The introduction gives a short review of the effects that onboard liquid may have on the dynamics of the spacecraft. A distinction is made between arbitrarily moving craft and spin-stabilized vehicles. The modelling of rotating liquid behavior is very complicated and generally allows only to make predictions on the stability behavior of a spinning spacecraft. A flight experiment with a model satellite, with liquid in an annular tank, during parabolic aircraft flight is described. From a filmed record of the unconstrained motion, the attitude of the satellite is reconstructed. Details of the image processing scheme are given. The numerical simulation of the motion of the model satellite is explained. The liquid is inviscid and is assumed to move in the tank in two directions only, i.e., radial motion is neglected. Surface tension effects are important and are fully accounted for. The angular rates of the model following a short-duration torque, are presented. Plots of the liquid motion are included.
Effects of Low Bond Number Liquid Motions on Spacecraft Attitude
1990
13 pages
Report
No indication
English
Simulation of attitude motions of spacecraft
Tema Archive | 1976
|Low gravity liquid motions in spacecraft
NTRS | 1987
|