The Effects of Aerobraking Through a Comet Tail on the Orbit of a Spacecraft

This research looked at the feasibility of using a comet tail to change the orbit of a spacecraft by aerobraking. Although this would act as a one-time delta V because there could be only one possible rendezvous, it would serve as a way to change orbits without the need for extra fuel. In this endeavor, two methods were used; the first was to apply the drag equations at a specific point in the orbit and numerically integrate them to see the results. The second was to calculate the force of drag throughout an ideal two-body problem and compare it to the gravitational force. This was to show the relative magnitudes of the forces and see how significant the force would be. Overall, aerobraking in a comet tail proved to be a viable method if the densities are sufficiently high, and it was found that there is a point in the orbit that maximizes the relative force magnitudes.