Catching a Rolling Stone: Dynamics and Control of a Spacecraft and an AsteroidIn a recent report, a robotic spacecraft mission is proposed for the purpose of collecting a small asteroid, or a small part of a large one, and transporting it to an orbit in the Earth-Moon system. Such an undertaking will require solutions to many of the engineering problems associated with deflection of an asteroid that poses a danger to Earth. In both cases, it may be necessary for a spacecraft to approach an asteroid from a nearby position, hover for some amount of time, move with the same angular velocity as the asteroid, descend, perhaps ascend, and finally arrest the angular velocity of the asteroid. Dynamics and control in each of these activities is analyzed in order to determine the velocity increments and control torque that must be provided by a reaction control system, and the mass of the propellant that will be consumed. Two attitude control algorithms are developed, one to deal with synchronizing the spacecraft s angular velocity with that of the asteroid, and the other to arrest the asteroid s angular velocity. A novel approach is proposed for saving fuel in the latter case.
Document ID
20130013171
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Roithmayr, Carlos M. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Shen, Haijun (Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Jesick, Mark C (Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Cornelius, David M (Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)