Attitude control of the space construction base: A modular approach

A planar model of a space base and one module is considered. For this simplified system, a feedback controller which is compatible with the modular construction method is described. The systems dynamics are decomposed into two parts corresponding to base and module. The information structure of the problem is non-classical in that not all system information is supplied to each controller. The base controller is designed to accommodate structural changes that occur as the module is added and the module controller is designed to regulate its own states and follow commands from the base. Overall stability of the system is checked by Liapunov analysis and controller effectiveness is verified by computer simulation.