View source for Path-constrained rendezvous

{{short description|Moving to a desired orbital position while avoiding obstacles}}
{{No footnotes|date=December 2022}}
In [[spaceflight]], a '''path-constrained rendezvous''' is the process of moving an [[orbit]]ing object from its current position to a desired position and velocity, in such a way that no obstacles are contacted along the way. It is a more constrained instance of the general problem of [[Space rendezvous|orbital rendezvous]].

When no obstacles need consideration, the problem of rendezvous is straightforward, and many efficient algorithms are available to plan the necessary [[Orbital maneuver|maneuvers]]. Depending on the desired time taken to accomplish the rendezvous, there are an infinite number of possible rendezvous paths.

The presence of obstacles posing a collision risk complicates the problem. The shortest-time or lowest-energy rendezvous might be made infeasible by obstacles, so a path requiring more time or more energy would have to be employed.  For instance, if the purpose is to rescue an [[astronaut]] in distress on the far side of a large [[space station]], speed is important.  One may have to find quickly the rescue path requiring minimal time to execute, yet avoiding contact with the space station structure.

A natural object of study is the problem of maneuvering in the vicinity of a large orbiting [[sphere]], since a collision with a more complex structure can be avoided by selecting rendezvous paths that avoid contact with a virtual sphere enclosing the structure. Early research considered the problem of departure and arrival points lying on the surface of an orbiting sphere. This led to a pair of necessary conditions called the tangential departure and tangential arrival conditions.

==See also==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[Space rendezvous]]

{{Reflist}}

==Selected publications==
*Stern, S. A. and Soileau, K. M., [http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.1985-1916 "Operational Implications for Path-Constrained Rendezvous,"] Proceedings of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, Snowmass, CO, August 19–21, 1985, pp.&nbsp;812–820.
*Soileau, K. M. and Stern, S. A., [http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/3.25835?journalCode=jsr "Path-Constrained Rendezvous: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions,"] Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 23, September–October 1986, pp.&nbsp;492–498.
*Stern, S. A. and Soileau, K. M., [http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/3.25912?journalCode=jsr "Inadequacy of Single-Impulse Transfers for Path-Constrained Rendezvous,"] Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 24, May–June 1987, pp.&nbsp;282–284.
*Soileau, Kerry M., [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1989ommd.proc..103S "Defining Optimal Point-to-Point Transfer Surfaces for Orbital Path-Constrained Rendezvous,"] Proceedings of the AAS/NASA International Symposium, Greenbelt, MD, April 24–27, 1989, pp.&nbsp;103–107.
*A.J. Grunwald, A. Abramovitz, S.R. Ellis. Interactive method for planning fuel-efficient proximity operations using visual optimization aids. 1995 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. Intelligent Systems for the 21st Century, 2318–2323.
*Der-Ren Taur, [[Victoria Coverstone|Victoria Coverstone-Carroll]], John E. Prussing. (1995) Optimal Impulsive Time-Fixed Orbital Rendezvous and Interception with Path Constraints. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics 18:1, 54-60
*Ismael Lopez, Colin R. McInnes. (1995) Autonomous rendezvous using artificial potential function guidance. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics 18:2, 237-241
*Russel S. Wenzel, John E. Prussing. (1996) Preliminary study of optimal thrust-limited path-constrained maneuvers. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics 19:6, 1303-1309

{{DEFAULTSORT:Path-Constrained Rendezvous}}
[[Category:Astrodynamics]]
[[Category:Orbits]]


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