Sensing relative attitudes for automatic docking
Abstract
A major problem in docking unmanned spacecraft is related to the sensing of relative attitudes. The method of finding the relative attitudes of two spacecraft involves the measurement of the positions of markers (in the considered case, cornercube reflectors) on the target vehicle, relative to a sensing device (in the considered case, a scanning laser), on the chase vehicle. This information is then used to calculate relative attitude. In the present investigation, an algorithm for calculating relative attitude from the measured positions of the markers is presented. The accuracy of the algorithm is controlled by the number and placement of the markers. A theoretical prediction of the accuracy is confirmed by computer simulations. The accuracy increases with the square root of the number of markers.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Guidance Control Dynamics
- Pub Date:
- June 1983
- DOI:
- 10.2514/3.19818
- Bibcode:
- 1983JGCD....6..213K
- Keywords:
-
- Accuracy;
- Attitude Control;
- Computerized Simulation;
- Spacecraft Docking;
- Unmanned Spacecraft;
- Algorithms;
- Cartesian Coordinates;
- Least Squares Method;
- Markers;
- Performance Prediction;
- Standard Deviation;
- Astrodynamics