An Investigation of Minimum Time, Launch-to-Rendezvous Trajectories

Abstract

Minimum time trajectories between the surface of the Earth and a 270 statute mile circular orbit, generated with the assumption of impulsive thrusting, are used to determine minimum time-to-rendezvous with a target in the specified orbit. The amount of impulse is fixed by specifying the ratio of the launch vehicle's final to initial masses. The study is divided into two principal phases. In the orbit injection portion of the study, a set of minimum time orbit injection trajectories, subject to certain launch constraints, is generated by the solution of a fourth order polynomial for various range angles. The effect on the number of admissible trajectories of changing the mass ratio is also investigated. During the rendezvous phase of the study, the generated set of trajectories is used to determine a window for direct launch to rendezvous.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1973
Accession Number
AD0774429

Entities

People

  • Steven H. Edelman

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Altitude
  • Apogees
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Astronautics
  • Boundaries
  • Circular Orbits
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Launch Vehicles
  • Orbits
  • Rendezvous
  • Rendezvous Trajectories
  • Space Stations
  • Space Systems
  • Spacecraft
  • Trajectories
  • Transfer Orbits
  • United States
  • Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers