Related papers: Threat Mitigation: The Gravity Tractor
Gauging the benefits of hypothetical gravity control propulsion is difficult, but addressable. The major challenge is that such breakthroughs are still only notional concepts rather than being specific methods from which performance can be…
A procedure of testing the $f(R)$-theory of gravity is discussed. The latter is an extension of the general theory of relativity (GR). In order this extended theory (in some variant) to be really confirmed as a more precise theory it must…
This paper proposes an intelligent fault-tolerant control (FTC) strategy to tackle the trajectory tracking problem of an underwater vehicle (UV) under thruster damage (power loss) cases and meanwhile resolve the actuator saturation brought…
Hamilton Jacobi (HJ) Reachability is a formal verification tool widely used in robotic safety analysis. Given a target set as unsafe states, a dynamical system is guaranteed not to enter the target under the worst-case disturbance if it…
A global model is presented that can be used to study attitude maneuvers of a rigid spacecraft in a circular orbit about a large central body. The model includes gravity gradient effects that arise from the non-uniform gravity field and…
Newton's gravitational constant G, which determines the strength of gravitational interactions both in Newton's theory and in Einstein's General Relativity, is the least well known of all the fundamental constants. Given its importance, and…
Exploration of asteroids and small-bodies can provide valuable insight into the origins of the solar system, into the origins of Earth and the origins of the building blocks of life. However, the low-gravity and unknown surface conditions…
This paper discusses new Fundamental physics experiment that will test relativistic gravity at the accuracy better than the effects of the second order in the gravitational field strength, ~G^2. The Laser Astrometric Test Of Relativity…
A recent proposal for the detection of a hypothetical gravitating body 500 AU from the Sun (termed Planet 9) calls for a fleet of near-relativistic spacecraft, equipped with high-precision clocks, to be sent to a region where the object is…
Among the currently known Near Earth Objects (NEOs), roughly 1400 are classified as being potentially hazardous asteroids. The recent Chelyabinsk event has shown that these objects can pose a real threat to mankind. We illustrate that high…
This manuscript introduces an object deformability-agnostic framework for co-carrying tasks that are shared between a person and multiple robots. Our approach allows the full control of the co-carrying trajectories by the person while…
In a previous paper we have proposed a non--Newtonian, phenomenological description of the effective gravitational force acting between exotic dark matter and baryons, which was shown to fit well the kinematics in the inner regions of low…
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…
This work develops low-energy spacecraft (SC) trajectories using Venus gravity assists to study asteroids during heliocentric transfer segments between planetary encounters. The study focuses on potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) as…
Tumbling asteroids belong to a small group of objects, whose angular velocity vector is unaligned with any of its principal axes of inertia. This leads to challenging efforts to model the trajectory of any spacecraft designed to orbit these…
Context: Potentially hazardous asteroids (PHA) in Earth-crossing orbits pose a constant threat to life on Earth. Several mitigation methods have been proposed, and the most feasible technique appears to be the disintegration of the impactor…
This paper presents a novel approach to the robust design of deflection actions for Near Earth Objects (NEO). In particular, the case of deflection by means of Solar-pumped Laser ablation is studied here in detail. The basic idea behind…
We propose a Lorentz-covariant theory of gravity, and explain its theoretical origins in the problem of time in Newtonian physics. In this retarded gravitation theory (RGT), the gravitational force depends upon both retarded position and…
Gravitational lensing in metric theories of gravity is discussed. I introduce a generalized approximate metric element, inclusive of both post-post-Newtonian (ppN) contributions and gravito-magnetic field. Following Fermat's principle and…
When transporting an object, we unconsciously adapt our movement to its properties, for instance by slowing down when the item is fragile. The most relevant features of an object are immediately revealed to a human observer by the way the…