THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS

KATHLEEN CONNOR HOWELL*

Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., U.S.A.

(Received I June, 1982; accepted 8 July, 1983)

ABSTRACT. A largely numerical study was m a d e of families of t h r e e -

dimensional, periodic, 'halo' orbits near the c o l l i n e a r libration
points in the restricted three-body problem. Families extend from
each of the libration points to the n e a r e s t primary. They appear to
exist for all v a l u e s of the m a s s ratio ~, from 0 to I. M o r e importantly,
most of the families contain a range of stable orbits. Only near LI,
the libration point between the two p r i m a r i e s , are there no s t a b l e
orbits for c e r t a i n values of ~. In t h a t case the stable range decreases
with increasing ~, u n t i l it d i s a p p e a r s at Z = 0.0573. Near the o t h e r
libration points, stable orbits exist for all m a s s ratios investigated
between 0 and I. In a d d i t i o n , the o r b i t s increase in size w i t h in-
creasing ~.

I. I N T R O D U C T I O N

One of the m o s t frequently studied models in c e l e s t i a l mechanics is the

three-body problem. Of p a r t i c u l a r interest are the p a t h s of m o t i o n of an
infinitesimal particle under the g r a v i t a t i o n a l influence of two o t h e r
finite bodies. This study is c o n c e r n e d with motion resulting from particular
initial conditions which produce periodic, three-dimensional 'halo' orbits.
Robert Farquhar coined the t e r m 'halo' for t h e s e orbits in his Ph.D.
thesis (Farquhar, 1968). In s t u d i e s related to e x p l o r i n g the far side of
the M o o n (Farquhar, 1968, 1970), he found a family of t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l
almost periodic orbits around the e q u i l i b r i u m point L 2 in the E a r t h - M o o n
system - the t r a n s l u n a r collinear libration point. At G o d d a r d (Farquhar,
1972), Farquhar lobbied for a c o m m u n i c a t i o n s station in such an o r b i t for
use w i t h A p o l l o 18. A s a t e l l i t e or s p a c e station placed in this o r b i t has
the advantage of c o n t i n u o u s contact with both the far side of the M o o n and
the Earth. With control, it is n e v e r blocked f r o m v i e w by the Moon, thus
the term 'halo'. Apollo 18 was, of c o u r s e , later cancelled.
In 1973, Farquhar and K a m e l (1973) used the m e t h o d of L i n d s t e d t -
Poincar~ to p r o d u c e analytic solutions for q u a s i - p e r i o d i c orbits about L 2.

* Present address: School of A e r o n a u t i c s and A s t r o n a u t i c s , Purdue University,

West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.

CelestiaIMechanics 32 (1984) 53-71. 0008-8714/84/0321-0053 $02.85.

9 1984 by D. ReidelPublishing Company.
54 K.C. HOWELL

Their solutions included nonlinearities, lunar orbit eccentricity and the

Sun's gravitational field, all of w h i c h are h e r e a f t e r ignored. The
linearized motion consisted of p e r i o d i c motion in the p l a n e of the M o o n ' s
orbit, and simple harmonic motion out of the p l a n e . For certain large
values of the in-plane amplitude, a corresponding value of the o u t - o f -
plane amplitude would produce a purely periodic three-dimensional path.
Farquhar and K a m e l calculated some m e m b e r s of this halo family, all of
which were unstable. The convergence of t h e i r truncated series does
deteriorate, however, as o r b i t size increases.
A scientific satellite, the International Sun E a r t h Explorer (ISEE),
was recently in a s i m i l a r periodic halo orbit about LI, the libration point
between the Sun and E a r t h (Farquhar et al., 1977; Richardson, 1979). This
orbit is a l s o u n s t a b l e . Station keeping costs have been modest for the
ISEE satellite but could be e v e n lower if the o r b i t were stable - an
important consideration if a p p l i e d to a large space colony in the future.
In 1979, Breakwell and B r o w n (1979) extended the L 2 f a m i l y numerical-
ly, f r o m the p e r f e c t l y periodic orbits discovered by F a r q u h a r and K a m e l as
far as a l m o s t - r e c t i l i n e a r orbits near the Moon. They also calculated the L
I
family as it m o v e s toward the Moon. Both families have more out-of-plane
motion and shorter periods as they approach the Moon. Of significance is
the range of stable orbits found for e a c h roughly halfway between the
libration point and the Moon. Current work extends this to o t h e r m a s s ratios
of the two finite bodies.

