This dissertation expands across three topics the geometric theory of phase space transit in the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) and its generalizations. The first topic generalizes the low energy transport theory that relies on linearizing the Lagrange points in the CR3BP to time-periodic perturbations of the CR3BP, such as the bicircular problem (BCP) and the elliptic restricted three-body problem (ER3BP). The Lagrange points are no longer invariant under perturbation and are replaced by periodic orbits, which we call Lagrange periodic orbits. Calculating the monodromy matrix of the Lagrange periodic orbit and transforming into eigenbasis coordinates reveals that the transport geometry is a discrete analogue of the continuous transport geometry in the unperturbed problem. The second topic extends the theory of low energy phase space transit in periodically perturbed models using a nonlinear analysis of the geometry. This nonlinear analysis relies on calculating the monodromy tensors, which generalize monodromy matrices in order to encode higher order behavior, about the Lagrange periodic orbit. A nonlinear approximate map can be obtained which can be used to iterate initial conditions within the linear eigenbasis, providing a computationally efficient means of distinguishing transit and nontransit orbits that improves upon the predictions of the linear framework. The third topic demonstrates that the recently-discovered "arches of chaos" that stretch through the solar system, causing substantial phase space divergence for high energy particles, may be identified with the stable and unstable manifolds to the singularities of the CR3BP. We also study the arches in terms of particle orbital elements and demonstrate that the arches correspond to gravity assists in the two-body limit. / Doctor of Philosophy / Suppose that we have a spacecraft and we want to model its motion under gravity. Depending upon what trade-offs we are willing to make between accuracy and complexity, we have several options at our disposal. For example, the restricted three-body problem (R3BP) and its generalizations prove useful in many real-world situations and are rich in theoretical power despite seeming mathematically simple. The simplest restricted three-body problem is the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP). In the CR3BP, two masses (like a star and a planet or a planet and a moon) orbit their common center of gravity in circular orbits, while a much smaller body (like a spacecraft) moves freely, influenced by the gravitational fields that the two masses create. If we add in an extra force that acts on the spacecraft in a periodic, cycling way, the regular CR3BP becomes a periodically-perturbed CR3BP. Examples of periodically-perturbed CR3BP's include the bicircular problem (BCP), which adds in a third mass that appears to orbit the center of the system from a distance, and the elliptic restricted three-body problem (ER3BP), which allows the two masses to orbit more realistically as ellipses rather than circles. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine how to select trajectories that move spacecraft between places of interest in restricted three-body models. We generalize existing theories of CR3BP spacecraft motion to periodically-perturbed CR3BP's in the first two topics, and then we investigate some new areas of research in the unperturbed CR3BP in the third topic. We utilize numerical computations and mathematical methods to perform these analyses.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115661 |
| Date | 05 July 2023 |
| Creators | Fitzgerald, Joshua T. |
| Contributors | Engineering Science and Mechanics, Ross, Shane D., Schroeder, Kevin Kent, Campagnola, Stefano, Domann, John P., Black, Jonathan T. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf, video/mp4 |
| Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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