Numerical study of orbital trajectories about Phobos

Computer Science

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Equations Of Motion, Orbit Calculation, Spacecraft Orbits, Spacecraft Trajectories, Algorithms, Launch Windows, Numerical Integration, Phobos

Scientific paper

Orbital trajectories obtained from numerical integration of over two thousands set of initial conditions for equations of motion of a spacecraft in the Mars Phobos system are examined in a Phobos centered rotating coordinate frame. The equations of motion, simplified with the choice of the system of units, are integrated using a Hamming fourth order predictor corrector algorithm. As initial velocity and altitude are varied, trajectories in the orbital plane of Phobos about Mars follow and orderly pattern. A range of initial velocities resulted in orbital trajectories about Phobos at a given altitude. Near the center of this range of initial velocities, termed the orbital window, is a unique initial velocity that resulted in a closed periodic orbit (at a given altitude) in the Phobos centered rotating coordinate frame. Trajectories out of the orbital plane of Phobos about Mars are more complex, three-dimensional (helical shaped) paths that do not remain in an inclined plane, but do exhibit some order. Again there is a range of initial velocities that fall within an orbital window.

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