Performance optimization study of a Common Aero Vehicle using a Legendre Pseudospectral Method

The problem of performance optimization of a Common Aero Vehicle (CAV) is considered. In particular, the CAV is modeled as an unpowered high lift-to-drag ratio Earth penetrating re-entry vehicle. The CAV mission design problem is to determine a steering command that takes the CAV from a known initial state to a target on the surface of the Earth while optimizing a given performance index and satisfying all of the constraints imposed during flight. The CAV mission design problem is formulated as an optimal control problem. The optimal control problem is transformed to a nonlinear programming problem using a Legendre Pseudospectral Method. The nonlinear programming problem is then solved using a sparse nonlinear optimization algorithm. Once a solution to the CAV mission design problem is obtained, three main studies are conducted. First, the accuracy of the Legendre Pseudospectral Method is evaluated and the desirable characteristics of the solution to the CAV mission design problem are defined. Second, a study is conducted to demonstrate the effect of the parameters on the performance of the CAV. This parametric study demonstrates the use of the Legendre Pseudospectral method as a design tool and provides insight to the behavior of the CAV. Third, a preliminary investigation is performed on the real-time application of the Legendre Pseudospectral Method to the CAV mission design problem. This real-time analysis includes an assessment of the robustness of the solution to realistic environmental disturbances.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Clarke, Kimberley A. (Kimberly Anne), 1979-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jonathan P. How.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28284

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/28284