Strategy for the passive maneuvering of tether-connected systems
Journal
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics
Journal Volume
20
Journal Issue
2
Pages
284-290
Date Issued
1997
Author(s)
Abstract
New strategies for the deployment and the retrieval phases for tether-connected systems, such as the tethered satellite system, are presented. The passive strategy, which is similar in spirit to that of the idea of Hohmann transfer, takes advantage of the gravitational field. For the deployment, appropriate circular, elliptic, or hyperbolic orbits are designed for the spacecraft and the payload, respectively. The tether keeps slack during the process until being pulled taut at the final stage. Analogous strategies can be designed for the retrieval phase. Conditions on the designed transfer orbits are derived from the orbital equations and Kepler's equation. Numerical results show that such methodologies have potential applications.
Type
journal article