{"id":17241,"date":"2022-01-19T16:07:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T16:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=17241"},"modified":"2022-01-19T16:09:35","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T16:09:35","slug":"spacecraft-solar-panels-mars-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/spacecraft-solar-panels-mars-orbit\/17241\/","title":{"rendered":"Novel method utilises\u00a0spacecraft solar panels to achieve\u00a0preferred\u00a0Mars orbit\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
Researchers at the\u00a0University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign\u00a0have developed an innovative\u00a0automatic control technique\u00a0that\u00a0uses\u00a0spacecraft solar panels to reach\u00a0desired Mars orbit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
A satellite on a mission to Mars\u00a0targets\u00a0a low-altitude orbit,\u00a0however,\u00a0the lower the orbit, the more\u00a0propellant is\u00a0necessary\u00a0to\u00a0pass into\u00a0orbit from Earth.\u00a0In order to\u00a0reduce the quantity of\u00a0propellant\u00a0used, a\u00a0method\u00a0known as\u00a0aerobraking\u00a0is employed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Aerobraking<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
This uses\u00a0a small propulsive\u00a0manoeuvre\u00a0for orbit insertion to\u00a0move into\u00a0a\u00a0sizeable\u00a0orbit; the satellite then\u00a0takes\u00a0numerous\u00a0passes through the upper atmosphere,\u00a0exploiting\u00a0drag on the solar panels to\u00a0lessen\u00a0the\u00a0scope\u00a0of the orbit\u00a0a\u00a0slight\u00a0amount\u00a0each pass until the orbit is the\u00a0necessary\u00a0size for science operations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
This aerobraking\u00a0method\u00a0necessitates between\u00a0three\u00a0and\u00a0six months to complete and\u00a0entails\u00a0near-continuous\u00a0observation\u00a0by a ground team on Earth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Utilising solar panels<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n