Date of Award
6-1997
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
First Advisor
Shankar Mall, PhD
Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility of a SAIC proposal to sample Near Earth Objects (NEOs) from an orbiting spacecraft using a tethered landing device. The parameters for suitable targets were derived from an analysis of a proposed point design as applied to current knowledge of NEOs. Tether strength and lifetime for the point design were also assessed. First order modeling of tether dynamics showed that deployment and attachment to a NEO are feasible. The dynamics of retrieving a sample via a crawler unit which crawls up the tether requires further exploration.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-GSO-ENY-97J-01
DTIC Accession Number
ADA327903
Recommended Citation
Wong, John W., "Analysis of Tethers in Sampling near Earth Objects" (1997). Theses and Dissertations. 5989.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/5989