Michela Mancini
(Advisor: Dr. John A. Christian)
will propose a master thesis entitled
An analysis on the application of algebraic geometry in
Initial Orbit Determination problems
On
Thursday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Montgomery Knight Building 317
Abstract
Initial Orbit Determination (IOD) is a challenge tackled for centuries by
the most famous and skilled mathematicians and astronomers. The classical
solutions that have been proposed since Kepler’s time make use of bearings
or position measurements collected at some specific epoch, and the
knowledge of these epochs is central to the resolution of the problem.
In the present work, the application of methods from algebraic and
projective geometry allows for the resolution of the IOD problem through
bearings-only information available from different cameras, without time in
any way involved in the process. The only needed assumption is that the
body’s orbit has to be a conic section. The results shown demonstrate that
this route can be followed with reliable results both in the noiseless and
noisy scenario, the latter having an higher but still acceptable error rate.
Questions for further reflection in order to make the method more robust are
raised.
Committee
• Prof. John A. Christian - School of Aerospace Engineering
• Prof. Brian C. Gunter - School of Aerospace Engineering
• Prof. Anton Leykin - School of Mathematics