Optimal Escape Trajectory from a High Earth Orbit by Use of Solar Radiation Pressure.
Abstract
This thesis develops the optimal control law necessary for a minimum time excape from a high Earth orbit utilizing solar radiation pressure. A force model is developed for an ideal flat sail and a proposed Jet Propulsion Laboratory square sail. A two-body inverse square force field model is assumed. The Earth's orbit about the Sun is assumed circular, and the solar flux is assumed constant during the escape maneuver. The initial state is given, and the only condition on the final state is that the energy of the spececraft equals zero. A modified Newton-Raphson method is used to solve the two-point boundary value problem. It is found that the performance of any solar sail escape trajectory tends to fall between the limiting cases of similar polar and ecliptic escape trajectories. A velocity-dependent control law is also examined and found to be a good approximation to the optimal control law. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 08, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA054754
Entities
People
- Andrew J. Green
Organizations
- Charles Stark Draper Laboratory