We are going to have a seminar on 'Attitude Stability and Control of a Variable Geometry Solar Sail' on Tuesday 2nd June 2015, 1-2 pm, given by Dr Leonard Felicetti, who is a research fellow at the University of Rome "Sapienza".

Abstract and biography are given below.

Date & Time:  1-2pm, Tuesday 2nd June 2015
Venue:           Room 526, James Watt Building South

Tea/coffee/biscuits before the start.

 

 

Abstract

The aim of this seminar is to show some of my previous activities at the Guidance and Navigation Lab of “Sapienza” University of Rome and the results obtained during my visiting period here at University of Glasgow. This seminar is divided in two parts:

In the first one I will present an active debris removal mission design, involving a robotic manipulator grasping a tumbling object in space, a new control strategy for spacecraft formations utilizing electrostatic forces and a study on the attitude dynamics of the “drag-balance satellites” for upper atmosphere density measurements.

In the second part I will show the results obtained on the “Variable Geometry Solar Sailing”. It will be shown how, by modifying opportunely shape of a solar sail during its orbital motion around the Earth, it is possible to increase or decrease of the altitude of such orbit. This research investigates in depth this mission concept and analyses, both theoretically and numerically, the attitude stability issues concerning the “sun pointing” condition of the solar sail.

Biography

Dr. Leonard Felicetti received the Laurea Degree (summa cum laude) in Astronautical Engineering in 2009 and the Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 2013, both from Sapienza – Università di Roma, where he is currently a PostDoc Researcher at the Guidance and Navigation Lab (until May 2015). His studies deal with spacecraft orbital and attitude control systems, guidance, navigation and control of distributed space systems, robotics and multibody dynamics.

First published: 24 October 2013

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