Abstract
This paper formulates the Mayer optimal control problem for an endoatmospheric, non-lifting, finite-thrust vehicle, and considers singular extremals. Using Lie brackets, the singular control is derived and expressed in a state feedback form. The totality of extremals indicates that a forced Keplerian motion obtained by thrust-drag cancellation is not optimal for any Mayer performance criterion. In addition, this paper proves two theorems establishing limits on the optimality of bang-bang control for such a system, and develops a heuristic for the sufficiency of bang-bang optimal control. A sample problem of optimal orbital maintenance indicates the importance of thrust-vectoring for greater propellant efficiency.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-51 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of the Astronautical Sciences |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 1993 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Aerospace Engineering
- Space and Planetary Science