Slender ballistic reentry vehicles are highly susceptible to roll rate changes caused by small asymmetries in mass and configuration. One particular combination of asymmetries, consisting of a body-fixed trim angle of attack and a small radial c.g. offset, can cause a rapid spinup into resonance, with a large amplification in trim angle of attack and a concomitant increase in drag. By controlling the magnitude and direction of the c.g. offset with a moving-mass roll control system, it is possible to control the roll rate near resonance and to limit the angle-of-attack and drag response to a controlled value. A feedback law is derived, and the control system is demonstrated with a digital-computer simulation of the equations of rotational motion. (Author)
Roll Resonance Control of Angle of Attack for Reentry Vehicle Drag Modulation
1980
29 pages
Report
No indication
English