LAUSR

Abstract Computer algebra and numerical methods were used to investigate the properties of a nonlinear algebraic system determining the equilibrium orientations of a system of two bodies connected by a spherical hinge that move in a circular orbit under the action of a gravitational torque. Primary attention was given to equilibrium orientations of the two-body system in the special cases when one of the principal axes of inertia of both the first and second body coincides with the normal to the orbital plane, the radius vector, or the tangent to the orbit. To determine the equilibrium orientations of the two-body system, the set of stationary algebraic equations of motion was decomposed into nine subsystems. The system of algebraic equations was solved by applying algorithms for constructing Gröbner bases. The equilibrium positions were determined by numerically analyzing the roots of the algebraic equations from the constructed Gröbner basis.