2. A N A L Y S I S

2.1. Equations of M o t i o n

The three-body problem involves the two finite masses m I and m2, assumed
to be p o i n t masses, moving around their common mass center, each under the
gravitational influence of the other. A rotating coordinate system, with
origin at the b a r y c e n t e r is c h o s e n as s h o w n in F i g u r e I. ~ is d e f i n e d as
the m a s s r a t i o m 2 to the sum m 1 + m 2.
The m a s s ratios of some familiar systems are: Earth-Moon (0.012),

"4

a A

~5
Fig. I. L i b r a t i o n points in the 3-body problem.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'H A L O ' ORBITS 55

Sun-Jupiter ( 9 . 5 x i 0 -4) and Sun-Earth (3xi0-6). The x-y plane is the plane
of motion of m I and m 2. A z-axis out of the paper completes the right
handed system. The third body, m3, is assumed massless but may travel in
all of the three dimensions. In this system, it is w e l l known that there
are five equilibrium points, or libration points, where gravitational and
centrifugal forces balance each other. Temporarily assuming m 2 < m I, the
points are defined as shown in the figure. Of the collinear points, L 3 is
defined as being on the far side of the larger mass, L I is b e t w e e n them,
and L 2 on the far side of the smaller mass. As m I and m 2 travel around
the barycenter, all five points remain in t h e same position relative to
the masses for a given ~. For convenience, nondimensional units were
chosen such that the following quantities are equal to u n i t y : the angular
velocity of the rotating frame, the distance between m I and m 2, and the
sum of the primary masses, m 1 + m 2.
The equations of m o t i o n for the system are:
~U
X
"" -- 22
~x
~U
~ + 2~ - (1)

~U
-

~z

where
(1 - ~)
2 2 +
U = 89 + y ) +
dI d2

2 2 2 I/2
dI = [(x + ~) + y +z ] ;
2 2 2 I/2
d2 = [(x- I + ~) + y + z ] ;

p = m2;

] - ~ -- m
I"
This system does admit a constant of integration, the Jacobi constant,
C, such that
.2 2 (2)
C : 2U - (~2 + Y + ~ ).
T
Let X be defined as the column vector (x, y, z, ~, Y, {) 9 Then the diffe-
rential equation for the transition matrix %(t, 0), the matrix of partial
derivatives ~X(t)/~X(0) associated with these equations of motion, is

d
r 0) : F(t)r 0). (3)
dt

F is a 6x6 matrix which is d i v i d e d into 4 submatrices, &ach 3x3

i)
F = ( 0

XX 2~
 56 K.C. HOWELL

where
0 : zero matrix,

(0 01
I - identity matrix,

= -I 0 0 ,

0 0 0

And UXX is the symmetric matrix of second partial derivatives of U w i t h

respect to x, y, z evaluated along the orbit. The initial condition %(0, 0)
is e q u a l to the identity matrix. The problem thus presents 42 first order
differential equations of m o t i o n . For orbits calculated close to m2, a time
transformation from t to T was used, such taht

dt
- d2, (4)
dT

bringing the total number of d i f f e r e n t i a l equations to 43.

2.2. Numerical Algorithm

The following analysis closely follows Breakwell and Brown (1979). In

preparing Equation (I) for integration, the initial conditions can be
chosen by n o t i n g the invariance of the system under the transformation
y ~ -y and t ~ -t. Then the old and transformed equations will produce the
same solution for the same initial conditions. The same initial conditions
demand that the initial vector is

X--0 = (X0' 0, z0, 0, 90 ~ 0) T,

which is p e r p e n d i c u l a r to the x-z plane. The solution will also be

symmetric with respect to the x-z plane, so if a n o t h e r perpendicular
crossing can be found, such that

X(T/2) = (x, 0, z, 0, ~, 0) T

then the orbit will be p e r i o d i c with period T.

