Analytical Three-Dimensional Study of Maneuvers Assisted by Gravity

摘要

The celestial bodies in the solar system, like comets, asteroids, planets and their satellites can be used as a body for a Gravity Assisted or Swing-By maneuver. The main goal of the present paper is to study this type of maneuver in an analytical form that uses the variables that describe the state (position and velocity) at the periapsis as the independent variables of this problem and then finding the keplerian elements of the orbits before and after this passage and, consequently, their variations. Based in those equations it is possible to analyze what kind of contributions a celestial body can give to a spacecraft passing by this body. Then, simulations are made to show the applications of those equations. The planet Jupiter is used as an example, since it is a body with a large mass and can give better results for the Swing-By.