Lunar Trajectories 12
Lunar Trajectories 12
Lunar Trajectories 12
The semi-major axis changes with time as the tides about Earth
take energy from the moon orbit and slow its orbital velocity.
10.88
2
398600.4418
6700 10.88 cos 0
2 6700
0.3054 km 2 s 2 72896 km 2 s
and
398600.4418
a 652587.5 km
2 2 0.3054
72896
2 2
h
e 1 1 0.98973
a 398600.4418 652587.5
Arrival at Moons Sphere of Influence
Defining arrival conditions (intersection with SOI)
Using trigonometry cosine law, r1 355953.374 km
and phase angle at arrival can be found as,
1 9.2662 deg.
With these values, the following parameters can be
calculated:
V1 1.27625 km / s
1 80.766 deg
q1 166.54 deg
Time of flight, t1 t0 49.6 hours (from point of injection to
arrival at the boundary of moons sphere of influence (patch point))
Defining the lunar orbit (inside the SOI)
Conditions at the patch point (defining the lunar
orbit)
Now we need to determine the trajectory inside the
Moon's sphere of influence where only lunar gravity
is assumed to act on the spacecraft. Since we must
now consider the Moon as the central body, it is
necessary to find the speed and direction of the
spacecraft relative to the center of the Moon.
1.359 km s
From the arrival geometry (Figure 2), the flight path angle,
2 180 (l1 b )
The angle b can be obtained by applying a vector triangle
formula (shown in next slide) to the vector triangle shown in
Figure 2 (yellow coloured region).
Arrival vector diagram
The vector triangle from Figure 2 and its corresponding
values are shown below:
To find a from
vector triangle
formula:
V12 V22 Vm2
cos a
2V1 V2
a = 45.55 deg
Therefore,
b = 180(45.55+71.5)
= 62.95 deg
1.359 4902.87
2
0.84936 km 2 s 2 48920.4625 km 2 s
and
moon 4902.87
a 2886.2143 km
2 2 0.84936
48920.4625
2 2
h
e 1 1 13.0431
moon a 4902.87 2886.2143
Arrival trajectory (hyperbola)
From the obtained values it is clear that the arrival
trajectory (lunar orbit) is a hyperbola. The resulting lunar
orbit is the relatively flat hyperbola as shown below (not to
scale).
Arrival trajectory (hyperbola)
The periapsis (periselenium) radius can be obtained as:
rp a(1 e) 34758.967 km
and the periapsis speed can be obtained from
moon
Vp 2
rp
Recall the initial assumption that the trajectory was in
the lunar plane. If a non-coplanar trajectory is desired, the
inclination of the transfer plane can be incorporated into
the calculations using the methods which was already
discussed in realistic Venus mission.
Evaluation of the lunar trajectory
Once the lunar trajectory (transfer ellipse and arrival hyperbola)
has been defined, it is essential to verify whether the obtained
trajectory (orbit) is suitable or not for the required mission.
There are a number of terminal conditions of interest to
evaluate the lunar orbit depending on the nature of the mission as
follows:
(1) For landing or impact at moons surface, the periselenium
radius should be less than the radius of the moon (1738 km).
(2) For reaching lunar orbit (orbit around the moon), we have to
compute the delta-v required to produce a lunar satellite at
the periselenium altitude.
(3) For circumlunar flight, we have to compute both the
periselenium conditions and the conditions upon exit from the
lunar sphere of influence.
Phasing of the lunar position at injection
Reference(s)
Roger R. Bate, Donald D. Mueller, Jerry E. White,
Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, Dover Publications, 1971.
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