A natural successor in the Shuttle era to many sounding rocket flights is the free-flyer mode of operation, in which the Shuttle Orbiter releases a subsatellite (with payloads), effects a desired separation, and approaches and retrieves the free-layer. The propulsive maneuvers required of the Orbiter by equivalent relative motions obtained through controlled differential drag (via changes in free-layer effective area and/or Orbiter attitude changes) are replaced. Simplified analytical techniques are developed and feasibility is verified.


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    Title :

    Propulsion-free separation and rendezvous of small shuttle free-flyers using controlled differential drag


    Contributors:
    King, J. C. (author)

    Conference:

    AIAA 5th Sounding Rocket Technol. Conf. ; 1979 ; Houston, TX, United States


    Publication date :

    1979-01-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English