The transition matrix at T/2 can be u s e d to adjust the initial values
of a nearby periodic orbit. Using a Kutta-Merson integration procedure,
the equations are integrated until y changes sign. Then the step-size
is r e d u c e d and the integration goes forward again. This is r e p e a t e d , until
-11
lyl < 10 , and the time at this point is d e f i n e d to be T/2.
The orbit is c o n s i d e r e d 'periodic' if 151 and ]zl < 10 -8 at T/2. If
this is n o t the case, 5 and ~ can be r e d u c e d by correcting two of the
three initial conditions and integrating again.
T
Assume 151 and i~i are too large. Let (6x0, 0, 6z0, 0, 690 , 0) be the
corrections to the initial vector ~0" Since y(T/2) ~ 0 at t h i s point,
then 65 = -5 and 69 = -{ are the only desired changes in the end
conditions. The corrections can be calculated from

N
%X
6X : %(T/2, 0) 4 X 0 + 6 (T/2) ,
~t
 THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 57

where

6y = 0 = ~216x0 + ~ 2 3 6 z 0 + ~25690 + 96 (T/2) .

If it is desired to change only z 0 and Y0' a n d l e a v e x 0 fixed,

the result is

N 43 _ _ (r
23 25
Zo) (5)
@z/ %63 r 9

To keep z 0 fixed and change only x 0 and 90, use

-x_dot= 6x0\
-z_dot= (6)
69. - ~61 ~65 y
0

Using this methodology, the convergence to a periodic halo orbit is rapid

and in m o s t cases three to four iterations are sufficient 9 Because the
orbit is symmetric about the x-z plane, it is not necessary to calculate
the second half of the orbit 9
The transition matrix at the end of a complete cycle, r 0) , is
needed to determine the first order stability of a given periodic orbit.
Integration of the second half of the orbit to obtain r 0) is, however,
not required since r 0) can be calculated directly from ~(T/2, 0) which
is already available. The transformation previously mentioned of y ~ -y,
t ~ -t is p e r f o r m e d first 9 The new vector Y can be written in terms of X as
Text
m

Y : AX, (7)
where
I 0 0 0 0
0 -I 0 0 0 0
0 0 I 0 0 0
A =
0 0 0 -I 0 0
0 0 0 0 I 0
0 0 0 0 0 -I
The new transition matrix, ~, is then

= ACA. (8)

The transformation leaves the equations of motion unchanged, so

Y(-t) = r or ~(T/2) : %(-T/2) .

Using relations (7) and (8) as well as the property

%(t2, 0) = r t1)%(tl, 0),

the following can be derived:

-I
r 0) = A% (T/2, 0)A~(T/2, 0). (9)

-I %*Tsr = S,
Now define ~* = Vr and note that ~* is symplectic, i.e.,
where superscript T means transpose and

V = (_~2
I i~I ' S = (
-I
 58 K.C. HOWELL

Then
-I (T/2, 0) = V - I s - I v - T % T(T/2, 0) vTsv. (lO)
For a final result,
0 -I
%(T 0) : A < ~ %T /-2~ I>
, I -2~ / (T/2, 0) \-I 0 A%(T/2, 0) . (77)

First-order stability of a p a r t i c u l a r orbit is d e t e r m i n e d by the eigen-

values of the full cycle transition matrix ~(T, 0) . For p e r i o d i c i t y , the
eigenvalues must have a modulus of I. In addition, some o b s e r v a t i o n s can
be made initially about the 6 e i g e n v a l u e s of ~(T, 0) . First, the r e l a t i o n
in E q u a t i o n (10) shows that r and ~T, or r have the same eigenvalues.
Second, the d e t e r m i n a n t is I, so zero e i g e n v a l u e s are excluded. Third, it
can be shown that two of the e i g e n v a l u e s are always I. It may be easier and
more a c c u r a t e to c a l c u l a t e the 4 e i g e n v a l u e s which are n e e d e d directly
from a 4x4 m a t r i x M:

] Ixo
1 : M @Zo
~Xo
.
(12)

~Zo
since it is shown that ~y : ~Y0 = 0. To d e t e r m i n e an e x p r e s s i o n for M,

dx]
start with the f o l l o w i n g total derivative:

Idy
6x0~
6Y0
dz = ~z +
0 ~ (T/2) . (13)
~0
690
\d~
0
Assume x0, z0' x0' ~0 vary so that the Jacobi constant, C, from E q u a t i o n
(2) remains constant. The d e r i v a t i v e of (2), e v a l u a t e d at t = 0, p r o d u c e s
6~0 as a f u n c t i o n of @x 0 and 6z0, since

~C ~C ~C
~0 + 6x 0 + ~z 0 : 0,
~Yo ~Xo ~Zo

with only three n o n z e r o terms. 6(T/2) can also be e x p r e s s e d as a function,

then, of 6x0, 6z0, 610, @~0 by using the second of the E q u a t i o n s in (13)

dy = 0 = ~21 ~x 0 + #23~z0 + ~246s + ~25@~0 + ~26 ~ 0 + !~ (T/2) .

The r e s u l t i n g M matrix is

/r r r r ~15X
r r r r 35
< ~C ~C
oo)
M =
r
r
r
~63
r
r
r
r I 45
65
~x 0 ~z 0
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 59

3C ~C \]
[ %25
(~21 ~23 ~24 ~26 ) -- 3C/~90 ~x ~z 0 O_} | .
0 0

The e i g e n v a l u e s determined from M will be the r e c i p r o c a l pairs 11 , I/I I '

12, I/I 2 . A s o l u t i o n w i l l be p e r i o d i c only if the m o d u l u s of l is equal
to I. S i n c e c o m p l e x I will be a c c o m p a n i e d by its c o n j u g a t e , all I must
be on the u n i t c i r c l e for stability. To m o r e easily show results, two
stability indices have been defined.

v -l 89 + I/Ii), i = I, 2.
1

For a g i v e n orbit, stability is i n d i c a t e d if

l~il _< 1, i = I, 2,

and ~. is real.
1

3. R E S U L T S

Approximately 1000 o r b i t s were calculated to p r o d u c e the f o l l o w i n g results.

This n u m b e r was n e c e s s a r y because a reasonable initial guess for an o r b i t
was derived from the initial conditions of a p r e v i o u s solution. The study
was s t a r t e d by u s i n g v a l u e s obtained by B r e a k w e l l and B r o w n in the E a r t h -
Moon case (~ ~0.012).

3.1. The L I Halo F a m i l y

Shown in F i g u r e s 2a-c are m e m b e r s of the L I f a m i l y at ~=0.04. Table I

contains the initial conditions (x0, z0, ~0 ) and final v a l u e s for some of
0,4
I I E

0.2

l'*d

2
@~

-0.2 I I 1
O.B 0.8 1
•

Fig. 2a. X-Z p r o j e c t i o n , L I family, ~=0.04.

 60 K.C. HOWELL

/ I 1 / 1 t

0.2

>- 0.0
m2

-0.2

1 I I I I
0.6 0.8 1
X

Fig. 2b. X-Y p r o j e c t i o n , L I family, ~=0.04.

0~
I I I I I

0~

0~

0~ I I I I I
-0.2 0 0.2
Y

Fig. 2c. Y-Z projection, L family, ~=0.04.

the o r b i t s shown in the figures. In T a b l e I, r e c a l l that x 0 is d e f i n e d from

the b a r y c e n t e r , T/2 is the n u m b e r of n o n d i m e n s i o n a l time units in half the
period for the given orbit. C is the J a c o b i constant from E q u a t i o n (2),
and ~I and ~2 are the stability indices. In the figures is the n o r t h e r n
family. In all cases a mirror-image southern family can be o b t a i n e d by
reversing the sign of z. N o t e the small size of the orbits. The period is
decreasing as the m o v e closer to m 2. W o r k done by B r e a k w e l l and B r o w n
suggests that even closer to the mass than those shown, the o r b i t s get
larger with increasing z values and longer in period. The region of stable
orbits is b o u n d e d by the d a s h e d orbits seen in the figures. It is l o c a t e d
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 61

in T a b l e I between the orbits with values x0=0.729988 and x0=0.801125.

To study the stability, each orbit in t h e family is d e s i g n a t e d by its
minimum x value. The maximum z value also occurs at this point which was
used as the starting point in the numerical integration. Using these as
identifying points for each orbit, the stability indices for ~=0.04 are
shown in F i g u r e 3. R e c a l l that v and v 2 are calculated from the eigen-
I

TABLE I: Initial conditions for L I family at ~=0.04.

x 0.723268 0.729988 0.753700 0.777413 0.801125 0.817724

0
z 0.040000 0.215589 0.267595 0.284268 0.299382 0.313788
0
v0 0.198019 0.397259 0.399909 0.361870 0.312474 0.271306

T/2 1.300177 1.348532 1.211253 1.101099 1.017241 0.978635

C 3.329168 3.030033 2.937178 2.928754 2.930700 2.929481

v 1181.69 51.07839 4.95816 1.101843 0.94834 I .10361

I
v2 0.98085 -0.90203 -0.40587 -0.420200 -1.58429 -2.09182

10 I I

0 / >( A x
m2

0.7 0.8 0o9 1

MINIMUM X

Fig. 3. Stability indices, L I family, ~=0.04.

values of the M matrix and that both must be between -I and +I for stability
The region of stable orbits indicated earlier is seen to e x i s t . For the
orbits closer to m 2 b u t not shown, the stability indices return to I~il ~ I
but they are near-collision orbits and were not of interest in t h i s study.
Figure 4 uses the stability curves at v a r i o u s mass ratios and shows only
the parts of the curves at or near the 'middle' stable zone. All curves
have been normalized such that the distance of L I to m 2 is e q u a l .
62 K.C. HOWELL

u-.06

3~10-6
Os m
LI

-i
u'~'06o03.04 ~~-~o632
O1 3•

MINIMUM X

Fig. 4. Stability indices, L I families.

0.4 I I I I I I I I

0.2
I"q
7-

7-

X
<::
7-

0.@ X X
LI m2

-@~ I I I I I I I I I
0.6 0.8 i
MINIMUM X

Fig. 5. X-Z profile, L I family, U=0.04.

The top values, Vl, define the boundary of the stable range of orbits
near L I. T h e bottom values, v2' define the boundary near m 2. Increasing
the mass ratio moves the curves close to L but also increases
I' I"
Vl fails to dip below +I w h e n U~0.0573. Other families at higher mass ratios
were not pursued. The curves labelled p=0.001 was done for a system con-
-6
taining primary masses equal to the Sun and Jupiter. The curve p = 3 • 10
represents the Sun-Earth system.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 63

0.4

,u=.05
~J=.04

~- ~=.02
0.2
l"q

D
7
n=.Ol
X
..,<

~u=3~lO-8
0.0
hi m.

-0.2
MINIMUM X

Fig. 6. Stable regions, L I families.

0.4
I I 1 I 1

0.2

0.0
m~

-0.2 I I I I I
0.8 1 1.2 1,4
X

Fig. 7a. X-Z projection, L 2 family, p=0.04.

The effects of m a s s ratio can also be studied by using plots like

Figure 5. U s i n g X m i n for orbit identification, a curve plotting Xmi n versus
the corresponding z v a l u e s is p r e s e n t e d for t h e p=0.04 family. It is
max
seen to be the l e f t b o u n d a r y of the x-z p r o j e c t i o n in F i g u r e 2a. A similar
profile can be drawn for each mass ratio. In F i g u r e 6, o n l y the parts of
those profiles whose orbits fall in the stable zone have been drawn.
Again, the curves have been normalized so the L 1 to m 2 d i s t a n c e is e q u a l .
Increasing p moves the stable zone closer to the libration point. It a l s o
increases the out-of-plane motion, thus making the orbits larger. The size
of the zone appears to be decreasing, however.
64 K.C. HOWELL

