ROTATIONAL MAGNETODYNAMICS AND STEERING OF SPACE VEHICLES
Abstract
The stable steering of any vehicle requires that there be applied to it (1) a restoring or directing torque for turning to a required direction, and (2) a damping torque by which all rotations and librations, whether original or caused by the first torque, may be eliminated by immediate dissipation of energy. A damping torque which is predictable and readily available for steering vehicles in outer space is demonstrated by precise studies of the magnetic rotational damping of Vanguard Satellites I and II (1958 Beta 2 and 1959 Alpha 1, respectively). For efficient exploitation of magnetic damping, it is possible to design magnetically retractable fins of such shape and highly permeable material that their effective magnetic permeability may be controlled to yield torques up to millions of times that which would occur without them. Also, a large directable compass needle on the vehicle could provide magnetic restoring torque as a convenient solution to the easier half of the space vehicle steering problem. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0262306
Entities
People
- Raymond H. Jr. Wilson
Organizations
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration