Numerical exploration of resonant dynamics in the system of Saturnian major satellites

We numerically investigate the long-term dynamics of the Saturnian system by analyzing the Fourier spectra of ensembles of orbits taken around the current orbits of Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Rhea and Hyperion. We construct dynamical maps around the current position of these satellites in their respective phase spaces. The maps are the result of a great deal of numerical simulations where we adopt dense sets of initial conditions and different satellite configurations. Several structures associated to the current two-body mean-motion resonances, unstable regions associated to close approaches between the satellites, and three-body mean-motion resonances in the system, are identified in the map. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instability zones for satellites of asteroids: The example of the (87) Sylvia system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Orbital propagation for Brazilian satellites using NORAD models

The performance of the NORAD models for near Earth satellites (SGP, SGP4, SGP8) using two Brazilian flying satellites, SCD-1 and SCD-2, and the Chinese-Brazilian satellite CBERS-1 is compared. The achievable accuracy of such models is compared against the predicted 2-lines elements set for the satellites. Every week an updated fresh set of 2-lines elements for these satellites is made available through the Internet. About ten years of observations of the SCD-1 satellite are available and therefore solar activity influences on the orbit can be analyzed. Data are selected considering also orbital (for CBERS-1) and attitude (for SCD-2) maneuvers - (C) 2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

The strands of the F ring disturbed by its closest satellites

Some Voyager images showed that the F ring of Saturn is composed of at least four separate, non-intersecting, strands covering about 45 degrees in longitude. According to Murray et al. [Murray, C.D., Gordon, M., Giuliatti Winter, S.M. Unraveling the strands of Saturn's F ring. Icarus 129, 304, 1997.] this structure may be caused by undetected satellites embedded in the gaps.Due to precession, the satellites Prometheus and Pandora and the ring particles can experience periodic close encounters. Giuliatti Winter et al. [Giuliatti Winter, S.M, Murray, C.D., Gordon, M. Perturbations to Saturn's F-ring strands at their closest approach to Prometheus. Plan. Space Sciences, 48, 817, 2000.] analysed the behaviour of these four strands at closest approach with the satellite Prometheus. Their work suggests that Prometheus can induce the ring particles to scatter in the direction of the planet, thus increasing the population of small bodies in this region.In this work we analysed the effects of Prometheus on the radial structure of Saturn's F ring during the Voyager and early Cassini epochs. Our results show that at Voyager epoch Prometheus, and also Pandora, had a negligible influence in the strands. However, during the Cassini encounter Prometheus could affect the strands significantly, scattering particles of the inner strand in the direction of the planet. This process can contribute to the replenishment of material in the region between the F ring and the A ring, where two rings have recently been discovered [Porco, C. et al. Cassini imaging science. Initial results on Saturn's rings and small Satellites. Science, 307, 1226, 2005].We also analyse the behaviour of undetected satellites under the effects of these two satellites by computing the Lyapunov Characteristic Exponent. Our results show that these satellites have a chaotic behaviour which leads to a much more complex scenario. The new satellite S/2004 S6 also presents a chaotic behaviour with can alter the dynamic of the system, since this satellite crosses the orbit of the strands. (C) 2006 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Irregular Satellites of Jupiter: a study of the capture direction

The irregular satellites of Jupiter are believed to be captured asteroids or planetesimals. In the present work is studied the direction of capture of these objects as a function of their orbital inclination. We performed numerical simulations of the restricted three-body problem, Sun-Jupiter-particle, taking into account the growth of Jupiter. The integration was made backward in time. Initially, the particles have orbits as satellites of Jupiter, which has its present mass. Then, the system evolved with Jupiter losing mass and the satellites escaping from the planet. The reverse of the escape direction corresponds to the capture direction. The results show that the Lagrangian points L1 and L2 mainly guide the direction of capture. Prograde satellites are captured through these two gates with very narrow amplitude angles. In the case of retrograde satellites, these two gates are wider. The capture region increases as the orbital inclination increases. In the case of planar retrograde satellites the directions of capture cover the whole 360 degrees around Jupiter. We also verified that prograde satellites are captured earlier in actual time than retrograde ones.

Stability analysis of the attitude of artificial satellites subject to gravity gradient torque

Using a canonical formulation, the stability of the rotational motion of artificial satellites is analyzed considering perturbations due to the gravity gradient torque. Here Andoyer's variables are used to describe the rotational motion. One of the approaches that allow the analysis of the stability of Hamiltonian systems needs the reduction of the Hamiltonian to a normal form. Firstly equilibrium points are found. Using generalized coordinates, the Hamiltonian is expanded in the neighborhood of the linearly stable equilibrium points. In a next step a canonical linear transformation is used to diagonalize the matrix associated to the linear part of the system. The quadratic part of the Hamiltonian is normalized. Based in a Lie-Hori algorithm a semi-analytic process for normalization is applied and the Hamiltonian is normalized up to the fourth order. Once the Hamiltonian is normalized up to order four, the analysis of stability of the equilibrium point is performed using the theorem of Kovalev and Savichenko. This semi-analytical approach was applied considering some data sets of hypothetical satellites. For the considered satellites it was observed few cases of stable motion. This work contributes for space missions where the maintenance of spacecraft attitude stability is required.

