DOCSLIB.ORG

Orbital Fueling Architectures Leveraging Commercial Launch Vehicles for More Affordable Human Exploration

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Orbital Fueling Architectures Leveraging Commercial Launch Vehicles for More Affordable Human Exploration ORBITAL FUELING ARCHITECTURES LEVERAGING COMMERCIAL LAUNCH VEHICLES FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HUMAN EXPLORATION by DANIEL J TIFFIN Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January, 2020 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis of DANIEL JOSEPH TIFFIN Candidate for the degree of Master of Science*. Committee Chair Paul Barnhart, PhD Committee Member Sunniva Collins, PhD Committee Member Yasuhiro Kamotani, PhD Date of Defense 21 November, 2019 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. 2 Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ................................................................................................................. 6 List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction and Background.................................................................................. 14 1.1 Human Exploration Campaigns ....................................................................... 21 1.1.1. Previous Mars Architectures ..................................................................... 21 1.1.2. Latest Mars Architecture .......................................................................... 26 1.1.3. Fueling Architectures ............................................................................... 27 1.1.4. Logistics and Tracking ............................................................................. 29 2. Methods ................................................................................................................. 32 2.1. The Systems Engineering Process .................................................................... 32 2.1.1. Systems Analysis and Control .................................................................. 33 2.1.2. Systems Analysis in Practice .................................................................... 34 2.1.3. Architectures ............................................................................................ 35 2.1.4. Architecture Definition ............................................................................. 36 2.2. Propellant Tracking Theory ............................................................................. 40 2.2.1. Capabilities and Rationale for Propellant Tracking ................................... 40 2.2.2. Program Logic and Structure .................................................................... 41 2.2.3. Program Verification ................................................................................ 44 2.3. Campaign Analysis .......................................................................................... 46 2.3.1. Mars Hybrid Propulsion System Campaign .............................................. 47 2.3.2. Lunar Exploration Campaign .................................................................... 64 2.4. Useful Concepts .............................................................................................. 69 3. Results and Discussion ........................................................................................... 73 3.1. Mars Hybrid Propulsion System Campaign Trades .......................................... 73 3.1.1. Hypergolic Chemical Propellant Alternative ............................................. 73 3.1.2. Latitude Sensitivity................................................................................... 75 3.1.3. Tanker Design Sensitivity ......................................................................... 78 3.1.4. Lander Trade ............................................................................................ 80 3.1.5. Tanker Thermal Control System Trade ..................................................... 81 3.1.6. Propellant Transfer Rate Trade ................................................................. 82 3.2. Lunar ............................................................................................................... 84 3 3.2.1. Fueling Architectures ............................................................................... 84 3.2.2. Element Designs ....................................................................................... 84 3.2.3. Performance ............................................................................................. 94 4. Conclusions and Future Work ............................................................................... 105 Appendix ..................................................................................................................... 110 References ................................................................................................................... 116 4 List of Tables Table 1. Previously Proposed Mars Architecture Breakdown ........................................ 23 Table 2. Potential Risks ................................................................................................ 31 Table 3. Summary of the Spacecraft Design and Sizing Process .................................... 39 Table 4. Hybrid Propulsion System Mass Breakdown ................................................... 47 Table 5. Baseline HPS Summary .................................................................................. 48 Table 6. Launch Vehicle Capability Assumptions ......................................................... 52 Table 7. Passive and Active TCS Hybrid Tanker .......................................................... 54 Table 8. Mars Crew Campaign: Storable HPS ............................................................... 56 Table 9. Storable HPS Mass Breakdown ....................................................................... 56 Table 10. Storable HPS Key Information ...................................................................... 57 Table 11. Passive CFM Hybrid Tanker ......................................................................... 63 Table 12. Propellant Need Assumptions: Human Lunar Lander .................................... 68 Table 13. Launch vehicle capability assumptions .......................................................... 68 Table 14. HPS Fueling Window.................................................................................... 83 Table 15. HPS Order of Magnitude Fluid Transfer Rate Requirements ......................... 83 Table 16. Propellant Thermophysical Data.................................................................... 85 Table 17. Propellant Delivered to NRHO ...................................................................... 95 5 List of Figures Figure 1. Close-up of Progress Spacecraft docking to ISS .............................................. 15 Figure 2. Restore-L Conceptual Rendering .................................................................... 18 Figure 3. Explanation of currently planned SLS Block configurations. .......................... 24 Figure 4. The Systems Engineering Process ................................................................... 32 Figure 5. PropTracker Basic Code Structure .................................................................. 42 Figure 6. PropTracker Sample of Graphical Output ....................................................... 44 Figure 7. Hybrid Propulsion System .............................................................................. 47 Figure 8. Mars Campaign to be used as a basis of comparison ....................................... 52 Figure 9. Visualization of NRHO proposed for Gateway ............................................... 53 Figure 10. Storable HPS Model. .................................................................................... 56 Figure 11. Storable HPS: Crew-Only Campaign Full Factorial....................................... 74 Figure 12. HPS Campaign: Latitude Sensitivity on Fueling for 15 t CLV Tankers ......... 77 Figure 13. HIAD Lander Campaign: Tanker Design Sensitivity ..................................... 78 Figure 14. Lander Mass Sensitivity ................................................................................ 80 Figure 15. Cryogen Thermal Control Trade ................................................................... 82 Figure 16. Expendable Tanker Mass Fraction Delta: Total Lunar Campaign Refueling .. 96 Figure 17. Refueling Flights: 7.1 t Tanker Inert Mass .................................................... 97 Figure 18. 50 Missions: No. of Stages & Elements Expended: 7.1 t Inert Tanker ........... 98 Figure 19.Passive Fast v. Active Slow Fueling Architecture: Delivered Propellant ...... 100 Figure 20. Propellant Delivered to NRHO: Upper Stage Stays in NRHO ..................... 101 Figure 21. Propellant Delivered to NRHO: SEP Tug; Upper Stage Stays in NRHO ..... 102 Figure 22. Propellant Delivered to NRHO: SEP Tug .................................................... 104 6 Figure 23.Refueling Architecture Comparison: Propellant Delivered to NRHO ........... 105 A- 1. Human Landing System: Baseline 3-Element Architecture ................................. 111 A- 2. Refueling Element (CLV Upper Stage or Tanker) ............................................... 112 A- 3. Refueling Element (Either CLV Upper Stage or Tanker) + Reusable Bus
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Machine Learning Regression for Estimating Characteristics of Low-Thrust Transfers
    MACHINE LEARNING REGRESSION FOR ESTIMATING CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW-THRUST TRANSFERS A Thesis Presented to The Academic Faculty By Gene L. Chen In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology May 2019 Copyright c Gene L. Chen 2019 MACHINE LEARNING REGRESSION FOR ESTIMATING CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW-THRUST TRANSFERS Approved by: Dr. Dimitri Mavris, Advisor Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Alicia Sudol Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Michael Steffens Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Date Approved: April 15, 2019 To my parents, thanks for the support. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to thank Dr. Dimitri Mavris for giving me the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory. It has been quite the experience. Also, many thanks to my committee members — Dr. Alicia Sudol and Dr. Michael Steffens — for taking the time to review my work and give suggestions on how to improve - it means a lot to me. Additionally, thanks to Dr. Patel and Dr. Antony for helping me understand their work in trajectory optimization. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . iv List of Tables . vii List of Figures . viii Chapter 1: Introduction and Motivation . 1 1.1 Thesis Overview . 4 Chapter 2: Background . 5 Chapter 3: Approach . 17 3.1 Scenario Definition . 17 3.2 Spacecraft Dynamics . 18 3.3 Choice Between Direct and Indirect Method . 19 3.3.1 Chebyshev polynomial method . 20 3.3.2 Sims-Flanagan method .
    [Show full text]
  • Astrodynamics
    Politecnico di Torino SEEDS SpacE Exploration and Development Systems Astrodynamics II Edition 2006 - 07 - Ver. 2.0.1 Author: Guido Colasurdo Dipartimento di Energetica Teacher: Giulio Avanzini Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aeronautica e Spaziale e-mail: [email protected] Contents 1 Two–Body Orbital Mechanics 1 1.1 BirthofAstrodynamics: Kepler’sLaws. ......... 1 1.2 Newton’sLawsofMotion ............................ ... 2 1.3 Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation . ......... 3 1.4 The n–BodyProblem ................................. 4 1.5 Equation of Motion in the Two-Body Problem . ....... 5 1.6 PotentialEnergy ................................. ... 6 1.7 ConstantsoftheMotion . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... 7 1.8 TrajectoryEquation .............................. .... 8 1.9 ConicSections ................................... 8 1.10 Relating Energy and Semi-major Axis . ........ 9 2 Two-Dimensional Analysis of Motion 11 2.1 ReferenceFrames................................. 11 2.2 Velocity and acceleration components . ......... 12 2.3 First-Order Scalar Equations of Motion . ......... 12 2.4 PerifocalReferenceFrame . ...... 13 2.5 FlightPathAngle ................................. 14 2.6 EllipticalOrbits................................ ..... 15 2.6.1 Geometry of an Elliptical Orbit . ..... 15 2.6.2 Period of an Elliptical Orbit . ..... 16 2.7 Time–of–Flight on the Elliptical Orbit . .......... 16 2.8 Extensiontohyperbolaandparabola. ........ 18 2.9 Circular and Escape Velocity, Hyperbolic Excess Speed . .............. 18 2.10 CosmicVelocities
    [Show full text]
  • Preparation of Papers for AIAA Journals
    ASCEND 10.2514/6.2020-4000 November 16-18, 2020, Virtual Event ASCEND 2020 Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies Enabling for the Artemis Program and Beyond Hans C. Hansen* and Wesley L. Johnson† NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, 44135, USA Michael L. Meyer‡ NASA Engineering Safety Center, Cleveland, Ohio, 44135, USA Arthur H. Werkheiser§ and Jonathan R. Stephens¶ NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, 35808, USA NASA is endeavoring on an ambitious return to the Moon and eventually on to Mars through the Artemis Program leveraging innovative technologies to establish sustainable exploration architectures collaborating with US commercial and international partners [1]. Future NASA architectures have baselined cryogenic propulsion systems to support lunar missions and ultimately future missions to Mars. NASA has been investing in maturing CFM active and passive storage, transfer, and gauging technologies over the last decade plus primarily focused on ground development with a few small- scale microgravity fluid experiments. Recently, NASA created a Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Technology Roadmap identifying the critical gaps requiring further development to reach a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 prior to infusion to flight applications. To address the technology gaps the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) strategically plans to invest in a diversified CFM portfolio approach through ground and flight demonstrations, collaborating with international partners, and leveraging Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) opportunities with US industry through Downloaded by Michele Dominiak on December 23, 2020 | http://arc.aiaa.org DOI: 10.2514/6.2020-4000 the Tipping Point and Announcement of Collaborative Opportunities (ACO) solicitations. Once proven, these system capabilities will enable the high performing cryogenic propellant systems needed for the Artemis Program and beyond.
    [Show full text]
  • This Boeing Team's Skills at Producing Delta IV Rocket Fairings Helped
    t’s usually the tail end of the rocket that gets all the early atten- other work. But they’d jump at the chance to work together again. tion, providing an impressive fiery display as the spacecraft is Their story is one of challenges and solutions. And they attribute hurled into orbit. But mission success also depends on what’s their success to Lean+ practices and good old-fashioned teamwork. Ion top of the rocket: a piece of metal called the payload fairing “The team took it upon themselves to make an excellent that protects the rocket’s cargo during the sometimes brutal ride product,” said program manager Thomas Fung. “We had parts to orbital speed. issues and tool problems, but the guys really stepped up and took “There’s no room for error,” said Tracy Allen, Boeing’s manu- pride and worked through the issues.” facturing production manager for a Huntington Beach, Calif., team The aluminum fairing team went through a major transition that made fairings for the Delta IV. The fairing not only protects the when Boeing merged its Delta Program with Lockheed Martin’s payload from launch to orbit but also must jettison properly for Atlas Program to form United Launch Alliance in 2006. deployment of the satellite or spacecraft. “There were a lot of process changes in the transition phase Allen and his colleagues built the 65-foot-long (20-meter-long) because we were working with a new company,” Fung said. “We aluminum isogrid fairings for the Delta IV heavy-lift launch vehicle. had part shortages because of vendor issues, and that caused The design was based on 41 similar fairings Boeing made for the an impact to the schedule.
