Orbital perturbations generated by employing aerodynamic forces in the upper atmosphere

This thesis describes the analysis and development of a simulation that models the use of aerodynamic effects to adjust the distance between two spacecraft in orbit. The two spacecraft are initially coincident and then are separated and maintained at a given distance by modulating their surface areas with respect to the velocity direction. Employing aerodynamic forces to separate two spacecraft is a technique that may have significant impact on the design of constellations of small satellites. This thesis shows that maintaining a given distance between two nearly co-planar spacecraft using only aerodynamic drag is a feasible orbital control option.; As a result of this thesis, a software model was developed to simulate the orbits of two spacecraft. It was concluded that it is unrealistic to maintain a constant distance between two spacecraft using elementary control algorithms. However, it is possible to maintain a minimum distance between the two spacecraft given that oscillations are acceptable.