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Lunar Laser Ranging for Autonomous Cislunar Spacecraft NavigationZaffram, Matthew 15 August 2023 (has links)
The number of objects occupying orbital regimes beyond Geosynchronous Earth Orbit and cislunar space are expected to grow in the coming years; Especially with the Moon reemerging as latest frontier in the race for space exploration and technological superiority. In order to support this growth, new methods of autonomously navigating in cislunar space are necessary to reduce demand and reliance on ground based tracking infrastructure. Periodic orbits about the first libration point offer favorable vantage points for scientific or military spacecraft missions involving the Earth or Moon. This thesis develops a new autonomous spacecraft navigation method for cislunar space and analyzes its performance applied to Lyapunov and halo orbits around $L_1$. This method uses existing lunar ranging retroreflectors (LRRR) installed on the Moon's surface in the 1960s and 1970s. A spacecraft can make laser ranging measurements to the LRRR to estimate its orbit states. A simulation platform was created to test this concept in the circular restricted three body problem and evaluate its performance. This navigation method was found to be successful for a subset of Lyapunov and halo orbits when cycling the five measurement targets. Simulation data showed that sub-kilometer position estimation and sub 2 centimeter per second velocity accuracies are achievable without receiving any state updates from external sources. / Master of Science / The number of objects occupying the space between the Earth and Moon (cislunar space) is expected to grow in the coming years as the Moon regains popularity in the latest race for space exploration and technological superiority. In order to support this growth, new methods of determining a spacecraft's position and velocity while in this region of space are necessary to reduce demand and dependence on Earth based methods, which have historically relied upon. Repeating orbits around the equilibrium point between the Earth and Moon provide valuable observation points for scientific and military spacecraft missions. This thesis develops a new spacecraft navigation method for cislunar space and analyzes how well it performs in two different types of orbits, Lyapunov and halo orbits. This method uses existing laser reflector panels that were installed on the Moon's surface in the 1960s and 70s. A spacecraft can use these panels to make range or distance measurements in order to estimate its position and velocity. Software was written to simulate the motion of a spacecraft as it is acted on by gravity from the Earth and Moon. Different scenarios were then simulated and used to test this concept and evaluate its performance. Lunar laser ranging was found to be successful for a some Lyapunov and halo orbits when switching between the five different reflector panels on the Moon. Data generated from the simulations show that position can be estimated with errors less than SI{1}{kilo meter}, and velocity error on the order of a few centimeters per second, all without receiving any additional information from Earth based systems.
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Using the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem to Design an Earth-Moon Orbit Architecture for Asteroid MiningMunson Jr., Mark Allan 05 June 2024 (has links)
Engineering and technical challenges exist with the material transport of natural resources in space. One aspect of this transport problem is the design of an orbit architecture in the Earth-Moon system (EMS) that facilitates these resources through the mining cycle. In this thesis, it is proposed to use the Circular Restricted 3-Body Problem (CR3BP) to design an orbit architecture composed of L3 Lyapunov orbits, hyperbolic invariant stable and unstable manifolds, and geosynchronous (GEO) orbits. A single shooting method (SSM) and natural parameter continuation (NPC) numerical algorithm is used to compute a family of L3 Lyapunov orbits. Invariant Manifold Theory (IMT) is leveraged to find the set of feasible hyperbolic invariant stable and unstable manifolds associated with a L3 Lyapunov orbit. Ideal L3 Lyapunov orbits are chosen to construct an orbit architecture based off favorable metrics like orbital period, Jacobi Constant, and stability index. Manifolds that enter the GEO and xGEO (beyond GEO) volumes are identified. Finally, a ∆V analysis for GEO to manifold transfer is conducted. An achievement of this study is the computation of stable L3 Lyapunov orbits. The primary contribution of this paper lies in its modeling of a L3 Lyapunov orbit architecture using the CR3BP. / Master of Science / Engineering and technical challenges exist with the material transport of natural resources in space. One aspect of this transport problem is the design of an orbit architecture in the Earth-Moon system (EMS) that facilitates these resources through the mining cycle. In this thesis, it is proposed to use the Circular Restricted 3-Body Problem (CR3BP) to design an orbit architecture composed of L3 Lyapunov orbits, hyperbolic invariant stable and unstable manifolds, and geosynchronous (GEO) orbits. L3 is a unique point in space in a rotating frame of reference where the gravity of the Earth and Moon create a dynamical equilibrium point. Due to its location in a rotating frame of reference relative to the Earth and the Moon, orbits around L3 tend to greater stability than L1 or L2. A single shooting method (SSM) and natural parameter continuation (NPC), which are computational methods for finding solutions that connect discrete boundary conditions, numerical algorithm is used to compute a family of L3 Lyapunov orbits. Invariant Manifold Theory (IMT), which is a dynamical system structure that is invariant throughout the action of the system, is leveraged to find the set of feasible hyperbolic invariant stable and unstable manifolds associated with L3 Lyapunov orbits. Ideal L3 Lyapunov orbits and manifolds are chosen to construct an orbit architecture based off favorable metrics like orbital period, Jacobi Constant, and stability index. Manifolds that enter the GEO and xGEO (beyond GEO) volumes are identified. Finally, a ∆V analysis for GEO to manifold transfer is conducted. An achievement of this study is the computation of stable L3 Lyapunov orbits. The primary contribution of this paper lies in its modeling of a L3 Lyapunov orbit architecture using the CR3BP.
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