Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A scientist from the Samara University has derived a new mathematical law for controlling the rotational motion of spacecraft during descent in the Martian atmosphere.
Its application will help safely deliver a payload to the planet’s surface, such as a small rover or scientific equipment. The results were published in the journal Mechatronics, Automation, Control.
Stabilizing a spacecraft’s rotational motion before deploying braking parachutes requires controlling at least five parameters: three components of angular velocity and two orientation angles during atmospheric descent, said the author of the study, Vladislav Lyubimov, Head of the Department of Higher Mathematics at the Samara University.
The values of these parameters can be strongly affected by asymmetry in the spacecraft’s design, he added.
“During a spacecraft’s descent through the Martian atmosphere, there is a phase of flight with uncontrolled rotational motion. The presence of small force factors arising from slight asymmetry in the vehicle can lead to improper activation of the braking system,” Lyubimov explained.
The scientist proposed a new mathematical law that makes descent in the Martian atmosphere more predictable. The new control law for the rotational motion of spacecraft with small asymmetry in the Martian atmosphere makes it possible to stabilize three components of angular velocity and two orientation angles of the vehicle, the author noted.
“The distinctive feature of this result is that it is more general than previously obtained analogues,” the researcher said. “At the same time, fewer approximate mathematical transformations were required in its derivation, which makes the control law more accurate.”
In carrying out the work, the researcher used well-known equations of spacecraft motion as well as the method of linearization of nonlinear systems, and applied a classical optimization approach — dynamic programming, Lyubimov added.
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