Optimal and Robust Control of Atmospheric Reentry Trajectories

• Autor(a) principal: Moreira, António Miguel Peralta
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/13015
• topic: Controlo Ótimo e Robusto; Método de Controlo H8; Veículo de Reentrada; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Aeronáutica

Reentering the Earth’s atmosphere is one of the most difficult phases of any spaceship’s mission. During reentry, following an optimal trajectory in terms of minimal heating rate, dynamic pressure, and maximum deceleration is vital to the mission’s success. This dissertation proposes a novel design for a controller based on H8 control methods, with the goal of achieving optimal and robust control for a Reentry Lifting Vehicle. This dissertation begins by summarizing the theory and history behind the Shuttle Space Program, including the planning of its trajectories and descriptions of the Reentry Flight Dynamics Model. The analysis of the obtained reference trajectory will follow and the comparison of it to a real shuttle trajectory will be made. The design and configuration of the H8 controller comes after, beginning with the linearization of the obtained system in the previous step and ending with the recalculation of vehicle state variables after its application. The disturbance is then applied and the results of the actuation of the controller are displayed. The H8 controller for Reentry Lifting Vehicle proves itself to be a useful application presenting satisfying and significant results in this critical phase of flight.