3.2. The L 2 Halo F a m i l y

The families originating near the equilibrium point L 2 are more interesting
because the stable halos continue to e x i s t for all values of p tested. The
projections of this family at p=0.04 are shown in F i g u r e s 7a-c. The initial
conditions for some of these orbits are contained in T a b l e II. As before,
the stable range is b o u n d e d by dashed orbits. In the table these are con-
tained within the range from x0=I.057222 to x 0 = 1 . 1 4 0 2 1 6 . The size of all
the orbits is c o m p a r a b l e to those near L
Somewhat similar to L the
I" I'
period of the orbits increases as x 0 m o v e s a w a y f r o m m 2.

I I I I I

0.2

0.0
m,

-0.2

I I I I I
0.8 1 1.2 1.4
X
Fig. 7b. X-Y projection, L 2 family, p=0.04.

0.4
I I I I I

0.2

I",,,I

0.0

-0.2 I I I I I
-0.2 0 0.2
Y

Fig. 7c. Y-Z projection, L 2 family, p=0.04.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 65

TABLE II: Initial conditions for L 2 f a m i l y at ~=0.04.

x0 1.057222 1.092791 1.140216 1.173414 I9 1.258203

z 0.300720 0.309254 0.298898 0.272900 09 0.050000
0
Y0 -0.238026 -0.281140 -0.316028 -0.324710 -0.310434 -0.250410

T/2 1.019032 1.205930 1.433655 1.562199 1.700458 1.791154

C 3.001826 2.987945 3.006462 3.046136 3.140834 3.262822

v -0.01038 0.61156 11.54674 35.36097 143.9507 458.2081

I
v2 -1.43755 -0.71170 -0.98759 -0.61975 09 0.98301

04

0 ,
m
<

-i

J/
MAXIMUM X

Fig. 8. Stability indices, L 2 families 9

Since L 2 is on the far side of m 2, o r b i t s in this family are designated

by their maximum x value, as seen in F i g u r e 7a. Again, this point corre-
sponds to the m a x i m u m z value and was the initial point for integration.
Unlike L I, h o w e v e r , calculating orbits with values of x less than those
max
shown, would produce decreasing values of Z
max
Some values of v amd v can be seen in F i g u r e 8. T h e position of each
I 2
orbit defined by its x v a l u e is p l o t t e d versus its stability indices.
max
The scale is a g a i n chosen so t h a t the m 2 to L 2 d i s t a n c e is e q u a l for all
curves. The 'middle' stable region of interest, where Ivil<1,_ is r o u g h l y
halfway between m 2 and L 2. It is d e f i n e d on the right near L 2 by v1' the
upper value. It is d e f i n e d near the mass, m2, on the left by v 2. The plot
also shows in the case of ~=0.5, that near to m 2, v2 returns to the stable
zone. This, in fact, happens at all the m a s s ratios. As in the L I family,
they become near-collision, almost rectilinear orbits and w e r e not initially
considered. Orbits in the region have generated new interest since Figure 8
66 K.C. HOWELL

0.4
I I I I I

/ -

0.2
r,,q
7

I.,---I

X
<
T

0.0 X X
m2
L2

-0.2 I I I I
0.8 1.2 1.4
MAXIMUM X

Fig. 9. X-Z profile, L family, p=0.04.

2

1.0
/ ~~=.50
/

bq
5- ~~=.20
0.5
X ._______~- Ao=. 10
<
,0=.04

0.@ ~2

MAXIMUM X

Fig. I 0. Stable regions, L 2 families.

indicates that for ~>0.5 the two r e g i o n s of stability may merge. This
possibility is e x p l o r e d further in the n e x t section.
The locus of initial points of the ~=0.04 L 2 family is s h o w n in
Figure 9. A c o r r e s p o n d i n g curve can be d r a w n for o t h e r m a s s ratios.
Figure 10 u s e s the p a r t s of t h o s e profiles, scaled appropriately, which
include stable orbits. The increasing size of the stable zone w i t h ~ is
apparent. As was the case with LI, the large values of ~ h a v e more out-of-
 THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 67

plane motion as w e l l . The orbits at ~=0.5 are quite a bit larger than those
at ~=0.04. At ~=0.05, the z v a l u e s are a l m o s t 4 t i m e s the values of
max
~=0.04..In contrast to LI, these stable solutions are moving closer to the
mass m 2 rather than the libration point.

