Heliotropic orbits provide long-lifetime low-altitude orbits in the presence of large and solar radiation pressure perturbations. Formal inclusion of high-degree zonal gravity harmonics and simple shadowing provides a more realistic model to initiate the search for heliotropic orbits at irregular primitive bodies like Bennu, which is the target of the OSIRIS-Rex mission. The constrained, doubly averaged potential and the Lagrange planetary equations yield a single equation to enforce the heliotropic constraint. The equation is solved for inclinations across a range of semimajor axes and eccentricities, providing a surface of potential solutions. The fast process allows for Monte Carlo simulations to assess the likelihood of a heliotropic orbit existing in the presence of parameter uncertainty. The existence of heliotropic orbits is shown to be reasonably robust to uncertainty in the solar radiation pressure acceleration and reference gravity parameters for Bennu.
Heliotropic Orbits with Zonal Gravity and Shadow Perturbations: Application at Bennu
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics ; 39 , 9 ; 1925-1933
2016-08-02
9 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Heliotropic Orbits with Zonal Gravity and Shadow Perturbations: Application at Bennu
Online Contents | 2016
|Heliotropic Orbits with Zonal Gravity and Shadow Perturbations: Application at Bennu
Online Contents | 2016
|Heliotropic Orbits at Oblate Asteroids: Balancing Solar Pressure and J2 Perturbations (AAS 14-361)
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2014
|