Arcus Mission Design: Stable Lunar-Resonant High Earth Orbit for X-Ray AstronomyThe 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.
Document ID
20190000927
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Plice, Laura (Metis Technology Solutions, Inc. Albuquerque, NM, United States)
Dono Perez, Andres (Millennium Engineering and Integration Co. Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Policastri, Lisa (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Carrico, John (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Loucks, Mike (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)