Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Lunar Resonant Orbits”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Eclipse Mitigation Strategies in P/2 Lunar Resonant Orbits

Lunar resonant orbits present several important challenges in terms of trajectory design, insertion, stability and eclipse mitigation. For some mission concepts, the placement of the initial orbital elements is fundamental to overcoming show-stopping performance values such as eclipse duration and orbit lifetime. Lunar resonant orbits need to maintain specific alignments in order to avoid undesired flybys or even recontact with Earth or GEO satellites. This paper presents methods to mitigate long eclipses while preserving achievable lunar resonant orbits that persist in the long term.

Eclipse Mitigation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

HelioSwarm: Relative Orbit Maintenance in Eccentric P/2 Lunar Resonant Orbit

Science missions employing multi-point measurements require planned and repeatable swarm geometries. Cis-lunar orbits enable heliophysics studies of solar wind but introduce new challenges in relative motion control. For a multi-satellite swarm in lunar-resonant orbit, insertion and maintenance maneuvers address orbit eccentricity and evolution, as well as three-body gravitational perturbations. Local Velocity-Normal-Conormal coordinates prove to be an effective framework for relative motion design and control. Parametric studies investigate maneuver placement efficiency in controlling relative motion in cis-lunar orbit.

Relative Motion↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

HelioSwarm: Transfer Trajectory and P/2 Lunar Resonant Orbit Design for a Multi-Satellite Observatory

The HelioSwarm mission will fly a multi-satellite observatory in a P/2 lunar resonant orbit to study plasma turbulence in the solar wind. Lunar resonant orbits enable long-term access to high Earth altitudes. The relative dynamics of a multi-satellite observatory introduce novel considerations for lunar resonant orbit design. Additional maneuvers in the post lunar encounter transfer enable heightened control of the lunar resonant orbit initial state compared to previous missions. Adjusting the mission orbit’s initial conditions enables refinement of the orbit design based on requirements imposed by the relative dynamics of the observatory. refinement of the orbit design based on requirements imposed by the relative dynamics of the observatory.

cislunar↗
NASA NTRS2019

HelioSwarm: Swarm Mission Design in High Altitude Orbit for Heliophysics

Resolving the complex three-dimensional turbulent structures that characterize the solar wind requires contemporaneous spatially and temporally distributed measurements. HelioSwarm is a mission concept that will deploy multiple, co-orbiting satellites to use the solar wind as a natural laboratory for understanding the fundamental, universal process of plasma turbulence. The HelioSwarm transfer trajectory and science orbit use a lunar gravity assist to deliver the ESPA-class nodes attached to a large data transfer hub to a P/2 lunar resonant orbit. Once deployed in the science orbit, the free-flying, propulsive nodes use simple Cartesian relative motion patterns to establish baseline separations both along and across the solar wind flow direction.

lunar resonant orbit↗
NASA NTRS2019

HelioSwarm: Swarm Mission Design in High Altitude Orbit for Heliophysics

Resolving the complex three-dimensional turbulent structures that characterize the solar wind requires contemporaneous spatially and temporally distributed measurements. HelioSwarm is a mission concept that will deploy multiple, co-orbiting satellites to use the solar wind as a natural laboratory for understanding the fundamental, universal process of plasma turbulence. The HelioSwarm transfer trajectory and science orbit use a lunar gravity assist to deliver the ESPA-class nodes attached to a large data transfer hub to a P/2 lunar resonant orbit. Once deployed in the science orbit, the free-flying, propulsive nodes use simple Cartesian relative motion patterns to establish baseline separations both along and across the solar wind flow direction.

lunar resonant orbit↗
NASA NTRS2016

Navigation Architecture for a Space Mobile Network

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Augmentation Service for Satellites (TASS) is a proposed beacon service to provide a global, space based GPS augmentation service based on the NASA Global Differential GPS (GDGPS) System. The TASS signal will be tied to the GPS time system and usable as an additional ranging and Doppler radiometric source. Additionally, it will provide data vital to autonomous navigation in the near Earth regime, including space weather information, TDRS ephemerides, Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP), and forward commanding capability. TASS benefits include enhancing situational awareness, enabling increased autonomy, and providing near real-time command access for user platforms. As NASA Headquarters' Space Communication and Navigation Office (SCaN) begins to move away from a centralized network architecture and towards a Space Mobile Network (SMN) that allows for user initiated services, autonomous navigation will be a key part of such a system. This paper explores how a TASS beacon service enables the Space Mobile Networking paradigm, what a typical user platform would require, and provides an in-depth analysis of several navigation scenarios and operations concepts. This paper provides an overview of the TASS beacon and its role within the SMN and user community. Supporting navigation analysis is presented for two user mission scenarios: an Earth observing spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO), and a highly elliptical spacecraft in a lunar resonance orbit. These diverse flight scenarios indicate the breadth of applicability of the TASS beacon for upcoming users within the current network architecture and in the SMN.

