consumption and transfer time simultaneously. We formulate this as a multi-objective optimal control…
This paper presents a novel approach for the preliminary design of Low-Thrust, many-revolution transfers. The main feature of the novel approach is a considerable reduction in the control parameters and a consequent gain in computational…
Spacecraft relative motion planning is concerned with the design and execution of maneuvers relative to a nominal target. These types of maneuvers are frequently utilized in missions such as rendezvous and docking, satellite inspection and…
A number of irregular moons of the Jovian planets have recently been discovered. Most adequate way of their origin is capture, but detailed mechanism is unknown. A few possibilities are discussed: collisions, gas drag, tidal destruction of…
In this paper we present a new approach to solve the fuel-efficient powered descent guidance problem on large planetary bodies with no atmosphere (e.g. the Moon or Mars) using the recently developed Theory of Functional Connections. The…
Spacecraft operations are influenced by uncertainties such as dynamics modeling, navigation, and maneuver execution errors. Although mission design has traditionally incorporated heuristic safety margins to mitigate the effect of…
The notion of a weak stability boundary has been successfully used to design low energy trajectories from the Earth to the Moon. The structure of this boundary has been investigated in a number of studies, where partial results have been…
The low energy regime of cosmological BPS-brane configurations with a bulk scalar field is studied. We construct a systematic method to obtain five-dimensional solutions to the full system of equations governing the geometry and dynamics of…
We study orbits near collision in a non-autonomous restricted planar four-body problem. This restricted problem consists of a massless particle moving under the gravitational influence due to three bodies following the figure-eight…
It is known that most of the craters on the surface of the Moon were created by the collision of minor bodies of the Solar System. Main Belt Asteroids, which can approach the terrestrial planets as a consequence of different types of…
In this work, we develop a new method to design energy minimum low-thrust missions (L2-minimization). In the Circular Restricted Three Body Problem, the knowledge of invariant manifolds helps us initialize an indirect method solving a…
We numerically investigate the orbital dynamics of a spacecraft, or a comet, or an asteroid in the Pluto-Charon system in a scattering region around Charon using the planar circular restricted three-body problem. The test particle can move…
Galaxy surveys demand fast large-scale structure forward models that preserve large-scale phases while providing realistic nonlinear morphology at fixed force resolution. Single-step Lagrangian Perturbation Theory (LPT) solvers are…