A conceptual solid-state rendezvous and docking tracker (RDT) has been devised for generating range and attitude data for a docking vehicle relative to a target vehicle. Emphasis is placed on the approach of the Orbiter to a link with the Space Station. Three laser illuminators ring the optical axis of the lens a directed toward retroreflectors on the target vehicle. Each retroreflector is equipped with a bandpass filter for a designated illumination frequency. Data are collected sequentially over a 20 deg field of view as the range closes to 100-1000 m. A fourth ranging retroreflector 0.3 m from center is employed during close-in maneuvers. The system provides tracking data on motions with 6 deg of freedom, and furnishes 500 msec updates (to be enhanced to 100 msec) to the operator at a computer console.
Rendezvous and docking tracker
1986-01-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
Springer Verlag | 2008
|NTRS | 1963
Rendezvous and Docking Techniques
NTRS | 1962
|RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING TECHNIQUES
NTRS | 1963
|Rendezvous and Docking Techniques
AIAA | 1963
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