Line-of-sight pointing stability for "drifting" satellites

Explored here is the feasibility of a new attitude control approach for satellites in high altitude elliptic orbits, in order to compensate for the effect of longitudinal periodic drift relative to the ground station. A simple attitude control technique using tethers has been proposed for achieving the fixed apparent satellite orientation with respect to the ground segment of the space mission. Combining the proposed feedback tether length control law with the analytically developed open-loop control policy results in a significant improvement of the controller performance. To illustrate implementation of the proposed concept, the particular case of 24 h elliptic orbits has been considered. A high degree of satellite pointing along the drifting line-of-sight made possible even with modest tether lengths makes the concept particularly attractive.     

辐射开环绳系卫星编队自旋展开动力学与控制策略

提出了圆轨道辐射开环绳系卫星编队的展开控制策略。首先采用拉格朗日方程建立了辐射开环绳系卫星编队的展开动力学模型,分析了主星姿态与绳长在展开过程的动力学耦合关系;随后以建立的动力学模型为基础,分别研究了编队在重力梯度力补偿和无补偿两种情况下的自旋展开控制策略,通过规划绳系释放速度、主星自旋角速度等变量,实现了绳系编队的有效展开;最后搭建了编队自旋展开的动力学模型,通过数值仿真对所提出的展开策略进行验证,仿真结果表明：在重力梯度力矩补偿和无补偿的情况下,所提出的展开控制策略能够保证编队稳定展开。     

空间绳系机器人逼近目标协调控制方法

 为了节省空间绳系机器人的末端执行装置在逼近目标卫星过程中推力器所使用的燃料,本文提出一种利用推力器、反作用轮及空间系绳的协调控制方法。首先利用二次型最优控制器(LQR)算法计算出末端执行装置逼近目标所需的理想轨道控制力,然后利用模拟退火算法将所需轨道控制力优化分配到推力器及空间系绳,同时利用时间延迟算法通过反作用轮补偿空间系绳产生的姿态干扰力矩。仿真结果表明,利用该协调控制方法能显著节省末端执行装置上推力器的燃料消耗,有效抑制空间系绳协调控制力产生的姿态干扰,使末端执行装置保持相对稳定的姿态。     

空间绳系机器人捕获目标后的面内自适应回收方法

在空间绳系机器人(TSR)捕获目标星后,操作机构与目标星形成质量、惯量和系绳连接点位置等参数未知的组合体,且系绳长度、偏角与组合体姿态严重耦合,控制输入严格受限,回收控制十分困难。针对其回收难题,综合考虑系绳长度、系绳偏角与组合体姿态,利用拉格朗日法建立了轨道面内的动力学模型,并基于动态逆理论设计了一种自适应抗饱和回收控制方法。首先,在对组合体质量、惯量与系绳连接点进行在线估计的基础上,设计一种自适应动态逆回收控制器;然后,设计辅助变量对控制输入进行补偿,解决控制输入受限问题;最后进行仿真验证。仿真结果表明,在线估计器能够快速有效地估计组合体动力学参数,回收控制系统能够利用受限的控制输入克服抓捕时刻的系绳偏角和组合体姿态扰动,并沿设计的回收轨迹实现稳定有效回收。     

利用受限张力的拖曳变轨欠驱动姿态稳定策略

在空间绳系拖曳变轨中,目标和平台形成一种哑铃型绳系系统,且仅依靠有限的平台推力和系绳张力来抑制系绳的摆动。针对此类输入受限的欠驱动控制问题,提出了一种利用受限张力的姿态稳定策略。首先,推导了组合体姿态动力学模型。然后通过数值求解姿态平衡方程得出理论面内姿态指令,再采用高斯伪谱法对其优化获得实际指令。最后,基于分层滑模理论设计欠驱动张力控制律,并嵌入抗饱和模块以缓解张力饱和。仿真表明空间平台能在正向有限的张力控制下,平滑地收放系绳使面内角和绳长跟踪实际姿态指令。此外,所提策略对目标体摆动和传感器误差也具有良好的鲁棒性。     

Real time estimator for control of an orbiting single tether system

A real-time estimator is developed for the control of the Tether Dynamics Explorer (TDE) system. TDE is being used in a series of tethered satellite flight experiments whose purpose is to validate existing system models and test proposed control laws. Each experiment consists of an orbiting Delta II second stage which deploys toward the Earth a small box-shaped passive endbody at the end of a flexible tether. A discrete extended Kalman filter (DEKF) is presented which can operate in real time and in conjunction with control laws. This filter estimates the in-plane and out-of-plane tether libration angles and their rates from a proposed three-axis tether tension measurement device in the Delta second stage. The simulation results indicate that the DEKF can estimate the libration angle and their rates from a three-axis tension and length measurement with an acceptable error. The relatively simple computations required make this algorithm particularly well suited for real-time operation.<>     

ATS-6 Significance

The Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-6), the most powerful, most sophisticated, most versatile communications satellite flown to date, is the last of NASA's experimental satellites intended to demonstrate major advances in communications and spacecraft technology. It is a multipurpose, multidisciplinary spacecraft whose principal objectives were to demonstrate a large, unfurlable antenna structure and precise pointing and attitude control in the synchronous orbit The spacecraft carries 27 different experiments, 3 of which demonstrate users' applications of satellite communications. Significant advances in antenna technology, precise attitude control, materials technology, spacecraft structures, and thermal control have been successfully demonstrated. The most significant accomplishments of the ATS-6 mission are the demonstration of the practicality of satellite broadcasting to small, simple, inexpensive ground stations and the uses of this potential service in the solution of social problems involving education and health care. The success of these initial demonstrations has led ATS-6 experimenters and potential users to incorporate a Public Service Satellite Consortium dedicated to the provision of satellite broadcasting services for educational and health-care applications.     

Modelling the Attitude Noise of the Gaia Spacecraft. A Simplified Approach

A high-precision attitude determination and control of the forthcoming European Gaia satellite is an essential task for the success of the whole mission. The requirements for the spacecraft’s attitude require exceptional efforts in the simulation of the rotations of the satellite under the influence of continuous and randomly arising effects. This paper describes the structure of a physically-motivated noise model for simulating the attitude in a closed loop configuration. It deals with the analysis of the most important disturbing forces and torques acting on the Gaia spacecraft.     

On state estimation for an orbiting single tether system

The effects of instrumentation accuracy and configuration on estimation error are studied for the small expandable-tether deployment system (SEDS) using a continuous-discrete extended Kalman filter (CDEKF) state estimator. A twelfth order model that incorporates the rigid body modes of the tether as well as the satellite attitude dynamics is developed. Simulation results using the model and the estimator indicate that the originally planned instrumentation package could not estimate the state vector adequately. Recommendations are made and results presented that reduce the estimation error by adding instruments and increasing selected measurement accuracies     

Line-of-sight-pointing for satellites in high altitude inclined elliptic orbits

With a growing demand for space communications and resulting overcrowding of geostationary orbit (GEO), the importance of high altitude inclined elliptic orbits is gaining impetus. However, the satellites in these orbits suffer from a severe problem of apparent periodic angular drift around their line-of-sight. This paper addresses this problem and proposes a cost effective method based on tether to continually tilt the satellites in order to compensate for longitudinal and lateral drifts relative to the ground station. The proposed system comprises two satellites connected by a flexible tether at a point on each satellite with offsets. A control strategy is developed for tether offset variations that ensures judiciously controlled changes in the satellite orientations. The numerical simulation of the governing nonlinear equations of motion establishes the feasibility of the concept. A high degree of line-of-sight pointing of dual satellites as well as the simplicity of the proposed control mechanism makes the concept particularly attractive for future space applications.     

采用变速控制力矩陀螺的航天器自适应姿态跟踪和稳定控制研究

研究以变速控制力矩陀螺群(VSCMGs)为主执行机构的卫星功率/姿态一体化控制(IPACS)问题。针对卫星的三轴稳定控制和相对惯性系的姿态跟踪问题分别设计了两类自适应控制器,二者都考虑了执行机构的动力学特性,并进行了稳定性的证明。其中前者采用相对姿态描述,可以避免三轴稳定飞行中因惯性姿态旋转方向的选择而引起的控制力矩突变;后者采用改进的罗得里格斯参数(MRPs)描述姿态,简化了控制器设计过程并避免了运动学奇异。对姿态误差的描述,前者采用小姿态角假设下的偏差形式,后者采用现时姿态与期望姿态之间的方向余弦矩阵,更具有合理性。设计了能够逃离奇异、并具有轮速平衡功能的VSCMGs的操纵律,并应用磁力矩器为VSCMGs进行动量卸载。最后,通过两个算例进行了仿真,验证了所设计系统的可行性和有效性。     

克服旋转飞行器螺旋运动的方法研究

旋转飞行器虽然具有内在稳定性，但在飞行过程中一些不确定因素会导致飞行器产生螺旋运动，而非理想的关于角动量矢量纯粹的旋转运动。结合旋转飞行器自身的特点，借鉴自旋卫生的被动章动阻尼的方法，提出了一种通过主动控制飞行器内部质量块的运动使得飞行器碑的惯量主轴发生偏移，惯量矩阵由原来的对称阵变为含有非零非对角元素的矩阵，从而改变飞行器的姿态角运动来克服螺旋运动的方法，这将有助于提高旋转飞行器的资态控制精度。以某型旋转飞行器为背景进行仿真研究，计算结果证实了该方法的有效性和可行性。     

Geostationary tether satellite system and its application tocommunication systems

