Modeling of Mars Entry Vehicles with an Internal Sole-moving-mass Actuator

This paper investigates the deployment of an internal sole-moving-mass actuator in Mars entry vehicles. Given the extreme environment of Mars atmosphere, moving mass control has gained plenty of advantages in efficiency, cost and reliability over aerodynamic flap and thruster-based control. First, a model of moving-mass dynamics is derived using Kane's Method based on the proposed moving mass configuration. In such a multi-body system, the interactions between the moving mass and the vehicle are focused on during the modeling procedure. Then, several key parameters of the moving mass configuration are determined through analysis. Finally, the manipulation characteristics are verified to ensure the capability of mission accomplishment. Simulation results indicate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed sole-moving-mass actuator.