External Torques
In the context of aerospace engineering, external torques refer to the forces that cause an object, such as a spacecraft, to rotate or change its rotational motion. These forces can originate from various sources, including gravitational interactions, atmospheric drag, solar radiation pressure, and magnetic fields. For instance, gravitational interactions between a spacecraft and a celestial body can generate a gravitational torque. Similarly, when a spacecraft travels through an atmosphere, it experiences atmospheric drag that can produce a drag torque. Solar radiation pressure can also exert a torque on a spacecraft, especially if the spacecraft has large solar panels or other surfaces that can reflect or absorb solar radiation. Lastly, a spacecraft can experience a magnetic torque if it has a magnetic moment and it is in a magnetic field. Understanding and managing these external torques is crucial for the control and stability of spacecraft. They can affect the spacecraft's attitude, which is its orientation in space, and they can cause the spacecraft to deviate from its intended path or mission.
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