Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1714974 | Acta Astronautica | 2013 | 7 Pages |
The gravity tractor concept is a proposed method to deflect an imminent asteroid impact through gravitational tugging over a time scale of years. In this study, we present mission scenarios and operational considerations for asteroid mitigation efforts involving multiple gravity tractors. We quantify the deflection performance improvement provided by a multiple gravity tractor campaign and assess its sensitivity to staggered launches. We next explore several proximity operation strategies to accommodate multiple gravity tractors at a single asteroid including formation-flying and mechanically-docked configurations. Finally, we utilize 99942 Apophis as an illustrative example to assess the performance of a multiple gravity tractor campaign.
► Total deflection scales linearly with total mass of gravity tractors. ► Mechanical docking strategy reduces station-keeping requirements. ► Deflection performance improved by stacking depleted gravity tractors.