Solar Sailing: Technology Dynamics and Mission Applications Table of Contents

&copy; Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK, 1999

Table of contents of Solar Sailing: Technology Dynamics and Mission Applications Posted with permission of the author, Colin R. McInnes

Foreword Author's preface Acknowledgements List of illustrations and tables Glossary of terms

1 INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR SAILING 1.1    Principles of solar sailing 1.2    Perspectives 1.2.1 Pioneers 1.2.2 Early optimism 1.2.3 Chasing a comet 1.2.4 Celestial races 1.2.5 Testing rimes 1.2.6 New millennium 1.2.7 Lessons of history 1.3    Practicalities of solar sailing 1.3.1 Solar sail configurations 1.3.2 Performance metrics 1.3.3 Solar sail orbits 1.3.4 Comparison with other propulsion systems 1.4    Solar sail mission applications 1.4.1 Applicability 1.4.2 Inner solar system missions 1.4.3 Outer solar system missions 1.4.4 Non-Keplerian orbits 1.5    Future development 1.5.1 Near term 1.5.2 Autonomous explorers 1.5.3 Speculation 1.6    Further reading

2 SOLAR RADIATION PRESSURE 2.1    Introduction 2.2    Historical view of solar radiation pressure 2.3    The physics of radiation pressure 2.3.1 Quantum description 2.3.2 Electromagnetic description 2.3.3 Force on a perfectly reflecting solar sail 2.4    Radiative transfer methods 2.4.1 Specific intensity 2.4.2 Angular moments of specific intensity 2.5    Radiation pressure with a finite solar disk 2.5.1 Why the inverse square law is inadequate 2.5.2 Uniformly bright solar disk 2.5.3 Limb darkened solar disk 2.6    Solar sail force models 2.6.1 Optical force model 2.6.2 Parametric force model 2.7    Other forces 2.8    Summary 2.9    Further reading

3 SOLAR SAIL DESIGN 3.1    Introduction 3.2    Design parameters 3.3    Sail films 3.3.1 Design considerations 3.3.2 Substrates 3.3.3 Coatings 3.3.4 Metallic sail films 3.3.5 Environmental effects 3.3.6 Sail bonding, folding and packing 3.4    Solar sail structures 3.5    Solar sail configurations 3.5.1 Optimum solar sail configurations 3.5.2 Three-axis stabilised square sail 3.5.2.1 Design 3.5.2.2 Control 3.5.3 Spin stabilised heliogyro 3.5.3.1 Design 3.5.3.2 Blade shape 3.5.3.3 Control 3.5.4 Spin stabilised disc sail 3.5.4.1 Design 3.5.4.2 Sail shape 3.5.4.3 Control 3.5.5 Solar photon thruster 3.5.6 High performance solar sails 3.5.7 Micro-solar sails 3.6    Recent case studies in solar sail design 3.6.1 World Space Foundation (WSF) 3.6.2 Union pour la Promotion de la Propulsion Photonique (U3P) 3.6.3 Johns Hopkins University (JHU) 3.6.4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 3.6.5 Cambridge Consultants Ltd (CCL) 3.6.6 ODISSEE demonstration mission (DLR/JPL) 3.7    Summary 3.8    Further reading

4 SOLAR SAIL ORBITAL DYNAMICS 4.1    Introduction 4.2    Equations of motion 4.2.1 Vector equation of motion 4.2.2 Sail force vector 4.2.3 Polar equations of motion 4.2.4 Lagrange variational equations 4.3    Sun-centred orbits 4.3.1 Introduction 4.3.2 Conic section orbits 4.3.2.1 Orbit classification 4.3.2.2 Circular orbits 4.3.2.3 Elliptical orbits 4.3.2.4 Rectilinear orbits 4.3.2.5 Escape orbits 4.3.3 Logarithmic spiral trajectories 4.3.4 Locally optimal trajectories 4.3.4.1 Semi-major axis 4.3.4.2 Eccentricity 4.3.4.3 Aphelion radius 4.3.4.4 Inclination 4.3.4.5 Ascending node 4.3.5 Globally optimal trajectories 4.4    Planet-centred orbits 4.4.1 Introduction 4.4.2 Sub-optimal trajectories 4.4.2.1 On-off switching 4.4.2.2 Orbit rate steering 4.4.2.3 Locally optimal steering 4.4.2.4 Polar orbit escape 4.4.3 Minimum time escape trajectories 4.4.4 Approximate escape time 4.4.5 Solution by the Hamilton-Jacobi method 4.5    Summary 4.6    Further reading

