Generalized Equations for the Position and Attitude of a Multiply Connected Spacecraft. I. The Dynamical Equations.
Abstract
The nonlinear differential equations for the rotational motion of an earth-orbiting spacecraft are derived in terms of Newtonian mechanics and are put in a form suitable for computer solution. The spacecraft is assumed to have a general configuration consisting of a main body and any number of secondary bodies each of which is gimbaled to the main body. The equations describing the attitude motion of the main body are in terms of a set of Euler angles that relate the orientation of a reference frame fixed in the spacecraft to a reference frame whose orientation can be specified as an arbitrary function of time in inertial space. Properties of general Euler angle rotation matrices and the equations for the Keplerian orbit are contained in the Appendix. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0736151
Entities
People
- D. K. Anand
- J. M. Whisnant
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory