Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Collision And Pursuit Course Terminal Closures For Spacecraft To Satellite Rendezvous, John Anthony Campbell

Masters Theses

"Collision and pursuit course closure maneuvers were studied for correcting position and velocity errors in the terminal phase of spacecraft to satellite rendezvous.

Minimum values of the ratio of initial range to velocity necessary to achieve rendezvous were determined for collision closures as a function of the initial line of sight. The time and velocity increment required for rendezvous were computed as a function of initial conditions.

Pursuit closure maneuvers were analyzed and time and velocity increments defined as a function of initial range, closing velocity, line of sight angle and angular velocity.

The velocity increments required were significantly higher …