Planetary sunshade - Modeling of attitude dependence of shadow

Institut

Lehrstuhl für Astrodynamik (TUM-ED)

Typ

Semesterarbeit / Masterarbeit /

Inhalt

 

Beschreibung

The Chair of Astrodynamics at TUM offers a Semester Thesis opportunity in the field of planetary sunshades, focusing on modeling how the attitude of a sunshade spacecraft affects the shadow it casts on Earth. Space-based solar radiation management has been proposed as a complementary approach
to mitigate climate change. While classical concepts place large sunshades near the Sun–Earth L1 point, Earth-orbit sunshades can be considered as an alternative. The amount of sunlight blocked depends strongly on the orientation of the shade relative to the Sun and the Earth, which is in turn
shaped by attitude control requirements. 
The objective of this thesis is to model the actual shadow cast by a sunshade spacecraft as a function of its shape and attitude. Instead of approximating the shade as a sphere or a flat disk, the student will represent the spacecraft as a three-dimensional geometry, from simple shapes such as a cube to complex configurations such as an ISS-like structure. For a given attitude, the student will compute the spacecraft’s silhouette as seen from the Sun, project it onto the Earth’s surface, and evaluate the resulting reduction in irradiance. The student will gain hands-on experience in orbital mechanics,
attitude kinematics, and computational geometry, supporting ongoing research at the Chair on Earth-orbit sunshade concepts.
Before applying, please read the following task description and necessary prerequisites carefully. If you are interested in the project and feel you are a good fit, send a short motivational statement (max 1 page), a tabular CV, a current transcript and a description/list of any relevant projects you previously
took part in to silvia.busi@tum.de.

Voraussetzungen

• Basic knowledge of orbital mechanics and spacecraft attitude representations 
• Programming experience in at least one of the following: MATLAB, Python, Julia
• Ability to work independently
• Ability and motivation to learn new methods and software tools

Möglicher Beginn

sofort

Kontakt

Silvia Busi
silvia.busitum.de

Ausschreibung