Preliminary structural control results from the Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE)Results are presented of on-going closed-loop ground experiments on the MACE test article, the objective of which is to investigate the extent to which closed-loop behavior of flexible spacecraft in zero gravity can be predicted, as well as to examine orbit system identification and control reconfiguration. The MACE hardware consists of three torque wheels, a two-axis gimballing payload, inertial sensors, and a flexible support structure. With the acquisition of a second payload, this is to represent a multiple payload platform with significant structural flexibility. When linear quadratic Gaussian control is used, payload pointing accuracy is improved by an order of magnitude when disturbed by a broadband torque disturbance. The successes and failures of the design and implementation process are discussed.
Document ID
19920053080
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Miller, David W. (MIT Cambridge, MA, United States)
Saarmaa, Erik (Payload Systems, Inc. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Jacques, Robert N. (MIT Cambridge, MA, United States)