A Study on the Stability of Lunar Lander Based on The Deformation of the Buffering

Paper number

IAC-07-A5.I.-A3.I.B.19

Author

Mr. Chen Jinbao, Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics, China

Year

2007

Abstract

A primary objective of the probe in lunar is to soft-land a manned spacecraft on the lunar surface. During the fist critical seconds of touchdown, the landing gear system must absorb the kinetic and potential energies of the vehicle without causing the lunar Lander to topple and must attenuate the landing loads to prevent damage to the spacecraft during the landing impact and to bring it to rest in an upright attitude so that no part of its mission such as deployment of instrument or re-launch will be inhibited.
     To ensure that the landing gear systems have the capability to arrest the spacecraft safely, analysis of touchdown dynamics of the landing stage is an important part. Such analysis influence the landing stage design as well as placing limits on the permissible vertical and horizontal velocities, vehicle attitude, and pitch rate at touchdown for a given design.
     This paper first reviews the landing dynamics of lunar Lander simulation work in previous and point these previous dynamics assumed the position of the primary and secondary strut attachment points (or trunnion points) on the vehicle structure to be fixed in the body coordinate system .however, did not account for the cantilever elastic deformation but assumed that the crushable material in the legs began to absorb energy upon impact without any prior elastic deformation. In reality, landing gear strut loads are transmit through these attachment points, deforming the cantilever structure and subsequently causing changes in the position of the attachment points in the body coordinate. Many experiment proved that the deformation is important in that it effectively soften the elastic character of the honeycomb shock absorbers and has the capability to store energy. In this paper, using lumping masses to represent the system, and the dynamics motion is analysis. Finally, based on ADAMS mechanical simulation software, the rigid-flexible coupling dynamics of a system consisting a flexible cantilever attach to the main Lander is analysis.

Abstract document

IAC-07-A5.I.-A3.I.B.19.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-A5.I.-A3.I.B.19.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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