Estimation of Launch Vehicle Performance Parameters from an Orbiting Sensor
Abstract
A seven-state inverse covariance (Bayes) filter was implemented to determine performance parameters of a launch vehicle. Data measurements were restricted to azimuth and elevation readings, typical of data from an infrared sensor in geosynchronous orbit. Results of this study indicate that the magnitude of constant acceleration, assumed to act in the direction of velocity, can be estimated using a seven-state filter (3 states each for position and velocity, and a seventh state for acceleration). The system is unobservable for short arcs if only one observer is available. The addition of a second observer can allow the system to be observed. An ad hoc fading - memory technique, in which confidence in the seventh state estimate was decreased, proved unsuccessful in estimating variable acceleration of a launch vehicle. Further attempts at estimating variable acceleration with an eight-state filter (3 states each for position and velocity, and seventh and eighth states involving engine exit velocity and propellant mass flow rate) were unsuccessful.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA111145
Entities
People
- Gregory D. Miller
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology