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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Analysis Of An Inflatable Gossamer Device To Efficiently De-Orbit Cubesats, Robert A. Hawkins Jr.
Analysis Of An Inflatable Gossamer Device To Efficiently De-Orbit Cubesats, Robert A. Hawkins Jr.
Master's Theses
There is an increased need for spacecraft to quickly and efficiently de-orbit themselves as the amount of debris in orbit around Earth grows. Defunct spacecraft pose a significant threat to the LEO environment due to their risk of fragmentation. If these spacecraft are de-orbited at the end of their useful life their risk to future spacecraft is greatly lessened. A proposed method of efficiently de-orbiting spacecraft is to use an inflatable thin-film envelope to increase the body's area to mass ratio and thusly shortening its orbital lifetime. The system and analysis presented in this project is sized for use on …
De-Orbiting Upper Stage Rocket Bodies Using A Deployable High Altitude Drag Sail, Robert A. Hawkins Jr., Joseph A. Palomares
De-Orbiting Upper Stage Rocket Bodies Using A Deployable High Altitude Drag Sail, Robert A. Hawkins Jr., Joseph A. Palomares
Aerospace Engineering
This report examines the effectiveness of a drag sail to de-orbit upper stage rocket bodies. Many other perturbations contribute to the de-orbiting of these rocket bodies, and these perturbations will also be discussed briefly. This paper will show the length of time needed to force the altitudes of various launch vehicle stages with varying drag area sizes to less than 100 km. The upper stage of the Delta IV launch vehicle in an orbit with an altitude of 500 km will naturally de-orbit in 720 days but when equipped with a 20 m2 drag sail, it will de-orbit in …
Investigating Various Propulsion Systems For An External Attachment For A Controlled-Manual De-Orbit Of The Hubble Space Telescope, Nelson De Guia
Investigating Various Propulsion Systems For An External Attachment For A Controlled-Manual De-Orbit Of The Hubble Space Telescope, Nelson De Guia
Aerospace Engineering
This reports explains the results for a proposed senior project. This project concerns the Hubble Space Telescope, and exploring the possibility of having an external propulsion attachment for a manual de-orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope was proposed to return to Earth via the Space Shuttle. Although, through the current U.S. Space Administration, the Space Shuttle has been retired before the Hubble Space Telescope was retrieved. By completing this project, the results could provide insight to what type of propulsion would best de-orbit the Hubble upon its retirement. Different propulsion systems were considered to attempt to determine an optimal attachment, varying …