Modeling fuel slosh effects accurately and completely on spinning spacecraft has been a long standing concern within the aerospace community. Gyroscopic stiffness is obtained by spinning spacecraft as it is launched from one of the upper stages before it is placed in orbit. Unbalances in the spacecraft causes it to precess (wobble). The oscillatory motions are caused in the fuel due to this precession. This phenomenon is called 'fuel slosh' and the dynamic forces induced could adversely affect the stability and control of a spacecraft that spins about one of its minor moments of inertia axes. An equivalent mechanical model of fuel slosh is developed using springs and dampers that are connected to the rigid fuel tank. The stiffness and damping coefficients are the parameters that need to be identified in the fuel slosh mechanical model. This in turn is used in the spacecraft model to estimate the Nutation Time Constant (NTC) for the spacecraft. The experimental values needed for the identification of the model parameters are obtained from experiments conducted at Southwest Research Institute using the Spinning Slosh Test Rig (SSTR). The research focus is on developing models of different complexity and estimating the model parameters that will ultimately provide a more realistic Nutation Time Constant obtained through simulation.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Parameter Estimation of Spacecraft Nutation Growth Model


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2003-12-15


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Parameter Estimation of Spacecraft Nutation Growth Model

    S. N. Gangadharan / J. E. Sudermann | NTIS | 2004


    An Active Nutation Damper for Spacecraft

    R. A. Abercrombie / T. W. Flatley | NTIS | 1977


    An active nutation damper for spacecraft

    Abercrombie, R. A. / Flatley, T. W. | NTRS | 1977


    An active nutation damper for spacecraft

    Abercrombie, Richard A. / Flatley, Thomas W. | TIBKAT | 1977