Implementation and study of a drag model for an N-body problem simulator

Autor(es)

Quattrucci, R. D. ; Meireles, L. G. ; Pereira, M. C.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: CELESTIAL MECHANICS & DYNAMICAL ASTRONOMY; v. 135, n. 1, p. 18-pg., 2023-02-01.

Resumo

Planet Earth is a constant target to various astronomical objects. Larger ones manage to overcome the natural barrier imposed by the atmosphere, colliding with the ground and causing damage to Earth's surface. With these events in mind, this work proposed the implementation of several modules for a previously existing N-body simulator in Python(R) to study the entry of multiple objects into the Earth's atmosphere and analyze the effects of possible impact scenarios. Among the modules implemented are a coordinate converter to the Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed (ECEF) reference frame, an atmospheric density model along with its corresponding drag force, a fragmentation/disintegration evaluation from the objects interaction with Earth's atmosphere (based on a stochastic model specifically applied for the purposes of this study), an impact radius calculator and, finally, ECEF trajectory and impact zone visualization. From the possibility of fragmentations (addition of bodies) or disintegrations (removal of bodies), the algorithm developed also made it possible to run numerical integrations with a variable number of objects, dynamically updating the number of bodies and equations of motion mid simulation. At last, a few case studies were executed to generate results that made it possible to evaluate the successful implementation of all the modules. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 18/19959-0 - Estudo do uso de velas solares em trajetórias de veículos espaciais
• Beneficiário: Lucas Gouvêa Meireles
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado