Described herein are systems and methods for attitude determination using infrared Earth horizon sensors (EHSs) with Gaussian response characteristics. Attitude information is acquired by detecting Earth's infrared electromagnetic radiation and, subsequently, determining the region obscured by Earth in the sensors' fields of view to compute a nadir vector estimation in the spacecraft's body frame. The method can be applied when two sensors, each with known and distinct pointing directions, detect the horizon, which is defined as having their fields of view partially obscured by Earth. The method can be implemented compactly to provide high-accuracy attitude within small spacecraft, such as CubeSat-based satellites.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    ATTITUDE DETERMINATION USING INFRARED EARTH HORIZON SENSORS


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2015-10-22


    Type of media :

    Patent


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English


    Classification :

    IPC:    B64G Raumfahrt , COSMONAUTICS



    Attitude determination using infrared earth horizon sensors

    NGUYEN TAM NGUYEN THUC / CAHOY KERRI L / QUADRINO MEGHAN K | European Patent Office | 2017

    Free access

    ATTITUDE DETERMINATION USING INFRARED EARTH HORIZON SENSORS

    NGUYEN TAM NGUYEN THUC / CAHOY KERRI L / QUADRINO MEGHAN K | European Patent Office | 2015

    Free access

    ATTITUDE DETERMINATION USING EARTH HORIZON SENSORS

    NGUYEN TAM NGUYEN THUC / CAHOY KERRI L / QUADRINO MEGHAN K | European Patent Office | 2018

    Free access

    Attitude determination using earth horizon sensors

    NGUYEN TAM NGUYEN THUC / CAHOY KERRI L / QUADRINO MEGHAN K | European Patent Office | 2019

    Free access

    Attitude Determination for Small Satellites with Infrared Earth Horizon Sensors

    Nguyen, Tam / Cahoy, Kerri / Marinan, Anne | AIAA | 2018

    Free access