    [Show full text]
  • Douglas Missile & Space Systems Division
    ·, THE THOR HISTORY. MAY 1963 DOUGLAS REPORT SM-41860 APPROVED BY: W.H.. HOOPER CHIEF, THOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AEROSPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DOUGLAS MISSILE & SPACE SYSTEMS DIVISION ABSTRACT This history is intended as a quick orientation source and as n ready-reference for review of the Thor and its sys­ tems. The report briefly states the development of Thor, sur'lli-:arizes and chronicles Thor missile and booster launch­ inGs, provides illustrations and descriptions of the vehicle systcn1s, relates their genealogy, explains sane of the per­ fon:iance capabilities of the Thor and Thor-based vehicles used, and focuses attention to the exploration of space by Douelas Aircraf't Company, Inc. (DAC). iii PREFACE The purpose of The Thor History is to survey the launch record of the Thor Weapon, Special Weapon, and Space Systems; give a systematic account of the major events; and review Thor's participation in the military and space programs of this nation. The period covered is from December 27, 1955, the date of the first contract award, through May, 1963. V �LE OF CONTENTS Page Contract'Award . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Background • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • l Basic Or�anization and Objectives • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Basic Developmenta� Philosophy . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 Early Research and Development Launches • • • ·• • • • • • • • • • 4 Transition to ICBM with Space Capabilities--Multi-Stage Vehicles . 6 Initial Lunar and Space Probes ••••••• • • • • • • •
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation of Condensed and Early Stage Gas Phase Hypergolic Reactions Jacob Daniel Dennis Purdue University
    Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Dissertations Theses and Dissertations Fall 2014 Investigation of condensed and early stage gas phase hypergolic reactions Jacob Daniel Dennis Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the Propulsion and Power Commons Recommended Citation Dennis, Jacob Daniel, "Investigation of condensed and early stage gas phase hypergolic reactions" (2014). Open Access Dissertations. 256. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/256 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. i INVESTIGATION OF CONDENSED AND EARLY STAGE GAS PHASE HYPERGOLIC REACTIONS A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Jacob Daniel Dennis In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2014 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii To my parents, Jay and Susan Dennis, who have always pushed me to be the person they know I am capable of being. Also to my wife, Claresta Dennis, who not only tolerated me but suffered along with me throughout graduate school. I love you and am so proud of you! iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Timothée Pourpoint, for guiding me over the past four years and helping me become the researcher that I am today. In addition I would like to thank the rest of my PhD Committee for the insight and guidance. I would also like to acknowledge the help provided by my fellow graduate students who spent time with me in the lab: Travis Kubal, Yair Solomon, Robb Janesheski, Jordan Forness, Jonathan Chrzanowski, Jared Willits, and Jason Gabl.
    [Show full text]
  • Rocket Propulsion Fundamentals 2
    https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20140002716 2019-08-29T14:36:45+00:00Z Liquid Propulsion Systems – Evolution & Advancements Launch Vehicle Propulsion & Systems LPTC Liquid Propulsion Technical Committee Rick Ballard Liquid Engine Systems Lead SLS Liquid Engines Office NASA / MSFC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, unless for course participation and to a paid course student, in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of AIAA and/or course instructor. Contact the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Professional Development Program, Suite 500, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4344 Modules 1. Rocket Propulsion Fundamentals 2. LRE Applications 3. Liquid Propellants 4. Engine Power Cycles 5. Engine Components Module 1: Rocket Propulsion TOPICS Fundamentals • Thrust • Specific Impulse • Mixture Ratio • Isp vs. MR • Density vs. Isp • Propellant Mass vs. Volume Warning: Contents deal with math, • Area Ratio physics and thermodynamics. Be afraid…be very afraid… Terms A Area a Acceleration F Force (thrust) g Gravity constant (32.2 ft/sec2) I Impulse m Mass P Pressure Subscripts t Time a Ambient T Temperature c Chamber e Exit V Velocity o Initial state r Reaction ∆ Delta / Difference s Stagnation sp Specific ε Area Ratio t Throat or Total γ Ratio of specific heats Thrust (1/3) Rocket thrust can be explained using Newton’s 2nd and 3rd laws of motion. 2nd Law: a force applied to a body is equal to the mass of the body and its acceleration in the direction of the force.
