DOCSLIB.ORG

Orbit Determination of Asteroids Using Streak Information

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Orbit Determination of Asteroids Using Streak Information Orbit determination of asteroids using streak information Samuel Ocana Losada Space Engineering, master's level (120 credits) 2020 Luleå University of Technology Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering i LULEÅUNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Abstract SpaceMaster Orbit determination of asteroids using streak information by Samuel OCAÑA LOSADA Asteroids are becoming a stepping stone for the human space exploration, as much as they are a threat for human life on Earth. Several agencies have proved that sending spacecraft to an asteroid is already feasible so private companies are starting to look into how to exploit this new resources we have now at hand. However, asteroids are not easy to locate precisely in the exten- sive universe, and these missions require quite an accurate knowledge of the asteroid positions for long times. For this reason, orbit determination algorithms are evolving very fast to cover these needs. But since Gauss, all the efforts have been put in improving the existing methods to make them more efficient and precise. But sometimes is good to take an step back and give it a different "view", is there a different way of looking at the sky and obtain more information?. This paper want to explore the feasibility of using trailed observations (streaks) for that purpose. Additionally to the standard right ascension and declination variables, streaks also contains information about the angular rate of those variables, dRA and dDec. Using statistical ranging, a well established technique for asteroid orbit computation, a code has been developed to try and use these two new vari- ables that come with the the streaks. This paper will explain the code in detail and at the end will try to prove the validity of this method. iii Acknowledgements My biggest thank you goes to Mikael Granvik, not only my supervisor, but someone who has helped me along the whole way and I could trust. I appreci- ate so much all the time you have put into me and all the knowledge you have taught me. It was the right decision to decide to work with you and I hope our paths will cross again. I can’t forget my family, the backbone of my life. They have always been supportive and loving. No matter what life throws at us, they will be al- ways there for me. It is because of them I have been able to study as far as I wanted, they always put the education of my sister and me as the biggest priority. Thank you mom, dad and sister, you are the best family anybody could ever dream. I also would like to thank Tam, she has been an important part of my life in the last months of this thesis. She has been always there supporting me and encouraging to go further and be better. Thank you for believing in me. Finally, I want to thanks the Space Master Consortium. All the knowledge and experience I have obtained during these two last years would not have been possible without them. Please keep putting together bright minds and wonderful people from all over the world. Space should unite us all and make us better. v Contents Abstracti Acknowledgements iii 1 Introduction1 2 Asteroids in the Solar System5 2.1 Observing asteroids..........................5 2.2 Dynamics in the Solar System....................8 2.2.1 Historical background....................8 2.2.2 Modern astrodynamics...................9 2.2.3 From observations to orbits................. 11 2.3 Population............................... 13 3 Theory 15 3.1 Statistical Ranging.......................... 15 3.2 Streak Ranging............................ 17 3.2.1 Observation strategy..................... 17 3.2.2 Admissible region...................... 19 3.2.3 Orbit computation...................... 20 4 Software 23 4.1 Format................................. 23 4.1.1 MPC format.......................... 23 4.1.2 XML format.......................... 25 4.2 Streak ranging............................. 28 5 Analysis and result 33 5.1 Orbit computation.......................... 34 5.2 Software performance........................ 37 5.2.1 Observational timespan................... 37 5.2.2 Standard deviation...................... 39 5.3 Discovery and follow-up....................... 40 6 Conclusion 45 Bibliography 47 vii List of Figures 2.1 Topocentric Horizon Coordinate System (SEZ)..........6 2.2 Earth Centered Inertial (ECI) reference system..........7 2.3 Keplerian elements for an orbit definition............. 10 3.1 Graphical representation of acceptance criteria for O-C residuals in a sky-plane reference....................... 17 3.2 Discovery observations of asteroid 2018 LA............ 18 3.3 Qualitative representation of admissible region for an asteroid of the Solar System.......................... 20 5.1 Standard deviation and credible intervals for a probability dis- tribution................................ 34 5.2 Keplerian orbital-element PDF for the asteroid K01Y03P using streak ranging............................. 