On the motion of a microsatellite with the sail in the atmosphere (NanoSail-D)

Heading: 
Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
1Koshkin, NI, 2Korobeynikova, EA, 3Lopachenko, VV, 2Melikyants, SM, 2Strakhova, SL, 2Shakun, LS
1Scientific-Research Institute «Astronomical Observatory» of the I.I. Mechnikov National University of Odesa, Odesa, Ukraine
2Scientific-Research Institute «Astronomical Observatory» of the I.I. Mechnikov National University of Odessa, Odessa, Ukraine
3National Center of Space Facilities Control and Test of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, Yevpatoria, AR Crimea, Ukraine
Kosm. nauka tehnol. 2012, 18 ;(1):31–38
https://doi.org/10.15407/knit2012.01.031
Publication Language: Russian
Abstract: 
The drag of the satellite NanoSail-D with the sail in the Earth’s upper atmosphere is considered and the satellite motion around the center of mass is studied. The satellite is a prototype of future mechanisms for accelerated deorbit of the space debris. The satellite’s dynamics is supposed to be a cause of the insufficiently quick braking of the sail. Photometric observations discover different changes in the satellite’s brightness, including some regular variability. In the latter case, the photometric period is about several seconds with 12 clearly visible variations within the period. This favours the view that in the result of interaction with a particle flux of the upper atmosphere the sail switched over to the mode of rotation around an axis which does not coincide with the axis of symmetry and, possibly, rapidly precesses in space. Some results of the simulation of the NanoSail-D rotation are presented.
Keywords: microsatellite, rotation, the sail
Full text (PDF)
References: 
1. Burlak N., Dragomireckij V., Koshkin N. et al. Observations of LEO SO with TV CCD camera. Observation of the near-Earth space,  Proc.of the Intern. Conf., Zvenigorod, Russia, 23—25 January, 2007. Retrieved from  http://lfvn.astronomer.ru/report/0000018/Od/index1.htm
2. Melikyants S., Shakun L., Koshkin N., et al. The use of modeling for interpretation of observed light curves of satellites, Odessa Astron. Publs., 20, Pt. 2, 72—75 (2007) [in Russian].
3. Alhorn D. C., Casas J. P., Agasid E. F., et al. NanoSail-D: The small satellite that could!  Proceedings of the 25th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, Logan,

UT, USA, 8—11 Aug. 2011, Paper: SSC11-VI-1. Retrieved from  http://smallsat.org/sessions/session6