Optimizing aerogravity-assisted maneuvers at high atmospheric altitude above Venus, Earth, and Mars to control heliocentric orbits
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Data
2024-02-01
Autores
Murcia Piñeros, Jhonathan
Bevilacqua, Riccardo
Prado, Antonio F.B.A.
Moraes, Rodolpho Vilhena de [UNIFESP]
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This paper analyzes the change in the heliocentric orbital elements due to the implementation of aerogravity and powered aerogravity assist maneuvers. Three cost functions were selected to maximize the planetocentric latitude, longitude, and velocity at the end of the atmospheric flight. An optimal control problem was solved to guide a spaceplane passing above the three inner planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. The planets were selected because they have been relevant for gravity assists, and previous studies suggest that taking advantage of their atmospheres could increase the effects of the close approach. The research aims to analyze the variation in the heliocentric orbital elements of the trajectories after performing optimal aerogravity-assists and powered aerogravity-assisted maneuvers at high atmospheric altitudes. The trajectories were calculated via nonlinear programming to find the history of the control variables: angle of attack, bank angle, and thrust. Low-fidelity gravity and atmosphere models were implemented to evaluate this proof of concept. The optimization converged for all cases, and results show that maximization of the longitude increases the duration of the atmospheric flight, increasing the turning angle by almost twice the value of a single gravity assist. Furthermore, it reduces the energy and semimajor axis in half for approach angles between 20 and 90 degrees, saving more than 10 km/s on propulsion. Maximizing the velocity with propulsion increases the semimajor axis by more than 1.1 times the semimajor axis of the respective planet, and the optimal latitude presents a change in inclination of more than 1.0 degree. This maneuver could be applied to collect atmospheric samples or increase the coverage above the planet of interest. Those kinds of applications are described at the end of this paper, including a brief discussion on the maturity of this technology.