The geostationary tether satellite system expands the geostationary orbit resource from a one-dimensional arc into a two-dimensional disk. The tethered satellites, each several thousand kilometers apart and aligned along the local vertical, are stabilized at the altitude of the geosynchronous orbital speed. When this system is applied to communications systems, it is estimated that the number of satellites can be increased as much as thirteenfold and the communication capacity can be increased more than seventeenfold, compared with a conventional geostationary satellite orbit system     

DF Vectoring: Application to Stationary Synchronous Satellites

Several methods of using an earth-based radio reference signal to determine the three-axis attitude of a synchronous satellite, and two types of spacecraft electronic systems (amplitude measurement and phase measurement), which obtain attitude and pointing information from the radio reference signal for orientating the spacecraft and for directing large-aperture antennas aboard the spacecraft are described. The earth-based radio reference signal also enables the electronic systems to determine angles to other ground stations with respect to fixed (reference) stations on the earth. These attitude- and angle-determining techniques are applicable to communications satellites, navigational satellites, and intersatellite data relay systems.     

Integer ambiguity resolution in GPS for spinning spacecrafts

A procedure to compute the integer ambiguity problem when a GPS receiver is used in a multiple antenna configuration attached to a rotating spacecraft is presented. The method is applied to a simulation of an experimental satellite which uses the GPS receiver for attitude determination     

Hybrid control of orbit normal and along-track two-craft Coulomb tethers

The dynamics and stability of a charged two craft formation with nominal fixed separation distance (Coulomb tethers) is studied where the cluster is aligned with either the along-track or orbit normal direction. Unlike the charged two-craft formation scenario aligned along the orbit radial direction, a feedback control law using inter-spacecraft electrostatic Coulomb forces and the differential gravitational accelerations is not sufficient to stabilize the Coulomb tether length and the formation attitude. Therefore, a hybrid feedback control law is presented which combines conventional thrusters and Coulomb forces. The Coulomb force feedback requires measurements of separation distance error and error rate, while the thruster feedback is in terms of Euler angles and their rates. This hybrid feedback control is designed to asymptotically stabilize the satellite formation shape and attitude while avoiding plume impingement issues. The effects of differential solar drag on the formation and the ability of the controller to withstand this disturbance is also studied.     

基于对偶四元数的航天器相对位置和姿态耦合控制

针对交会对接、在轨服务等航天任务中存在的轨道和姿态动力学耦合问题,突破传统的轨道姿态分而治之模式,利用对偶四元数建立了相对位置和姿态的一体化耦合动力学模型,并分析了模型中存在的轨道和姿态耦合影响.针对此强耦合、非线性系统,基于对偶四元数的李群结构设计了误差PD（Proportional Derivative,比例微分）控制律,采用Lyapunov（李雅普诺夫）方法分析了控制系统的稳定性,并指出其相比传统的轨道和姿态分别控制方法更有优势.仿真结果表明,该控制方法能够一体化控制航天器的相对位置和姿态,相对位置控制精度在0.01m以内,相对姿态控制精度在0.05°以内,这表明所设计的控制器有效可行.     

面内轨道转移过程中的绳系系统摆振特性研究

轨道转移过程中的绳系系统处于非开普勒轨道,导致系统呈现复杂的动力学行为并影响着星体的飞行安全,因此研究系统摆振特性具有重要的理论和实际意义。针对复杂的非线性和强耦合问题,利用动量矩定理建立绳系系统姿态动力学方程,以切向常值加速度轨道转移为任务背景,给出了系统质心运动轨迹;通过分析面内摆角的静态分岔现象,推导了面内、面外摆角的一阶摆动解析解;引入经典的珠点模型,研究系绳纵向和横向的振动特性,并分析了系绳摆动与系绳振动之间的耦合关系。仿真结果表明:面内轨道转移过程中,面内、面外摆角以固定的频率绕平衡位置做往返摆动,摆动频率大小以及平衡位置的变化均与系绳长度、推力加速度和所处轨道密切相关,面内摆角摆动频率接近轨道角频率时会引起共振现象,系绳在轨道转移过程中会出现大幅度横向振动等现象。     

Observer-based control for the platform of a tethered space robot

This paper addresses the attitude control problem of a space tethered robot platform in the presence of unknown external disturbance caused by a connecting elastic tether. The tether-generated unknown disturbance leads to tremendous challenges for attitude control of the platform. In this work, the perturbed attitude dynamics of the platform are derived with a consideration of the libration of the elastic tether, and then with the purpose of compensating the unknown disturbance, major attention is dedicated to develop a nonlinear disturbance observer based on gyros measurements, after which, an adaptive attitude scheme is proposed by combining the disturbance observer with a sliding mode controller. Finally, benefits from the observer based on an adaptive controller are validated by series of numerical simulations.     

Electrodynamic forces in tethered satellite systems. I. Systemcontrol

Part I of this work deals with the use of electrodynamic forces for control of tethered satellite system. A system formed by two massive end-bodies connected to each other by a current carrying tether is to be kept in an Earth-pointing orientation by means of joint actions of thrusters on one of the end-bodies and electrodynamic forces acting on the tether