70-FM-23 RTCC Requirements for Apollo 14 (H-3) Mission: Earth-Centered Return-to-Earth Conic Subprocessor

Survival, Water, Medical Field Manuals

Military Manuals

D. R. Davis And T. P. Garrison

Document text

00 k«Jii 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 


MSC INTERNAL NOTE NO. 70-FM-23 


March 23, 1970 

RTCC REQUIREMENTS FOR 
APOLLO 14 (H-3) MISSION: 
EARTH-CENTERED RETURN-TO-EARTH 
CONIC SUBPROCESSOR 



Lunar Mission Analysis Branch 
MISSION PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DIVISION 


» 


MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER 
houston.texas 











MSC INTERNAL NOTE NO. 70-FM-23 


MSC-Ol567 


PROJECT APOLLO 

RTCC REQUIREMENTS FOR APOLLO 14 (H-3) MISSION- 
EARTH-CENTERED RETURN-TO-EARTH CONIC SUBPROCESSOR 


By D. R. Davis and T. P. Garrison 
TRW Systems Group 


March 23, 1970 


MISSION PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DIVISION 
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 
MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER 
HOUSTON, TEXAS 


MSC Task Monitor: R. S. Davis 


Approved: 


Approved: 














CONTENTS 


Section Page 

1.0 SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION . 1 

2.0 ABBREVIATIONS . 1 

3.0 EARTH-CENTERED SUBPROCESSOR MODES . 2 

3.1 Time Critical Unspecified Area. 2 

3.2 Fuel Critical Unspecified Area. 4 

3.3 Primary Target Point Mode . 5 

3.3.1 PTP tradeoff. 5 

3.3.2 PTP discrete. 8 

3.4 Alternate Target Point Mode . 9 

3.4.1 ATP tradeoff. 9 

3.4.2 ATP discrete. 11 

APPENDIX A - DEFINITION OF SYMBOLS USED 

IN FLOW CHARTS. 1 3 

APPENDIX B - LOGIC FLOW OF THE EARTH- 

CENTERED RETURN-TO-EARTH CONIC SUBPROCESSOR .... 21 

SUBROUTINE DVMINQ . . . .. .... 22 

SUBROUTINE FCUA. 26 

SUBROUTINE INITAL. 30 

SUBOURTINE MAIN. 34 

SUBROUTINE MSDS. 36 

SUBROUTINE PRTIAL . 40 

SUBROUTINE RENTRY . 42 

SUBROUTINE RUBR. 44 

SUBROUTINE SCAN. 47 

iii 
































Section Page 

SUBROUTINE TCOMP . 50 

SUBROUTINE TMIN. 54 

SUBROUTINE VACOMP . 58 

SUBROUTINE VARMIN . 60 

SUBROUTINE VELCOM . 62 

SUBROUTINE VUP2. 64 

REFERENCES. 68 
















RTCC REQUIREMENTS FOR APOLLO l4 (H-3) MISSION: 
EARTH-CENTERED RETURN-TO-EARTH CONIC SUBPROCESSOR 


By D. R. Davis and T. P. Garrison 
TRW Systems 


1.0 SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 


This documentation of the earth-centered return-to-earth conic 
subprocessor completes the logic specification, corrects errors found in 
reference 1, and incorporates several changes that have been made since 
the previous documentation. New subroutines added are the analytic calib¬ 
ration subroutine and the entry simulation subroutine. This document 
completely defines the earth-centered conic subprocessor with the excep¬ 
tion of the state vector advance subroutine. Some of the control logic 
has been restructured to correspond more closely with the current RTCC 
formulation or to present a more logical flow sequence. Modifications 
to the program which eliminate the polynomial'curve fits in subroutine 
ETAARF are included in this document and are indicated by bars in the 
margin of the affected pages. Symbol definitions are, presented in 
appendix A for the logic defined in appendix B, which is the specification 
for the earth-centered return-to-earth conic subprocessor for Apollo l4 
and subsequent missions and supersedes that defined in reference 1. 

Detailed logic of the moon-centered return-to-earth conic subpro¬ 
cessor is presented in reference 2. The supervisory and precision 
computation logic which completes the RTCC requirements for the return- 
to-earth processor (RTEAP) for Apollo l4 and subsequent missions is 
presented in reference 3. 


2.0 ABBREVIATIONS 

ATP alternate target point 

DV change in velocity 

DVM maximum allowable DV 








EFCUA 


2 


extreme fuel critical unspecified area 
FCUA fuel critical unspecified area 

MD miss distance to a PTP 

MDM maximum allowable miss distance to a PTP 

MSI moon's sphere of influence 

PTP primary target point, that is, a point on the 

earth's surface 

RTCC Real-Time Computer Complex 

RTEAP Return-to-Earth Abort Processor 

TCUA time critical unspecified area 

3.0 EARTH-CENTERED SUBPROCESSOR MODES 

The following subsections describe the manner in which solutions 
are generated in this subprocessor, the input required to operate the 
different modes, and the output parameters for each mode. In addition 
to the required input, each subprocessor mode is initialized with a 
premaneuver state vector(s) X(j), where J is the total number of 

state vectors, and a reference epoch time from the abort processor's 
supervisory logic. 


3.1 Time Critical Unspecified Area 

The TCUA mode generates the trajectories that return to a specified, 
reentry target line with the smallest transit time without regard to 
landing point. This solution will be characterized by either maximum 
allowable DV at abort or by the maximum allowable reentry speed. The 
solution plane coincides with the preabort plane of motion if the 
preabort inclination is not greater than the maximum allowable inclina¬ 
tion; otherwise, the maneuver plane is rotated to the plane characterized 
by maximum inclination (the rotation being through the smaller angle 
because there are generally two planes that have a specified inclination 
passing through the abort position). 

