Stabilizing periodic orbits above the elliptic plane in the solar sail 3-body problem

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Biggs, J.D. and McInnes, C. and Waters, T. (2008) Stabilizing periodic orbits above the elliptic plane in the solar sail 3-body problem. In: 59th International Astronautical Congress, 2008-09-29 - 2008-10-03.

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Abstract

We consider periodic orbits high above the ecliptic plane in the Elliptic Restricted Three-Body Problem where the third massless body is a solar sail. Periodic orbits above the ecliptic are of practical interest as they are ideally positioned for the year-round constant imaging of, and communication with, the poles. Initially we identify an unstable periodic orbit by using a numerical continuation from a known periodic orbit above the ecliptic in the circular case with the eccentricity as the varying parameter. This orbit is then used to construct a reference trajectory for the sail to track. In addition we illustrate an alternative method for constructing a periodic reference trajectory based on a time-delayed feedback mechanism. The reference trajectories are then tracked using a linear feedback regulator (LQR) where the control actuation is delivered by varying the solar sails orientation. Using this method it is shown that a 'near term' solar sail is capable of performing stable periodic motions high above the ecliptic.

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