Synergetic maneuvering of winged spacecraft for orbital plane change

Abstract

The maneuverable re-entry research vehicle is a Shuttle-borne spacecraft designed for hypersonic flight experiments. Its winged configuration permits demonstration of a synergetic maneuver for changing the orientation of a spacecraft’s orbital plane. The maneuver consists of 1) retroimpulse and an unpowered descent into the atmosphere; 2) a powered aerodynamic turn; and 3) a reboost and injection into the new orbit. The steering profile must provide the required plane change without violating the vehicle’s aerodynamic and aeroheating constraints. The synergetic maneuver, whose effectiveness is Earth-position oriented, provides more plane change for a given vehicle mass and propellant supply than the purely orbital method. The duration of the synergetic maneuver is critical to its efficiency, and high-lift, steep-bank flight is found to produce better performance than flight at maximum lift-drag ratio. © American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., 1982, All rights reserved.