The solution generated in this mode is user determined in the sense 
that it is characterized by either maximum reentry speed or maximum DV 
for the maneuver. The solution is generated in subroutine TMIN and the 
inclination constraints are checked in subroutine INITAL. 









The input quantities for the TCUA mode are the following. 


DVM 

Maximum DV to be used for the abort maneuver 

T 

Time at which the maneuver is to be computed 

ICRNGG 

Flag that defines the reentry mode which is to be simulated 

I rmax 

Maximum inclination computed at reentry 

U rmax 

Maximum reentry speed 

RRBI 

Constant reentry relative range (down range) which 
will be substituted for the relative range value 
obtained from the reentry curve fits 

IMSFN 

Flag that selects the reentry target line 


The output quantities to the abort processor supervisory logic (ref. 3) 
are as follows. 


DV 

Maneuver velocity vector increment (calibrated) 

DVC 

Conic DV magnitude (uncalibrated) 

HR 

Reentry radius vector 

U 

r 

Reentry velocity vector 

T 

Time of reentry 

X z and 6 i 

s Longitude and geocentric latitude of landing site 

n rz 

9 cr 

Down-range angle from reentry to landing 

Cross-range angle from reentry to landing 

T rz 

NOSOLN 

Time from reentry to landing 

Error flag indicating whether a valid solution 
was found in the conic program 


NOSOLN 








3.2 Fuel Critical Unspecified Area 


The FCUA mode generates the minimum fuel maneuver required to return 
to acceptable reentry conditions ignoring landing point constraints. 

The earth reference logic first analytically determines the fuel critical 
inplane solution that returns to the specified reentry target line. If 
the preabort inclination is acceptable, the solution is determined in the 
preabort plane. Otherwise, a plane change is made to the maximum 
inclination plane that is selected in the same manner as the TCUA mode, 
and the solution is found in this plane. 

If sufficient DV is allowed for an abort, the return is computed 
to the selected reentry target line. However, if the DVM constraint is 
violated, the logic attempts to generate a trajectory using DVM to 
minimize the deviation from the desired reentry target line. The program 
uses flight-path angle at reentry as the independent variable to drive 
DV to DVM. If this solution is available, it becomes the solution returned 
by the FCUA mode and is called the extreme fuel critical unspecified 
area (EFCUA) solution. If the DVM cannot be satisfied by varying the 
reentry path angle between 90° and 110°., the logic returns no solution. 

The input quantities for this option are identical to those given 
for the TCUA mode. 


The output quantities to the abort processor supervisory logic 
(ref. 3) are as follows. 

Maneuver velocity vector increment (uncalibrated) 
Reentry radius vector 
Reentry velocity vector 
Time of reentry 

Longitude and geocentric latitude of landing site 
Down-range angle from reentry to landing 
Cross-range angle from reentry to landing 
Time from reentry to landing 

Error flag that indicates whether a valid solution 
was found in the conic program 









5 


3.3 Primary Target Point Mode 

This mode generates, for the maneuver time considered, the DV and 
trip time required to return to a specified PTP. Whenever the PTP is 
accessible within the constraints, the minimum fuel solution for the 
specified miss distance is generated. 

3.3.1 PTP tradeoff .- Two formats are available for the PTP trade¬ 
off mode, namely the near-earth tradeoff and the remote-earth tradeoff. 

The basic logic for generating solutions is identical; however, the 
near-earth format will consider up to five different values for MDM, 
while the remote-earth format is limited to the zero miss distance 
solution. Each tradeoff display consists of all the solutions for up 
to forty state vectors within the allowed range of maneuver times. 

The logic presented is the current RTCC logic known as the fuel- 
critical PTP logic. The initial presentation of the PTP mode (ref. U) 
considered the reentry maneuver as a planar profile. Because this 
approximation has proved invalid, the logic discussed here considers a 
reentry profile which has a cross-range component and whose characteristics 
are determined by the geocentric position as well as by the velocity 
magnitude and direction at reentry. The PTP solution generation logic 
is not an exact simulation, but this logic is the first iteration of a 
procedure which can generate a more precise PTP solution. The 
procedure is described here and is the same as that defined for the PTP 
discrete mode, except that for the PTP discrete mode only a single 
maneuver time and a single miss distance are considered. 

The first computation is the determination of the minimum trip 
time solution (subroutine TMIN). For this transit time, the azimuth 
of a plane which contains the PTP is computed. This azimuth is test¬ 
ed against the pair of azimuths which were chosen as the most con¬ 
straining planes based on the inclination and DVM constraints. If the 
azimuth or the plane which contains the site is acceptable, then the plane 
through the desired landing site is chosen to be the maneuver plane; 
otherwise, the constraint plane that has an azimuth closest to the azi¬ 
muth of the site plane is selected. Note that this choice of azimuth 
minimizes the miss distance, where the miss distance may be defined 
(as a function of azimuth) as the minimuni great circle distance between 
the desired landing site and the actual impact point. The reentry point 
is defined for the trajectory with the specified transit time and with 
the defined azimuth. The reentry trajectory and the associated impact 
point are computed for this reentry point. The coordinates of the PTP 
are offset by the negative of the difference between the impact point 
defined by this out-of-plane reentry profile and the one defined by the 
corresponding planar reentry profile. (This offset is defined such that, 
if the planar reentry trajectory passes through the offset landing point, 
the out-of-plane reentry profile would pass through the PTPl) For this 
new impact point, the miss distance is computed with the azimuth re-defined 
for the offset reentry to minimize the miss distance. The miss distance 









6 


is computed in subroutine MSDS. Transit time is now increased by a 
small amount, and the miss distance is recomputed by the above procedure. 
The logic next goes to subroutine TCOMP which computes the next value of 
transit time based on the present and past values of miss distance 
and the desired direction of motion of the impact point. At this point, 
the logic is attempting to minimize the miss distance; therefore, if the 
present value of miss distance is smaller than the past value, TCOMP 
continues to increase the transit time. This procedure continues until 
the maximum allowable miss distance is achieved or until a min imum in the 
MD is found. If a minimum is found, a flag is set based on the direction 
of motion of the impact point. If motion of the impact point is 
easterly, the miss distance should be maximized before the next minimum 
is sought. If motion of the impact point is westerly, the transit time is 
incremented by 2k hours and a new minimum immediately sought. When the 
miss distance is equal to the maximum allowable miss distance (MDM), a 
scan is performed by incrementing transit time. During this scan, the 
azimuth is varied for each trip time to generate the set of trajectories 
which miss by the specified miss distances. The miss distance is used in 
each case to minimize the required plane change and therefore DV. This 
procedure is repeated until the miss distance is larger than the maximum 
distance allowed. When the maximum distance is exceeded, the search is 
re-initiated to determine the next time interval of PTP accessibility 
within the framework of problem constraints. The entire process is 
repeated for each state vector. 

The PTP tradeoff near-earth option produces a graph that presents 
time at abort along the abcissa and two other parameters, DV required for 
the abort and time at landing, along the ordinate. Both latter parameters 
are given for several fixed values of miss distance. 

The PTP remote-earth option of the tradeoff display is designed 
to display abort solutions for those flight regions in which the DV 
difference between miss distance contours is very small. The interval 
between landing times of these solutions is approximately 2k hours. For 
this option, the abort time is plotted along the abcissa, and the 
required DV is plotted along the ordinate. Only the zero miss distance 
contour is presented in this option. The multiple curves which will 
appear on the display are identified by their time at landing, rather 
than with a separate curve. For aborts outside the MSI, only solutions 
which return directly to the earth (posigrade) are generated and 
displayed. 

All solutions are computed to the specified reentry target line and 
include the selected reentry profile. All appropriate constraints are 
considered. 









The input quantities for both PTP modes 


follows. 


Earliest abort time to be considered 


T 

omax 

DVM 

X and 6 

T zmin 

T 

zmax 


Latest abort time to be considered 
Maximum DV to be used for the abort maneuver 

Longitude and geocentric latitude of the desired 
PTP landing site 

Minimum time at landing 
Maximum time at landing 


ICRNGG Flag that selects one of the reentry modes 

Irmax Maximum inclination at reentry 


U Maximum reentry speed 

rmax J * 

RRBI Constant reentry relative range (down range) which 

will be substituted for the relative range 
value obtained from the reentry curve fit 

IMSFN Flag that selects the reentry target line. 

The abort time range indicated (T - T . ) will be limited by 
omax omm 

the RTEAP logic to a maximum of either 2k hours on the trajectory of the 
input state vector or the period associated with the initial abort state 
vector, whichever is smaller. 


The output of the PTP tradeoff option to the abort processor super¬ 
visory logic (ref. 3) is as follows. 

DV Change in velocity at abort (calibrated) 

as a function of 


T 


Time at which abort solution is generated 


Time of landing 








Miss distance to the PTP 


NOSOLN Error flag that indicates whether a valid solution 

was found for any state vector in the conic program 

The output is displayed as .a set.of curves of constant miss distance 
with the DV required at abort and time at landing given as a function of 
abort time. 


3.3.2 PTP discrete .- These computations are exactly those of the 
PTP tradeoff mode, except that a single miss distance, a single approximate 
landing time, and single time of maneuver are considered. 

The following quantities are supplied to the PTP discrete option. 

T q Time at which an abort solution will be generated 


T . , T 
zmin zmax 

X and 6 
z z 

ICREGG 

MDM 

I 

rmax 

U 

rmax 

RRBI 


Minimum and maximum landing times that bracket the 
approximate landing time of the abort solution 

Longitude and geocentric latitude of the desired 
PTP landing site 

Flag that selects the reentry mode 
Maximum miss distance to a PTP 
Maximum inclination measured at reentry 
Maximum reentry speed 


Constant reentry relative range (down range) which 
will be substituted for the relative range 
value obtained from the reentry curve fit 


IMSFN Flag that selects the reentry target line 

The output quantities to the abort processor supervisory logic (ref. 3) 
are as follows. 


DV Maneuver velocity vector increment (calibrated) 

RR Reentry radius vector 

Reentry velocity vector 










9 


T 


r 


Time of reentry 


A and 6 
z z 


Longitude and geocentric latitude of landing site 


Down-range angle from reentry to landing 



Cross-range angle from reentry to landing 


T 


Time from reentry to landing 


NOSOLN 


Error flag that indicates whether a valid solution 
was found in the conic program 


3.4 Alternate Target Point Mode 


The ATP generates solutions which return to lines defined on the 
earth's surface by successive pairs of latitude and longitude. The 
trajectories return in the plane of original motion if this plane satisfies 
the inclination constraint. If the plane of preabort motion is not 
acceptable, the return is computed in the plane with an acceptable 
inclination which requires minimum fuel for plane change. This logic 
operates in a manner quite similar to the PTP logic. The minimum trip 
time solution is generated (subroutine TMIN), and the miss distance for 
this trajectory is computed (subroutine MSDS). For the ATP mode, only 
the zero miss distance solution is an acceptable solution. The miss 
distance for the ATP is defined as the longitude difference between the 
impact point and the ATP measured at the latitude of the impact point. 

