Investigation of a more optimum trajectory than the logarithmic spiral in solar sailing
A logarithmic spiral trajectory is not the optimum trajectory for a solar sailing space vehicle. Investigation of the governing equations showed that the performance of the solar sail depends on one parameter "a". This parameter "a", defined simply as the ratio of radial to t...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
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Virginia Tech
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/44049 http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08012012-040127/ |
| Summary: | A logarithmic spiral trajectory is not the optimum trajectory
for a solar sailing space vehicle. Investigation of the governing
equations showed that the performance of the solar sail depends on
one parameter "a". This parameter "a", defined simply as the
ratio of radial to tangential forces, was seen to be significant
for two reasons: first, the logarithmic spiral is restricted to
values of a = 2 √ 2
; secondly, decreased values of "a"
indicate better performance characteristics. For values of
a < 2 √ 2 a new trajectory was generated and found to be more
efficient than any logarithmic spiral trajectory. === Master of Science |
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