35 5.3 Keplerian orbital-element PDF for the asteroid K01Y03P using original code.............................. 35 5.4 Sky-plane positions of the asteroid K01Y03P computed with streak ranging................................. 41 5.5 Sky-plane positions of the asteroid K01Y03P computed with the original code.............................. 41 ix List of Tables 2.1 Bounds for various asteroid populations in the (a,q,Q)-space.. 13 4.1 MPC format file............................ 24 5.1 Orbital parameters of the asteroid K01Y03P............ 34 5.2 Nominal orbit, ML orbit and credible regions for each software 37 5.3 ML orbit and credible regions for different observational times- pans................................... 38 5.4 Orbit solution for the simulation of follow-up and discovery of asteroid................................. 43 xi List of Abbreviations ADES Astrometry Data Exchange Standard AIDA Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment DART Double Asteroid Redirection Test ECI Earth-centered inertial ESA European Space Agency IAU International Astronominal Union ICRS International Celestial Reference System I/O Input & Output JAXA Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency MJD Modified Julian Date MOI Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance MPC Minor Planer Center NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NEA Near-Earth Asteroid NEO Near-Earth Object OSIRIS-REx Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer OSS Open-Source Software PDF Probability Density Function PHA Potentially Hazardous Asteroid PHO Potentially Hazardous Object RAAN Right Ascension of the Ascending Node TNO TransNeptunian Object XML Extensible Markup Language xiii List of Symbols and Constants au Astronomical Unit 1.4959 · 1011m G Gravitational constant 6.6741 · 10−11m3kg−1s−2 k Gaussian Gravitational constant 0.01720209895 m⊕ Earth-Sun mass ratio - Orbit y(t) Observed position of the asteroid - Y(P, t, t0) Computed topocentric positions - P Orbital elements vector t Epoch MJD a semimajor axis au e eccentricity - i inclination deg W longitude of the ascending node deg w argument of periapsis deg n True anomaly deg q Perihelion distance AU Q Aphelion distance AU r position vector of the asteroid AU v velocity vector of the asteroid AU/day r⊕ position vector of the Earth AU v⊕ velocity vector of the Earth AU #⊕ Geocentric two-body energy - #⊕ Heliocentric two-body energy - Sky-plane r Range AU RA, q Right Ascension deg Dec, e Declination deg r˙ Range rate AU/day dRA, q˙ Right Ascension angular rate deg/day dDec, e˙ Declination angular rate deg/day Observatory el Elevation deg b Azimuth deg Others m Statistical mean - s Standard deviation - 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. It is also its oldest branch, dating back to Greek astronomers, Timocharis and Aristillus (c. 300 BC) were one of the first astronomers that created star maps. Then Hip- parchus used those maps to discover Earth’s precession (Kanas, 2019). After that first milestone, astrometry has contributed to huge breakthroughs through the whole history, being the heliocentrism one of its biggest achievements. Recording star positions have progressed through naked eye observations, then large-scale ground based telescopes and finally space telescopes mounted on satellites orbiting the Earth. But history has not come to an end. Already by 1997, as the Hipparcos catalogue was being lodged in scientific libraries around the world, astronomers were advancing ideas for yet more ambitious experiments to map the stars from space. These included both ‘pointed’and ‘sky-scanning’ instrumental approaches (Perryman, 2012). Although astrometry is only the tip of the iceberg of astronomy. To obtain and use all the information contained in the sky observations the concepts of celestial mechanics have to be applied. Celestial mechanics studies the mo- tion of every body in the Universe. It covers every object observed in the Universe, from dust particles in interplanetary medium to stellar systems and galaxy groups. However, this thesis will focus mostly in the the minor bodies bounded to our Solar System, specially asteroids. Asteroids are acquiring a new relevance in space exploration, as they are considered the means of transport in the Solar System, carrying not only mate- rials, but also information about its past. Now, technology has reached enough development to allow the design of missions to explore the asteroids in-situ. These new mission will provide a brand new set of opportunities in the space field. Something that can not be forgotten is that asteroid pose a risk for the planet Earth and humankind. It is well know that the Earth has been impacted by as- teroids in the past, and unfortunately it will happen again in the future unless something is done to prevent the impact. In modern history, there have been several incidents, being the tunguska event in 1908 the largest recorded, where the causes are unknown but it is believed that an meteoroid exploded in the atmosphere causing an air burst that flattened millions of trees over an area of 2 Chapter 1. Introduction 2,150 km. It was categorized as an impact event although there are no signs of a physical crater on the ground.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Orbit Determination Methods and Techniques
