Reachable Sets for Multiple Asteroid Sample Return Missions

Abstract

In support of future NASA asteroid sample return missions, this thesis examines strategies to reduce the number of feasible asteroid targets. Reachable sets are defined in a reduced classical orbital element space. The boundary of this reduced space is obtained by extremizing a family of convex combinations of orbital elements. The resulting group of optimization problems is solved using a direct collocation pseudospectral technique by a MATLAB application package called DIDO. The reachable sets are examined to narrow the possible valid asteroid choices in order to aid in mission design and analysis of alternative targets. A solar electric propulsion system is modeled with the stay times at each asteroid, Earth departure, and Earth arrival hyperbolic excess velocities implemented as constrained optimization parameters.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA443432

Entities

People

  • Patrick A. Croley

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aphelions
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Elliptical Orbits
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Ion Propulsion
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Orbital Elements
  • Perihelions
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Solar Panels
  • Solar Propulsion
  • Solar System
  • Space Propulsion
  • Transfer Orbits
  • Two Dimensional

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

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