CHAOTIC ATTITUDE MOTION OF A MAGNETIC RIGID SPACECRAFT IN A COMPLEX FORCE FIELD

Chaotic attitude motion of a magnetic rigid spacecraft with internal damping in a circular orbit near the equatorial plane of the earth is investigated. The Melnikov method is applied to establish the condition of the existence of a transversal heteroclinic cycle. The numerical tools such as power spectrum and Lyapunov exponents are used to identify the dynamical behaviors. The numerical results indicate that periodic motion and chaos appear for different parameters.