    PROJECTE FINAL DE CARRERA (PFC) GEOSAR Mission: Orbit Determination Methods and Techniques Marc Fernàndez Uson PFC Advisor: Prof. Antoni Broquetas Ibars May 2016 PROJECTE FINAL DE CARRERA (PFC) GEOSAR Mission: Orbit Determination Methods and Techniques Marc Fernàndez Uson ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Multiple applications such as land stability control, natural risks prevention or accurate numerical weather prediction models from water vapour atmospheric mapping would substantially benefit from permanent radar monitoring given their fast evolution is not observable with present Low Earth Orbit based systems. In order to overcome this drawback, GEOstationary Synthetic Aperture Radar missions (GEOSAR) are presently being studied. GEOSAR missions are based on operating a radar payload hosted by a communication satellite in a geostationary orbit. Due to orbital perturbations, the satellite does not follow a perfectly circular orbit, but has a slight eccentricity and inclination that can be used to form the synthetic aperture required to obtain images. Several sources affect the along-track phase history in GEOSAR missions causing unwanted fluctuations which may result in image defocusing. The main expected contributors to azimuth phase noise are orbit determination errors, radar carrier frequency drifts, the Atmospheric Phase Screen (APS), and satellite attitude instabilities and structural vibration. In order to obtain an accurate image of the scene after SAR processing, the range history of every point of the scene must be known. This fact requires a high precision orbit modeling and the use of suitable techniques for atmospheric phase screen compensation, which are well beyond the usual orbit determination requirement of satellites in GEO orbits. The other influencing factors like oscillator drift and attitude instability, vibration, etc., must be controlled or compensated.
    [Show full text]
  • Orbit Determination Using Modern Filters/Smoothers and Continuous Thrust Modeling
    Orbit Determination Using Modern Filters/Smoothers and Continuous Thrust Modeling by Zachary James Folcik B.S. Computer Science Michigan Technological University, 2000 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2008 © 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Signature of Author:_______________________________________________________ Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics May 23, 2008 Certified by:_____________________________________________________________ Dr. Paul J. Cefola Lecturer, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Supervisor Certified by:_____________________________________________________________ Professor Jonathan P. How Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Advisor Accepted by:_____________________________________________________________ Professor David L. Darmofal Associate Department Head Chair, Committee on Graduate Students 1 [This page intentionally left blank.] 2 Orbit Determination Using Modern Filters/Smoothers and Continuous Thrust Modeling by Zachary James Folcik Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics on May 23, 2008 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics ABSTRACT The development of electric propulsion technology for spacecraft has led to reduced costs and longer lifespans for certain
    [Show full text]
  • Statistical Orbit Determination
    Preface The modem field of orbit determination (OD) originated with Kepler's inter­ pretations of the observations made by Tycho Brahe of the planetary motions. Based on the work of Kepler, Newton was able to establish the mathematical foundation of celestial mechanics. During the ensuing centuries, the efforts to im­ prove the understanding of the motion of celestial bodies and artificial satellites in the modem era have been a major stimulus in areas of mathematics, astronomy, computational methodology and physics. Based on Newton's foundations, early efforts to determine the orbit were focused on a deterministic approach in which a few observations, distributed across the sky during a single arc, were used to find the position and velocity vector of a celestial body at some epoch. This uniquely categorized the orbit. Such problems are deterministic in the sense that they use the same number of independent observations as there are unknowns. With the advent of daily observing programs and the realization that the or­ bits evolve continuously, the foundation of modem precision orbit determination evolved from the attempts to use a large number of observations to determine the orbit. Such problems are over-determined in that they utilize far more observa­ tions than the number required by the deterministic approach. The development of the digital computer in the decade of the 1960s allowed numerical approaches to supplement the essentially analytical basis for describing the satellite motion and allowed a far more rigorous representation of the force models that affect the motion. This book is based on four decades of classroom instmction and graduate- level research.
