Kinetics: Studying Spacecraft Motion

Spacecraft, like other objects, move dynamically as they travel through space. Spacecraft mission development is safer and more efficient if you can predict and understand the equations that describe that motion. Kinetics: Modeling Spacecraft's Motions teaches you how to model rigid body angular momentum, kinetic energy expression in a coordinate frame agnostic fashion, single and double rigid body systems tumbling with no external torque, and how differential gravity across rigid bodies is approximated to the first order. This allows you to study disturbances in orbital and attitude motions and how they change when general momentum exchange device are introduced.

You will be able...

*Deduce from the basic angular momentum formula the rotational equations for motion and predict and establish torque-free movement equilibria.

* Create equations of motion for a rigid structure with multiple spinning parts and then derive and apply gravity gradient torque

* Use the static stability conditions for a dual spinner configuration to predict changes when momentum exchange devices are added

* Formulate equations of motion in systems where various momentum exchange devices exist

This advanced course is best for students who have college-level mathematics and physics knowledge.