Data Relay↗
NASA NTRS2018

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Flight Dynamics Commissioning Results and Experiences

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will perform the first-ever spaceborne all-sky exoplanet transit survey and is the first primary-mission application of a lunar-resonant orbit. Launched on April 18, 2018, TESS completed a two-month commissioning phase consisting of three phasing loops followed by a lunar flyby and a final maneuver to achieve resonance. During the mission orbit, no further station-keeping maneuvers are planned or required. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is performing flight dynamics operations for the mission. This paper covers the design, implementation, and results from TESS commissioning, including the projected performance of the final mission orbit.

Satellite↗
NASA NTRS2018

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Flight Dynamics Commissioning Results and Experiences

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will perform the first-ever spaceborne all-sky exoplanet transit survey and is the first primary-mission application of a lunar-resonant orbit. Launched on April 18, 2018, TESS completed a two-month commissioning phase consisting of three phasing loops followed by a lunar flyby and a final maneuver to achieve resonance. During the mission orbit, no further station-keeping maneuvers are planned or required. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is performing flight dynamics operations for the mission. This paper covers the design, implementation, and results from TESS commissioning, including the projected performance of the final mission orbit.

Parker, Joel J. K.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Flight Dynamics Commissioning Results and Experiences

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will perform the first-ever spaceborne all-sky exoplanet transit survey and is the first primary-mission application of a lunar-resonant orbit. Launched on April 18, 2018, TESS completed a two-month commissioning phase consisting of three phasing loops followed by a lunar flyby and a final maneuver to achieve resonance. During the mission orbit, no further station-keeping maneuvers are planned or required. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is performing flight dynamics operations for the mission. This paper covers the design, implementation, and results from TESS commissioning, including the projected performance of the final mission orbit.

Parker, Joel J. K.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Arcus: The Soft X-ray Grating Explorer

Arcus provides high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy in the 12-50 Å bandpass with unprecedented sensitivity, including spectral resolution > 2500 and effective area > 250 cm2. The three top science goals for Arcus are (1) to measure the effects of structure formation imprinted upon the hot baryons that are predicted to lie in extended halos around galaxies, (2) to trace the propagation of outflowing mass, energy, and momentum from the vicinity of the black hole to extragalactic scales as a measure of their feedback, and (3) to explore how stars form and evolve. Arcus uses the same 12 m focal length grazing-incidence Silicon Pore X-ray Optics (SPOs) that ESA has developed for the Athena mission; the focal length is achieved on orbit via an extendable optical bench. The focused X-rays from these optics are diffracted by high-efficiency Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) gratings, and the results are imaged with flight-proven CCD detectors and electronics. Combined with the high-heritage NGIS LEOStar-2 spacecraft and launched into 4:1 lunar resonant orbit, Arcus provides high sensitivity and high efficiency observing of a wide range of astrophysical sources.

Randall K Smith↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Active Swarm Resiliency in the HelioSwarm Mission

Designed to observe plasma turbulence dynamics in solar wind over a distributed volume of space, the HelioSwarm mission comprises a primary chief spacecraft and eight smaller deputy satellites in uniquely assigned “loops” of periodic relative motion in a P/2 lunar resonant orbit. If one or more deputies fail, this multi-satellite architecture facilitates resiliency for science goals through repositioning of satellites to contingency loops. This strategy of Active Swarm Resiliency mitigates risk by modeling quantitative results ahead of time for mission operators to make informed decisions. Responsive actions meet minimum science objectives based on past and predicted system performance, an approach with applications to future missions with similar architecture and requirements.

Fault Management↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Active Swarm Resiliency in the HelioSwarm Mission

Designed to observe plasma turbulence dynamics in solar wind over a distributed volume of space, the HelioSwarm mission comprises a primary chief spacecraft and eight smaller deputy satellites in uniquely assigned “loops” of periodic relative motion in a P/2 lunar resonant orbit. If one or more deputies fail, this multi-satellite architecture facilitates resiliency for science goals through repositioning of satellites to contingency loops. This strategy of Active Swarm Resiliency mitigates risk by modeling quantitative results ahead of time for mission operators to make informed decisions. Responsive actions meet minimum science objectives based on past and predicted system performance, an approach with applications to future missions with similar architecture and requirements.

Fault Management↗
NASA NTRS2018

Arcus Mission Design: Stable Lunar-Resonant High Earth Orbit for X-Ray Astronomy

The Arcus mission, proposed for NASA's 2016 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) announcement of opportunity, will use X-ray spectroscopy to detect previously unaccounted quantities of normal matter in the Universe. The Arcus mission design uses 4:1 lunar resonance to provide a stable orbit for visibility of widely-dispersed targets, in a low background radiation environment, above the Van Allen belts for the minimum two-year science mission. Additional ad-vantages of 4:1 resonance are long term stability without maintenance maneu-vers, eclipses under 4.5 hours, perigee radius approximately 12 Re for data download, and streamlined operational cadence with approximately 1 week orbit period.

Arcus↗