Aerobraking at Venus: A science and technology enabler

Hibbard, Kenneth; Glaze, L. S.; Prince, Jill L.

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.11.008

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…22−25 In 600 s (∼10 min) of illumination, the light-driven spacecraft gains a Δv value surpassing that of the best chemical rockets. 22,23 After 2000 s of illumination Δv exceeds that of Dawn attained in 5.5 years. 25 Evidently, the very high Δv needed to perform arbitrarily complex maneuvers may be reached in a relatively short time (minutes to hours) with even moderate laser power requirements of ≃100 kW/g.…”

Section: ■ Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Clearly, a lightweight spacecraft under a high enough laser power can attain very high velocity gain, Δ v , in a relatively short period of time. Figure a,b compares Δ v values possible with P / m = 1 MW/g (for comparison the Starshot program considers ∼100 GW/g) with those possible with state of the art electric and chemical engines. − In 600 s (∼10 min) of illumination, the light-driven spacecraft gains a Δ v value surpassing that of the best chemical rockets. , After 2000 s of illumination Δ v exceeds that of Dawn attained in 5.5 years . Evidently, the very high Δ v needed to perform arbitrarily complex maneuvers may be reached in a relatively short time (minutes to hours) with even moderate laser power requirements of ≃100 kW/g.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low-Power Laser Sailing for Fast-Transit Space Flight

Tung

Davoyan

2022

Nano Lett.

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Space exploration is of paramount importance to advancing fundamental science and the global economy. However, today’s space missions are limited by existing propulsion technologies. Here, we examine the use of laser-driven light sailing for agile Earth orbital maneuvering and for fast-transit exploration of the solar system and interstellar medium. We show that laser propulsion becomes practical at laser powers ≥100 kW and laser array sizes ∼1 m, which are feasible in the near term. Our analysis indicates that lightweight (1–100 g) wafer-scale (∼10 cm) spacecraft may be propelled by lasers to orbits that are beyond the reach of current systems. We discuss material requirements and photonic designs and introduce new figures of merit. We show that lightsails made of silicon nitride and boron nitride are particularly well suited for the discussed applications. Our architecture may pave the way to ubiquitous Earth orbital networks and fast-transit low-cost missions across the solar system.

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Section: ■ Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-Power Laser Sailing for Fast-Transit Space Flight

Tung

Davoyan

2022

Nano Lett.

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“…Aerobraking trim maneuvers (ABMs) at apoapses, if necessary, are used to ensure atmospheric pass conditions. The dynamic pressure at periapsis (denoted by q p ) is selected as the targeting parameter of each ABM, as done in the MGS, Magellan, and Venus Express missions [7,11,12,39]. Algorithm 1 presents the procedure to compute the ABMs ∆v j , where r p 0 is a given value (j = 1) or it is retrieved from previous iteration (j ≥ 2), qp is the required periapsis dynamic pressure, and δ qp is its tolerance.…”

Section: Aerobraking Phase 321 Periapsis Maneuver and Aerobraking Trim Maneuversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mars orbit insertion via ballistic capture and aerobraking

Luo

Topputo

2021

Astrodyn

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A novel Mars orbit insertion strategy that combines ballistic capture and aerobraking is presented. Mars ballistic capture orbits that neglect aerodynamics are first generated, which are distilled from properly computed stable and unstable sets by using an already-established method. A small periapsis maneuver is implemented at first close encounter to better submit the post-capture orbit to the aerobraking process. An ad-hoc patching point marks the transition from ballistic capture to aerobraking, from which an exponential model simulating Mars atmosphere and a box-wing satellite configuration is considered. A series of apoapsis trim maneuvers are then computed by targeting a prescribed pericenter dynamic pressure. The aerobraking duration is estimated by using a simplified two-body model. A yaw angle tuning cancels inclination deflections due to out-of-plane perturbation from the Sun. A philosophy combining in-plane and out-of-plane dynamics is proposed to achieve the required semi-major axis and inclination simultaneously. Numerical simulations indicate that the developed method is more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, insertion safety, and flexibility than state-of-the-art insertion strategies.

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“…This is the case for aerobraking for example at Mars (Moudden and Forbes 2010) or Venus (Hibbard et al 2012). In the next years, the cases for planetary space weather predictions will increase, as shown above.…”

Section: A Need For Operabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What characterizes planetary space weather?

Lilensten

Coates

Déhant

et al. 2014

Astron Astrophys Rev

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Space weather has become a mature discipline for the Earth space environment. With increasing efforts in space exploration, it is becoming more and more necessary to understand the space environments of bodies other than Earth. This is the background for an emerging aspect of the space weather discipline: planetary space weather. In this article, we explore what characterizes planetary space weather, using some examples throughout the solar system. We consider energy sources and timescales, the characteristics of solar system objects and interaction processes. We

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Aerobraking at Venus: A science and technology enabler

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

Low-Power Laser Sailing for Fast-Transit Space Flight

Low-Power Laser Sailing for Fast-Transit Space Flight

Mars orbit insertion via ballistic capture and aerobraking

What characterizes planetary space weather?

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