1. Environment Set-up

Models for the physical environment are one of the cornerstones of a numerical astrodynamics toolbox. Here, we define the environment in the broadest sense, including all physical properties of the solar system, such as atmospheres and gravity fields, but also any models for the orbits and rotations of these bodies.

On this page, we will give an overview of how the environment is represented in Tudat, which models have been implemented, and how to create the environment that is tailored to your needs. A graphical representation of the basic structure for implementing the environment is shown below. For the options within these settings object, please click on the object in the figure.

• 1.1. Setting up the Environment
  • 1.1.1. Creating the environment from BodySettings
  • 1.1.2. Manually creating the environment
  • 1.1.3. Valid Time-Range of Environment
• 1.2. Available Settings for the Environment Models
  • 1.2.1. Atmosphere model
  • 1.2.2. Ephemeris model
  • 1.2.3. Gravity field model
  • 1.2.4. Rotational model
  • 1.2.5. Body shape model
  • 1.2.6. Radiation pressure interface
  • 1.2.7. Aerodynamic coefficient interface
  • 1.2.8. Time-variations of the gravity field
• 1.3. The Environment During Propagation
• 1.4. Tabulated Atmosphere Settings
  • 1.4.1. General Tabulated Atmosphere
  • 1.4.2. Altitude-dependent Tabulated Atmosphere
    • 1.4.2.1. Old Constructor
    • 1.4.2.2. New Constructor
  • 1.4.3. Included Atmosphere Tables
    • 1.4.3.1. Earth
    • 1.4.3.2. Mars
  • 1.4.4. Writing Multi-dimensional Files
  • 1.4.5. Future Additions
• 1.5. Aerodynamic Coefficients
  • 1.5.1. Local Incliniation Methods
  • 1.5.2. Reading aerodynamic coefficients from Files
  • 1.5.3. Custom Aerodynamic Coefficient Settings