The logic then attempts to drive the miss distance to zero. If it succeeds 
the solution is stored if no constraints are violated. After storing a 
solution or finding a non-zero minimum, the logic increments transit 
time to search for the next possible solution. If motion is easterly, 
the miss distance must first be maximized prior to seeking the next minimum 
If motion is westerly, the transit time is increased by 24 hours and a 
new solution sought if the maximum trip time constraint is not violated. 

The logic is limited to ATP definitions which have a variation in 
latitude; that is, constant latitude ATP's are unacceptable. 

3.4.1 ATP tradeoff .- The ATP procedure is applied sequentially to 
each state vector within the allowed range of maneuver times. The two 
formats for the tradeoff display are the same as that for PTP tradeoffs, 
except that for the near-earth format only the zero miss distance is 
computed and, in addition, the latitude of the landing point is displayed 
as an ordinate. The ATP tradeoff input are as follows. 









10 


T omin 

Earliest abort time to be considered 

Tpmax 

Latest abort time to be considered 

DVM 

Maximum DV to be used for the abort maneuver 

X'(j) 

6*(J) 

j longitude-latitude pairs that define the ATP line 

Maximum value for j; that is, the number of points 
that defines the ATP line 

T zmin 

Minimum time at landing 

T zmax 

Maximum time at landing 

ICRNGG 

Flag that selects one of the reentry modes 

I 

rmax 

Maximum inclination at reentry 

U rmax 

Maximum reentry speed 

RRBI 

Constant reentry relative range (down range) which 
will be substituted for the relative range value 
obtained from the reentry curve fit 

IMSFN 

Flag that selects the reentry target line 


The abort time range indicated (T - T . ) will be limited by 
omax omin 

the RTEAP logic to a maximum of either 2b hours on the trajectory of the 
input state vector or the period associated with the initial abort 
state vector, whichever is smaller. 

The output of the ATP tradeoff option to the abort processor super¬ 
visory logic (ref. 3) is as follows. 

The conic program returns 

DV change in velocity at abort (calibrated) 

as a function of 


Time at which abort solution is generated 








11 


T Time of landing 

6 z Geocentric latitude of the landing site 

NOSOLN Error flag that indicates whether a valid solution 

was found for any of the state vectors in the 
conic program 

The ATP format gives DV required at abort, time of landing, and, 
only in the near-earth option, latitude of landing as a function of abort 
time, but only for the zero miss distance condition. 

3.4.2 ATP discrete .- The ATP discrete mode generates the ATP solution 
for a single maneuver time and a single approximate landing time. The 
following quantities are entered as input to the ATP discrete option. 

T Time at which an abort solution will be generated 

T zmin’ T zmax and maximum landing times that bracket 

the approximate landing time of the abort solution 

i longitude-latitude pairs that define the ATP line 

Maximum value for j, that is, the number of points that 
defines the ATP line 

Flag that selects the reentry mode 

Maximum inclination measured at reentry 

Maximum reentry speed 

Constant reentry relative range (down range) 

which will be substituted for the relative range 
value obtained from the reentry curve fit 

Flag that selects the reentry target line 

The output quantities to the abort processor supervisory logic (ref. 3) 
are as follows. 


Mm 

«'(j) 


Maneuver velocity vector increment (calibrated) 











12 


RE 

Reentry radius vector 

U 

r 

Reentry speed vector 

T r 

Time of reentry 

and 6^ 

Longitude and geocentric latitude of landing site 

\z 

6 cr 

Down-range angle from reentry to landing 

Cross-range angle from reentry to landing 

T 

rz 

Time from reentry to landing 

NOSOLN 

Error flag that indicates whether a valid solution 
was found in the conic program 









APPENDIX A 


DEFINITION OF SYMBOLS USED IN FLOW CHARTS 









15 



APPENDIX A 

DEFINITION OF SYMBOLS USED IN FLOW CHARTS 

A,B,C ,D,E 

a 

Coefficients of quartic equation giving normals to 
locus of acceptable abort velocity from preabort 
velocity 

Semimajor axis 

AFG 

Flag used in subroutine MSDS in PTP mode. A non¬ 
zero value indicates that the preabort motion is 
retrograde and that the return plane is to be 
determined by computing the miss distance in two 
different planes and selecting the one that yields 
the smaller miss distance. 

CE 

Cosine of eccentric anomaly 

CUT 

Number of steps taken across the landing site 

DDT 

Fraction of the step size to be taken in trip time 

DFDA 

Conic partial derivative 3f/3a 

DL 

Longitude difference between successive ATP points 

DT 

Step size in trip time 

DTDA 

Conic partial derivative 3T/3a 

DV, DVS 

Maneuver velocity change 

DVC 

Conic DV magnitude (uncalibrated) 

DVM 

Maximum allowable DV 

DVSP 

Total DV for minimum DV solution previously found 

DVSSP 

Past value of DVSP 

DVT, DVM, DVR 

Tangential, normal, and radial components of the 

DV vector 








16 


E 

Eccentric anomaly 

Eccentricity 

ERR 

Difference in transfer angle between impact point 
and PTP 

f 

True anomaly 

I 

Inclination 

J 

m 

Number of state vectors to be considered 

k 

Indicator that gives number of roots 

L 

Longitude on ATP measured at latitude of impact point 

MD1 

Miss distance which is first found to satisfy the 
desired conditions 

MDMM 

Minimum possible miss distance for the present trip 
time 

NOSOLN 

Number of ATP latitude, longitude pairs 

Flag that indicates whether solution has been 
found. If NOSOLN 
= 0, TCUA or FCUA solution found 
= 1, no solution found 
= 2, PTP or ATP solution found 

