Past and Future of Astronomy and SETI Cast in Maths
- Paper number
IAC-05-A4.2.11
- Author
Dr. Claudio Maccone, Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, Italy
- Year
2005
- Abstract
The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) is a project currently in the early stages of the detailed definition phase. It is a mission managed by the the Education Office of the European Space Agency (ESA) and involves both undergraduate and postgraduate students from universities in ESA member states and cooperating states. ESMO aims at being the first spacecraft designed, built, launched and operated by students to orbit the Moon. Fitted with a narrow angle camera, it shall take pictures of the lunar surface for outreach and educational purposes from a 100 km altitude polar orbit. Moreover, a subsatellite called Lunette is planned to be released to conduct gravity field mapping.
Due to the restrictions on the mass of the spacecraft the total Δ v for a transfer to the Moon should be minimal. In fact the spacecraft is planned to be launched as a secondary payload on board an Ariane V into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). This, in turn imposes tight limits on the launch mass, and on the maximum propellant mass available to reach the final destination. A complete feasibility study proved that a transfer through the weak stability regions of the Earth-Sun-Moon system is achievable for a wide range of dates between 2011 and 2012 .
This paper presents the analysis and design of the WSB transfers to the Moon for the ESMO mission. The paper will describe the method employed to generate efficiently a large set of WSB transfers.
Moreover, the paper presents a complete navigation analysis both for the departure from the GTO and for the insertion into the target lunar orbit. A number of manoeuvres at Earth departure and at lunar-orbit insertion, are designed and optimised in order to compensate for statistical errors and unmodeled dynamics. The result is an optimal navigation budget and an increase in mission reliability.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-A4.2.11.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.