1,720,971 research outputs found
Analytic solution for perturbed Keplerian motion under small acceleration using averaging theory
No full textA novel approach is developed for analytic orbit propagation based on asymptotic expansion with respect to a small perturbative acceleration. The method improves upon existing first order asymptotic expansions by leveraging on linear systems and averaging theories. The solution starts with the linearization of Gauss planetary equations with respect to both the small perturbation and the six orbital elements. Then, an approximate solution is obtained in terms of secular and short period components. The method is tested on a low-thrust maneuver scenario consisting of a Keplerian orbit perturbed by a constant tangential acceleration, for which a solution can be obtained in terms of elliptic integrals. Results show that the positional propagation error is about one order of magnitude smaller with respect to state-of-the-art methods. The position accuracy for a LEO orbit, apart from pathological cases, is typically in the range of tens of meters for a tangential acceleration of 10−7 km/s2 after 5 orbital periods propagation
Relations Between Collision Probability, Mahalanobis Distance, and Confidence Intervals for Conjunction Assessment
Full text linkSome of the most common metrics for collision risk assessment are the probability of collision, miss distance in Mahalanobis space, and confidence intervals. Sometimes they are used in combination; for example, the miss distance is used as a prescreening method to identify potentially hazardous conjunctions; other times they are used as alternative means; that is, covariance ellipse overlapping checks are employed instead of computing the probability of collision. In this work, we show that the three risk indexes are intimately connected once a suitable distance is defined. We argue that Mahalanobis miss distance is a proper metric only when the sigma-normalized hard-body size is negligible; we thus investigate the minimum Mahalanobis distance between the hard-body circle and the combined position covariance as an alternative. Its computation is fully analytic, as the most complex operation is finding the roots of a quartic polynomial. When multiplied by the sigma-normalized hard-body radius, such distance provides an upper bound to the collision probability. When used to scale the covariance matrix, it provides the largest confidence interval supporting a noncollision event. Finally, when adopted as an actionable threshold, analytical bounds on the probability of miss detection and of false alarms can be computed
Large constellations of small satellites: A survey of near future challenges and missions
Full text linkConstellations of satellites are being proposed in large numbers; most of them are expected to be in orbit within the next decade. They will provide communication to unserved and underserved communities, enable global monitoring of Earth and enhance space observation. Mostly enabled by technology miniaturization, satellite constellations require a coordinated effort to face the technological limits in spacecraft operations and space traffic. At the moment in fact, no cost-effective infrastructure is available to withstand coordinated flight of large fleets of satellites. In order for large constellations to be sustainable, there is the need to efficiently integrate and use them in the current space framework. This review paper provides an overview of the available experience in constellation operations and statistical trends about upcoming constellations at the moment of writing. It highlights also the tools most often proposed in the analyzed works to overcome constellation management issues, such as applications of machine learning/artificial intelligence and resource/infrastructure sharing. As such, it is intended to be a useful resource for both identifying emerging trends in satellite constellations, and enabling technologies still requiring substantial development efforts
Centri minori del circondario cimino: Bagnaia, San Martino al Cimino, Soriano nel Cimino, Ronciglione
No full textMillennial - to centennial - scale palaeoclimatic variations during Termination I and the Holocene in the central Mediterranean Sea
No full textAnalisi integrata di sistemi idrici in zona di dorsale carbonatica: sottobacini idrografici dei fiumi Burano e Bosso
No full textA dynamic testbed for nanosatellites attitude verification
Full text linkTo enable a reliable verification of attitude determination and control systems for nanosatellites, the environment of low Earth orbits with almost disturbance-free rotational dynamics must be simulated. This work describes the design solutions adopted for developing a dynamic nanosatellite attitude simulator testbed at the University of Bologna. The facility integrates several subsystems, including: (i) an air-bearing three degree of freedom platform, with automatic balancing system, (ii) a Helmholtz cage for geomagnetic field simulation, (iii) a Sun simulator, and (iv) a metrology vision system for ground-truth attitude generation. Apart from the commercial off-the-shelf Helmholtz cage, the other subsystems required substantial development efforts. The main purpose of this manuscript is to offer some cost-effective solutions for their in-house development, and to show through experimental verification that adequate performances can be achieved. The proposed approach may thus be preferred to the procurement of turn-key solutions, when required by budget constraints. The main outcome of the commissioning phase of the facility are: a residual disturbance torque affecting the air bearing platform of less than 5 × 10-5 Nm, an attitude determination rms accuracy of the vision system of 10 arcmin, and divergence of the Sun simulator light beam of less than 0.5° in a 35 cm diameter area
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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