%0 Journal Article
%T Cumulative Perturbations Affecting a Spacecraft on a Mars Equatorial Orbit from the Waxing and Waning of the Polar Caps of the Planet
%A Jean-Pierre Barriot
%J Open Access Library Journal
%V 2
%N 12
%P 1-9
%@ 2333-9721
%D 2015
%I Open Access Library
%R 10.4236/oalib.1102272
%X We demonstrate in this paper that periodic variations of the J2 gravity coefficient of a
planet induce small cumulative perturbations on a given family of circular
equatorial orbits, and that these perturbations could be measurable with
current radiosciences technology. For this purpose, we first consider a
Poincar¨¦ expansion of the Newtonian equations of motion. Then, by using Floquet¡¯s
theory, we demonstrate that, unlike the excitation mechanism, the perturbations
are non- periodic, and that the orbit is not ¡°stable¡± in the long-term, with
perturbations growing exponentially. We give the full theory and an application
to the case of planet Mars.
%K Mars¡¯ Length-of-Day
%K Orbit Perturbations
%K Floquet¡¯s Theorem
%U http://www.oalib.com/paper/3154220