MEEG467/667

Spaceflight Mission Planning

Course Description

This course presents the fundamental principles of orbital mechanics and space flight dynamics with emphasis on applications. Includes analysis of the 2-body and restricted 3-body problems and orbital transfer using impulsive forces. Also includes designing Earth-orbiting satellites, Earth-Moon and interplanetary probe trajectories for given specifications.

Topics

  1. History of orbital mechanics.

  2. The n-body gravitation problem. The special case of two-body problem. Orbital geometric description. Geometric invariants. Constants of motion. Sphere of influence.

  3. Time-variation of position and velocity along elliptic or hyperbolic orbits. Orbital elements from measurements.

  4. Basic orbital maneuvers. Orbit transfer and Lambert’s problem. Impulsive orbital maneuvers. Interplanetary Hohmann transfers. Geosynchronous and geostationary orbits. Molniya orbits.

  5. Linear orbit theory. Simplified method to predict the orbital maneuver parameters. Perturbation effects due to Earth oblateness, atmospheric drag, solar wind, etc.

  6. Rocket dynamics and the staging problem.

  7. Earth-Moon trajectories.

  8. Interplanetary Mission Planning. Gravity assist.

Textbook

  1. Optional: Orbital Mechanics, 2nd edition, by Prussing & Conway.

  2. Optional: Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students, 4th edition, by Curtis

Additional Tools & Resources

Spaceflight simulation video games

  1. Universe Sandbox

  2. Kerbal Space Program 2

Astronomy apps

SkySafari 7: displays stars, star clusters, galaxies, Solar System’s major planets and moons, and asteroids, comets, and satellites.

Github Repository

Astrodynamics with Python https://github.com/alfonsogonzalez/AWP

Expected Work

Final paper in a form of either a literature review, or a report based on a seminal journal article, or a simulation study using the resources described above, etc.

Mission Design to Jupiter

Interest in the exploration of Jupiter and its moons remain as strong today as it was in the early days of space travel with the arrival of Pioneer 10 into the Jovian system in 1973. Jupiter has been the most visited of the Solar System’s outer planets as all missions to the outer Solar System have used Jupiter flybys. New probes are currently en route to Jupiter. Sending a spacecraft to Jupiter is challenging, mostly due to large fuel requirements and the effects of the planet’s harsh radiation environment.