    [Show full text]
  • Multiple Solutions for Asteroid Orbits: Computational Procedure and Applications
    A&A 431, 729–746 (2005) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20041737 & c ESO 2005 Astrophysics Multiple solutions for asteroid orbits: Computational procedure and applications A. Milani1,M.E.Sansaturio2,G.Tommei1, O. Arratia2, and S. R. Chesley3 1 Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pisa, via Buonarroti 2, 56127 Pisa, Italy e-mail: [milani;tommei]@mail.dm.unipi.it 2 E.T.S. de Ingenieros Industriales, University of Valladolid Paseo del Cauce 47011 Valladolid, Spain e-mail: [meusan;oscarr]@eis.uva.es 3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, CA-91109 Pasadena, USA e-mail: [email protected] Received 27 July 2004 / Accepted 20 October 2004 Abstract. We describe the Multiple Solutions Method, a one-dimensional sampling of the six-dimensional orbital confidence region that is widely applicable in the field of asteroid orbit determination. In many situations there is one predominant direction of uncertainty in an orbit determination or orbital prediction, i.e., a “weak” direction. The idea is to record Multiple Solutions by following this, typically curved, weak direction, or Line Of Variations (LOV). In this paper we describe the method and give new insights into the mathematics behind this tool. We pay particular attention to the problem of how to ensure that the coordinate systems are properly scaled so that the weak direction really reflects the intrinsic direction of greatest uncertainty. We also describe how the multiple solutions can be used even in the absence of a nominal orbit solution, which substantially broadens the realm of applications. There are numerous applications for multiple solutions; we discuss a few problems in asteroid orbit determination and prediction where we have had good success with the method.
    [Show full text]
  • Astrodynamic Fundamentals for Deflecting Hazardous Near-Earth Objects
    IAC-09-C1.3.1 Astrodynamic Fundamentals for Deflecting Hazardous Near-Earth Objects∗ Bong Wie† Asteroid Deflection Research Center Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, United States [email protected] Abstract mate change caused by this asteroid impact may have caused the dinosaur extinction. On June 30, 1908, an The John V. Breakwell Memorial Lecture for the As- asteroid or comet estimated at 30 to 50 m in diameter trodynamics Symposium of the 60th International As- exploded in the skies above Tunguska, Siberia. Known tronautical Congress (IAC) presents a tutorial overview as the Tunguska Event, the explosion flattened trees and of the astrodynamical problem of deflecting a near-Earth killed other vegetation over a 500,000-acre area with an object (NEO) that is on a collision course toward Earth. energy level equivalent to about 500 Hiroshima nuclear This lecture focuses on the astrodynamic fundamentals bombs. of such a technically challenging, complex engineering In the early 1990s, scientists around the world initi- problem. Although various deflection technologies have ated studies to prevent NEOs from striking Earth [1]. been proposed during the past two decades, there is no However, it is now 2009, and there is no consensus on consensus on how to reliably deflect them in a timely how to reliably deflect them in a timely manner even manner. Consequently, now is the time to develop prac- though various mitigation approaches have been inves- tically viable technologies that can be used to mitigate tigated during the past two decades [1-8]. Consequently, threats from NEOs while also advancing space explo- now is the time for initiating a concerted R&D effort for ration.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Object Self-Tracker On-Board Orbit Determination Analysis Stacie M
    Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar Theses and Dissertations Student Graduate Works 3-24-2016 Space Object Self-Tracker On-Board Orbit Determination Analysis Stacie M. Flamos Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/etd Part of the Space Vehicles Commons Recommended Citation Flamos, Stacie M., "Space Object Self-Tracker On-Board Orbit Determination Analysis" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 430. https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/430 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Graduate Works at AFIT Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AFIT Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SPACE OBJECT SELF-TRACKER ON-BOARD ORBIT DETERMINATION ANALYSIS THESIS Stacie M. Flamos, Civilian, USAF AFIT-ENY-MS-16-M-209 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED The views expressed in this document are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, the United States Department of Defense or the United States Government. This material is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. AFIT-ENY-MS-16-M-209 SPACE OBJECT SELF-TRACKER ON-BOARD ORBIT DETERMINATION ANALYSIS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Aeronatics and Astronautics Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University Air Education and Training Command in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Stacie M.