Assessment of tropical forest degradation by selective logging and fire using Landsat imagery

Many studies have assessed the process of forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon using remote sensing approaches to estimate the extent and impact by selective logging and forest fires on tropical rain forest. However, only a few have estimated the combined impacts of those anthropogenic activities. We conducted a detailed analysis of selective logging and forest fire impacts on natural forests in the southern Brazilian Amazon state of Mato Grosso, one of the key logging centers in the country. To achieve this goal a 13-year series of annual Landsat images (1992-2004) was used to test different remote sensing techniques for measuring the extent of selective logging and forest fires, and to estimate their impact and interaction with other land use types occurring in the study region. Forest canopy regeneration following these disturbances was also assessed. Field measurements and visual observations were conducted to validate remote sensing techniques. Our results indicated that the Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index aerosol free (MSAVI(af)) is a reliable estimator of fractional coverage under both clear sky and under smoky conditions in this study region. During the period of analysis, selective logging was responsible for disturbing the largest proportion (31%) of natural forest in the study area, immediately followed by deforestation (29%). Altogether, forest disturbances by selective logging and forest fires affected approximately 40% of the study site area. Once disturbed by selective logging activities, forests became more susceptible to fire in the study site. However, our results showed that fires may also occur in undisturbed forests. This indicates that there are further factors that may increase forest fire susceptibility in the study area. Those factors need to be better understood. Although selective logging affected the largest amount of natural forest in the study period, 35% and 28% of the observed losses of forest canopy cover were due to forest fire and selective logging combined and to forest fire only, respectively. Moreover, forest areas degraded by selective logging and forest fire is an addition to outright deforestation estimates and has yet to be accounted for by land use and land cover change assessments in tropical regions. Assuming that this observed trend of land use and land cover conversion continues, we predict that there will be no undisturbed forests remaining by 2011 in this study site. Finally, we estimated that 70% of the total forest area disturbed by logging and fire had sufficiently recovered to become undetectable using satellite data in 2004. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Some Initial Conditions for Disposed Satellites of the Systems GPS and Galileo Constellations

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of the planetary migration on some primordial satellites of the outer planets

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estimativa de variacao anual da reflexao da vegetacao atraves de imagens Landsat

Landsat images obtained in different periods were analysed with the aid of a transmission densitometer. Forest, pasture and crops were studied during Jan., April, July and Oct. and the results suggest the possibility of studying crop cycles using this method. -from Field Crop Abstracts

Estudo da influencia do relevo nos dados de reflectancia da superficie do terreno atraves de imagens Landsat.

Presents a study of the spectral response of a specific vegetative cover under the same soil elevation angle, but in different classes of slope, through Landsat transparencies. The site located in the region of Presidente Prudente was studied through topo sheets to define the classes of slope. Densitometric readings were obtained of selected areas, representing the terrain reflectance in different relief conditions. The cluster analysis was used to classify the densitometric data according to the classes of slope. The map of classes of slope/reflectance of the terrain surface showed a high correlation, mainly for the classes A (0-10%) and B (10-20%). -from English summary

Dynamics of some fictitious satellites of Venus and Mars

The dynamics of some fictitious satellites of Venus and Mars are studied considering only solar perturbation and the oblateness of the planet, as disturbing forces. Several numerical integrations of the averaged system, taking different values of the obliquity of ecliptic (a), show the existence of strong chaotic motion, provided that the semi major axis is near a critical value. As a consequence, large increase of eccentricities occur and the satellites may collide with the planet or cross possible internal orbits. Even starting from almost circular and equatorial orbits, most satellites can easily reach prohibitive values. The extension of the chaotic zone depends clearly on the value ε, so that, previous regular regions may become chaotic, provided ε increases sufficiently. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time analysis for temporary gravitational capture: Satellites of Uranus

We study the problem of gravitational capture in the framework of the Sun-Uranus-particle system. Part of the space of initial conditions is systematically explored, and the duration of temporary gravitational capture is measured. The location and size of different capture-time regions are given in terms of diagrams of initial semimajor axis versus eccentricity. The other initial orbital elements - inclination (i), longitude of the node (Ω), argument of pericenter (ω), and time of pericenter passage (τ) - are first taken to be zero. Then we investigate the cases with ω = 90°, 180°, and 270°. We also present a sample of results for Ω = 90°, considering the cases i = 60°, 120°, 150°, and 180°. Special attention is given to the influence of the initial orbital inclination, taking orbits initially in opposition at pericenter. In this case, the initial inclination is varied from 0° to 180° in steps of 10°. The success of the final stage of the capture problem, which involves the transformation of temporary captures into permanent ones, is highly dependent on the initial conditions associated with the longest capture times. The largest regions of the initial-conditions space with the longest capture times occur at inclinations of 60°-70° and 160°. The regions of possible stability as a function of initial inclination are also delimited. These regions include not only a known set of retrograde orbits, but also a new sort of prograde orbit with inclinations greater than zero.

Estrutura térmica identificada por transectos móveis e canal termal do Landsat 7 em cidade tropical

This study aims to examine the thermal structure of the urban climate based on the interpretation of the satellite Landsat 7 (thermal channel) and measures for the area. It identifies how the production of urban climate develops based on an analysis of the structure of space forms and characteristics of land use and constructive materials in the generation of heat islands and their implications in environmental comfort in a tropical climate medium size city at Brazil. To check intra-urban air temperature, measures were carried out in mobile transects in the North-South and East-West routes. Thermal Channel data of Landsat-7, were converted to surface values. The results showed that the pattern of urbanization and characteristics of land use are responsible for the distribution of temperature generating heat islands in downtown and popular densely built neighborhoods. In those cases the highest indexes of social segregation added to higher temperature also provokes elevation in the number of illnesses and morbidity cases, mostly of respiratory diseases.