Tethers have been used in space for quite some time. However, the concept of a multi-tethered system has received less attention. This thesis investigates the dynamics of certain configurations of multi-tethered satellite formations in Low Earth Orbits. / Certain simplifications have been made prior to the investigation of the problem; these include considering the satellites to be point-masses and the tethers to be massless and straight. Configurations termed hub-and-spoke and closed-hub-and-spoke are analyzed. The local motion is studied under two distinct specifications for the orbital motion of the system: first, prescribed motion of the system centre of mass and second, prescribed motion of the central body of the formation. Three-dimensional motion is studied for formations lying in the orbital plane and in the Earth-facing plane normal to the orbit, while given an initial spin rate in their nominal plane. / Later, two satellite formations deployed along the local vertical are examined: a closed-hub-and-spoke configuration with its spin axis along the long axis of symmetry, which is found to be unstable, and a double-pyramid configuration, which is found to be stable.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99007 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Pizarro-Chong, Ary Druva. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering.) |
| Rights | © Ary Druva Pizarro-Chong, 2005 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002494429, proquestno: AAIMR25005, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds