Aerospace | |
Free-Vertex Tetrahedral Finite-Element Representation and Its Use for Estimating Density Distribution of Irregularly-Shaped Asteroids | |
Yu Shi1  Weidong Yin1  Leizheng Shu1  Yang Yu2  | |
[1] Key Laboratory of Space Utilization, Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China;School of Aeronautical Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100091, China; | |
关键词: asteroid or comet; tetrahedral finite element; gravitational model; density distribution; spherical harmonics; | |
DOI : 10.3390/aerospace8120371 | |
来源: DOAJ |
【 摘 要 】
In this article, we present a free-vertex tetrahedral finite-element representation of irregularly shaped small bodies, which provides an alternative solution for estimating asteroid density distribution. We derived the transformations between gravitational potentials expressed by the free-vertex tetrahedral finite elements and the spherical harmonic functions. Inversely, the density of each free-vertex tetrahedral finite element can be estimated via the least-squares method, assuming a spherical harmonic gravitational function is present. The proposed solution is illustrated by modeling gravitational potential and estimating the density distribution of the simulated asteroid 216 Kleopatra.
【 授权许可】
Unknown