Aimed at engineering students and professionals working in the field of mechanics of space flight, this book examines space tether systems – one of the most forward-thinking directions of modern astronautics. The main advantage of this technology is the simplicity, profitability and ecological compatibility: space tethers allow the execution of various manoeuvers in orbit without costs of jet fuel due to the use of gravitational and electromagnetic fields of the Earth. This book will acquaint the reader with the modern state of the space tether's dynamics, with specific attention on the research projects of the nearest decades. This book presents the most effective mathematical models and the methods used for the analysis and prediction of space tether systems' motion; attention is also given to the influence of the tether on spacecraft's motion, to emergencies and chaotic modes. - Written by highly qualified experts with practical experience in both the fields of mechanics of space flight, and in the teaching - Contains detailed descriptions of mathematical models and methods, and their features, that allow the application of the material of the book to the decision of concrete practical tasks - New approaches to the decision of problems of space flight mechanics are offered, and new problems are posed

Tethered Space Robot: Dynamics, Measurement, and Control discusses a novel tethered space robot (TSR) system that contains the space platform, flexible tether and gripper. TSR can capture and remove non-cooperative targets such as space debris. It is the first time the concept has been described in a book, which describes the system and mission design of TSR and then introduces the latest research on pose measurement, dynamics and control. The book covers the TSR system, from principle to applications, including a complete implementing scheme. A useful reference for researchers, engineers and students interested in space robots, OOS and debris removal. Provides for the first time comprehensive coverage of various aspects of tethered space robots (TSR) Presents both fundamental principles and application technologies including pose measurement, dynamics and control Describes some new control techniques, including a coordinated control method for tracking optimal trajectory, coordinated coupling control and coordinated approaching control using mobile tether attachment points

"Tethered Satellite Systems (TSS) has been an ongoing project around the world for many decades. This study examined the dynamics an dcontrols of tethered satellites. The equations of motion were developed and simulated with no control and small eccentric orbits. A control law was derived by associating the Hamiltonian of the system to a Lyapunov Funciton. This control law was then simulated to demonstrate ability and robustness. The tethered system can be retrieved and deployed in a small number of orbits, and return from a perturbation quickly. Examination of a non thruster controlled system resulted in asymptotic convergence in retrieval and station keeping, but the inplane angle, orbital plane, converged during deployment. Time to complete the phases was similar to out of plane thruster controlled. The maximum eccentricities were found for retrieval and deployment when the system started at the perihelion of the orbit with a 100Km tether. Drag was added to the model because it effects the dynamics when the subsatellite is very close to earth. Most of the effects are seen in the inplane angle. At fully deployed the inplane angle was small. A Lyapunov controller for tether satellites works very well under ideal conditions. Once aerodynamics are included into the model, offsets and oscillations occur because of the new forces that unbalance the system compared to the model without drag"--Abstract.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of recently developed space multi-tethers, such as maneuverable space tethered nets and space tethered formation. For each application, it provides detailed derivatives to describe and analyze the mathematical model of the system, and then discusses the design and proof of different control schemes for various problems. The dynamics modeling presented is based on Newton and Lagrangian mechanics, and the book also introduces Hamilton mechanics and Poincaré surface of section for dynamics analysis, and employs both centralized and distributed controllers to derive the formation question of the multi-tethered system. In addition to the equations and text, it includes 3D design drawings, schematic diagrams, control scheme blocks and tables to make it easy to understand. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the fields of astronautics, control science, and engineering.