Astrodynamics Commons^™

Caelus: Cubesat Array For The Exploration Of The Uranus System, Dylan George Heidenrich Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Following recommendations from the 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, we propose a novel Pre-Phase A level Uranus exploration mission concept that is centered on using swarms of small spacecraft to observe the Uranus system. This mission could act as a supplement to the Flagship Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission detailed in said Decadal Survey. We propose launching a 4,500 kg spacecraft on an Earth-Jupiter-Uranus gravity assist transfer trajectory with a transfer time of six years, launching in 2033 and arriving at Uranus in 2039. This shorter transfer time and accelerated development timeline would allow for an earlier arrival …

Martian Atmospheric Rover Simulation (M.A.R.S.), Matt Berard, Shelby Beddard, Alexander Brunette, Emma Conti, Collin Duke, Delaney Novak, Keelin Weaver

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications

While rovers have been used by various agencies to explore Mars, their travel is limited by terrain obstacles, which may prevent mission completion. Creating a vehicle equipped with both driving and flight capabilities would allow greater range of motion on extraterrestrial planets. Integrating the technology for both transportation modes into one rover allows for efficiency and advancements in technological and planetary research.

Initial Orbit Determination Of Uncooperative Satellites Using Particle Swarm Optimization From The Point Of View Of A Novel Observer Orbit, Taylor Yow

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Initial orbit determination is an incredibly valuable tool in the field of space situational awareness (SSA). As the number of launches increases every year, more objects are being put into space around the Earth and with political tensions mounting between certain space-accessing countries such as the United States of America (USA), Russia, and China, the number of satellites whose orbits are unknown to a political rival are increasing as well. In this research, orbit estimation of uncooperative target satellites from the point of view of novel orbits using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is explored. Two cost functions for the …

Positioning, Navigation, And Timing (Pnt) Study For Select Multibody Environments, Kaitlin R. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

In the renewed 21st-century race to the Moon, the demand for heightened mission capabilities in the cislunar region, lunar surface, and beyond is imperative. With an escalating number and complexity of lunar missions, persistent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities are becoming paramount. This thesis presents innovative lunar PNT architectures designed to provide continuous coverage of the lunar South Pole, near-continuous coverage of the entire lunar surface, and coverage of the Earth-Moon Corridor. As space faring countries advance from lunar exploration to Mars, similar assets are essential for astronaut exploration in this extraterrestrial environment. Additionally, this thesis introduces and meticulously …

A Nonlinear Least Squarees Approach To Orbit Determination In Near-Earth Orbits, Ryan M. Vorst

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores relevant scenarios to implement a Frequency on Arrival method using nonlinear least squares to determine a transmitting satellite’s orbit based only on measurements of the received radio frequency. Multiple relevant collection geometries, such as a target in prograde low earth orbit, in retrograde low earth orbit, in sun synchronous orbit, in near-perigee highly elliptical orbit, in near-apogee highly elliptical orbit, and in geosynchronous orbit, are simulated to collect theoretical received frequency data. Once data collection has been simulated, the theoretical apparent frequencies recorded are used in a nonlinear least squares method with differential correction to find a …

3- And 6-Degree-Of-Freedom Investigation Of Aerobraking To Support Cislunar And Planetary Operations, Erica C. Higginbotham

Theses and Dissertations

The first aerobraking experiment occurred in 1991 as part of the Hiten spacecraft’s cislunar survey mission, while the first non-Earth aerobraking experiment occurred in 1993 as part of the Magellan spacecraft’s mission to Venus. Although making only two trans-atmospheric passes to reduce its apogee altitude, the success of Hiten’s experiment led to the implementation of aerobraking by Magellan, reducing its orbit from elliptical to nearly circular over a span of 70 Earth days by leveraging aerodynamic drag to reduce its orbital energy via transiting the upper region of Venus’ atmosphere. The Magellan experiment helped prove the viability of aerobraking for …

Exploratory Analysis Of Cislunar Disposal Options For Select L1 And L2 Orbit Families, Rene Velazquez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to characterize the disposal options available for the planar and out of plane orbit families near the Moon. These options are meant to provide the impending Space Race around the cislunar regime a method to mitigate debris in the future. The disposal options are built upon a Sphere of Influence (SOI) reachability concept from a Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP). The SOI reachability will be based on the maneuver applied on a closed orbit in the velocity direction of the rotating frame. The post-maneuver trajectories will be propagated for 180 days and transformed into …

