Chaotic and Periodic Motions of Satellites in Elliptic Orbits

Abstract

Abstract The spinning motion of aspherical satellites whose center of mass moves in a given elliptic polar orbit around an oblate central body is investigated using analytical and numerical methods. In the case of a magnetic satellite, dipole-dipole interaction with the central body is included. For small eccentricity, oblateness and magnetic interaction, the Melnikov method is used to study chaotic and perodic motions. The parameter dependence of the width of the chaotic layer and of the periodic resonances is discussed. For some selected parameter values the theoretical predictions are checked by numerical methods.