Astrodynamics and the Gravity Measurement Descent Operation

Until now, "astrodynamics" has been one of the less frequently reported operations for Hayabusa2. In space engineering, the movement, attitude, trajectory and overall handling of the flight mechanics of the spacecraft is referred to as "astrodynamics". For example, astrodynamics played an active role in the gravity measurement descent operation in August 2018. While this was a short time ago, let's look at a few of the details.

From August 6 - 7, 2018, the "Gravity Measurement Descent Operation" was performed to estimate the strength of asteroid Ryugu's gravity. Hayabusa2 initially descended from the home position at an altitude of 20km to an altitude of 6100m. Orbital control was then temporarily stopped to allow the spacecraft to "free-fall" towards Ryugu, moving due to the gravitational pull of the asteroid alone.

When the altitude decreased to about 850m, the thrusters were instantaneously fired to give the spacecraft an upward velocity, whereupon Hayabusa2 performed a "free-rise" to an altitude of about 6100m (the spacecraft's movement here is similar to throwing a ball vertically upwards).

From the spacecraft's motion during the free-fall and free-rise, the strength of Ryugu's gravity could be measured and the mass of the asteroid obtained. As a result of this measurement, the mass of Ryugu was calculated to be about 450 million tons.

The shape and volume of Ryugu are known thanks to the construction of the three-dimensional shape model (article on July 11:). Using this volume and the measured mass of Ryugu from the gravity measurement descent operation, the average density of the asteroid can be calculated. The average density and shape of Ryugu could then be used to find the gravitational strength (gravitational acceleration) on the surface of Ryugu, which was found to have the following distribution:

The gravitational acceleration on the surface of Ryugu is approximately 0.11~0.15 mm/s2, which is about eighty thousandths (~ 1/80000th) the strength of the Earth's gravity and a few times stronger than that of Itokawa. We can additionally see that the gravity near the poles of Ryugu is stronger than near the asteroid's equator. This is due to the equatorial ridge protruding from the surface.

The information on the asteroid's gravitational acceleration obtained through this method has been used for operations that approach close to the surface of Ryugu. Of course, it will also be used during touchdown.

The gravity measurement descent operation described here is one application of astrodynamics. The astrodynamics team for Hayabusa2 use a variety of similar methods to estimate the trajectory of the spacecraft and Ryugu, and to evaluate the dynamic environment for operating around Ryugu.

Related Links
Hayabusa2 at JAXA
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology

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