A stereo camera tracking system was developed to provide a near real-time measure of the position and attitude of the Spacecraft COntrol Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE). The SCOLE is a mockup of the shuttle-like vehicle with an attached flexible mast and (simulated) antenna, and was designed to provide a laboratory environment for the verification and testing of control laws for large flexible spacecraft. Actuators and sensors located on the shuttle and antenna sense the states of the spacecraft and allow the position and attitude to be controlled. The stereo camera tracking system which was developed consists of two position sensitive detector cameras which sense the locations of small infrared LEDs attached to the surface of the shuttle. Information on shuttle position and attitude is provided in six degrees-of-freedom. The design of this optical system, calibration, and tracking algorithm are described. The performance of the system is evaluated for yaw only.
Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment Optical Attitude Measurement System
1991
21 pages
Report
No indication
English
Manned Spacecraft , Attitude control , Large space structures , Optical tracking , Spacecraft control , Control theory , Flexible spacecraft , Optical measurement , Position (Location) , Real time operation , Actuators , Algorithms , Calibrating , Cameras , Degrees of freedom , Infrared detectors , Yaw , SCOLE experiment