3.3. The L 3 Halo Family

In the three-body problem, the libration point on the far side of the larger
mass is defined to be L 3. Therefore, when ~ is greater than 0.5, the point
to its right in F i g u r e I, w h i c h has been labelled L2, is n o w L 3. This, of
course, means that now m 2 > m I. H o w e v e r , the mass ratio is still defined
~=m2/(m1+m2). All the conditions present in t h e L 2 families still hold, and
the same trends continue. families L can be viewed as the extension of
3
those near L 2 for ~ approaching I.

TABLE III: Initial conditions for L 3 family at ~=0.96.

x0 0.268434 0.528350 0.801947 1.212341 1.485937 1.670940

z0 1.812789 1.797900 1.675254 1.311769 0.869490 0.100000
Y0 -0.194347 -0.391878 -0.598423 -0.904561 -1.108238 -1.246284

T/2 2.801110 2.953177 3.010512 3.049978 3.063561 3.069570

C 1.121650 1.190433 1.361169 I .774411 2.148595 2.444230

~I 0.99740 1.31950 1.51942 1.82300 2.14123 2.419349

V2 0.74492 0.91490 0.95994 0.98686 0.99596 0.99995

2
I I I I

!!j -!
/
/

/
I"q
/

0
~ J

X
L3

I I I I
@ 1 2
X

Fig. 11a. X-Z projection, L 3 family, ~=0.96.

 68 K.C. HOWELL

I I I I 1

>- @
m

-1

I I 1 I I
0 1 2
X

Fig. 11b. X-Y projection, L 3 family, p=0.96.

2
I I I I I

h~4

l I I I I
-! 0 1
Y

Fig. 1 Ic. Y-Z projection, L 3 family, ~=0.96.

The L 3 f a m i l y ~=0.96 is the c o m p l e t i o n of the case w h e r e the smaller

mass has the v a l u e 0.04. The p r o j e c t i o n s of the o r b i t s in this family
appear in F i g u r e s 2 and 7. Some of the c o r r e s p o n d i n g initial conditions are
shown in T a b l e III. These orbits are m u c h larger than those shown in F i g u r e s
2 and 7. In the c a s e p=0.96, the m e m b e r s of th L 3 f a m i l y have dimensions at
least 5 times the size of c o r r e s p o n d i n g orbits in the L I and L 2 f a m i l i e s .
As they approach the m a s s the o r b i t s grow very long and t h i n and the p e r i o d
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, 'HALO' ORBITS 69

decreases, although only slightly. These projections s h o w no d a s h e d orbits

used previously to i n d i c a t e stability. The orbit shown with x closest
max
to m 2 in F i g u r e 11a, is a c t u a l l y just on the edge of a s t a b l e r e g i o n .
Figure 12 shows the v a l u e s of ~I and ~2 for t h r e e mass ratios. Clearly
the stability indices return to the stable zone n e a r m 2. T h e figure adds
support to a p o s s i b l e merger of the 'middle' stable zone and the region
close to the mass. A mass ratio of 0.80 is the h i g h e s t value at w h i c h two

4
.=.5o//68

:2
.96

.96
@
L.

-2

MAXIMUM X

Fig. 12. Stability indices, L 3 families.

2
I I I

p,q
Z
Z
X
,<
7

0 X X
m2 L. 3

I I I
0 i 2
MAXIMUM X

Fig. 13. X-Z profile, L 3 family, p=0.96.

70 K.C. HOWELL

~~J=o88 (INCSMPLETE}

,u=.76

,u=.66

hq
~ ~ - - - ~=.50
Z

EZ
X
<
Z

MAXIMUM X

Fig. 14. Stable regions, L 3 families.

separate regions of stability could be calculated. The case ~=0.96 shows

the large change in a p p e a r a n c e of c u r v e s ~I and v 2. A l t h o u g h dramatic in
the figure, it d o e s happen gradually as ~ grows. Vl for ~=0.96 is v e r y
close to d i p p i n g below +I, showing that solution to be on the edge of
stability. Further members of this family could not be p r o d u c e d because of
numerical difficulties encountered in c a l c u l a t i n g the orbits any closer to
m 2 at that value of ~. T h e s e orbits are becoming long, thin and near
collision, which is c a u s i n g the numerical problems.
Figure 13 is the locus of initial points for ~=0.96. No point here is
actually stable, but the point nearest m 2 is b o r d e r i n g the region. Parts
of other such curves at d i f f e r e n t mass ratios in the important 'middle'
stable region are shown in F i g u r e 14. (The curve for ~=0.5 is, of c o u r s e ,
the same for b o t h L 2 and L3.) Figure 14 shows again an increase in o u t - o f -
plane motion and an increase in size of the stable range consistent with
results in the L 2 case. The curve ~= 0.88 is m a r k e d incomplete because of
the numerical difficulties encountered. The z values and the right
max
boundary of the stable range can be n o t e d though for p=0.88.

4. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

Halo orbits exist near all three collinear libration points at a w i d e range
of m a s s ratios. Near L I and L 2 they are comparable in size for a given mass
ratio, and increase in size as ~ increases. As a continuation of the L2
families, the orbits near L 3 continue to g r o w in size with ~. F o r a given
small value of the smaller mass, the L 3 f a m i l y may be an o r d e r of m a g n i t u d e
larger than those at L I a n d L 2. M o s t orbits decrease in p e r i o d as they
approach the nearest mass. Stable orbits exist roughly halfway between each
THREE-DIMENSIONAL, PERIODIC, !HALO' ORBITS 71

each libration point and its n e a r e s t mass. Near L the s t a b l e o r b i t s m o v e

I'
closer to the libration point with increasing ~ u n t i l t h e y d i s a p p e a r at
~ 0.0573. Near L 2 and L3, this 'middle' stable range moves closer to the
nearest mass. At high mass ratios n e a r L3, it m a y p o s s i b l e merge with
another stable zone of n e a r collision orbits 9
The numerical difficulties encountered have delayed answers to q u e s -
tions arising during the study 9 Currently, a regularizing program is b e i n g
written which will produce solutions as d i s t a n c e from m 2 approaches zero,
as w e l l as indicate the stability of t h o s e solutions. More investigations
of the L 3 f a m i l y m a y also include ~=0.988, which represents the E a r t h - M o o n
case.

R E F E R E N C E S

Breakwell, J 9 V . and B r o w n , J. V.: 1979, 'The "Halo" Family of 3-Dimensional

Periodic Orbits in the E a r t h - M o o n Restricted 3-Body Problem' F
Celest 9

Mech. 20, 389.

Farquhar, R. W.: 1968, 'The C o n t r o l and Use of L i b r a t i o n - P o i n t Satellites'
Ph.D. Dissertation, Dept. of A e r o n a u t i c s and A s t r o n a u t i c s , Stanford
University, Stanford, Calif., U.S.A.
Farquhar, R. W.: 1970, 'The C o n t r o l and Use of L i b r a t i o n - P o i n t Satellites'
NASA T R R-346.
Farquhar, R. W.: 1972, 'A H a l o - O r b i t Lunar Station' Astronautics and
Aeronautics, pp. 59-63.
Farquhar, R. W. and K a m e l , A. A.: 1973, 'Quasi-Periodic Orbits About the
Translunar Libration Point' ,
Celest 9
Mech 9
7, 458
-- 9

Farquhar, R 9 W 9 , Muhonen, D 9 P., and R i c h a r d s o n , D. L.: 1977, 'Mission

Design for a H a l o Orbiter of the Earth' J Spacecraft Rockets 14, 170.
Richardson, D. L.: 1979, 'Halo-Orbit Formulation for the ISEE-3 Mission'
AAS Paper, 79-127 9