create a reentry trajectory in matlab

To create a reentry trajectory in MATLAB, you would typically follow these steps:

  1. Define the physical parameters of the reentry vehicle, such as mass, drag coefficient, and lift coefficient.
  2. Define the initial state of the vehicle, such as its altitude, speed, and attitude.
  3. Simulate the trajectory using a numerical solver such as ode45 or ode113. This solver would integrate the vehicle's equations of motion over time, taking into account the forces and torques on the vehicle due to gravity, drag, and lift.
  4. Plot the trajectory to visualize the vehicle's path through the atmosphere and ensure that it achieves the desired atmospheric entry conditions.

Here is some sample code that demonstrates these steps:

main.m
% Define physical parameters
m = 5000;       % mass (kg)
Cd = 1.5;        % drag coefficient
Cl = 0.3;        % lift coefficient
r_e = 6371e3;   % radius of Earth (m)
mu = 3.986e14;  % gravitational parameter of Earth (m^3/s^2)

% Define initial state
h0 = 100e3;     % initial altitude (m)
v0 = 5000;      % initial speed (m/s)
gamma0 = -5;    % initial flight path angle (degrees)
psi0 = 90;      % initial heading angle (degrees)

% Define simulation time span
tspan = [0 2000];   % simulation time span (s)

% Define function for vehicle's equations of motion
f = @(t,X) reentry_ode(t,X,m,Cd,Cl,r_e,mu);

% Set initial conditions
X0 = [r_e+h0; v0; gamma0*pi/180; psi0*pi/180];

% Simulate trajectory
options = odeset('RelTol',1e-9,'AbsTol',1e-10);
[T,X] = ode45(f, tspan, X0, options);

% Convert results to altitude/latitude/longitude coordinates
[lat,lon,alt] = ecef2geodetic(X(:,1), X(:,2), X(:,3), r_e, 0.08181919^2);

% Plot trajectory in 3D
figure
plot3(X(:,1), X(:,2), X(:,3))
xlabel('X (m)')
ylabel('Y (m)')
zlabel('Z (m)')
axis equal

% Plot altitude vs. time
figure
plot(T/60, alt/1e3)
xlabel('Time (min)')
ylabel('Altitude (km)')
1145 chars
43 lines

Note that the reentry_ode function referenced above needs to be defined separately and should contain the vehicle's equations of motion.

related categories

gistlibby LogSnag