P ar 

Function that the PTP mode attempts to drive to zero 
to generate acceptable solutions 

Q 

Step size in trip time for scanning across the maximum 
allowable miss distance contour 

R a 

Preabort position vector 

RR 

Reentry radius 

R 

Unit vector through impact point 

SE 

Sine of eccentric anomaly 

SEEK 

Indicates whether a zero miss distance is possible 









IT 


SF Sine of true anomaly 

SOL Indicates whether a solution has teen found 

SW Flag used in TMIN. SW = 0 initially, SW = 1 during 

the iteration for the minimum time solution, and 
SW - 0 if the upper bound on the iteration exceeds 
T 

max 

SW2 Control flag used in the PTP, ATP, and FCUA modes. 

For the PTP mode, flag..is used to generate PTP 
solutions within a maximum miss contour. 

When SW2 = 0, the logic is searching for the 
maximum miss boundary; when SW2 = 1, the direction 
for the optimizing scan is being determined; 
and when SW2 = 2 the logic is performing the 
optimizing scan across the maximum miss contour. 

When SW2 is used in the ATP logic, it changes from 
0 to 1 when the ATP line has been bracketed and a 
linear partial is to be used to generate the 
solution. For the FCUA mode, SW2 indicates the type 
of computation being performed. When SW2 
= 0, a solution is sought to the entry target line 
= 1, a solution is sought with DV < DVM 

= 2, a solution is sought with DV = DVM 

SW6 Indicates whether the impact point moves easterly or 

westerly with increasing trip time 
= 0, indicates easterly motion 

= 1, indicates westerly motion 

SWT Indicates whether a time step based on longitude error 

has been previously taken 

@ 0, indicates no such step previously taken 
= 1, otherwise 

T Trip time 

T^, Tg, T^ Limits on transit time for iteration 

T Flight time from abort to reentry when the abort 

P occurs at apogee on the post maneuver trajectory 


TARSP 


Transit time that corresponds to MD1 








18 


TEST 

Indicates whether the possibility of a zero has been 
detected in the function being minimized 

TP 

Past value of trip time 

T max 

Maximum allowable trip time 

T . 
mm 

Minimum allowable trip time 

T . 
mt 

Minimum possible trip time, computed in subroutine TM1N 

U 

Preabort velocity vector 

U 

r 

Reentry speed 

V 

a 

Preabort velocity vector 

VT a , VR a> VR a 

Tangential, normal, and radial components of the 
postabort velocity vector 

X, X(j) 

Seven-dimension array that defines the preabort state 
vector (i.e., position vector, velocity vector, and 
time) 

X, Y, Z 

Unit vectors along geocentric Cartesian coordinate 
axes 

Rvv** 

Values for nonradial component of speed 

XK 

Indicates whether the function is being minimized 
or maximized 

VVV T u 

Values for radial component of speed 

Right ascension of impact point 

e a 

Postabort flight-path angle 

e o 

Preabort flight-path angle 


Reentry flight-path angle 










19 


Maximum change in azimuth with allowable miss 
distance 

Latitude of one ATP point 
Geocentric latitude of the desired PTP 
True anomaly 

Difference in azimuth from preabort plane to 
transfer plane 

Difference in azimuth from preabort plane to plane 
that contains the desired landing point 

Longitude of one ATP point 

Longitude of the desired PTP 

Earth's gravitational parameter 

Angle inplane from abort to impact point 

Angle inplane from abort to desired landing point 

Earth's rotational rate 










21 


APPENDIX B 

LOGIC FLOW OF THE EARTH-CENTERED 
RETURN-TO-EARTH CONIC SUBPROCESSOR 








22 


DVMINQ 
Description 
Page 1 


APPENDIX B 

LOGIC FLOW OF THE EARTH-CENTERED 
RETURN-TO-EARTH CONIC SUBPROCESSOR 


SUBROUTINE DVMINQ 


Purpose 

This subroutine, called'from FCUA, is used to establish the minimum 
fuel required to obtain safe reentry conditions with specified initial 
position, velocity, flight-path angle, reentry radius, and reentry flight- 
path angle. The input flag, FLAG, is used to specify whether apogee 
passage is desired on the postabort trajectory. 


Input 


FLAG Input flag 

= 1, solution trajectory has a negative radial rate 
= -1, solution trajectory has a positive radial rate 

Q g Postabort direction of motion 

=0, direct 
= 1, retrograde 

Q q Preabort direction of motion 

=0, direct 
= 1, retrograde 

RR Radial distance at reentry 

R q Radial distance at abort 

U Preabort velocity 

6 q Preabort flight-path angle 


Path angle at reentry 











DVMINQ 
Description 
Page 2 


Output 

DV Minimum change in velocity required at abort 

QA Apogee passage flag 

= 0, no apogee passage 
-1, apogee passage 

V a Postahort velocity magnitude 


Postabort flight-path angle 








25 


DVMINQ 
logic Flow 
Page 1 





























































26 


FCUA 

Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE FCUA 


Purpose 

This subroutine computes the fuel critical unspecified area solution 
which has a reentry.velocity and flight-path angle satisfying the re¬ 
entry target line conditions and with DV less than DVM. This solution 
is generated through subroutine DVMINQ. DVMINQ generates the minimum DV 
solutions for a given preabort state, reentry radius, and reentry flight- 
path angle. The reentry speed for this solution is then computed, and 
the flight-path angle corresponding to this reentry speed is generated 
from the target line. If this reentry path angle is equal to the value 
supplied to DVMINQ, the solution is accepted; otherwise, the most recent 
value of path angle is supplied to DVMINQ, and the solution is repeated 
until convergence is achieved. The input constraints are then checked. 

If no solution is found that satisfies these constraints, the logic 
attempts to find an extreme fuel-critical solution with a reentry flight- 
path angle between 90° and 110° that satisfies the available fuel and 
maximum velocity at reentry constraints. 


DV allowed for abort (may include rotation to 
acceptable inclination) 

KR Reentry radius 

R a > R a Position vector at abort and its magnitude 

SW2 Control flag 

= 0, when generating the normal FCUA solution that 
satisfies the reentry target line 
= 1 or 2, when generating the EFCUA solution, 
depending on the state of the search 

6 q Preabort flight-path angle 

$ r Reentry flight-path angle 


Earth's gravitational parameter 






27 


FCUA 

Description 
Page 2 


Output 

Change in velocity 
Reentry speed 

Reentry flight-path angle 







Logic Flow 
Page 1 
























































30 


INITAL 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE INITAL 

Purpose 

This routine initializes the program at the beginning of each 
state vector. 


DVM 

Input 

Maximum allowable change in velocity 

I rmax 

Maximum inclination of postabort orbit 

RR 

Reentry radius 

R 

P 

Unit vector in direction of abort position vector 

T o 

Time of abort 

T rz (avg) 

Average time from reentry to landing 

T zmax ° r STMX 

Maximum time of landing 

T zmin or STMN 

Minimum time of landing 

"o 

Rreabort velocity vector 

U rmax 

Maximum allowable reentry velocity 

X 

Preabort position vector 

6 

Latitude of desired landing site 

Ami 

Output 

Constraint that limits the inclination of the 
postabort orbit north of the equator 

Am2 

Constraint that limits the inclination of the 
postabort orbit south of the equator 








31 



t 



DDT 

DT 


Q 0 


VR 

VT 

|| 

“g 

“go 


INITAL 
Description 
Page 2 

Azimuth of premaneuver velocity vector 

Fraction of trip time increment to be taken 
during the search for PTP and ATP solutions 

Trip time increment used in searching for PTP 
and ATP solutions 

Semi-latus rectum for preabort orbit 
Preabort motion direction flag 

Unit vector in direction of premaneuver angular 
momentum 

Unit vector in preabort plane of motion which is 
orthogonal to abort position vector 

Trip time for which motion of the impact point 
switches from easterly to westerly 

Maximum allowable trip time 

Minimum trip time 

Magnitude of preabort velocity 

Radial component of preabort velocity 

Tangential component of preabort velocity 

Magnitude of abort position 

Right ascension at Greenwich at abort time 

Right ascension of Greenwich at 0 h on day of abort 

Preabort flight-path angle 

Average down-range distance 

Azimuth change to south inclination constraint 
Azimuth change to north inclination constraint 
Azimuth change to nearest inclination constraint 









INITAL 
Logic Flow 
Page 1 




















































INITAL 
Logic Flow 


33 










































3b 


MAIN 

Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE MAIN 


Purpose 

This subroutine is the main control routine and the entry point 
for the conic program. In the flow chart are shown the logic flow for 
the overall program and the sequence in which subroutines are used to 
generate solutions. 


Input 

See section 3 for the mode specified input and appendix A. 










35 


i 



MAIN 

Logic Flow 





















































36 


MSDS 


Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE MSDS 


Purpose 


This subroutine computes the miss distance (i.e., the distance 
between the current impact point and the desired landing site) for the 
ATP and the PTP modes. If an ATP solution is being generated, the impact 
point may be computed immediately because the plane of the postmaneuver 
conic is known. From the impact point, the miss distance is computed as 
the longitude difference between the impact point and the desired landing 
line, measured at the latitude of the impact point. 

For PTP modes, the return plane must first be determined. The return 
plane is chosen to be that which minimizes the miss distance from the 
site without violating either the inclination or AV constraints. The 
miss distance in this mode is the smallest distance between the impact 
point and the desired landing site. To determine the return plane, the 
subroutine first generates the azimuths of trajectory planes determined by 
the inclination and AV constraints and retains the most constraining set 
as limits on the azimuth of the postabort velocity vector. Next, the 
azimuth of a plane passing through the desired landing site (at the 
current transit time) is computed. If this azimuth is between the limiting 
values, then the plane through the site is determined to be the postabort 
plane of motion. Otherwise, the constraint plane nearest the plane passing 
through the site is selected. When the return plane is known, the impact 
point and corresponding miss distance may be determined. This subroutine 
was formulated using logic from subroutines PHICOM, THZCOM, and the ATP 
computations found in reference 1. 


