A study of stable motion of solar sail spacecraft under the influence of perturbations

Abstract

The solar sail spacecraft have potential to offer indefinite manoeuvring capability newlineby utilising photons from the stars (e.g. Sun) as a means of propulsion. The newlinemotion of the solar sail spacecraft under the gravitational influence of two massive newlinebodies, which are moving in circular as well as in elliptic paths about their centres newlineis studied, comprehensively. First, we have established equations of motion newlineof solar sail spacecraft under the frame of circular restricted three body problem newline(RTBP) and have computed artificial equilibrium points (AEPs) and then observed newlinethe effect of sail lightness number and#946; and triaxiality parameters and#963;1 and and#963;2. newlineIt is found that position coordinates of AEPs deviates with the values of and#946;, and#963;1 and newlineand#963;2. Next, all the AEPs ¯Lj , j = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are passed through the linear stability newlinetest and it is found that AEPs ¯L1,2,3 are unstable and AEPs ¯L4,5 are stable for newlinea specific range of and#956;. Again, we have computed different kind of orbits such as newlineelliptic, quasi-periodic and asymptotic about the AEPs in the presence of assumed newlineperturbations (Chapter 2). Next, we have exercised solar sail spacecraft problem newlinewith Stokes drag effect. Due to Stokes drag, it is found that no collinear AEPs newlineexist but both non-collinear AEPs exist, which are asymptotically stable for all newlinevalues of oblateness A1 and A2 of the primaries, dissipative constant k within their newlinerespective ranges and for and#946; in 0 lt and#946; lt 0.4101. Further, we have computed short newlineand long periodic orbits about non-collinear AEPs and then have obtained tadpole newlineorbits. It is noticed that due to assumed perturbations, tadpole orbit changes newline(Chapter 3). Next, we have described elliptic solar sail spacecraft problem with newlineeccentric anomaly as an independent variable. Again, by using differential correction newlinemethod and continuation method we have analysed the families of LyPOs newline(Lyapunov Periodic Orbits) near AEPs ¯L1,2,3 and have analysed their stability newlineproperties (Chapter 4). Again, we have performed Floquet stability test and have newlineestimated pulsating