Methodology for research into the process of impactless separation of a manned transportation spacecraft from an orbital station of a complex three-dimensional configuration

The paper provides a brief historical overview of research into the separation dynamics of manned transportation spacecraft (MTS) from orbital stations of the Salyut series, orbital complex Mir, as well as the International Space Station (ISS) during early stages of its assembly. It points out the factors that made it necessary to revise the procedure for the Soyuz MS MTS absence-of-impact analysis for separation from the ISS in its current configurations. It lists the assumptions and inputs that were necessary for the study. It provides estimates of possible initial conditions taking into account ISS orbit ellipticity and aerodynamic influence. It discusses a dynamic model for spring-loaded pushers, which provide the initial MTS push-off after disengagement of mechanical links, it shows the ranges of linear and angular velocity deltas for the vehicles under study. It describes an approach to determining possible post-separation spacecraft collisions with the station, which combines the use of a modified Gilbert-Johnson-Keerthi (GJK) algorithm with subsequent graphic construction of trajectories that are characterized by the MTS either intercepting or dangerously approaching structural elements of the ISS.