Project Bellerophon 644
A.6.0 Trajectory
A.6.1 Introduction The trajectory of the launch vehicle is critical to mission success. Without a sub-optimal trajectory, the amount of ∆V required is very large and increases the cost of the vehicle. The first thing that we do to understand the problem is to define the assumptions of our model. The trajectory group is mostly concerned with the translational degrees of freedom of the vehicle and leaves the attitude of the launch vehicle to the D&C group. Therefore, in all of our analysis, we assume that the launch vehicle is a point mass. Our second main assumption is that all of the forces acting on the vehicle are in the same plane, effectively reducing the translational degrees of freedom of the vehicle to two. Once the assumptions are defined, we derive the force model and the equations of motion of the vehicle for each stage.
With the equations of motion for the vehicle defined, the design moved to the creation of the steering laws. At this point, the design split into two distinct sections: one for ground and balloon launch and another for aircraft launch. This separation is due to the different initial conditions for each launch type. Once the steering laws are formed, the angles at the end of each stage are optimized to produce the best nominal trajectory for each launch type (ground, balloon and aircraft).
Due to the nature of trajectory optimization and design, all members of the trajectory group worked on all aspects of the problem. Even though each member contributed to every section, the sections are written by the trajectory group member that worked the most on that aspect of the design. The following sections go into the details of the trajectory group’s work.
Author: Elizabeth Harkness Project Bellerophon 645
A.6.2 Design Methods
A.6.2.1 Equations of Motion The first step to developing the equations of motion for the launch vehicle is setting up the appropriate coordinate systems. A complete set of coordinate systems is displayed in Fig.
A.6.2.1.1. We start with the ̂ frame. The ̂ frame is fixed in the Earth, and rotates with the
Earth. The unit vector ̂ lies along the Earth’s axis of rotation. Next we need an intermediate coordinate frame, the frame. The frame is situated such that lies along ̂ ; is offset from ̂ by angle θ. Angle θ is analogous to longitude. The final coordinate frame is the frame. This frame is situated such that lies along ; is offset from by angle Φ. Angle Φ is analogous to latitude.
Fig.A.6.2.1.1: Coordinate frames used for developing equations of motion. (Amanda Briden)