Input 


A r 


Preabort azimuth 


z 


DVM 


Maximum allowable DV 


DVR 


Radial component of the AV vector 


R 


Unit vector in direction of abort point 
Unit vector in direction of preabort angular 


P 


momentum 


Unit vector in direction of (R. x r ) 











37 


MSDS 

Description 
Page 2 



g 

5 

6' (mm) 
X' (mm) 

X 


Tangential component of the postabort velocity 
vector 

Tangential component of the preabort velocity 
vector 

Bight ascension of Greenvich at the abort time 

Latitude of the desired landing site 

mm latitude-longitude pairs defining the ATP line 

Longitude of the desired landing site 

Transfer angle from abort to reentry 

Azimuth change to maximum inclination plane with 
azimuth > 90° 

Azimuth change to maximum inclination plane 
with an azimuth < 90° 


Output 

MD Miss distance 

6 Latitude of the impact point 

$ Total transfer angle to the impact point 

'f’z Total transfer angle from abort to desired landing 

site 


Longitude of the impact point 
Azimuth change to desired landing site 








38 


MSDS 

Logic Flow 
































































39 


















































PRTIAL 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE PRTIAL 

Purpose 

The purpose of this subroutine is to compute the partial derivative 
3n 

from the conic equations of motion. The partial is computed by 



on on 

using the chain rule to write y T ~ r - = - ~ ar 


The derivatives may then be calculated from Kepler's equations, and the 
polar equation of the orbit. Also from the fact that the perigee radius 
is nearly constant along the target line (it varies from 3091 n. mi. to 
3465 n. mi. as the entry speed varies from 25 000 fps to 38 000 fps), 
the approximation that perigee radius is constant is made. 




FLAG 


- 1, preapogee on conic trajectory 
= -1, postapogee on conic trajectory 


RR 


Reentry radius magnitude 


R 


Abort radius magnitude 


U 


Reentry speed 


Output 


Conic partial derivative Sn^/ST^ 


DNDT 









0 - 


-G> 



































42 


RENTRY 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE RENTRY 


Purpose 

The function of this subroutine is to compute down-range distance, 
cross-range distance, and time from reentry to landing when the state 
vector at reentry is given. 


ICRNGG 


L/D 

RRBI 


Input 

= 1, constant G reentry 
= 2, G&N reentry 

= 10, compute R0 only; RO is that portion of 
the down-range distance that depends on reentry 
speed only 

= 1, use shallow reentry target line 
= 2, use steep reentry target line 

Lift over drag 

Constant relative range (down range) 

Unit vector in direction of abort point 

Unit vector in direction of preabort angular 
momentum 

Unit vector in direction of (R, x r ) 

1 o 

Reentry speed 

Transfer angle from abort to reentry 
Azimuth change 

Output 

Time from reentry to landing 
Down-range angle 
Cross-range angle. 










•>6 r ) + <3(5, DBFN)«Vb + Q(6, 




































41 * 


SUBROUTINE RUBR 


This subroutine constructs a trajectory between 
at abort and the radial distance at reentry when the 
angle at the reentry altitude are given. 


Input 

QA Apogee passage flag 

QE Postabort motion flag 

RR Reentry radius magnitude 

R & Radial distance at abort 

U Preabort speed 

U r Reentry speed 

@ Q Preabort flight-path angle 

6 r Reentry flight-path angle 

Output 

A Semimajor axis 

DV Change in velocity required for 

e Eccentricity 

T Trip time from abort to reentry 

V Postabort speed 


RUBR 

Description 
Page 1 


the radial distance 
speed and path 


inplane maneuver 


Postabort flight-path angle 



















































47 


SCAM 

Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE SCAN 


Purpose 

This subroutine is used only for non-zero maximum miss cases in 
the PTP mode. It determines the plane change permissable within the 
maximum miss constraint which minimizes AV required, and it controls the 
optimization scan across the maximum miss circle to produce the minimum 
AV solution. At the completion of a scan, it re-initializes the 
problem to begin the search for the next solution region. This sub¬ 
routine was formulated from part of the T = f(MD) logic found in 
reference 1. 


Input 

DVS Saved value of DV 

MD Miss distance 

MDSP(KK) KK values of maximum allowable miss distance. 

Up to five values may be run during a single 
tradeoff case 

SW6 East - west motion flag 

T Trip time 

<|> Total transfer angle to impact point 

<f> Total transfer angle from abort to desired 

landing site 

Output 

T Trip time 

XK Indicates whether the function is being minimized 

or maximized 









SCAN 

Logic Flow 


48 


Page 1 





































































Tradeoff 





























50 


TCOMP 

Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE TCOMP 


Purpose 

This subroutine computes the new transit time based on the miss 
distance determined from the current transit time and the way that 
the miss distance is changing. This computation is done for both the 
ATP and PTP modes. This subroutine encompasses part of the ATP and 
T = f(MD) logic found in reference 1. 


DVMAX 


MD 


R 


2 


T 


T 

max 


XK 


fi'(l), <5'(mm) 




Input 

Maximum allowable DV 

Miss distance 

Maximum miss distance 

Unit vector in direction of abort point 

Unit vector in direction of preabort angular 
momentum 

Unit vector in direction of (R. x r ) 

1 P 

Current value of trip time 
Maximum allowable trip time 
Minimum possible trip time 

Indicates whether the function is being minimized 
or maximized 

Right ascension of desired landing site 
Latitudes of end points on the ATP line 
Total transfer angle to the impact point 








TCOMP 

Description 
Page 2 

Total transfer angle from abort to desired 
landing site 


Azimuth change between the preabort and postabort 
planes 


Azimuth change to desired landing site 


Output 

Trip time for next iteration 

Indicates whether the function is being minimized 
or maximized 








52 


TCOMP 

Logic Flow 
Page 1 



I 

































































5U 


TMIN 

Description 


Page 1 


SUBROUTINE TMIN 


Purpose 

This subroutine computes the minimum trip time solution which 
returns to the reentry target line and satisfies the following 
constraints: maximum fuel, maximum reentry velocity, maximum in¬ 
clination, and minimum landing time. The logic first generates the 
solution that has the maximum allowable reentry speed; and, if this 
trajectory satisfies all constraints, it is accepted and the subroutine 
is exited. Otherwise, an attempt is made to generate a solution using 
all the available DV to minimize the flight time. The procedure is 
to iteratively drive DV to DVM using transit time as the independent 
variable. The maximum entry speed solution is used as a lower bound 
on trip time; an upper bound is generated from the minimum fuel 
unspecified area solution. A new trip time is selected by averaging 
the upper and lower hounds, and the DV is computed for this flight 
time. If DV = DVM, the solution is accepted; otherwise, the upper. 
or lower hound on transit time is reset with the current transit time 
depending on whether DV is greater than DVM or less than DVM. The 
iteration continues until an acceptable solution is generated or 
until the upper and lower bounds become equal. 