Evaluating Butterfly Orbits In The Earth-Moon Corridor For Ssa, Lunar Surface Surveillance, And Cislunar Disposal, Contessa G. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

The increased space activity in the region of cislunar space has created a high demand to identify, track, and monitor Resident Space Objects (RSOs) and provide cislunar disposal routes for RSOs. This research investigates the practicality of various satellite maneuvers between orbits chosen from the butterfly and dragonfly orbit families. Several simulated trajectories are compared to show the feasibility of performing a maneuver in cislunar and lunar space between the L1 and L2 Lagrange points. Additionally, lunar surface space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities of northern and southern butterfly (BN/BS) orbits were evaluated and compared to provide the most favorable dynamic …

The Feasibility Of Motion Tracking Camera System For Magnetic Suspension Wind Tunnel Tests, Hisham M. Shehata, David Cox, Mark Schoenenberger, Colin Britcher, Eli Shellabarger, Timothy Schott, Brendan Mcgovern

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) Program at NASA has actively participated in the re-development of the Magnetic Suspension Balance System (MSBS) at the six-inch subsonic wind tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. This initiative aims to enhance the MSBS system's capabilities, enabling the testing of stingless entry vehicle models at supersonic speeds. To achieve this, control algorithms are required to ensure magnetic levitation control and stability for models during free-oscillation dynamic responses. Currently, the system relies on electromagnetic position sensors to provide real-time 3 degrees of freedom control of a rigid body. While this approach has proven successful for subsonic …

Embedded State Estimation For Optimization Of Cislunar Space Domain Awareness Constellation Design, Thomas Henry Clareson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The traffic in cislunar space is expected to increase over the coming years, leading to a higher likelihood of conjunction events among active satellites, orbital debris, and non-cooperative satellites. This increase necessitates enhanced space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities that include state estimation for targets of interest. Both Earth surface-based and space-based observation platforms in geosynchronous orbit or below face challenges such as range, exclusion, and occlusion that hinder observation. Motivated by the need to place space-based observers in the cislunar space regime to overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a cislunar SDA constellation design and analysis framework that integrates state …

Testing And Implementation Of Attitude Determination & Control System For Arksat-1 Cubesatellite, Cassandra Sands

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ARKSAT-1 is a CubeSatellite (CubeSat) developed at the University of Arkansas and launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX mission SPX-27 launching from Kennedy Space Center as part of the NASA’s 8th CubeSat Launch Initiative CSLI-8. ARKSAT-1’s payload features a high-powered LED, the Solid State Inflatable Balloon (SSIB) deorbiting system applicable to small satellites, and a series of InfraRed and Visible cameras. To point the LED or take images of desired observational targets, the spacecraft will need to be able to determine its orientation within its orbit, as well as rotate. This will be achieved through the use of …

Augmenting External Surface Pressures’ Predictions On Isolated Low-Rise Buildings Using Cfd Simulations, Md Faiaz Khaled, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper is to enhance the accuracy of predicting time-averaged external surface pressures on low-rise buildings by utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. To achieve this, benchmark studies of the Silsoe cube and the Texas Tech University (TTU) experimental building are employed for comparison with simulation results. The paper is structured into three main sections. In the initial part, an appropriate domain size is selected based on the precision of mean pressure coefficients on the windward face of the cube, utilizing Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models. Subsequently, recommendations regarding the optimal computational domain size for an …

Using Machine Learning To Predict Hypervelocity Fragment Propagation Of Space Debris Collisions, Katharine Larsen, Riccardo Bevilacqua

Student Works

The future of spaceflight is threatened by the increasing amount of space debris, especially in the near-Earth environment. To continue operations, accurate characterization of hypervelocity fragment propagation following collisions and explosions is imperative. While large debris particles can be tracked by current methods, small particles are often missed. This paper presents a method to estimate fragment fly-out properties, such as fragment, velocity, and mass distributions, using machine learning. Previous work was performed on terrestrial data and associated simulations representing space debris collisions. The fragmentation of high-velocity fragmentation can be modeled by terrestrial fragmentation tests, such as static detonations. Recently, stereoscopic …

Rigid Body Constrained Motion Optimization And Control On Lie Groups And Their Tangent Bundles, Brennan S. Mccann

