Masters Thesis

Novel approach to controlled vehicle stability specifically applied to space landers

Vehicle dynamics is highly dependent on mass distribution. Airplanes are particularly affected by mass distribution. Altering the moment of an airplane change how well it can fly and even lead to disaster [1]. Ocean vehicles will also undergo disaster if mass is not distributed properly. Interactions between waves and the center of mass of a ship greatly alter how the ship moves and responds [2]. Ground vehicles have gotten the most attention for their center of mass positions. High performance cars and off-road vehicles have some of the most public recognition for moment of inertia issues. There have been many studies, and attempted fixes to these problems, but none of them involving actively shifting the center of mass itself [3-10]. When entering atmosphere space landers need to at specific angles to maximize chance of a successful entry. During this time the vehicle must burn fuel to right itself and make adjustments which requires more fuel to be carried and hence a heavier load. vi It is proposed that a system which pumps the fuel of a Morpheus like lander into axially symmetric tanks during entry would allow mid motion manipulation of the vehicle's tilt. This moment altering method should allow less fuel to be used, and perhaps a significant reduction of weight.

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