AAS 97-619
A NUMERICAL STUDY OF FROZEN POLAR ORBITS ABOUT ELLIPSOIDAL SHAPED BODIES
H.J. Pernicka and T. Becker - San Jose State University
Abstract
Asteroids and comets have become popular objects of study in recent years. Computations of orbits about these bodies must, of course, take higher-order gravity terms and other perturbations into account. In this study, the asteroid is modeled as an ellipsoidal shape with no other perturbations included. The expression for the potential is a function of elliptic integrals, used with the intent of finding frozen polar orbits suitable for scientific spacecraft. An analytic method is used to average the equations of motion, eliminating high-frequency periodic perturbations. Corresponding numerical solutions are also generated. Candidate orbits suitable for asteroid mission design have been identified and are detailed in the full paper.