Alessandra Celletti, Robert MacKay
Regions of non-existence of invariant tori for spin-orbit models
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ABSTRACT.  The spin-orbit problem in Celestial Mechanics describes the motion of 
an oblate satellite moving on a Keplerian orbit around a primary body. 
We apply the conjugate points criterion for the non-existence of 
rotational invariant tori. We treat both the conservative case and 
a case including a dissipative effect modeling a tidal torque 
generated by internal non-rigidity. As a by-product of the conjugate 
points criterion we obtain a global view of the dynamics, thanks to 
the introduction of a "tangent orbit indicator", which allows 
to discern the dynamical character of the motion.