THE DESIGN OF THE ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE SKIPPER SPACECRAFT

摘要

Skipper is a joint US-Russian spacecraft designed for monitoring electromagnetic 'bowshock' emissions in the ultra violet and visible spectrum of the earth's upper atmosphere. To accomplish this, Skipper must penetrate the upper atmosphere in highly elliptical orbits, completing its mission by taking and transmitting data during reentry. The attitude control system for Skipper must properly orient the science instruments, maintain stability, perform precessional maneuvers and determine attitude and control orbit transfer burns. Skipper is configured as a minor axis, spin-stabilized spacecraft. The control system design consists of four major components: the command and control subsystem, the active stabilization subsystem, the attitude determination subsystem, and the maneuver control subsystem. This paper describes the attitude control system design, hardware, software and ground support requirements for this mission. Actual mission performance is discussed.