Chaotic attitude motion of a magnetic rigid spacecraft in a circular orbit near the equatorial plane

This paper deals with chaotic attitude motion of a magnetic rigid spacecraft in a circular orbit near the equatorial plane of the earth. The dynamical model of the problem is derived. The Melnikov analysis is carried out to prove the existence of a complicated nonwandering Cantor set. The dynamical behavior is numerically investigated by means of time history, Poincare map, power spectrum and Lyapunov exponents. Numerical simulations indicate that the onset of chaos is characterized by break of torus as the torque of the magnetic forces is increased.