    [Show full text]
  • An Assessment of Aerocapture and Applications to Future Missions
    Post-Exit Atmospheric Flight Cruise Approach An Assessment of Aerocapture and Applications to Future Missions February 13, 2016 National Aeronautics and Space Administration An Assessment of Aerocapture Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California and Applications to Future Missions Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology for Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate NASA Work Performed under the Planetary Science Program Support Task ©2016. All rights reserved. D-97058 February 13, 2016 Authors Thomas R. Spilker, Independent Consultant Mark Hofstadter Chester S. Borden, JPL/Caltech Jessie M. Kawata Mark Adler, JPL/Caltech Damon Landau Michelle M. Munk, LaRC Daniel T. Lyons Richard W. Powell, LaRC Kim R. Reh Robert D. Braun, GIT Randii R. Wessen Patricia M. Beauchamp, JPL/Caltech NASA Ames Research Center James A. Cutts, JPL/Caltech Parul Agrawal Paul F. Wercinski, ARC Helen H. Hwang and the A-Team Paul F. Wercinski NASA Langley Research Center F. McNeil Cheatwood A-Team Study Participants Jeffrey A. Herath Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech Michelle M. Munk Mark Adler Richard W. Powell Nitin Arora Johnson Space Center Patricia M. Beauchamp Ronald R. Sostaric Chester S. Borden Independent Consultant James A. Cutts Thomas R. Spilker Gregory L. Davis Georgia Institute of Technology John O. Elliott Prof. Robert D. Braun – External Reviewer Jefferey L. Hall Engineering and Science Directorate JPL D-97058 Foreword Aerocapture has been proposed for several missions over the last couple of decades, and the technologies have matured over time. This study was initiated because the NASA Planetary Science Division (PSD) had not revisited Aerocapture technologies for about a decade and with the upcoming study to send a mission to Uranus/Neptune initiated by the PSD we needed to determine the status of the technologies and assess their readiness for such a mission.
    [Show full text]
  • Why NASA's Planet-Hunting Astrophysics Telescope Is an Easy Budget Target, and What Defeat Would Mean PAGE 24
    Q & A 12 ASTRONAUT’S VIEW 20 SPACE LAUNCH 34 Neil deGrasse Tyson A realistic moon plan SLS versus commercial SPECIAL REPORT SPACE DARK ENERGY DILEMMA Why NASA’s planet-hunting astrophysics telescope is an easy budget target, and what defeat would mean PAGE 24 APRIL 2018 | A publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics andd Astronautics | aeroaerospaceamerica.aiaa.orgerospaceamerica.aiaa.org 9–11 JULY 2018 CINCINNATI, OH ANNOUNCING EXPANDED TECHNICAL CONTENT FOR 2018! You already know about our extensive technical paper presentations, but did you know that we are now offering an expanded educational program as part of the AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum and Exposition? In addition to our pre-forum short courses and workshops, we’ve enhanced the technical panels and added focused technical tutorials, high level discussion groups, exciting keynotes and more. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER TODAY! For complete program details please visit: propulsionenergy.aiaa.org FEATURES | April 2018 MORE AT aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org 20 34 40 24 Returning to Launching the Laying down the What next the moon Europa Clipper rules for space Senior research scientist NASA, Congress and We asked experts in for WFIRST? and former astronaut the White House are space policy to comment Tom Jones writes about debating which rocket on proposed United NASA’s three upcoming space what it would take to should send the probe Nations guidelines deliver the funds and into orbit close to this for countries and telescopes are meant to piece together political support for the Jovian moon. companies sending some heady puzzles, but the White Lunar Orbital Outpost- satellites and other craft House’s 2019 budget proposal would Gateway.
