EARTH CONTROLLER FOR SPACECRAFT ORBIT AND POSTURE EMPLOYING THRUSTER SELECTION THEORY AND MAGNETIC TORQUER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of continuing to simultaneously control the posture and partial orbit of a spacecraft through a noble and effective employment of the thrusters, magnetic torquers and onboard gyroscopes thereof when the momentum wheel thereof has failed. ;SOLUTION: A ground loop controller(GLC) for spacecraft is installed on the earth and interfaces with a satellite earth station. The satellite earth station receives spacecraft telemetry by a downlink base band device and automatically transmits spacecraft commands by a command uplink base band device, to control the posture and partial orbit of a revolving spacecraft through the employment of commanded ignition of the thrusters thereof and of the polarity and amplitude of the magnetic torquers thereof. The cooperation by all thrusters of which primary and spare chords are both available remarkably improves the fuel economy.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1998,JPO