Realistic Earth escape strategies for solar sailing
Macdonald, Malcolm and McInnes, Colin R. (2005) Realistic Earth escape strategies for solar sailing. Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 28 (2). pp. 315-323. ISSN 1533-3884 (https://doi.org/10.2514/1.5165)
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Abstract
With growing interest in solar sailing comes the requirement to provide a basis for future detailed planetary escape mission analysis by drawing together prior work, clarifying and explaining previously anomalies. Previously unexplained seasonal variations in sail escape times from Earth orbit are explained analytically and corroborated within a numerical trajectory model. Blended-sail control algorithms, explicitly independent of time, which providenear-optimal escape trajectories and maintain a safe minimum altitude and which are suitable as a potential autonomous onboard controller, are then presented. These algorithms are investigated from a range of initial conditions and are shown to maintain the optimality previously demonstrated by the use of a single-energy gain control law but without the risk of planetary collision. Finally, it is shown that the minimum sail characteristic acceleration required for escape from a polar orbit without traversing the Earth shadow cone increases exponentially as initial altitude is decreased.
ORCID iDs
Macdonald, Malcolm ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4499-4281 and McInnes, Colin R.;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 6252 Dates: DateEvent2005PublishedSubjects: Technology > Mechanical engineering and machinery
Technology > Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. AstronauticsDepartment: Faculty of Engineering > Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Depositing user: Strathprints Administrator Date deposited: 13 Jun 2008 Last modified: 03 Oct 2024 00:18 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/6252