The dual momentum control device for large space systems - An example of distributed system adaptive control

One area in which large space systems require new technology is attitude control. The paper presents an adaptive control philosophy applicable to the control of distributed systems. An adaptive control system is described for stabilization of the flexible modes of a spinning ring. The system consists of a modal decomposition and identification subsystem, a gain adjustment subsystem, and a feedback control subsystem. Simulations are presented illustrating the adaptive capability of the system. The adaptive controller did produce stable results by quickly identifying the parameter differences and adjusting the feedback controller gains.