Session
Technical Session VIII: Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition
Abstract
A Stellar Gyroscope is a star based attitude propagator that is capable of propagating a spacecraft’s attitude between camera frames by tracking the motion of the stars in the field of view. An algorithm to calculate the attitude maneuver in three degrees of freedom from successive star field images is described. Unlike traditional gyroscopes, the Stellar Gyroscope is capable of drift free attitude propagation when at least three stars are in the field of view. A larger number of stars increases the accuracy of the rotation matrix estimate in a least squares sense. Simulated images based on the SKY2000 Master Star Catalog are used to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Finally, the operation constraints are discussed and a camera components selection is offered.
Presentation Slides
Development of a Drift-Free Stellar Gyroscope
A Stellar Gyroscope is a star based attitude propagator that is capable of propagating a spacecraft’s attitude between camera frames by tracking the motion of the stars in the field of view. An algorithm to calculate the attitude maneuver in three degrees of freedom from successive star field images is described. Unlike traditional gyroscopes, the Stellar Gyroscope is capable of drift free attitude propagation when at least three stars are in the field of view. A larger number of stars increases the accuracy of the rotation matrix estimate in a least squares sense. Simulated images based on the SKY2000 Master Star Catalog are used to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Finally, the operation constraints are discussed and a camera components selection is offered.
