The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission creates global soil moisture measurements every 2-3 days by spinning a lightweight, ~6 meter diameter deployable mesh reflector. This represents the largest spinning antenna ever to be used on a NASA satellite. The paper discusses the mass properties challenges that were overcome in implementing the mission, including the definition of a combined imbalance term called the Effective Product of Inertia, the selection of an optimum Spun Instrument focal length and edge offset that fostered a reduced mass properties sensitivity, the inclusion of late game Spun Instrument configuration flexibility, the use of balance mass locations that leveraged the large moment arm provided by the reflector, and a subassembly measurement campaign that reduced mass properties uncertainties on testable components.
Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission Mass Properties Optimization and Analysis
SAWE International Conference on Mass Properties Engineering ; 2016 ; Denver, CO, United States
2016-05-21
Conference paper
No indication
English
The Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) Mission
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2010
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