Organizational Unit:
Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering

Permanent Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1853/70742
Research Organization Registry ID
Description
Previous Names
Parent Organization
Parent Organization
Organizational Unit
Includes Organization(s)
ArchiveSpace Name Record
https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/agents/corporate_entities/106

Filters

1 1
2017 2
2
2
2
Reset filters

Settings
search.filters.applied.f.advisor: Braun, Robert D. × End date: 2017 × Start date: 2017 × Item Type: Publication × search.filters.applied.f.isOrgUnitOfPublicationTitle: Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL) ×

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Item

Development of an Earth SmallSat Flight Test to Demonstrate Viability of Mars Aerocapture

2017-05-01 , Werner, Michael S.

A smallsat mission concept is developed to demonstrate the feasibility of an aerocapture system at Earth. The proposed mission utilizes aerocapture to transfer from a GTO rideshare trajectory to a LEO. Single-event drag modulation is used as a simple means of achieving the control required during the maneuver. Low- and high-fidelity guidance algorithm choices are considered. Numeric trajectory simulations and Monte Carlo uncertainty analyses are performed to show the robustness of the system to day-of-flight environments and uncertainties. Similar investigations are performed at Mars to show the relevance of the proposed mission concept to potential future applications. The spacecraft design consists of a 24.9 kg vehicle with an attached rigid drag skirt, and features commercially-available hardware to enable flight system construction at a university scale. Results indicate that the proposed design is capable of targeting the desired final orbit, surviving the aerothermodynamic and deceleration environments produced during aerocapture, and downlinking relevant data following the maneuver

View
Thumbnail Image
Item

Trajectory Trade-space Design for Robotic Entry at Titan

2017-05-01 , Roelke, Evan

In recent years, scientific focus has emphasized other ocean worlds such as Europa, Enceladus, and Titan, due to their potential for harboring life. The only spacecraft ever to land on these moons was the Huygens Probe in 2005; however, this probe’s main purpose was to study the atmosphere and surface of Titan, with no real landing target. Future missions to other ocean worlds would likely require a science target and thus add several constraints to the mission such as arrival time, entry state, and aeroshell geometry, among others. Of the three ocean worlds previously mentioned, Titan is an optimal target for initial mission concepts for several reasons. The atmospheric composition, winds, and surface features are well studied by Cassini and the Huygens Probe. Additionally, of the aforementioned moons, Titan does not have a thick ice sheet to penetrate in order to sample the surface and/or liquid seas, enabling such mission to double as a stepping stone for missions to other ocean worlds. Finally, Titan exhibits a myriad of interesting planetary features that, if studied, could further the understanding of both Titan’s and the solar system’s geologic history. In this paper we analyze the trade-spaces of various important parameters involved in Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) as it pertains to robotic missions for Titan in order to provide a guideline for optimizing a mission’s system parameters while minimizing both system complexity and the landing footprint. It is found that the ideal geometry is a ballistic spherecone body entering from orbit to allow flexibility in the entry state vector. The aerothermodynamic environment is most affected by the entry velocity and the vehicle bluntness ratio, while the peak deceleration is most influenced by the entry velocity and entry flight path angle. In addition, multiple parachutes decrease the landing footprint, impact speed, and descent time compared to single parachute systems, at the expense of being more complex. Larger ballistic coefficients decrease the landing footprint and descent time while increasing the impact speed. Finally, it is discovered that the uncertainty in the entry altitude and flight path angle have the most impact on the final state vector.

View