Related papers: A Gravitational Tractor for Towing Asteroids
The challenge of satellite stabilization, particularly those with uncertain flexible dynamics, has become a pressing concern in control and robotics. These uncertainties, especially the dynamics of a third-party client satellite,…
The goal of the present paper is to make a numerical analysis of parametric optimization of low thrust orbital maneuver. An orbital maneuver occurs when it is necessary to modify the orbit a space vehicle to change its function or to…
Understanding dust dynamics in the vicinity of asteroids is key for future science missions and, in the long-term, for asteroid exploitation. This paper analyzes the feasibility of manipulating asteroid material by means of solar radiation…
We introduce NEOviz, an interactive visualization system designed to assist planetary defense experts in the visual analysis of the movements of near-Earth objects in the Solar System that might prove hazardous to Earth. Asteroids are often…
Space provides unique opportunities to test gravitation. By using an interplanetary spacecraft as a test mass, it is possible to test General Relativity at the Solar System distance scale. This requires to compute accurately the trajectory…
Laser ablation of a Near-Earth Object (NEO) on a collision course with Earth produces a cloud of ejecta which exerts a thrust on the NEO, deflecting it from its original trajectory. Ablation may be performed from afar by illuminating an…
This technical note focuses on the control of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tethered to the ground. The control objective is to stabilize the UAV to the desired position while ensuring that the cable remains taut at all times. A…
A solar sail is one of the most promising space exploration system because of its theoretically infinite specific impulse using solar radiation pressure (SRP). Recently, some researchers proposed "transformable spacecrafts" that can…
There are thousands of asteroids in near-Earth space and millions in the Main Belt. They are diverse in physical properties and composition and are time capsules of the early solar system. This makes them strategic locations for planetary…
We propose an adaptation of the semilinear algorithm for the prediction of the impact corridor on ground of an Earth-impacting asteroid. The proposed algorithm provides an efficient tool, able to reliably predict the impact regions at fixed…
We explore the possibility that the transit signature of an Earth-size planet can be detected in spectroscopic velocity shifts via the Rossiter effect. Under optimistic but not unrealistic conditions, it should be possible to detect a large…
This research implements a design for the control of a rotatable stabiliser which, it is proposed, might augment, or fully replace, the conventional control mechanisms for pitch and yaw in certain types of aircraft. The anticipated…
The tractor-trailer robot consists of a drivable tractor and one or more non-drivable trailers connected via hitches. Compared to typical car-like robots, the addition of trailers provides greater transportation capability. However, this…
The study of asteroids, its composition and trajectories, has been a persistent interest in the space exploration community. In addition, they are also perceived as a great threat to life on Earth, considering the possibility of an impact…
In the last two decades an anomalous variation in the asymptotic velocity of spacecraft performing a flyby manoeuvre around Earth has been discovered through careful Doppler tracking and orbital analysis. No viable hypothesis for a…
Asteroid mining can become an enabling technology to establish a sustainable manned colony on Mars, which requires metallic materials more often than they are readily available in shipments from Earth. This paper describes a feasibility…
Planet 9 was proposed as an explanation for the clustering of orbits for some trans-Neuptunian objects. Recently, the use of a sub-relativistic spacecraft was proposed to indirectly probe Planet 9's gravitational influence. Here we study…
Asteroid restructuring uses robotics, self replication, and mechanical automatons to autonomously restructure an asteroid into a large rotating space station. The restructuring process makes structures from asteroid oxide materials; uses…
This paper deals with the impulsive formation control of spacecraft in the presence of constraints on the position vector and time. Determining a set of path constraints can increase the safety and reliability in an impulsive relative…
Asteroid Impacts pose a major threat to all life on the Earth. Deflecting the asteroid from the impact trajectory is an important way to mitigate the threat. A kinetic impactor remains to be the most feasible method to deflect the asteroid.…