Input 

DVM Maximum allowable DV at abort (with acceptable 

inclination) 

T Minimum allowable transit time 

min 

U Maximum allowable entry speed 

rmax 

6 Azimuth change necessary to satisfy inclination 

constraint 


Output 

DV Change in velocity 

FLAG Used to force a solution with a negative radial 

rate from FCUA 







55 


TMIN 

Description 
Page 2 


T Transit time 

U Reentry speed 

VT a Tangential component of postabort velocity 

VT^ Radial component of postabort velocity 







57 


TMIN 

Logic Flow 
Page 1 















































VACOMP 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE VACOMP 


Purpose 

This subroutine computes the vector to the conic impact point, 
the latitude and longitude of the impact point, the postabort velocity- 
vector, and the time of landing. In the case of a PTP solution, if 
a solution has been found within the maximum allowable miss distance, 
this subroutine tries to minimize fuel consumption by increasing the 
miss distance to the maximum allowable before it computes the impact 
point. 


Input 

Unit vector in direction of abort point 

Unit vector in direction of preabort angular 
momentum 

Unit vector in direction of (R, x R ) 

1 P 

Radial component of postabort velocity 

Tangential component of postabort velocity 

Change in azimuth to minimize the miss distance 

Change in azimuth to nearest acceptable plane 

Maximum changes in azimuth from preabort 
azimuth based on inclination constraints 


Output 

DV Change in velocity vector 

T z Time of landing 

v a Postabort velocity vector 

a Right ascension of the impact point 

6 Latitude of impact point 


Longitude of impact point 






























































VARMIN 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE VARMIN 


Purpose 

This subroutine determines the direction of the scan for the 
required landing site by deciding whether the difference between the 
past and present values of the miss distance is small enough to be 
considered an extremum and if so, sets the time increment, direction, 
and scan flag to the proper values. 


Input 

DDT Independent variable 

MD Function to be minimized (miss distance) 

MDP Past value of MD 

XK Flag that indicates whether a minimization or 

maximization is to be performed 


DDT 

MDP 

SOL 

XK a 


Output 

Independent variable 

Present value of miss distance stored for the 
next pass 

Flag that indicates a zero or an extremum 

Flag that indicates whether a minimization or 
maximization is to be performed 


If XK - -1, then a maximization is performed until an extremum 
is reached; then XK is set to 1 and the minimization is continued. 









6l 


VARMIN 
Logic Flow 



































62 


VELCOM 
Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE VELCOM 
Purpose 

This subroutine is used to generate trajectories which return to the 
reentry target line with a specified transit time. 


Input 

T Desired transit time 

RR Radial distance at reentry 

R & Abort radial distance 

6 r Current value of the flight-path angle at reentry 

6 rp Past value of the flight-path angle at reentry 


Output 

DT Time increment 

p Semilatus rectum 


Apogee passage flag 
= 1, apogee passage 
= 0, no apogee passage 

Direction of motion flag at impact point 
Reentry speed 

Radial component of required velocity 
Tangential component of required velocity 
Flight-path angle at abort 
Flight-path angle at reentry 
Transfer angle from abort to reentry 

n rz (ave) Down-range angle based on reentry speed only; that 

is, geometry effects are neglected 

Subroutine INTER, which is frequently used but not specified is a 
general interpolation subroutine. In this program, it is used to determine 
the reentry flight-path angle given the reentry speed and the data point 
for the specified reentry target line. Subroutines INTER and AESR, 
which are conic trajectory utility subroutines, are specified in 
reference 2. 


QA 

sw6 

u 

VR a 

VT 

e a 

e r 





























































64 


VUP2 

Description 
Page 1 


SUBROUTINE VUP2 


Purpose 

This subroutine is used to calibrate the postabort velocity by 
accounting for the lunar third-body effects. 


Input 

R & Position vector at abort 

R__ Position of the moon with respect to the earth 

moon c 

T^ Trip time from abort to reentry 

V Postabort velocity vector 

3 r Reentry flight-path angle 

Output 

Postabort velocity calibrated to include the 
lunar third-body effects 







































VUP2 

Logic Flow 
Page 2 


66 






































67 


VUP2 

Logic Flow 
Page 3 


► 























68 


REFERENCES 


1. Lee, W. R.: AS-503A Requirements for the RTCC: Return-to-Earth 

Abort Conic Subprocessor, Revision 1. MSC IN 67-FM-56, 

Dec. 12, 1967'. 

2. Northcutt, F. M. : RTCC Requirements for Apollo lit (H-3) Mission: 

Moon-Centered. Return-to-Earth Conic Subprocessor. MSC IN 70-FM-19, 
Jan. 30, 1970. 

3. Davis, R. S.: RTCC Requirements for Apollo 14 (H-3) Mission: 

Return-to-Earth Processor Supervisory and Precision Computation 
Logic. MSC IN to be published. 

4. Berry, R. L.; and Lee, W. R.: AS-503A Requirements for the RTCC: 

Return-to-Earth Abort Conic Subprocessor. MSC IN 66-FM-117, 

Oct. 19, 1966.