The positional stability of a cable-connected satellite that is located in the vicinity of a collinear libration point is analyzed. Because the gravitational field is nonlinear, the location of the satellite’s equilibrium point is dependent on the length of the cable. It is shown that, by varying the cable’s length in a prescribed manner, it is possible to achieve positional stability. A sample calculation shows that an aluminum cable with a diameter of only 6.22 × 10−3 cm could be used to maintain two 10,000 kg satellites at the Earth-Moon L2 libration point.
Tether Stabilization at a Collinear Libration Point
J of Astronaut Sci
The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences ; 49 , 1 ; 91-106
2001-03-01
16 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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