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| Since the beginning of space exploration a large number of space debris accumulated in the neighborhood of the Earth, from the near atmosphere to the geosynchronous region. Indeed, the fragmentation of operative spacecraft and satellites could result in the dramatic formation of dangerous space debris. Understanding the overall orbital evolution of these objects is essential for maintenance and control strategies, as well as for space debris mitigation.
In this talk, I present a description of the dynamics of space debris in the main resonances by using the Hamiltonian formalism and simple mathematical tools. The structure of the resonances is analyzed in detail, either using analytical methods or implementing numerical techniques, like the computation of the Fast Lyapunov Indicators (FLIs). In particular, the FLIs provide a cartographic study of the resonances, showing regular and chaotic behaviors. The results are validated by a comparison with a model developed in Cartesian coordinates, including the geopotential, the lunar and solar gravitational attractions and the solar radiation pressure. This work is in collaboration with C. Gales. |
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