Space Trajectory Computation Lab

Space Trajectory Computation Lab

Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

  • three dimensional flybys

    geometry of three dimensional flybys

  • asteroid SLAM: spacecraft and body state estimation from images

    Small body SLAM

  • Halo to loose capture at Europa

    Loose capture at Europa from Halo Orbits

  • spacecraft plate models for SRP and drag calculations (2)

    Spacecraft shape modelling (2)

  • families of resonant periodic orbits at Ganymede

    Ganymede periodic orbits

  • periodic orbits cycling around Lagrange points at Europa

    Europa periodic orbits

  • Halo to low altitude science orbit at Europa

    Capture at Europa from staging Halo orbits

  • geopotential (left) and errors (right) using 30720 buried mascons

    Geopotential

  • interplanetary and intermoon flyby tours

    Gravity-assisted flyby tours

  • families of simple planar periodic orbits at Europa

    Periodic orbits at Europa (1)

  • catalog tracking, uncertainty propagation, probability of collision

    space catalog applications

  • families of planar periodic orbits at Europa (2)

    Periodic orbits at Europa (2)

  • plate models for SRP and drag calculation

    Spacecraft shape modelling

  • Moon with exaggerated gravity field

    Moon gravity field exaggerated

  • analytical solutions to the Stark problem

    Stark

About

Welcome! Thank you for visiting our site.  We are a research group that solves orbital mechanics problems as they relate to space utilization and exploration.  We consist mainly of a professor, graduate students and occasional visiting scholars.  We are in the Orbital Mechanics discipline area … Read More

Research

Areas of Interest: Spaceflight mechanics / Astrodynamics; Optimal control / Optimization / Numerical methods; Orbit determination; Multi-body dynamics; Periodic orbits and general orbit stability (high-fidelity repeat ground track design, constellation design, cyclers, planetary … Read More

Lab News

Summer 2023: Congrats to Shubam Singh for completing the PhD!  Shubham works for Shift Robotics in Austin. Summer 2022: Congrats to David Ottesen and Sean McArdle for completing their PhDs!  Sean works as a civil servant at NASA JSC, and David works for Leo Labs in CA.   … Read More

RSS NASA Image of the Day

  • Hubble Reveals Jupiter in Ultraviolet Light
    Released on Nov. 3, 2023, in honor of Jupiter reaching opposition, which occurs when the planet and the Sun are in opposite sides of the sky, this view of the gas giant planet includes the iconic, massive storm called the “Great Red Spot.”

RSS SpaceNews

RSS NASA

  • NASA Kennedy Ground Systems Prepping Hardware for Artemis II, Beyond January 17, 2025
    Teams with NASA are gaining momentum as work progresses toward future lunar missions for the benefit of humanity as numerous flight hardware shipments from across the world arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first crewed Artemis flight test and follow-on lunar missions. The skyline at Kennedy will soon see added […]

CONTACT

Email: ryan.russell@utexas.edu

Phone: (512) 471-4190

© Ryan P. Russell 2017

Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Cockrell School of Engineering

The University of Texas at Austin

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