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Rigid body motion requires formulations where rotational and translational motion are accounted for appropriately. Two Lie groups, the special orthogonal group SO(3) and the space of quaternions H, are commonly used to represent attitude. When considering rigid body pose, that is spacecraft position and attitude, the special Euclidean group SE(3) and the space of dual quaternions DH are frequently utilized. All these groups are Lie groups and Riemannian manifolds, and these identifications have profound implications for dynamics and controls. The trajectory optimization and optimal control problem on Riemannian manifolds presents significant opportunities for theoretical development. Riemannian optimization is an attractive …

Predicting Dynamic Fragmentation Characteristics From High-Impact Energy Events Utilizing Terrestrial Static Arena Test Data And Machine Learning, Katharine Larsen, Riccardo Bevilacqua, Omkar S. Mulekar, Elisabetta L. Jerome, Thomas J. Hatch-Aguilar

Student Works

To continue space operations with the increasing space debris, accurate characterization of fragment fly-out properties from hypervelocity impacts is essential. However, with limited realistic experimentation and the need for data, available static arena test data, collected utilizing a novel stereoscopic imaging technique, is the primary dataset for this paper. This research leverages machine learning methodologies to predict fragmentation characteristics using combined data from this imaging technique and simulations, produced considering dynamic impact conditions. Gaussian mixture models (GMMs), fit via expectation maximization (EM), are used to model fragment track intersections on a defined surface of intersection. After modeling the fragment distributions, …

Distributed Control Of Servicing Satellite Fleet Using Horizon Simulation Framework, Scott Plantenga

Master's Theses

On-orbit satellite servicing is critical to maximizing space utilization and sustainability and is of growing interest for commercial, civil, and defense applications. Reliance on astronauts or anchored robotic arms for the servicing of next-generation large, complex space structures operating beyond Low Earth Orbit is impractical. Substantial literature has investigated the mission design and analysis of robotic servicing missions that utilize a single servicing satellite to approach and service a single target satellite. This motivates the present research to investigate a fleet of servicing satellites performing several operations for a large, central space structure.

This research leverages a distributed control approach, …

Autonomous Space Surveillance For Arbitrary Domains, David Zuehlke

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Space is becoming increasingly congested every day and the task of accurately tracking satellites is paramount for the continued safe operation of both manned and unmanned space missions. In addition to new spacecraft launches, satellite break-up events and collisions generate large amounts of orbital debris dramatically increasing the number of orbiting objects with each such event. In order to prevent collisions and protect both life and property in orbit, accurate knowledge of the position of orbiting objects is necessary. Space Domain Awareness (SDA) used interchangeably with Space Situational Awareness (SSA), are the names given to the daunting task of tracking …

Spacecraft Orbit Determination System, Daniel M. Dombrowski, Robert A. Bettinger

AFIT Patents

The present invention relates to a resident space object orbit determination system comprising a high efficiency module for determining a resident space object's orbit and a highly efficient method for determining same. Applicants developed a method and system to determine the orbits of residence space objects including resident space objects that do not reflect energy that is directed at them and/or may be coated to minimize the ability to accurately see such resident space objects. Thus, a method, a module and a system for making such determinations that can easily and inexpensively be added to an early warning reentry system …

The Effect Of Wing Shape And Ground Proximity On Unsteady Fluid Dynamics During The Perching Maneuver., Dibya Raj Adhikari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

While landing, birds often perform a perching maneuver, which involves pitching their wings upwards while decelerating to a complete stop. By performing this perching maneuver, the birds can continue generating higher lift and drag force while slowing down, resulting in a smooth landing. The present study is motivated by the perching maneuver and aims to investigate two critical aspects of it. First, we want to explore how the proximity of the ground affects the unsteady forces and the flow field during the perching flight; and second, we want to analyze how a wing sweep influences a perching maneuver. To explore …

Bifurcation Levels Of The Integral Manifolds Of The Newtonian N-Body Problem, Hannah G. Havel

CURE Proceedings

The N-body problem, first proposed by Isaac Newton, is a field of study in mathematics and physics that involves predicting the motion of particles moving under their mutual gravitational attraction. It has significance to many areas of science, including physics and computer science, and is crucial in understanding how the universe works. In fact, it was a primary motivation for Newton's development of calculus. An important application of the N-body problem is within celestial mechanics and involves how planets and other celestial bodies move with mutual gravitational attraction. It is important in developing how satellites behave in space using complicated …