AEM Mechanics Research SeminarTuesday 16-Sep-2025, 12:20pm Central
Prof. Damennick Henry
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
Title: Invariant Tori for Spaceflight ApplicationsAbstract: Over the next several decades, we will endeavor to develop a sustainable and persistent
human presence on the Moon. Indeed, many national and international
entities from both the public and private sectors have already planned
missions to support this ambition. Realizing our goals will demand that
many vehicles operate within cislunar space, a region in which motion is
heavily influenced by the pull of the Earth and Moon. Together, the
Earth and Moon's gravities create a chaotic dynamical environment that
spacecraft will travel within. Understanding these complex dynamics is
imperative for future Lunar development. Organization within cislunar
space's dynamics can be uncovered through the computation of invariant
tori, structures within dynamical systems that are topologically
equivalent to the surface of a torus. Low-dimensional tori such as
equilibrium points (0-dimensional tori) and periodic orbits
(1-dimensional tori) have long been leveraged to build a geometric
picture of motion in chaotic systems. This talk will present recent
research on the computation and application of higher-dimensional tori
that form quasi-periodic orbits in cislunar space. Quasi-periodic orbits
are a more general class of bounded motion that allow us to form a more
complete understanding of spacecraft motion. Leveraging this more
complete picture enables the development of key enabling technologies
such as fuel-efficient maneuvers between cislunar regions and the
coordination of multiple vehicles in unstable regimes.For more information, visit the AEM Mechanics Research Seminar website: