GRAVITY-GRADIENT ATTITUDE STABILIZATION FOR COMMUNICATION SATELLITES,
Abstract
Gravity-gradient attitude stabilization has been used successfully in a number of near-earth satellites in recent months. After the pioneering effort of the Applied Physics Laboratory in the first successful demonstration of gravity stabilization in June 1963, this technique has become one of the basic elements of satellite technology. By January of 1964 three APL satellites had been vertically stabilized by the passive gravity-gradient technique, and are expected to continue in this state indefinitely. A satellite of the Naval Research Laboratory was also stabilized successfully in January 1964. These developments are reviewed herein, and the problems of extending these techniques to higher altitude for use as communication satellites are discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0608968
Entities
People
- Frederick F. Mobley
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory