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Autori principali: MacLean, Thomas, Barr, Alan H.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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Accesso online:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.15728
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author MacLean, Thomas
Barr, Alan H.
author_facet MacLean, Thomas
Barr, Alan H.
contents Accurate gravity field calculations are necessary for landing on planets, moons, asteroids, minimoons, or other irregularly shaped bodies, but current methods become increasingly inaccurate and slow near the surface. We present high accuracy, fast methods for computing gravitational potential and gravitational force fields, which are needed for future space missions. Notably, gravitational force and potential computations are simplified, with high accuracy enhanced by bringing the derivative inside the gravitational potential integral. In addition, we present a new gravitational field calculus, which lets us combine simpler potentials and force fields to create more complex ones without accuracy loss. Several examples are provided, for instance, where we subtract different shapes from a spherical body making a variety of craters. The calculus will also work well with volumetric octree methods. Additionally, we use new bounds in the gravitational potential integral, to avoid trying to fit smooth basis functions to non-smooth curves, and harness new computational tools where tasks can be migrated to GPUs. We also have found that cylindrical coordinates can have special advantages in tailoring shape models. We have created a series of algorithms and preliminary MATLAB and Mathematica toolboxes utilizing these methods and the gravitational calculus. These methods are newly customizable for necessary high-accuracy gravity computations in future missions planned by JPL and other space agencies to navigate near irregularly shaped bodies in the solar system.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_15728
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SURF Report: High Accuracy Methods for Computing Gravitational Potential and Gravitational Force Fields Near the Surface of Irregularly Shaped 3-Dimensional Bodies
MacLean, Thomas
Barr, Alan H.
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Accurate gravity field calculations are necessary for landing on planets, moons, asteroids, minimoons, or other irregularly shaped bodies, but current methods become increasingly inaccurate and slow near the surface. We present high accuracy, fast methods for computing gravitational potential and gravitational force fields, which are needed for future space missions. Notably, gravitational force and potential computations are simplified, with high accuracy enhanced by bringing the derivative inside the gravitational potential integral. In addition, we present a new gravitational field calculus, which lets us combine simpler potentials and force fields to create more complex ones without accuracy loss. Several examples are provided, for instance, where we subtract different shapes from a spherical body making a variety of craters. The calculus will also work well with volumetric octree methods. Additionally, we use new bounds in the gravitational potential integral, to avoid trying to fit smooth basis functions to non-smooth curves, and harness new computational tools where tasks can be migrated to GPUs. We also have found that cylindrical coordinates can have special advantages in tailoring shape models. We have created a series of algorithms and preliminary MATLAB and Mathematica toolboxes utilizing these methods and the gravitational calculus. These methods are newly customizable for necessary high-accuracy gravity computations in future missions planned by JPL and other space agencies to navigate near irregularly shaped bodies in the solar system.
title SURF Report: High Accuracy Methods for Computing Gravitational Potential and Gravitational Force Fields Near the Surface of Irregularly Shaped 3-Dimensional Bodies
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.15728