This paper is a presentation of recent work to provide orbit design and selection criteria for a close, nearly polar, nearly circular orbit of Mars. The main aspects of the work are the evaluation of atmospheric drag for altitude selection, the orbit evolution for variations in periapsis altitude, and the interactions of those factors with the science objectives of the MGCO mission. A dynamic model of the Mars atmosphere is available from parallel efforts and the latest estimates of the upper atmospheric density and its time history are incorporated into the analysis to provide a final orbit that satisfies planetary quarantine requirements.
Orbit selection for a Mars geoscience/climatology orbiter
1984-01-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
The Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter 1990 mission
AIAA | 1984
|The Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter 1990 mission
NTRS | 1984
|