    [Show full text]
  • Front Cover Image
    Front Cover Image: Top Right: The Mars Science laboratory Curiosity Rover successfully landed in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. Credit: NASA /Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Upper Middle: The Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial vehicle in history to successfully attach to the International Space Station May 25, 2012. Credit: Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). Lower Middle: The Dawn Spacecraft enters orbit about asteroid Vesta on July 16, 2011. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corporation and NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Lower Right: GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit on December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2012, fly in formation above the moon. Credit: Lockheed Martin and NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Lower Left: The Dawn Spacecraft launch took place September 27, 2007. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corporation and NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Program sponsored and provided by: Table of Contents Registration ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Schedule of Events .......................................................................................................................... 4 Conference Center Layout .............................................................................................................. 6 Special Events ................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Catalogue of Cometary Orbits and Their Dynamical Evolution? Małgorzata Królikowska1 and Piotr A
    A&A 640, A97 (2020) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038451 & c ESO 2020 Astrophysics The catalogue of cometary orbits and their dynamical evolution? Małgorzata Królikowska1 and Piotr A. Dybczynski´ 2 1 Centrum Badan´ Kosmicznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk (CBK PAN), Bartycka 18A, Warszawa 00-716, Poland e-mail: [email protected] 2 Astronomical Observatory Institute, Faculty of Physics, A.Mickiewicz University, Słoneczna 36, Poznan,´ Poland Received 19 May 2020 / Accepted 23 June 2020 ABSTRACT We present the CODE catalogue, the new cometary catalogue containing data for almost 300 long-period comets that were discovered before 2018. This is the first catalogue containing cometary orbits in the five stages of their dynamical evolution and covering three successive passages through the perihelion, with the exception of the hyperbolic comets which are treated in a different manner. Non- gravitational orbits are given for about 100 of these long-period comets, and their orbits obtained while neglecting the existence of non-gravitational acceleration are included for comparison. For many of the presented comets, different orbital solutions, based on the alternative force models or various subsets of positional data, are also provided. The preferred orbit is always clearly indicated for each comet. Key words. comets: general – Oort Cloud 1. Introduction shot 1. The method of obtaining Snapshots 2 and 3, that is orig- inal and future orbits, is described in Sect.3. The previous and The knowledge of orbits is crucial in many research areas related next orbit calculations (Snapshots 4 and 5) are sketched out in to the origin and the evolution of comets and their populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrated Precise Orbit Determination of Multi- GNSS and Large LEO Constellations
    remote sensing Article Integrated Precise Orbit Determination of Multi- GNSS and Large LEO Constellations Xingxing Li 1,*, Keke Zhang 1, Fujian Ma 1, Wei Zhang 1, Qian Zhang 1, Yujie Qin 1, Hongmin Zhang 1, Yansong Meng 2 and Lang Bian 2 1 School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China; [email protected] (K.Z.); [email protected] (F.M.); [email protected] (W.Z.); [email protected] (Q.Z.); [email protected] (Y.Q.); [email protected] (H.Z.) 2 China Academy of Space Technology (Xi’an), Xi’an 710100, China; [email protected] (Y.M.); [email protected] (L.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 August 2019; Accepted: 24 October 2019; Published: 27 October 2019 Abstract: Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) orbits are traditionally determined by observation data of ground stations, which usually need even global distribution to ensure adequate observation geometry strength. However, good tracking geometry cannot be achieved for all GNSS satellites due to many factors, such as limited ground stations and special stationary characteristics for the geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites in the BeiDou constellation. Fortunately, the onboard observations from low earth orbiters (LEO) can be an important supplement to overcome the weakness in tracking geometry. In this contribution, we perform large LEO constellation-augmented multi-GNSS precise orbit determination (POD) based on simulated GNSS observations. Six LEO constellations with different satellites numbers, orbit types, and altitudes, as well as global and regional ground networks, are designed to assess the influence of different tracking configurations on the integrated POD.
