• halo
• lagrange
• librazioni
• manifolds
• missioni
• missioni spaziali
• spazio

The study of space missions through models more accurate then a two
body model has received a considerable impulse within the scientific
community in the last decade. A scheme in which two larger masses
determine the motion of a spacecraft which does not modify their
gravitational field can be considered satisfactory for the study of a variety of
space vehicle trajectories. The possibilities offered by this kind of approach
span far beyond the range of the traditional keplerian approach and enable
conceiving new types of mission.
The present thesis deals with the restricted three body problem, its
formulation and its solutions. The different types of trajectories that can be
identified by this approach are analysed and the tools that can be used for
practical mission implementation are illustrated.
In the first part of this work the restricted three body problem is analysed
from a theoretical point of view. The steps through which mission design
tools can be derived from such a theoretical background are then reviewed.
A revised formulation of mathematical results that can be obtained from the
theory is presented and the applicability of such results to various missions
of potential interest is discussed. Software tools that can be used to describe
the theoretically determined space structures, periodic solutions and, in
general, for a practical implementation of the theory are described.
The second part deals more directly with applications with an inherent
three-body character and which could not be designed otherwise. In
particular, different possibilities of Earth-Moon transfer, both chemical and
hybrid, periodic orbits around the equilibrium points of the three body
system and transfer trajectories to and from such orbits are examined in
detail.