5 NON-KEPLERIAN ORBITS 5.1    Introduction 5.2    Sun-centred halo orbits 5.2.1 Introduction 5.2.2 Non-Keplerian orbit solutions 5.2.2.1 Type I               5.2.2.2 Type II                5.2.2.3 Type III 5.2.2.4 Other orbit families 5.2.3 Sun-centred non-Keplerian orbit stability 5.2.3.1 Linearisation 5.2.3.2 Stability of orbit types 5.2.3.3 Levitated solar sail stability 5.2.4 Sun-centred non-Keplerian orbit control 5.2.4.1 Orbit controllability 5.2.4.2 Control by variable sail elevation 5.2.4.3 Control by fixed sail pitch 5.2.5 Patched orbits 5.2.5.1 Patch to a Keplerian orbit 5.2.5.2 Patch to a non-Keplerian orbit 5.3    Planet-centred non-Keplerian orbits 5.3.1 Introduction 5.3.2 Non-Keplerian orbit solutions 5.3.2.1 Type I               5.3.2.2 Type II                5.3.2.3 Type III 5.3.3 Planet-centred non-Keplerian orbit stability 5.3.3.1 Type I stability 5.3.3.2 Type II stability 5.3.3.3 Type III stability 5.3.4 Planet-centred non-Keplerian orbit control 5.3.4.1 Orbit controllability 5.3.4.2 Control by variable sail area 5.3.5 Patched orbits 5.3.5.1 Patch to a Keplerian orbit 5.3.5.2 Patch to a non-Keplerian orbit 5.4    Solar sails in restricted three-body systems 5.4.1 Introduction 5.4.2 The classical restricted three-body problem 5.4.3 Equilibrium solutions 5.4.4 Regions of existence of equilibrium solutions 5.4.5 Equilibrium solutions in the Earth-Sun system 5.4.6 Stability of equilibrium solutions 5.4.7 Lunar Lagrange point orbits 5.5    Effect of a real solar sail model 5.6    Summary 5.7    Further reading

6 MISSION APPLICATION CASE STUDIES 6.1    Introduction 6.2    Geostorm mission 6.2.1 Background 6.2.2 Mission concept 6.2.3 Mission orbit 6.2.4 Solar sail design 6.2.5 Other concepts 6.3    Solar polar sail mission 6.3.1 Background 6.3.2 Mission concept 6.3.3 Mission orbit 6.3.4 Solar sail design 6.4    Mercury orbiter 6.4.1 Background 6.4.2 Mission concept 6.4.3 Mission orbit 6.4.4 Solar sail design 6.5    Sample return missions 6.5.1 Background 6.5.2 Mission concepts 6.6    Polar observer 6.6.1 Background 6.6.2 Mission concept 6.6.3 Mission orbit 6.7    Micro-solar sail constellations 6.7.1 Background 6.7.2 Mission concepts 6.8    Non-Keplerian orbits 6.8.1 Sun-centred non-Keplerian orbits 6.8.2 Planet-centred non-Keplerian orbits 6.9    Outer solar system missions 6.9.1 Background 6.9.2 Mission orbit 6.9.3 Outer planet missions 6.9.4 550 au and beyond 6.10   Summary 6.11   Further reading

7 LASER DRIVEN LIGHT SAILS 7.1    Introduction 7.2    Light sail physics 7.3    Light sail mechanics 7.3.1 Light sail efficiency 7.3.2 Classical light sail mechanics 7.3.2.1 Terminal speed 7.3.2.2 Boost-coast 7.3.3 Relativistic light sail mechanics 7.4    Light sail design 7.4.1 Light sail films 7.4.2 Laser systems 7.4.3 Optical collimating systems 7.4.4 Impact damage and interstellar drag 7.5    Mission applications 7.5.1 Interstellar precursor 7.5.2 Interstellar probe 7.6    Summary 7.7    Further reading

Index