利用绳系太阳帆减缓小行星自转的技术研究
Research on the Technology of Slowing Down the Rotation of an Asteroid with a Tethered Solar Sail
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摘要: 提出一种利用太阳帆绳系系统逐渐减小小行星自转速率的方法。在系绳长度不变的情况下,利用太阳帆受到的太阳光压力使其始终保持与小行星同步,避免了由于小行星自转而引起的系绳缠绕问题。通过控制太阳帆使系绳始终拉紧,系绳中的拉力便可以持续提供一个与小行星自转方向相反的力矩,从而减小其自转速率。仿真结果表明,面积106 m2的太阳帆,经过约86天可将小行星的自转消除,验证了该方法的有效性。Abstract: A method of slowing down the rotation of an asteroid with a tethered solar sail is proposed in this paper. With no change of the length of the tether, the solar radiation pressure suffered by the solar sail will keep it on the synchronous orbit of the asteroid. It can prevent the tether from twining around the asteroid caused by the rotation of the asteroid. By controlling the solar sail, the tether can be tightened. The force in the tether will continually provide a torque opposite to the rotation direction of the asteroid. Then the rotation rate of the asteroid can decrease. The results show that when the area of the solar sail is 106 m2, the rotation of the asteroid can be eliminated after about 86 days. It verifies the effectiveness of this method.