Non-coplanar interplanetary flight simulation considering motion relative to the center of mass peculiarities of solar sail spacecraft

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the non-coplanar interplanetary Earth–Venus flight of a spacecraft equipped with a non-perfectly reflecting solar sail, the magnitude and direction of acceleration from which is calculated taking into account specular and diffuse reflections, absorption and transmission of photons by the surface of the solar sail. The goal of the heliocentric motion is to transfer the solar sail spacecraft into the Hill sphere of Venus with zero hyperbolic excess of speed. A feature of the paper is the study of the motion of a non-perfectly reflecting solar sail spacecraft taking into account the motion relative to the center of mass. The problem is divided into three stages. At the first stage, a nominal program for controlling the motion of the spacecraft center of mass is formed. At the second stage, sufficient angular velocities are determined to ensure the obtained nominal control program and the parameters of the spacecraft controls – thin-film controls located along the perimeter of the solar sail – are calculated. The operating principle of the thin-film controls is quite simple. When the voltage applied to the thin-film controls changes, they become transparent or opaque, there is a difference in the normal components of the light pressure forces, which provides a control torque for changing the orientation of the spacecraft in space. At the third stage, the joint motion of the center of mass and relative to the center of mass of the spacecraft is simulated to demonstrate the feasibility of the obtained control program. As a result, a comparison is made of non-coplanar interplanetary Earth–Venus flights with and without thin-film control elements.

Keywords

• non-perfectly reflecting solar sail
• locally nominal control program
• non-coplanar interplanetary flight
• thin-film controls