Applications of Calculus of Variations to Aircraft and Spacecraft Path Planning
Andrea L’Afflitto, Cornel Sultan · 2009
The problem of finding the trajectory for an aerospace vehicle moving between two fixed points is investigated using Calculus of Variations (CV), which can provide necessary and sufficient conditions for trajectories that optimize a cost index. Within the framework of a systematic study aimed at tackling analytically the trajectory generation problem, this paper presents applications of the CV to find trajectories that optimize kinetic energy, energy consumption, and fuel consumption considering several environmental conditions.