Aerobraking MagellanWhile the Magellan spacecraft is currently in an elliptical orbit around Venus, its orbit may be circularized by means of an aerobraking maneuver during which a minor amount of aerodynamic drag is applied to 1000-2000 orbits. An evaluation is presently undertaken of the thermal-control and operational problems arising from such a maneuver, in virtue of its not having been considered among the design requirements of the spacecraft. Attention is given to atmospheric erosion and contamination problems to which the spacecraft surfaces could be exposed.
Document ID
19920060734
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Lyons, Daniel T. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Sjogren, William (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Johnson, William T. K. (JPL Pasadena, CA, United States)
Schmitt, Durwin (Martin Marietta Astronautics Group Denver, CO, United States)