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This document is the user’s guide for a Windows compatible Fortran computer program named
hyper_ftn.exe which can be used to determine the characteristics of impulsive maneuvers from a
circular Earth park orbit to a departure hyperbola. The algorithm in this program is based on the
equations derived in Chapter 4 of Richard Battin’s classic text, Astronautical Guidance, and Chapter 11
of An Introduction to the Mathematics and Methods of Astrodynamics, also written by Professor Battin
and published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
The Earth departure trajectory for interplanetary missions is usually defined by a “targeting
specification” which consists of twice the specific (per unit mass) orbital energy C3 , and the right
ascension and declination of the outgoing asymptote. These numbers may be supplied by a
spacecraft customer or determined with a patched-conic or more sophisticated trajectory analysis
computer program that solves Lambert’s problem for an interplanetary mission.
The hyper_ftn software determines the orbital elements and state vectors of the park orbit and
departure hyperbola at injection, and the inertial injection delta-v vector and magnitude. This
information can be used as initial guesses for other trajectory simulations.
This computer program assumes that the hyperbolic targets and orbital characteristics are in the same
Earth-centered-inertial (ECI) coordinate system. For example, targeting specs are often provided or
computed in an Earth mean equator and equinox of J2000 coordinate system (EME2000). For this
situation, the state vectors and orbital elements computed by this code will also be with respect to the
EME2000 coordinate system.
Program execution
The hyper_ftn program will interactively prompt the user for the park orbit altitude and orbital
inclination, and the departure hyperbola characteristics. These prompts appear as follows;
Please note the proper units and valid data range for each input.
page 1
Program Output
The following is the hyper_ftn program output for this coplanar example.
===================================================
Interplanetary Injection from a Circular Park Orbit
===================================================
c3 9.28000000000000 km**2/sec**2
page 2
sma (km) eccentricity inclination (deg) argper (deg)
0.6563460000D+04 0.0000000000D+00 0.2850000000D+02 0.0000000000D+00
The following is the program output for the same identical conditions except the declination of the
departure trajectory is 38.5 degrees. This is a non-coplanar orbital transfer.
===================================================
Interplanetary Injection from a Circular Park Orbit
===================================================
c3 9.28000000000000 km**2/sec**2
page 3
raan (deg) true anomaly (deg) arglat (deg) period (min)
0.2625900003D+03 0.3125449088D+03 0.3125449088D+03 0.8819805229D+02
Technical Discussion
The algorithm implemented in this scientific simulation assumes that the spacecraft is initially in a
circular Earth park orbit. Furthermore, the orbital transfer maneuver is assumed to be impulsive which
implies an instantaneous change in velocity but not change in position. In the following discussion, i is
the orbital inclination of the initial circular Earth park orbit and is the declination of the outgoing or
departure hyperbola.
Whenever i , there will be two coplanar opportunities to establish a departure hyperbola that will
satisfy the energy and orientation of the outgoing asymptote. Typically, one injection opportunity will
occur while the spacecraft is ascending and the other while the spacecraft is descending along the park
orbit. For coplanar orbital transfer, the impulse is applied at the perigee of the departure hyperbola.
For the case where i , there will be a single non-coplanar injection opportunity.
This section summarizes the equations used to determine the right ascension of the ascending node
(RAAN) of the park orbit and the injection true anomaly on the park orbit.
page 4
A unit vector is the direction of the departure asymptote is given by
cos cos
sˆ cos sin
sin
where
right ascension of departure asymptote
declination of departure asymptote
The angle between the outgoing asymptote and the spin axis of the Earth is given by
cos1 sˆ zˆ
The park orbit right ascension of the ascending node for each opportunity can be determined from
cot
1 180 sin 1
tan i
cot
2 360 sin 1
tan i
The true anomaly on the park orbit for each injection opportunity can be determined from
cos
1 cos1
sin i
cos
2 cos1
sin i
where
1
sin 1
1 rp V
2
In the last equation, rp is the geocentric radius of the park orbit and is the gravitational constant of
the Earth. The velocity vector at infinity V is determined from V C3 .
For a tangential impulsive injection maneuver that occurs at perigee of the hyperbola, the true anomaly
on the hyperbola is zero. Furthermore, since the orbit transfer modeled by this software is coplanar, the
right ascension of the ascending node computed above should be the same for both the park orbit and the
page 5
departure hyperbola. This can be verified by examining the hyperbola’s right ascension of the ascending
node (RAAN) which is computed using the state vector at injection.
The velocity vector at any geocentric position vector r required to achieve a departure hyperbola
defined by V , and is given by
1 1
v h d V sˆ d V rˆ
2 2
where
V2
d
1 cos rp 4
and is the angle between the spacecraft’s position vector and the departure asymptote unit vector
which can be computed using
cos sˆ rˆ
v v h v p
where v p is the inertial velocity vector in the park orbit prior to injection and rˆ r r .
Finally, the scalar injection delta-v is v v . The injection delta-v is also given by
v 2 V2
rp rp
cos cos
ˆi cos sin
sin
where
right ascension of departure asymptote
declination of departure asymptote
The velocity vector of the spacecraft on the initial circular orbit is given by
page 6
ˆ
v0 i
r
The velocity vector at any geocentric position vector r required to achieve a departure hyperbola
defined by v , and is given by
1
v1 v D 1 ˆi D 1 ˆi r
2
where
4
D 1
r v2 1 ˆi ˆi r
and
cos cos sin sin cos i
ˆi sin cos cos sin cos i
r
sin sin i
In these equations, is the right ascension of the ascending node, i is the orbital inclination, is the
true anomaly at injection, r is the geocentric radius of the park orbit and v C3 .
v v1 v0
The orientation of the park orbit and departure hyperbola at injection is computed using a two-
dimensional grid search involving the park orbit right ascension of the ascending node (RAAN) and the
true anomaly of the impulsive maneuver on the park orbit. During the grid search, hyper_ftn uses a
nonlinear programming (NLP) algorithm to find the current minimum delta-v and saves the RAAN and
true anomaly values corresponding to the “best” delta-v.
page 7
Algorithm Resources
“Design of Lunar and Interplanetary Ascent Trajectories”, Victor C. Clarke, Jr., JPL Technical Report
No. 32-30, March 15, 1962.
An Introduction to the Mathematics and Methods of Astrodynamics, Richard H. Battin, AIAA Education
Series, 1987.
Analytical Mechanics of Space Systems, Hanspeter Schaub and John L. Junkins, AIAA Education
Series, 2003.
“A Computer Simulation of the Orbital Launch Window Problem”, Archie C. Young and Pat R. Odom,
AIAA 67-615, 1967.
“Launch Parameters for Interplanetary Flights”, W. C. Riddell, American Rocket Society Journal,
December 1960.
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