Earth & Space Science

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Extraplanetary Exploration Using Electric Solar Wind Sail
(2022-12-14) Du, Chonggang; Zhu, George Z.H.
This doctoral research investigates the problems in the dynamics and control of extraplanetary exploration using an electric solar wind sail (E-sail). The E-sail is a novel propellantless propulsion technology that harvests energy by repelling the charged particles in solar wind. It consists of a spinning central spacecraft connected by kilometer-long and thin positively charged tethers with remote units at their tips. Three dynamic models of E-sail are developed: the high-fidelity tether dynamic model, the generalized E-sail model, and the reduced-order analytical E-sail model. The coupling effects of orbital and self-spinning motions of the E-sail, the elastic deformation of tethers, the rigid-flexible coupling effect on the attitude dynamics and spin control of E-sail, and the stability control of the flexible E-sail are thoroughly investigated based on these models. Meanwhile, the controllability of E-sail spin rate and the attitude of the E-sail are demonstrated, and the trajectory tracking problems in extraplanetary exploration missions are studied. Finally, the main contributions of this dissertation are introduced.