The Spacelab Instrument Pointing System (IPS) is a three axes gimbal system providing pointing and stabilization in the arcsec range to a variety of space experiments with a mass of up to 7000 kg. The IPS demonstrated its control performance during the maiden flight in July 1985, the Spacelab 2 mission on board the Space Shuttle Challenger. The most challenging problem for attitude control in space is the disturbance compensation in the presence of structural flexibilities. Kalman filtering based on optical sensor and gyro measurements as well as flexible mode attenuation and feedforward control were indispensable to achieve high precision. To further enhance the IPS pointing performance and versatility, a new, more autonomous computer and sensor concept has been conceived providing the capacity for a higher degree of automation as well as improved pointing and closed loop tracking control. The autonomy and control capacity of the enhanced IPS establish the basis to accommodate the IPS as long-term available tracking and pointing platform on the International Space Station Freedom (ISF).
Instrument Pointing System: Precision Attitude Control in Space
1990
11 pages
Report
No indication
English
Manned Spacecraft , Attitude control , Pointing control systems , Space shuttles , Space stations , Spacecraft control , Feedback control , Stabilization , Feedforward control , Flexibility , Gimbals , Gyroscopes , Kalman filters , Optical measuring instruments , Spaceborne experiments , Spacelab , Tracking (Position) , Foreign technology
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