93-133
Detection Of Chaotic Saddles In An Attitude Maneuver Of A Spacecraft Containing A Viscous Damper
Gary L Gray*, Daniel C. Kammer** and lan Dobson***
Abstract
Melnikov's method is used to analytically study chaotic dynamics in the attitude transition maneuver of a torque-free rigid body in going from minor axis to major axis spin under the influence of viscous damping. The equations of motion are presented and then trans-formed into a form suitable for the application of Melnikov's method. The analytical criterion for chaos is in the form of an inequality that is a sufficient condition for chaotic dynamics in terms of the system parameters. The criterion is evaluated for its physical significance and for its application to the design of satellites.
*Doctoral Candidate, Department of Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Johnson Drive, Madison. Wisconsin 53706. Student Member AAS and AIAA
**Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1415 Johnson Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706. Member AAS and Senior Member AIAA
***Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Johnson Drive. Madison, Wisconsin 53706