The Restricted Full Three Body Problem: Applications to Binary Asteroid Exploration.

[摘要] There is much current interest in understanding the formation and evolution of thesmall bodies of our solar system. In addition, current astronomical observationssuggest that 16% of the Near Earth Asteroid population is made of binary asteroids.A robotic mission sent to one of these systems provides double scientific opportunitiesto investigate their composition and their dynamical characteristics, thus motivatingthis research.The Full Two Body Problem (F2BP) models a binary system taking into accountthe entire mass distribution of one or both bodies. It is important to understandthe motion of the binary system itself before studying the motion of particles orspacecraft in this environment, which is referred as the Restricted Full Three BodyProblem (RF3BP). The F2BP model used herein is an ellipsoid-sphere system,which reduces the complexity of the problem while keeping interesting dynamicalfeatures. The current research looks at the conditions for the system to be in relativeequilibrium. It is found that the equilibrium states are the minimum energy points ofnearby periodic families. Simulations indicate possible paths from unstable to stableconfigurations, giving insights on how these binary systems may evolve in time.In modeling the dynamics of a spacecraft in this relatively small scale environmentcompared to the sun and planets, these systems can be thought of as being ;;mini;;Three Body Problems, where the motion is strongly perturbed by the system;;sdynamics and by solar effects. These dynamics are analyzed using libration points,energy constraints, periodic orbits, and other methods of astrodynamics for a binaryin relative equilibrium, and also accounting for perturbed motion of the primaries.Since the ellipsoidal body introduces surface constraints, the thesis also exploresmotion on the surface of these bodies, using transit trajectories between the twobodies and impact dynamics and control of landers.Finally, an innovative mission proposal is developed that takes advantage ofthe unique dynamical environment at binary asteroids to carry out a scientificexploration mission. A case study is presented for the binary system 1999 KW4 andcompared to other observed binary systems.

[发布机构] University of Michigan

[效力级别] Binary Asteroid Exploration

[关键词] Full Two Body Problem;Binary Asteroid Exploration;Restricted Full Three Body Problem;Robotic Exploration;Mission Design;Surface Dynamics and Control;Aerospace Engineering;Engineering;Aerospace Engineering