Abstract
The focus of this paper is the determination of orbit stability of a small satellite around an asteroid with a complex gravitational field using harmonic force excitation analysis. The determination of stable orbits is critical in space mission planning, especially in deep space missions investigating asteroids having undetermined mass distribution. Many of these asteroids have complex gravitational fields that make close orbits, which are necessary for inspection, very difficult to predict and safely maintain. Simulations of the asteroid Itokawa, which was visited and analyzed by the Hayabusa Space Mission, have shown such complex gravitational fields. Orbit simulations using Systems Tool Kit (STK) software have demonstrated many interesting phenomena resulting from the nonlinear satellite/asteroid interaction. One behavior of special note was the influence of the rate of spin of the asteroid and the stability of the orbit. This behavior was found to be linked to the frequency and magnitude of the gravitational excitation force along with altitude of the orbiting satellite. A harmonic force excitation analysis of the system was shown to be an accurate predictor of orbital stability. The resulting frequency ratio determined is shown to predict regions where complex gravity effects are significant.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium, the North Dakota NASA EPSCoR grant, the UND Seed/Planning Grant for Collaborative Research, the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant #EPS-081442), and AGI with STK Educational Licenses.
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Johnson, J., Semke, W.H., Zimmer, M., Fevig, R. (2015). Orbit Stability Determination of Satellites Using Harmonic Force Excitation Analysis. In: Wicks, A. (eds) Shock & Vibration, Aircraft/Aerospace, and Energy Harvesting, Volume 9. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15233-2_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15233-2_22
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