Use of Flat-Floor Facilities in Simulation and Testing

摘要

Computer simulation and testing of zero-gravity operations in support ofdevelopment of space structures becomes more and more standard. Yet, the need for hardware simulation and test facilities representing the zero-gravity conditions remains necessary, because of the strong requirements for verification and validation of system responses and model performances. In the past most of the simulations and tests of zero-g operations were performed in the area of guidance and control system development, using 3-axis motion facilities, mainly to support verification of relative motion of spacecraft with respect to inertial space. Presently, space structures and their motion under zero-gravity conditions are becoming more complex due to structural flexibility, sloshing of onboard liquids, and relative motion with respect to other space structures, all characterized by motion in multiple degrees of freedom. The verification and validation of these systems and their operations will mainly be performed by using computer simulation, but hardware facilities are still necessary to support model validation and real-system tests. This paper addresses an overview of facilities to be used of zero-gravity conditions and the relation between different types of facilities. The results are focused on the use of flat-floor facilities.