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On Verification of fuel‐optimal space trajectories
Author(s) -
Vasudevan Gopal,
Lutze F. H.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
optimal control applications and methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.458
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1099-1514
pISSN - 0143-2087
DOI - 10.1002/oca.4660090306
Subject(s) - rendezvous , constraint (computer aided design) , mathematical optimization , radius , computer science , space (punctuation) , mathematics , control theory (sociology) , engineering , aerospace engineering , geometry , artificial intelligence , computer security , control (management) , spacecraft , operating system
Candidate fuel‐optimal trajectories for rendezvous in space are obtained with a parameter optimization method. These trajectories, which may include a minimum radius constraint, are verified against necessary conditions for optimality. Necessary conditions are presented in the form of requirements on a primer vector and in terms of requirements on the jumps in the costates when the constraint is encountered. In addition, criteria due to Lion and Handelsmann indicate how to improve candidate trajectories which prove non‐optimal so that they become locally optimal. Numerical results are presented which show that the candidate solutions must be obtained to a high level of accuracy before primer vector tests are valid.