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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.
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An application of the new optimization alorithm called Static/Dynamic Control (SDC) to design low-thrust escape and capture trajectories is presented.
An application of the new optimization algorithm called Static/Dynamic Control (SDC) to design low-thrust escape and capture trajectories is presented.
Interplanetary missions which use low-thrust, high specific impulse propulsion can further capitalise on the capabilities of the propulsion system by using it to effect escape from the launch body or capture at a target body.
NASA's proposed mission to send a single electric propulsion spacecraft to orbit Callisto, Ganymeds, and Europa within a decade would require a very complex trajectory. Strong multi-body effects combined with low-thrust control of capture and escape will make the trajectory challenging. This paper describes an optimal trajectory that begins in low Earth orbit and ends in low Io orbit.