Stability of motion of two rigid bodies connected by a cable in the atmosphere

The spatial motion of two rigid bodies connected by a weightless inextensible cable in the atmosphere is considered. They are assumed to be bodies of revolution with static and dynamic symmetry. The condition of static stability of the system angular motion with respect to the direction of the incident airflow velocity vector is written out and analyzed. The influence of gyroscopic terms and damping moments on the stability condition is studied. An example of analysis of motion in the atmosphere of two connected bodies that are cones with a spherical tip is given. It is shown that the stable motion in the atmosphere can always be ensured by an appropriate matched choice of the parameters of the entire system on the basis of the obtained stability conditions. A numerical example of estimating the cable tension forces arising as the system descends on a ballistic trajectory in the atmosphere is presented.