Applying the perturbative integral in aeromaneuvers around Mars to calculate the cost

TL;DR

This paper applies the perturbative integral method to analyze aerogravity-assisted maneuvers around Mars, quantifying energy variations and delta-V costs, offering a novel approach to optimize spacecraft trajectories with potential fuel savings.

Contribution

It introduces the use of the perturbative integral method to quantify delta-V in aerogravity maneuvers, a novel application in the context of Mars aerocapture and aerobraking.

Findings

Identifies orbit conditions suitable for capture.

Provides perturbative maps showing velocity variations.

Demonstrates potential fuel savings over traditional propulsion methods.

Abstract

The perturbative integral method was applied to quantify the contribution of external forces during a specific interval of time in trajectories of spacecraft around asteroids and under the Luni-solar influence. However, this method has not been used to quantify the contributions of drag in aerocapture and aerobraking. For this reason, the planet Mars is selected to apply this method during an aerogravity-assisted maneuver. Several trajectories are analyzed, making use of a drag device with area to mass ratios varying from 0.0 to 20.0 m2/kg, simulating solar sails or de-orbit devices. The mathematical model is based in the restricted three-body problem. The use of this maneuver makes it possible to obtain the variations of energy in the trajectory, replacing expensive maneuvers based on fuel consumption. To observe the effects of the maneuvers, different values of pericenter velocity and altitude were selected for prograde and retrograde orbits. The innovation of this research is the application of an integral method to quantify the delta-V of the aero gravity maneuver, comparing the cost of the maneuver with the traditional methods of space propulsion. The results allow the identification of orbits with conditions to capture, and the perturbative maps show the velocity variations.