Determination of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of Spacecraft in Rarefied Gas Flow
Authors: Sidnyaev N.I., Sklyarinskij L.S.
Published in issue: #9(177)/2026
Category: Aviation and Rocket-Space Engineering | Chapter: Aerodynamics and Heat Transfer Processes in Aircrafts
The article uses a model for calculating aerodynamic forces, taking into account both drag and lift, which makes it possible to obtain controlled motion of the satellite in a discharged environment. An algorithm for determining aerodynamic characteristics based on Monte Carlo theory is presented. A numerical study of aerodynamics at the current perturbations of the Earth's gravitational potential and inaccuracy of knowledge of the density of the atmosphere was carried out. It is postulated that at moderate Mach numbers, the current can be characterized by the travel length of molecules at infinity. It is assumed that in a discharged flow, molecules pass between collisions along the flow a path greater than in the transverse direction. Due to this anisotropy, the presence of relatively small longitudinal gradients makes the equations of a continuous medium unfair, while the latter remain valid in the presence of large transverse gradients. The reflection of the molecules is assumed to be diffuse with a Maxwell distribution. The average velocity of reflected molecules is determined by the wall temperature and accommodation coefficient, which makes it possible to consider the incident and reflected flows of molecules independently, which greatly facilitates the description of their movement. It has been shown that under the influence of atmospheric drag during the movement of the spacecraft in an elliptical orbit, secular perturbations of the focal parameter and eccentricity occur, the orbit of the spacecraft over time is increasingly approaching circular. At the same time, the period of revolution decreases monotonously, and the average flight speed increases. The maximum rate of lowering the altitude of the orbit falls on the apogee region, the minimum — on the perigee region of the orbit. As satellites decrease with increasing atmospheric density, the aerodynamic moment increases, the internal vibrational regions decrease and disappear. The longitudinal axis of the satellites can oscillate relative to the equilibrium position. The relationships built in this work make it possible to determine the design and ballistic parameters of CubeSat satellites, which provide a given angular motion under the influence of gravitational and restoring aerodynamic moments when descending from low circular orbits.
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