Aerodynamic stabilization of satellites

[giber]

i need to do a work about aerodynamic stabilization on satelites.. can anyone help

thanks

[D H]

Try googling "torque equilibrium attitude".

[giber]

i don´t find anything about it... all papers to pay, not even examples of satellites... the only information was that URSS send one (cosmos 149) with gravitational and aerodynamic control.. nothing much...

[RainmanAero]

giber,
i don´t find anything about it... all papers to pay, not even examples of satellites... the only information was that URSS send one (cosmos 149) with gravitational and aerodynamic control.. nothing much...

What, precisely, do you mean by aerodynamic stabilization of satellites? I would presume you know that there is no air in space, and as such any form of aerodynamic control surfaces (such as used on aircraft) are ineffective. And I think you should also define what specific form of stability you are researching: Spin stability or Orbit stability? Suffice it to say that use of the word "aerodynamic" whenever it comes to space (or anything above about 200,000 feet in altitude) is odd.

Rainman

[D H]

i don´t find anything about it... all papers to pay, not even examples of satellites... the only information was that URSS send one (cosmos 149) with gravitational and aerodynamic control.. nothing much...


So bypass the pay sites. This one, for example, is free.
http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/MMAP/PIMS/MEIT/MEIT_pdfs/meit2002/Section19.pdf


Suffice it to say that use of the word "aerodynamic" whenever it comes to space (or anything above about 200,000 feet in altitude) is odd.

It is not odd at all. The exoatmosphere extends well beyond low Earth orbit. The Space Station's orbit, for example, decays by a few hundred meters per day due to atmospheric drag.

Approaches used by vehicles in low Earth orbit to address atmospheric drag include
Torque equilibrium attitude. Atmospheric drag imparts force and torque on the vehicle. The torque depends on attitude. If the vehicle has a non-spherical mass distribution, the gradient in the gravitation field also exerts a torque on the vehicle. Torque equilibrium attitude is the attitude that results in the smallest net torque on the vehicle from the combined effects of atmospheric drag torque and gravity gradient torque.
Minimum drag attitude. This is the attitude that minimizes the drag force on the vehicle.
Ah f*** it attitude. The vehicle has some science to perform. It pays the penalty and expends fuel to maintain the altitude and attitude needed to carry out its primary mission.