A Technique for Capture Analysis of Low Thrust Missions in a Planetary System.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to analyze capture trajectories in a planetary system for a spacecraft using low thrust propulsion. The reason was to see whether or not it was possible to use a low thrust vehicle rather than a chemically propelled spacecraft to survey the moons of a planet. A single pass tool for analyzing capture trajectories about a planet's moons for a spacecraft using a low thrust propulsion system is developed. The equations of motion for the spacecraft are solved in two dimensions using Cowell's method of numerical integration. The capture analysis is developed as a series of two body problems involving first the spacecraft and planet and second target moon and spacecraft. The spacecraft's initial orbit is assumed to be of higher energy than the circular orbits of the planet's moons. The final results give several conditions which the planet and target moon must satisfy in order for there to be a capture about the moon using the program. In addition, several relationships between the initial conditions of the spacecraft's orbit and the feasibility of capture about a particular moon are presented. Keywords: Planetary survey methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA188934
Entities
People
- Charles J. Poole
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology