Can a Large Solar Sail Emulate a Small One?

Ceriotti, M. and May-Wilson, G. (2019) Can a Large Solar Sail Emulate a Small One? In: 5th International Symposium on Solar Sailing (ISSS 2019), Aachen, Germany, 30 July - 2 Aug 2019,

Abstract

The direction and magnitude of a solar sail acceleration are strongly related. When an optimal trajectory requires a smaller acceleration in a given direction than the one provided by the sail, little can be done with steering laws. In this work, a semi-analytical approach will be used to show that a switching control law can be derived, such that a solar sail can effectively emulate another one of smaller characteristic acceleration; in average over time, the acceleration produced by the large sail matches exactly (in both direction and magnitude) that of a smaller sail. The range in which this is possible is determined, and the limitations on this range due to the size difference is computed. The method is validated on optimal Earth-Mars trajectories.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Additional Information: Matteo Ceriotti would like to thank the James Watt School of Engineering (University of Glasgow) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE Conference Grant EAC/KDF/OFFER/19/046) for supporting this work.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ceriotti, Dr Matteo and May-Wilson, Gregory
• Authors: Ceriotti, M., and May-Wilson, G.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 The Authors
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the author

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