Attitude Control System Tests using an Air Bearing Simulator

EDGARDO ROGGERO; M. CEROCCHI; P. SERVIDIA; RICARDO S. SÁNCHEZ PEÑA

Manhattan Beach

Seminario; 21st. Aerospace Testing Seminar; 2003

Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology

<!-- /* Style Definitions */p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-parent:"";margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:ES;}p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText{mso-style-link:"Body Text Char";margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}span.BodyTextChar{mso-style-name:"Body Text Char";mso-style-locked:yes;mso-style-link:"Body Text";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}@page Section1{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;mso-header-margin:36.0pt;mso-footer-margin:36.0pt;mso-paper-source:0;}div.Section1{page:Section1;}-->As part of validating a series of attitude control software andhardware for rockets and spacecrafts, an Attitude Control System Air BearingSimulator (ACBS) has been developed. The ACBS is a very low cost system thathas the capability of generating tri?axis angular motion on the vehicle toevaluate the overall performance of the attitude control subsystem, allowing toinclude real or simulated hardware in the loop (sensors and actuators), space environments,failures, delays, overlapping the events, etc. The test specimen is suspendedin air by a spherical air bearing which gives us a practically frictionlessmotion to allow free rotation of the test specimen about any rotation axis. Thedesign versatility is robust enough to allow modifications in the kind,quantity and configuration of sensors, actuators and the corresponding controlsoftware. The first practical use of this Simulator is for a sounding rocketproject of the Argentine Space Agency (CoNAE). This paper discusses thisspecific application and the further uses of enhancements suitable forspacecraft developments and for academic applications.