A Generalized Solution to the Point-to-Target Problem Using the Minimum Curvature Method

Summary An explicit solution to the general 3D point-to-target problem based on the minimum curvature method has been sought for more than four decades. The general case involves the trajectory's start and target points connected by two circular arcs joined by a straight line with the position and direction defined at both ends. It is known that the solutions are multivalued, and efficient iterative schemes to find the principal root have been established. This construction is an essential component of all major trajectory construction packages. However, convergence issues have been reported in cases where the intermediate tangent section is either small or vanishes and rigorous mathematical conditions under which solutions are both possible and are guaranteed to converge have not been published. An implicit expression has now been determined that enables all the roots to be identified and permits either exact or polynomial-type solution methods to be used. Most historical attempts at solving the problem have been purely algebraic, but a geometric interpretation of related problems has been attempted, showing that a single circular arc and a tangent section can be encapsulated in the surface of a horn torus. These ideas have now been extended, revealing that the solution to the general 3D point-to-target problem can be represented as a 10th-orderself-intersecting geometric surface, characterized by the trajectory's start and end points, the radii of the two arcs, and the length of the tangent section. An outline of the solution's derivation is provided in the paper together with complete details of the general expression and its various degenerate forms so that readers can implement the algorithms for practical application. Most of the degenerate conditions reduce the order of the governing equation. Full details of the critical and degenerate conditions are also provided, and together these indicate the most convenient solution method for each case. In the presence of a tangent section, the principal root is still most easily obtained using an iterative scheme, but the mathematical constraints are now known. It is also shown that all other cases degenerate to quadratic forms that can be solved using conventional methods. It is shown how the general expression for the general point-to-target problem can be modified to give the known solutions to the 3D landing problem and how the example in the published works on this subject is much simplified by the geometric, rather than algebraic treatment.