Comparison of Interplanetary Trajectories as Computed by Patch-Conic and Perturbation Methods.
Abstract
The theory and programing techniques to generate analytical (2 body) and perturbed (3-body) trajectories for vehicle - planet encounters are presented. A range vehicle initial configurations is used to generate comparative trajectory data for encounters with Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Underlying assumptions of the study are: circular planetary orbits, coplanar 3-body motion, and an inertial planetocentric coordinate system. With vehicle osculation occuring on the surface of the planetary zone of influence, it was found that the time dependent perturbative deviations were simple exponential functions. The data was generated by an Encke method technique and partially verified by a Cowell method program. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0860096
Entities
People
- William F. Shaw
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology