DRAG COEFFICIENT COMPUTATION RESULTS FOR SPACECRAFT AND SIMPLE SHAPES IN LOW EARTH ORBITS USING FINITE PLATE ELEMENTS

摘要

This paper describes a method for determining the drag coefficient of spacecraft in Low Earth Orbits (LEOs). A spacecraft configuration and mission orbit is required for this method to be useful. An effective drag coefficient is determined that can be useful for orbital mechanics perturbation force models. By using finite plate elements, complex shapes can be readily modeled. This model is validated using experimental data for hypersonic molecular beams and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methods.