While there has been extensive theoretical and analytical research regarding the characterization of spacecraft propellant slosh and structural frequencies, there have been limited studies to compare the analytical predictions with measured flight data. This paper uses flight telemetry from the Cassini spacecraft to get estimates of high-g propellant slosh frequencies and the magnetometer boom frequency characteristics, and compares these values with those predicted by theoretical works. Most Cassini attitude control data are available at a telemetry frequency of 0.5 Hz. Moreover, liquid sloshing is attenuated by propellant management device and attitude controllers. Identification of slosh and structural frequency are made on a best-effort basis. This paper reviews the analytical approaches that were used to predict the Cassini propellant slosh frequencies. The predicted frequencies are then compared with those estimated using telemetry from selected Cassini burns where propellant sloshing was observed (such as the Saturn Orbit Insertion burn).
Inflight Characterization of the Cassini Spacecraft Propellant Slosh and Structural Frequencies
AIAA SciTech 2015 ; 2015 ; Kissimmee, FL, United States
2015-01-05
Conference paper
No indication
English
Inflight Characterization of the Cassini Spacecraft Propellant Slosh (AIAA 2015-0078)
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2015
|Propellant slosh models for the Cassini spacecraft
AIAA | 1994
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