Abstract
Significant errors in force and moment output as well as large control coupling forces can result if the attitude and translation control thrusters of a spacecraft are not calibrated properly. Thruster calibration is also important for estimating fuel usage so that spacecraft life can be accurately predicted. A general procedure to accurately determine the true relationship between the commanded and the actual force output of a set of thrusters is presented. This relationship is determined from data generated by a spacecraft while it is in orbit. The calibration is based on the Kaiman filter estimator and is verified by a digital computer simulation of the Gravity Probe B spacecraft dynamics. Gravity Probe-B is an Earth orbiting gravitational physics experiment, which will test several aspects of Einstein's general relativity theory. A set of 18 proportional thrusters generate attitude control moments around three axes and translation control forces along three axes for full six-degree-of-freedom control. A total of 108 parameters are needed to characterize both the force and moment outputs of all 18 thrusters. The ability to calibrate these parameters to an accuracy of better than 1% rms is demonstrated.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 934-940 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Space and Planetary Science
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Applied Mathematics