    [Show full text]
  • Orbit Determination Issues for Libration Point Orbits
    Orbit Determination Issues for Libration Point Orbits Mark Beckman [email protected] 301-286-8866 Agenda • Goddard Space Flight Center has designed and supported every libration point mission except the recent Genesis mission out of JPL • This presentation presents published and unpublished orbit determination results from 4 previous LPO missions • ISEE-3 • SOHO • ACE • MAP • The use of advanced technology can improve accuracy and reduce tracking times • CelNav • DDOR 2 International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 (ISEE-3) • Launched in 1978 into large halo orbit about Earth-Sun L1 • Tracking: S-band STDN, 9 x 5 min tracking passes per day, 21 day batch arc Period Overlap Covariance Compare Analysis (km) (km) A 8.1 6.0 B 9.0 5.5 C 3.6 5.4 3 Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) • Launched in 1995 into large halo orbit about Earth-Sun L1 • Tracking: S-band DSN 26-m with some 34-m & 70-m, 5 hrs/day tracking, up to 21 day batch arcs Data Axis Covariance Maximum Total Error Span Def Period 60d Pred (d) Pos Vel Pos Vel (km) (cm/s) (km) (cm/s) 14 Y 10.1 0.42 17.4 0.79 21 Y 8.6 0.19 8.4 0.34 14 Z 6.6 0.39 20.1 1.05 21 Z 5.7 0.26 11.3 0.06 4 Additional SOHO Results • Actual definitive overlap comparisons showed 7 km accuracy (14 km after 44 day prediction) DEF RSS Radial Along- Cross- 44d RSS Radial Along- Cross- track track PRED track track Pos 7 1 2 7 Pos 14 9 2 11 (km) (km) Vel 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.3 Vel 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.6 (mm/s) (mm/s) • Analysis for MAP using real SOHO tracking data showed a degradation of accuracy of less than 2 km when reducing
    [Show full text]
  • Orbit Determination and 3-Axis Attitude
    ON-BOARD ORBIT DETERMINATION AND 3-AXIS ATTITUDE DETERMINATION FOR PICOSATELLITE APPLICATIONS A Thesis presented to the Faculty of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering by John Arthur Bowen July 2009 © 2009 John Arthur Bowen ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP TITLE: On-Board Orbit Determination and 3-Axis Attitude Determination for Picosatellite Applications AUTHOR: John Arthur Bowen DATE SUBMITTED: July 2009 COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jordi Puig-Suari COMMITTEE MEMBER: Dr. Kira Abercromby COMMITTEE MEMBER: Dr. Eric A. Mehiel COMMITTEE MEMBER: Dr. Marcello Romano iii ABSTRACT On-Board Orbit Determination and 3-Axis Attitude Determination for Picosatellite Applications John Arthur Bowen This thesis outlines an orbit determination and 3-axis attitude determination system for use on orbit as applicable to 1U CubeSats and other picosatellites. The constraints imposed by the CubeSat form factor led to the need for a simple configuration and relaxed accuracy requirements. To design a system within the tight mass, volume, and power constraints inherent to CubeSats, a balance between hardware complexity, software complexity and accuracy is sought. The proposed solution consists of a simple orbit propagator, magnetometers with a magnetic field look-up table, Sun sensors with an analytic Sun direction model, and the TRIAD method to combine vector observations into attitude information. The orbit propagator is a simple model of a circular trajectory with several frequently updated parameters and can provide orbital position data with average and maximum errors—when compared to SGP4—of less than 3.7km and 10.7km for 14 days.
    [Show full text]
  • Effect of Observational Cadence on Orbit Determination for Synthetic Near-Earth Objects Thomas G
    University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Graduate Masters Theses Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses 8-31-2017 Effect of Observational Cadence on Orbit Determination for Synthetic Near-Earth Objects Thomas G. Endicott University of Massachusetts Boston Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses Part of the Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons Recommended Citation Endicott, Thomas G., "Effect of Observational Cadence on Orbit Determination for Synthetic Near-Earth Objects" (2017). Graduate Masters Theses. 446. http://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/446 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EFFECT OF OBSERVATIONAL CADENCE ON ORBIT DETERMINATION FOR SYNTHETIC NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS A Thesis Presented by Thomas G. Endicott Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science August 2017 Physics Program © 2017 by Thomas G. Endicott All rights reserved EFFECT OF OBSERVATIONAL CADENCE ON ORBIT DETERMINATION FOR SYNTHETIC NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS A Thesis Presented by Thomas G. Endicott Approved as to style and content by: Jonathan Celli, Assistant Professor Chairperson of Committee Bala Sundaram, Professor Member Chandra Yelleswarapu, Assistant Professor Member Stephen Arnason, Program Director Physics Program Bala Sundaram, Chairperson Physics Department ABSTRACT EFFECT OF OBSERVATIONAL CADENCE ON ORBIT DETERMINATION FOR SYNTHETIC NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS August 2017 Thomas G.
    [Show full text]