The equilibrium configurations of the restricted problem of 2+2 triaxial rigid bodies

The restricted 2+2 body problem is considered. The infinitesimal masses are replaced by triaxial rigid bodies and the equations of motion are derived in Lagrange form. Subsequently, the equilibrium solutions for the rotational and translational motion of the bodies are detected. These solutions are conveniently classified in groups according to the several combinations which are possible between the translational equilibria and the constant orientations of the bodies.     

The libration points of axisymmetric satellite in the gravitation field of two triaxial rigid bodies

In this paper we consider the restricted problem of three rigid bodies (an axisymmetric satellite in the gravitation field of two triaxial primaries). The collinear and triangular equilibrium solutions are obtained. The effect of the primaries on the location of the libration points of a spherical satellite has been studied numerically.     

The existence and stability of the equilibrium points of a triaxial rigid body moving around another triaxial rigid body

The motion of two mutually attracting triaxial rigid bodies has been considered. Thirty six particular solutions corresponding to the libration points and analogous to the points Spoke, Arrow and Float (Duboshin, 1959) have been found. The stability of these libration points has been discussed in two categories of cases. In the first category, different shapes of the bodies have been taken and in the second category, the mass and the linear dimensions of one of the bodies have been taken small in comparison to the other.     

The problem of the critical inclination revisited

The behaviour of the argument of the pericentre is investigated for the orbit of an artificial satellite which is moving under the potential when the inclination of the orbit is close to thecritical value tan^?1 2. The theory is developed to first order and it is applicable to all values of the eccentricity, with the exception of those in the neighbourhood of zero and unity. Four principal types of behaviour are noted and these are illustrated in appropriate phase-plane diagrams. It is shown that the two types which exhibit double libration in the argument of the pericentre are restricted to a relatively small domain in the (a, e)-plane of possible motions. Moreover, it is demonstrated that for double libration to occur it is necessary, but not sufficient, that \(e > \sqrt 6/13\) . The ranges of values of the inclination for which libration of the pericentre is a possibility are given for the more important cases. The general results are applied to the specific case of artificial Earth satellites whose orbits are inclined to the equator at angles close to the value of the critical inclination.     

The global solution of the problem of the critical inclination

The publication of the solution of the Ideal Resonance Problem (Garfinkelet al., 1971) has opened the way for a complete first-orderglobal theory of the motion of an artificial satellite, valid for all inclinations. Previous attempts at such a theory have been only partially successful. With the potential function restricted to $$V = - 1/r + J_2 P_2 (\sin \theta )/r^3 + J_4 P_4 (\sin \theta )/r^5 ,$$ the paper constructs aglobal solution of the first order in √J ₂ for the Delaunay variablesG, g, h, l and for the coordinatesr, θ, and ?. As a check, it is shown that this solution includes asymptotically theclassical limit with the critical divisor 5 cos² i?1. The solution is subject to thenormality condition $$eG^2 /(1 + \frac{{45}}{4}e^2 ) \geqslant O\left[ {\left| {\frac{1}{5}(J_2 + J_4 /J_2 )} \right|^{1/4} } \right],$$ which bounds the eccentricitye away from zero in deep resonance. A historical section orients this work with respect to the contributions of Hori (1960), Izsak (1962), and Jupp (1968).     

The critical inclination problem with small eccentricity

The general theory described in an earlier paper is used to investigate the long-term behavior of the eccentricity and argument of the perigee for Earth satellites which have nearly circular orbits and orbital inclinations in the neighbourhood of the critical value 63°.4. Taking into account the effect of all the zonal harmonics, it is shown that there are just twoTypes of behaviour possible, compared with the six described in the earlier general theory and the four found by Aoki (1963).     

The critical inclination problem with small eccentricity

A qualitative solution is presented of the critical inclination problem in artificial satellite theory for motions in which the orbits are nearly circular. The effects of all the zonal harmonics are taken into account, and bothshallow anddeep resonance regimes are considered. An investigation of the (e sing,e cosg)-plane reveals that six fundamentally different types of phase-plane portraits exist. These portraits illustrate the long-term behaviour of the eccentricity and line of apsides.     

On the attitude dynamics of perturbed triaxial rigid bodies

Attitude dynamics of perturbed triaxial rigid bodies is a rather involved problem, due to the presence of elliptic functions even in the Euler equations for the free rotation of a triaxial rigid body. With the solution of the Euler–Poinsot problem, that will be taken as the unperturbed part, we expand the perturbation in Fourier series, which coefficients are rational functions of the Jacobian nome. These series converge very fast, and thus, with only few terms a good approximation is obtained. Once the expansion is performed, it is possible to apply to it a Lie-transformation. An application to a tri-axial rigid body moving in a Keplerian orbit is made.     

Reduction,relative equilibria and potential in the two rigid bodies problem

In this paper the problem of two, and thus, after a generalization, of an arbitrary finite number, of rigid bodies is considered. We show that the Newton-Euler equations of motion are Hamiltonian with respect to a certain non-canonical structure. The system possesses natural symmetries. Using them we shown how to perform reduction of the number of degrees of freedom. We prove that on every stage of this process equations of motion are Hamiltonian and we give explicite form corresponding of non-canonical Poisson bracket. We also discuss practical consequences of the reduction. We prove the existence of 36 non-Lagrangean relative equilibria for two generic rigid bodies. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach allows to simplify the general form of the mutual potential of two rigid bodies.     

The critical inclination problem: A simple treatment

A short analysis is presented in the hope of clarifying the situation.     

About the non-existence of additional analytical integral in the problem of satellite's motion under the gravitatonal attraction of a triaxial rigid body

Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy - In this paper, Poincare (1971) method has been developed to prove the non-existence of additional analytical integral in the degeneration case.     

The restricted problem of a tri-axial rigid body and two spherical bodies with variable masses

The restricted problem of a tri-axial rigid body and two spherical bodies with variable masses be considered. The general solution of the equations of motion of the tri-axial body be obtained in which the motion of the spherical bodies is determined by the classic nonsteady Gyldén-Meshcherskii problem.     

Critical inclination in the main problem of a massive satellite

The classical problem of the critical inclination in artificial satellite theory has been extended to the case when a satellite may have an arbitrary, significant mass and the rotation momentum vector is tilted with respect to the symmetry axis of the planet. If the planet’s potential is restricted to the second zonal harmonic, according to the assumptions of the main problem of the satellite theory, two various phenomena can be observed: a critical inclination that asymptotically tends to the well known negligible mass limit, and a critical tilt that can be attributed to the effect of transforming the gravity field harmonics to a different reference frame. Stability of this particular solution of the two rigid bodies problem is studied analytically using a simple pendulum approximation.     

The oblate spheroids version of the restricted photogravitational 2+2 body problem

The paper deals with the restricted photogravitational 2+2 body problem when the primaries are oblate spheroids. A study of the effect of the oblateness on the equilibrium positions and on the areas of the permissible motion of the minor bodies, is also made.     

Surfaces of section in the Miranda-Umbriel 3:1 inclination problem

The recent numerical simulations of Tittemore and Wisdom (1988, 1989, 1990) and Dermottet al. (1988), Malhotra and Dermott (1990) concerning the tidal evolution through resonances of some pairs of Uranian satellites have revealed interesting dynamical phenomena related to the interactions between close-by resonances. These interactions produce chaotic layers and strong secondary resonances. The slow evolution of the satellite orbits in this dynamical landscape is responsible for temporary capture into resonance, enhancement of eccentricity or inclination and subsequent escape from resonance. The present contribution aims at developing analytical tools for predicting the location and size of chaotic layers and secondary resonances. The problem of the 3:1 inclination resonance between Miranda and Umbriel is analysed.     

Relativistic effects in the critical inclination problem in artificial satellite theory

It is well known that in artifical satellite theory special techniques must be employed to construct a formal solution whenever the orbital inclination is sufficiently close to the critical value cos^–1 (1/5). In this article the authors investigate the consequences of introducing certain relativistic effects into the motion of a satellite about an oblate primary. Particular attention is paid to the critical inclination(s), and for such critical motions an appropriate method of solution is formulated.     

An analysis of the critical inclination problem using singularity theory

We use techniques from the theory of singularities of mappings to discuss the critical points of the Brouwer Hamiltonian M_{H, L} on the reduced phase space P_{H, L} near the parameter values H, L where the critical circle of the first order terms of M_{H, L} appears.     

The relative motion of two spheroidal rigid bodies

We consider two spheroidal rigid bodies of comparable size constituting the components of an isolated binary system. We assume that (1) the bodies are homogeneous oblate ellipsoids of revolution, and (2) the meridional eccentricities of both components are small parameters.We obtain seven nonlinear differential equations governing simultaneously the relative motion of the two centroids and the rotational motion of each set of body axes. We seek solutions to these equations in the form of infinite series in the two meridional eccentricities.In the zero-order approximation (i. e., when the meridional eccentricities are neglected), the equations of motion separate into two independent subsystems. In this instance, the relative motion of the centroids is taken as a Kepler elliptic orbit of small eccentricity, whereas for each set of body axes we choose a composite motion consisting of a regular precession about an inertial axis and a uniform rotation about a body axis.The first part of the paper deals with the representation of the total potential energy of the binary system as an infinite series of the meridional eccentricities. For this purpose, we had to (1) derive a formula for representing the directional derivative of a solid harmonic as a combination of lower order harmonics, and (2) obtain the general term of a biaxial harmonic as a polynomial in the angular variables.In the second part, we expound a recurrent procedure whereby the approximations of various orders can be determined in terms of lower-order approximations. The rotational motion gives rise to linear differential equations with constant coefficients. In dealing with the translational motion, differential equations of the Hill type are encountered and are solved by means of power series in the orbital eccentricity. We give explicit solutions for the first-order approximation alone and identify critical values of the parameters which cause the motion to become unstable.The generality of the approach is tantamount to studying the evolution and asymptotic stability of the motion.Research performed under NASA Contract NAS5-11123.     

Simulation of the full two rigid body problem using polyhedral mutual potential and potential derivatives approach

Herein we investigate the coupled orbital and rotational dynamics of two rigid bodies modelled as polyhedra, under the influence of their mutual gravitational potential. The bodies may possess any arbitrary shape and mass distribution. A method of calculating the mutual potential’s derivatives with respect to relative position and attitude is derived. Relative equations of motion for the two body system are presented and an implementation of the equations of motion with the potential gradients approach is described. Results obtained with this dynamic simulation software package are presented for multiple cases to validate the approach and illustrate its utility. This simulation capability is useful both for addressing questions in dynamical astronomy and for enabling spacecraft missions to binary asteroid systems.