Scheme and trajectory design of in-situ atmospheric sampling with multi-pass aeroassisted maneuvers

Abstract

Planetary atmospheric detection is an important way to recognize the physical and chemical properties of planets that inform about their formation and evolution, and atmospheric in-situ sampling is an ideal way to obtain high-resolution information. In this paper, a scheme for in-situ sampling of planetary atmosphere based on multi-pass aeroassisted maneuvers is given, and the corresponding design method for multiple traversal trajectories through the atmosphere is proposed. The aeroassisted maneuvering scheme achieves target-area sampling by crossing the atmosphere circularly, and is able to flexibly adjust the sampling altitude, thus having the advantage of three-dimensional and wide-area sampling. The trajectory design method involves algorithms to determine key design parameters separately. Specifically, the minimum entry periapsis altitude is determined by building its mapping relationship with path constraints to satisfy the minimum flight altitude constraint. Besides, the pass number of atmospheric flights is calculated by giving the upper bound of the energy attenuation and mission-time constraints. Then, a rapid inclination correction method via bank angle reversal is given to satisfy the inclination constraint of the maneuver. In numerical simulations, three Martian atmospheric detection scenarios, designated as high-latitude region with superficial ice water, magnetic anomalies region, and the polar region enriched with atmospheric transport properties, are established, with corresponding maneuvering sampling trajectories and characteristic parameter distributions provided. This paper introduces for the first time the use of multi-pass aeroassisted maneuvers for in-situ atmospheric sampling. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and general applicability of the proposed method.