Attitude Determination for NPS Three-Axis Spacecraft Simulator

Abstract

This paper presents the attitude determination method for the Bifocal Relay Mirror Spacecraft Simulator. The simulator simulates three-axis motion of a spacecraft and has an optical system emulating a bifocal space telescope. The simulator consists of three control moment gyroscopes, rate gyros, two-axis analog sun sensor, and two inclinometers. The five-foot diameter platform is supported on a spherical air bearing to offer a low-torque environment. This paper demonstrates two attitude determination methods employing the measurements from a two-axis analog IR sensor, two inclinometers, and a triaxial gyroscope. The first method implements the conventional Kalman filter algorithm. The second method uses a nonlinear observer derived from the Lyapunov s direct method. Analytical and experimental results are presented to validate the proposed algorithm.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA601209

Entities

People

  • Brij N. Agrawal
  • Jong-woo Kim
  • Roberto Cristi

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aeronautics
  • Algorithms
  • Astronautics
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Filters
  • Infrared Detectors
  • Kalman Filters
  • Light Sources
  • Mathematical Filters
  • Measurement
  • Observers
  • Simulations
  • Simulators
  • Spacecraft
  • Standards
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Inertial Navigation Systems.
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers