Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2001.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2005
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8713 |
| _version_ | 1826195358515986432 |
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| author | Girerd, André R. (André René), 1977- |
| author2 | Gregg Barton and John J. Deyst. |
| author_facet | Gregg Barton and John J. Deyst. Girerd, André R. (André René), 1977- |
| author_sort | Girerd, André R. (André René), 1977- |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2001. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:11:26Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/8713 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:11:26Z |
| publishDate | 2005 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/87132019-04-11T10:42:49Z Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles Girerd, André R. (André René), 1977- Gregg Barton and John J. Deyst. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2001. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-168). Onboard trajectory generation dispenses with the pre-defined trajectories used. in Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) guidance since the early days of the Shuttle era. This shift, enabled by a new breed of algorithms harnessing modern computer power, offers improvements in performance, robustness, operational cost, and safety. This thesis develops a set of algorithms providing onboard trajectory generation for low lift-over-drag gliding RLVs in subsonic flight below 40,000 ft. The NASA/Orbital Sciences X-34 is used as a representative model for which feasible trajectories are designed over a range of initial conditions without human intervention. In addition to being autonomous, the guidance output of the onboard trajectory generator differs from current Shuttle-based approaches, providing a realistic "future history" in a propagated plan, rather than output commands reacting to perceived instantaneous vehicle needs. Hence, this approach serves an enabling role in a larger research effort to develop a next generation guidance system using an integrated control function. To assess feasibility, the onboard trajectory generator is benchmarked against traditional X-34 guidance for a drop test scenario. The results match in basic form, with differences showcasing the autonomous algorithms' preference for maximum robustness. The true strength of the onboard trajectory generator lies in its ability to handle off-nominal conditions. A series of test cases highlight the ability of the algorithms to effectively cope with anomalous initial drop conditions, reach the desired terminal states, and provide maximum late-trajectory robustness. Computation time is sufficiently brief to suggest a real-time application, after straightforward improvements are made. by André R. Girerd. S.M. 2005-08-23T22:34:33Z 2005-08-23T22:34:33Z 2001 2001 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8713 49870817 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 168 p. 10801694 bytes 10801453 bytes application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Aeronautics and Astronautics. Girerd, André R. (André René), 1977- Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title | Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title_full | Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title_fullStr | Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title_short | Onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous Reusable Launch Vehicles |
| title_sort | onboard trajectory generation for the unpowered landing of autonomous reusable launch vehicles |
| topic | Aeronautics and Astronautics. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8713 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT girerdandrerandrerene1977 onboardtrajectorygenerationfortheunpoweredlandingofautonomousreusablelaunchvehicles |