Probabilistic Path Planning of Montgolfier Balloons in Strong, Uncertain Wind Fields

TBMG-10760

08/01/2011

Abstract
Content

Lighter-than-air vehicles such as hot-air balloons have been proposed for exploring Saturn’s moon Titan, as well as other bodies with significant atmospheres. For these vehicles to navigate effectively, it is critical to incorporate the effects of surrounding wind fields, especially as these winds will likely be strong relative to the control authority of the vehicle. Predictive models of these wind fields are available, and previous research has considered problems of planning paths subject to these predicted forces. However, such previous work has considered the wind fields as known a priori, whereas in practical applications, the actual wind vector field is not known exactly and may deviate significantly from the wind velocities estimated by the model.

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Citation
"Probabilistic Path Planning of Montgolfier Balloons in Strong, Uncertain Wind Fields," Mobility Engineering, August 1, 2011.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Aug 1, 2011
Product Code
TBMG-10760
Content Type
Magazine Article
Language
English