Prolonged Payload Rendezvous Using a Tether Actuator Mass

摘要

The possibility of prolonging tether-assisted rendezvous with a target payload by using an actuator mass was considered. It was shown that an additional mass can be used to prolong the proximity of the payload with the capture point. Numerical results suggest that capture at the actuator mass can provide a relatively long period (on the order of 9 min) in which the payload and capture point are in close proximity. When using an actuator mass, this appears to be preferable to capturing the payload at the tip because of the larger tension in the tether segments as well as lower length rate requirements. Further study of the effects of the rendezvous window and actuator mass ratio on the dynamics should be undertaken, as well as comparisons with the case where no actuator mass is used.