Aeronautics and astronautics – Spacecraft – Attitude control
Patent
1986-07-17
1988-07-19
Barefoot, Galen
Aeronautics and astronautics
Spacecraft
Attitude control
364459, B64G 124
Patent
active
047579641
ABSTRACT:
A method for passively stabilizing the attitude of a spinning orbiting body subject to orbital precession to maintain the spin axis orientation of the body essentially fixed and stable relative to the orbital plane. The preferred embodiment comprises selecting a body mass geometry and orbital parameters, including an orbit inclination, an orbital rate and a rate of regression of orbit line of nodes, so that the precessional motion of the body and the orbit are equal and opposite in direction and locating the spin axis of the body in a plane containing the north axis of the body and the orbit normal and between the north axis and the orbit normal, so that the gravity gradient precession of the spin axis equals the regressional motion of the orbit normal to produce a planar equilibrium configuration.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3271565 (1966-09-01), Blackman
R. Gluck, "Exploiting Environmental Torques for Attitude Control and Determination of Spin Stabilised Satellites," Israel Journal of Technology, (Jerusalem, Israel), vol. 12, No. 3-4, 1974, pp. 151-159.
W. Eversman, "Dynamics of a Slowly Spinning Satellite in a Regressing Orbit," Journal of Spacecraft, (New York), vol. 3, No. 4, Apr. 1966, pp. 531-537.
Barefoot Galen
Hughes Aircraft Company
Karambelas A. W.
Meltzer M. J.
Mitchell S. M.
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