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Analytical perturbative theories of motion in highly inhomogeneous gravitational fields

Programme
Discovery
Programme Reference
2011-17
Start Date
End Date
Country
UK
Analytical perturbative theories of motion in highly inhomogeneous gravitational fields
Description

This study addresses the problem of generating analytic approximations for spacecraft orbits in highly inhomogeneous gravitational fields. The project aims to develop an analytical tool that can be implemented algorithmically in standard symbolic software tools, such as Mathematica, or specialised algebraic tools, such as Piranha. The aim is to develop a general perturbative theory implementable in technical software that can rapidly generate orbits in highly inhomogeneous gravitational fields, for example, frozen orbits around asteroids for mission analysis.

Executive summary