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Engineering Commons

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Aerospace Engineering

Air Force Institute of Technology

2008

Artificial satellites--Orbits--Mathematical models

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Minimizing Secular J2 Perturbation Effects On Satellite Formations, Jonathan W. Wright Mar 2008

Minimizing Secular J2 Perturbation Effects On Satellite Formations, Jonathan W. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the secular effects of the J2 oblateness perturbation on close proximity satellites. The main objective is to analyze the deputy’s position and velocity with respect to the chief and adjust the initial conditions of the deputy in an attempt to minimize the secular effects of J2 perturbations. Previous work has provided a method of obtaining a closed form solution for J2 invariance with co-planar orbits. Therefore, this work will primarily consider deputy orbits that experience motion outside of the chief’s orbital plane. Upon determining the required initial conditions, the …


Uncorrelated Track Avoidance, Darrell L. Grob Mar 2008

Uncorrelated Track Avoidance, Darrell L. Grob

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine what data requirements are necessary to avoid continual series of uncorrelated tracks when gathering observations. The constants of the motion for simple two-body motion for a satellite orbiting the Earth, known as the classical orbital elements or COEs, do not remain constant due to zonal and sectoral harmonic variations in the Earth’s gravitational field. There are other elements of the motion that should be considered and this paper discusses the constancy of three elements: the Hamiltonian (H) of the Earth-Centered Rotating System, Ẑ-component of inertial angular momentum (Hk), …