A Laser System for Determination of Rocket Attitude Using Two Ground Stations.

摘要

A system that can measure the attitude of a spinning rocket when coupled with a laser radar tracker was investigated. The attitude sensing system consists of at least two ground based laser transmitter/detector stations which illuminate the rocket with continuous wave lasers as it moves downrange. Pulses that are reflected from two roof type prisms onboard the spinning vehicle back to the two transmitting stations along with position data obtained from the tracking laser radar form the basis for determining the missile's pitch and yaw. A static bench scale demonstration, a dynamic computer simulation and sensitivity analysis of this concept all continue to support this system as a viable alternative to the current photographic technique for determining missile attitude. (Author)