Ricerc@Sapienza

Recently, several Countries have shown an increasing interest toward robotic or human missions to the Moon. Ascent path and orbit injection represent a crucial issue for a lunar module, because the dynamical conditions at injection affect the subsequent phases of spaceflight. This research proposes the original combination of two techniques applied to lunar ascent modules, i.e. (i) the variable-time-domain neighboring optimal guidance (VTD-NOG), and (ii) a constrained proportional-derivative (CPD) attitude control algorithm.

In this paper I discuss the Mesopotamian concept of time, from its mythological foundation to its ritual reckoning in calendrical festivals, taking the Babylonian Poem of Creation as a main guideline. From the creation, and conception, of time in cosmogonies I proceed to treat the dichotomy mythical vs. historical time and the preeminent theories on time when applied to religious phenomena. The recitation of the Poem of Creation during the New Year festival (ak?tu) is taken as a key element to deal with the function and relation of rituals with time marking, creation, and control.