Engineering topics
Dallas, S. S.
Publications and source records attributed to Dallas, S. S..
Space Interferometry Mission
The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) fligt system will be launched in June of 2005 into a nearly circular orbit arount the Earth. A Delta II 7920 launch vehicle will boost the SIM flight System from the Vandenberg Air Force Base into Earth orbit.
The Magellan mission to Venus
The Magellan mission will be the next NASA mission to Venus. This paper describes the mission as it is currently planned, showing how the design of the science payload, the spacecraft, and the mission satisfies the science objectives and requirements as well as other programmatic constraints. The Magellan mission is dedicated to obtaining SAR images of at least 70 percent of the surface of Venus at a resolution of 1 km per line-pair, or better, which is comparable to the coverage and resolution of the Mars Mariner 9 mission. Other investigations will study the geophysical characteristics of the planet using altimetric data and gravity field measurements, and measurements to determine global surface emissivity.
The Venus radar mapper mission
The Venus Radar Mapper (VRM) Mission, in 1988, will be the next NASA mission to Venus. This paper describes the mission as it is currently planned, showing how the design of the science payload, the spacecraft, and the mission satisfies the science objectives and requirements as well as other programmatic constraints. The VRM mission is dedicated to obtaining Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images of at least 70 percent of the surface of Venus at a resolution of 1 km per line pair or better (comparable to the coverage and resolution of the Mars Mariner 9 mission). Additional investigations will study the interior geophysical characteristics of the planet using altimetric data and gravity field measurements of the planet.
Mission and trajectory design for a Venus radar mapper mission
Results are presented for a mission and trajectory design for a Venus Radar Mapper mission that will place a SAR in a nearly polar orbit around Venus. The mission is intended to obtain images of at least 70% of the planet's surface at a line-pair resolution of 1 km and to produce global maps of the planet's topography and gravity field. The mission design criteria are discussed, along with the spacecraft flight system, the mission performance and domains, a mission profile, the mapping orbit and SAR coverage, and the data acquisition strategy.
The Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar Mission
The scientific objectives and rationale for a Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar Mission are presented. A provisional science payload responsive to these objectives is described and a reference set of measurement requirements and their priorities is established. Those high priority measurements that are most demanding on spacecraft and mission design are used to develop a reference spacecraft design and a reference mission design. A discussion of mission performance issues is also included.
The motion of a satellite in resonance with the second-degree sectorial harmonic
The solution to the motion of a satellite in an eccentric orbit and in resonance with the second-degree sectorial harmonic of the potential field is developed. The method of solution used parallels the well known von Zeipel method of general perturbations. The solution consists of expressions for the variations of the Delaunay variables. These expressions are composed of the perturbations developed by Brouwer in 1959 for the motion of an artificial satellite plus first-order perturbations due to the second-degree sectorial harmonic (in terms of the Legendre normal elliptic integrals of the first and second kind).
The geopotential in nonsingular orbital elements
Singularities are eliminated from the geopotential and its partial derivatives for zero eccentricity and inclination, and an expression for the geopotential expansion based entirely on nonsingular orbital elements is developed. The argument relies on the treatments of the geopotential function given by Izsak (1964), Allan (1965) and Kaula (1966); the geopotential expansion developed does not involve mixed variables, and therefore does not require the chain rule to formulate the Lagrange planetary equations. The need for recursion relations to be used in conjunction with the nonsingular version of the geopotential expansion is also mentioned.
Equations of motion for rotating finite bodies in the extended PPN formalism
The equations of motion for rotating finite bodies are computed in the perfect fluid metric in the extended parametric post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism of Will and Nordtvedt (1972) and are used to build a model of the solar system consisting of N oblate, homogeneous, stationary, self-gravitating masses of rotating perfect fluid. These equations contain relativistic acceleration terms which are currently observable or may be observable in the future with improved radio and laser ranging techniques.
The singly averaged differential equations of satellite motion for e greater than or equal to 0 and less than 1
The singly-averaged differential equations of motion of a satellite are developed in terms of parameters valid for all eccentricities less than one. The perturbations included in the acceleration model are due to an aspherical central planet (zonal harmonics up to degree 20 and resonant harmonics up to degree and order 20), atmospheric drag for a time-varying atmosphere, third-body gravity (the sun and moon for an earth satellite), solar radiation pressure with shadowing, and impulsive maneuvers. Analytic averaging is used to remove short-period terms due to the aspherical central planet and third-body gravity. Numerical averaging is used to remove short-period terms due to atmospheric drag and solar radiation pressure.
The motion of a satellite in resonance with the longitude-dependent harmonics
The solution to the motion of a satellite in an eccentric orbit and in resonance with one or more of the longitude-dependent harmonics of the central planet is developed. The method of solution parallels the well known von Zeipel method of general perturbations. The solution consists of expressions for the variations of the Delaunay variables. These expressions are composed of the perturbations developed by Brouwer in 1959 for the motion of an artificial satellite plus first-order resonant perturbations due to longitude-dependent harmonics (in terms of Legendre normal elliptic integrals of the first and second kind).
The motion of a satellite in resonance with the longitude-dependent harmonics
The solution to the motion of a satellite in an eccentric orbit and in resonance with one or more of the longitude-dependent harmonics of the central planet is developed. The method of solution parallels the well known von Zeipel method of general perturbations. The solution consists of expressions for the variations of the Delaunay variables. These expressions are composed of the perturbations developed by Brouwer in 1959 for the motion of an artificial satellite plus first-order resonant perturbations due to longitude-dependent harmonics (in terms of Legendre normal elliptic integrals of the first and second kind).
A comparison of Cowell's method and a variation-of-parameters method for the computation of precision satellite orbits
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Use of multivariable asymptotic expansions in a satellite theory
Initial conditions and perturbative force of satellite are restricted to yield motion of equatorial satellite about oblate body. In this manner, exact analytic solution exists and can be used as standard of comparison in numerical accuracy comparisons. Detailed numerical accuracy studies of uniformly valid asymptotic expansions were made.
Prediction of the position and velocity of a satellite after many revolutions
Position and velocity prediction method for satellite after many revolutions
High-energy trajectories from earth to Mars and return.
Spacecraft speed increment requirements for circular parking orbit about Mars and earth
High-energy trajectories from Earth to Mars and return
High energy trajectories from Earth to Mars and return for 1970-1980 - three-dimensional conic approximation used for calculations