NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Dawn Orbit Determination Team: Trajectory and Gravity Prediction Performance During Vesta Science PhasesThe Dawn spacecraft was launched on September 27th, 2007. Its mission is to consecutively rendezvous with and observe the two largest bodies in the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres. It has already completed over a year's worth of direct observations of Vesta (spanning from early 2011 through late 2012) and is currently on a cruise trajectory to Ceres, where it will begin scientific observations in mid-2015. Achieving this data collection required careful planning and execution from all spacecraft teams. Dawn's Orbit Determination (OD) team was tasked with accurately predicting the trajectory of the Dawn spacecraft during the Vesta science phases, and also determining the parameters of Vesta to support future science orbit design. The future orbits included the upcoming science phase orbits as well as the transfer orbits between science phases. In all, five science phases were executed at Vesta, and this paper will describe some of the OD team contributions to the planning and execution of those phases.
Document ID
20150008677
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Kennedy, Brian
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Abrahamson, Matt
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ardito, Alessandro
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Han, Dongsuk
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Haw, Robert
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Mastrodemos, Nicholas
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Nandi, Sumita
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Park, Ryan
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Rush, Brian
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Vaughan, Andrew
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 21, 2015
Publication Date
February 10, 2013
Subject Category
Astrodynamics
Report/Patent Number
AAS 13-345
Meeting Information
Meeting: AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting
Location: Kauai, HI
Country: United States
Start Date: February 10, 2013
End Date: February 14, 2013
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronautical Society
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
gravity gradient torque
low thrust
desats
gravity harmonics
IR
IPS
Asteroid encounter

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available