This paper investigates the sensitivities of spherical lander deployment to small bodies. Previous work established methods to simulate the motion of such landers in the gravitationally and topographically complex small-body environment. These methods are extended, primarily through the inclusion of a “persistent” rock model that accounts for the observed distribution of rocks and boulders on the small-body surface. The resulting framework is applied to investigate the effects of relevant environmental and hardware parameters on trends in the deployment of a lander. In the dynamically favorable environment of asteroid Itokawa, variations in the surface interaction, rock distribution, and lander mass distribution scale the settling time, slope, and surface dispersion of a given deployment scenario. In the more challenging environment of asteroid 1999 KW4 Alpha, these parameters determine the success rate with which landers are delivered to the surface, and they should be carefully considered during deployment design. The current results underscore the importance of high-fidelity modeling, may provide guidelines for the hardware and mission operations design of lander spacecraft, and may prioritize particular studies and observations of the small-body (sub)surface.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Parametric Study of Ballistic Lander Deployment to Small Bodies




    Publication date :

    2017




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    BKL:    55.60 Raumfahrttechnik
    Local classification TIB:    770/7040



    Parametric Study of Ballistic Lander Deployment to Small Bodies

    Van Wal, Stefaan / Tardivel, Simon / Scheeres, Daniel | AIAA | 2017


    Lunar Lander Deployment

    Polsgrove, Tara | NTRS | 2018


    Lunar Lander Deployment

    T. Polsgrove | NTIS | 2018


    Computer Aided Ballistic Orbit Classification Around Small Bodies

    Villac, Benjamin F. / Anderson, Rodney L. / Pini, Alex J. | Online Contents | 2016


    MARS HARD LANDER: A PARAMETRIC STUDY

    Coco, Davide / Bernardini, Fabrizio / Iess, Luciano | TIBKAT | 2023