3- and 6-Degree-of-Freedom Investigation of Aerobraking to Support Cislunar and Planetary Operations
Date of Award
3-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering
Department
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
First Advisor
Robert A. Bettinger, PhD
Abstract
The first aerobraking experiment occurred in 1991 as part of the Hiten spacecraft’s cislunar survey mission, while the first non-Earth aerobraking experiment occurred in 1993 as part of the Magellan spacecraft’s mission to Venus. Although making only two trans-atmospheric passes to reduce its apogee altitude, the success of Hiten’s experiment led to the implementation of aerobraking by Magellan, reducing its orbit from elliptical to nearly circular over a span of 70 Earth days by leveraging aerodynamic drag to reduce its orbital energy via transiting the upper region of Venus’ atmosphere. The Magellan experiment helped prove the viability of aerobraking for planetary missions and paved the way for its implementation in Mars missions starting in the late 1990s and the 2014 Venus Express mission. This research investigates the Hiten and Magellan aerobraking experiments from the perspective of both 3- and 6-degreeof-freedom analysis with the inclusion of J4 gravitational and lunisolar perturbations, as well as multiple atmospheric density models in order to understand the complexity and sensitivity of aerobraking maneuvers in Earth’s and Venus’ atmospheres. Alternative vehicles of varying size are studied to determine their capability of maintaining the Hiten and Magellan aerobraking flight profiles. To examine a wide range of vehicle mass, drag reference area, and configuration options, the Hiten, Magellan, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) satellites are modeled and their aerobraking performance analyzed for the hypothetical cases of cislunar and Venus orbital operations. 3DOF and 6DOF analysis yields minimal deviation when reconstructing the historical Hiten aerobraking maneuvers with the Hiten and Magellan models, and with reconstructing the historical Magellan aerobraking maneuvers with the Magellan and Hiten models, while more significant deviation occurs with the larger HST model for both historical cases. Both 3DOF and 6DOF analysis in Venusian space reveal the sensitivity of the atmospheric density model, relative to the coinciding solar cycle, and indicate a higher fidelity gravity model is necessary for Venusian analysis, more so than what is necessary for cislunar analysis. Additionally, analysis showed that large vehicles like HST require a shallower depth of perigee transit, in comparison to smaller vehicles like Magellan and Hiten, in order to achieve target post-pass apogee altitudes due to greater drag and associated losses in orbital energy during aerobraking. Overall, aerobraking is a viable cislunar maneuver option for adjusting semi-major axis if the vehicle performing the maneuver is capable of surviving deceleration loads of approximately 9 g’s and countering aerodynamic torques in the range of 2–11 N·m depending on vehicle size and initial attitude orientation. It is also a viable maneuver option for planetary operations and can save a significant amount of ∆V and, by extension, propellant and cost when imparting a large change in semi-major axis.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-ENY-MS-24-M-192
Recommended Citation
Higginbotham, Erica C., "3- and 6-Degree-of-Freedom Investigation of Aerobraking to Support Cislunar and Planetary Operations" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 7889.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/7889
SF298 for AFIT-ENY-MS-24-M-192 - Higginbotham, E
Included in
Astrodynamics Commons, Other Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons
Comments
A 12-month embargo was observed for posting this work on AFIT Scholar.
Distribution Statement A, Approved for Public Release. PA case number on file.
The SF298 form for this work is included separately.
Related organization for this Masters thesis:
Center for Space Research and Assurance (CSRA) at AFIT