- 4472 - KNOT THEORY ORBITS - what are they for? - When a spacecraft arrives at its destination, it settles into an orbit for science operations. But after the primary mission is complete, there might be other interesting orbits where scientists would like to explore. Maneuvering to a different orbit requires fuel, limiting a spacecraft’s number of maneuvers.
--------------- 4472 - KNOT THEORY ORBITS - what are they for?
- Researchers have discovered that some
orbital paths allow for no-fuel orbital changes. But the figuring out these
paths also are computationally expensive. “Knot theory” has been shown to find
these pathways more easily, allowing the most fuel-efficient routes to be
plotted. This is similar to how our GPS mapping software plots the most
efficient routes for us here on Earth.
-
- In mathematics, “knot theory” is the study
of closed curves in three dimensions. Think of it as looking at a knotted
necklace or a tangle of fishing line, and figuring out how to untangle them in
the most efficient manner.
-
- In the same way, a spacecraft’s path could
be computed in a crowded planetary system, around Jupiter and all its moons,
for example, where the best, simplest and least tangled route could be computed
mathematically.
-
- Applications of knot theory to the detection
of “heteroclinic connections” between “quasi-periodic orbits,” using knot
theory to untangle complicated spacecraft routes would decrease the amount of
computer power in plotting out changes in spacecraft orbits.
-
- Previously, when NASA wanted to plot a route, their
calculations relied on either brute force or guesswork. These new techniques neatly reveal all
possible routes a spacecraft could take from A to B, as long as both orbits
share a common energy level. This new
process makes the task of planning missions much simpler.
-
- Spacecraft navigation is complicated by the
fact that nothing in space is a fixed position. Navigators must meet the
challenges of calculating the exact speeds and orientations of a rotating
Earth, a rotating target destination, as well as a moving spacecraft, while all
are simultaneously traveling in their own orbits around the Sun.
-
- Since fuel is a limited resource for space
missions, it would be beneficial to require the least amount of fuel possible
in making any changes to the course of a spacecraft in orbit. Spacecraft
navigators use heteroclinic orbits, which are paths that allow a spacecraft to
travel from one orbit to another using the most efficient amount of fuel, or sometimes no fuel at all.
-
- When a spacecraft arrives at its
destination, it settles into an orbit for science operations. But after the
primary mission is complete, there might be other interesting orbits where
scientists would like to explore. Maneuvering to a different orbit requires
fuel, limiting a spacecraft’s number of maneuvers. But this usually takes a large amount of
computer power or a lot of time to figure out.
-
- By using “knot theory”, they have developed
“a method of robustly detecting “heteroclinic connections,” to quickly generate
rough trajectories which can then be refined. This gives spacecraft navigators
a full list of all possible routes from a designated orbit, and the one that
best fits the mission can be chosen.
-
- The researchers tested their technique on
various planetary systems, including the Moon, and the Galilean moons of
Jupiter. Spurred on by NASA’s Artemis
program, the new Moon race is inspiring mission designers around the world to
research fuel-efficient routes that can better and more efficiently explore the
vicinity of the Moon.
-
- Not only does this technique make that
cumbersome task more straightforward, but it can also be applied to other
planetary systems, such as the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter.
-
-
May 16, 2024 KNOT
THEORY ORBITS -
what are they for? 4472
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------- Comments appreciated and Pass it on to
whomever is interested. ---
--- Some reviews are at: -------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
-- email feedback, corrections, request for
copies or Index of all reviews
--- to:
------
jamesdetrick@comcast.net
------ “Jim Detrick” -----------
--------------------- --- Friday, May 17, 2024
---------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment