Session
Technical Session X: Instruments and Sensors
Abstract
A single, augmented Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which simultaneously and autonomously estimates spacecraft attitude and orbit has been developed and successfully tested with both simulated and real magnetometer and rate data. Since the earth's magnetic field is a function of time and position, and since time is known quite precisely, the differences between the computed and measured magnetic field components, as measured by the magnetometers throughout the entire spacecraft orbit, are a function of both orbit and attitude errors. Therefore, these differences can be used to estimate both orbit and attitude. The results of testing the EKF with real magnetometer and gyro data from four satellites supported by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) are presented and evaluated.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Attitude and Orbit Estimation using Real Earth Magnetic Field Data
A single, augmented Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which simultaneously and autonomously estimates spacecraft attitude and orbit has been developed and successfully tested with both simulated and real magnetometer and rate data. Since the earth's magnetic field is a function of time and position, and since time is known quite precisely, the differences between the computed and measured magnetic field components, as measured by the magnetometers throughout the entire spacecraft orbit, are a function of both orbit and attitude errors. Therefore, these differences can be used to estimate both orbit and attitude. The results of testing the EKF with real magnetometer and gyro data from four satellites supported by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) are presented and evaluated.