    [Show full text]
  • 액체로켓 메탄엔진 개발동향 및 시사점 Development Trends of Liquid
    Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 119-143, 2021 119 Technical Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.6108/KSPE.2021.25.2.119 액체로켓 메탄엔진 개발동향 및 시사점 임병직 a, * ㆍ 김철웅 a⋅ 이금오 a ㆍ 이기주 a ㆍ 박재성 a ㆍ 안규복 b ㆍ 남궁혁준 c ㆍ 윤영빈 d Development Trends of Liquid Methane Rocket Engine and Implications Byoungjik Lim a, * ㆍ Cheulwoong Kim a⋅ Keum-Oh Lee a ㆍ Keejoo Lee a ㆍ Jaesung Park a ㆍ Kyubok Ahn b ㆍ Hyuck-Joon Namkoung c ㆍ Youngbin Yoon d a Future Launcher R&D Program Office, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea b School of Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Korea c Guided Munitions Team, Hyundai Rotem, Korea d Department of Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Selecting liquid methane as fuel is a prevailing trend for recent rocket engine developments around the world, triggered by its affordability, reusability, storability for deep space exploration, and prospect for in-situ resource utilization. Given years of time required for acquiring a new rocket engine, a national-level R&D program to develop a methane engine is highly desirable at the earliest opportunity in order to catch up with this worldwide trend towards reusing launch vehicles for competitiveness and mission flexibility. In light of the monumental cost associated with development, fabrication, and testing of a booster stage engine, it is strategically a prudent choice to start with a low-thrust engine and build up space application cases.
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis Submitted to Florida Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfllment of the Requirements for the Degree Of
    Dynamics of Spacecraft Orbital Refueling by Casey Clark Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering College of Engineering 2016 A thesis submitted to Florida Institute of Technology in partial fulfllment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering Melbourne, Florida July, 2018 ⃝c Copyright 2018 Casey Clark All Rights Reserved The author grants permission to make single copies. We the undersigned committee hereby approve the attached thesis Dynamics of Spacecraft Orbital Refueling by Casey Clark Dr. Tiauw Go, Sc.D. Associate Professor. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Committee Chair Dr. Jay Kovats, Ph.D. Associate Professor Mathematics Outside Committee Member Dr. Markus Wilde, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Committee Member Dr. Hamid Hefazi, Ph.D. Professor and Department Head Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering ABSTRACT Title: Dynamics of Spacecraft Orbital Refueling Author: Casey Clark Major Advisor: Dr. Tiauw Go, Sc.D. A quantitative collation of relevant parameters for successfully completed exper- imental on-orbit fuid transfers and anticipated orbital refueling future missions is performed. The dynamics of connected satellites sustaining fuel transfer are derived by treating the connected spacecraft as a rigid body and including an in- ternal mass fow rate. An orbital refueling results in a time-varying local center of mass related to the connected spacecraft. This is accounted for by incorporating a constant mass fow rate in the inertia tensor. Simulations of the equations of motion are performed using the values of the parameters of authentic missions in an endeavor to provide conclusions regarding the efect of an internal mass transfer on the attitude of refueling spacecraft.
    [Show full text]
  • Up, Up, and Away by James J
    www.astrosociety.org/uitc No. 34 - Spring 1996 © 1996, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 390 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112. Up, Up, and Away by James J. Secosky, Bloomfield Central School and George Musser, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Want to take a tour of space? Then just flip around the channels on cable TV. Weather Channel forecasts, CNN newscasts, ESPN sportscasts: They all depend on satellites in Earth orbit. Or call your friends on Mauritius, Madagascar, or Maui: A satellite will relay your voice. Worried about the ozone hole over Antarctica or mass graves in Bosnia? Orbital outposts are keeping watch. The challenge these days is finding something that doesn't involve satellites in one way or other. And satellites are just one perk of the Space Age. Farther afield, robotic space probes have examined all the planets except Pluto, leading to a revolution in the Earth sciences -- from studies of plate tectonics to models of global warming -- now that scientists can compare our world to its planetary siblings. Over 300 people from 26 countries have gone into space, including the 24 astronauts who went on or near the Moon. Who knows how many will go in the next hundred years? In short, space travel has become a part of our lives. But what goes on behind the scenes? It turns out that satellites and spaceships depend on some of the most basic concepts of physics. So space travel isn't just fun to think about; it is a firm grounding in many of the principles that govern our world and our universe.
    [Show full text]