COFS 1: Beam dynamics and control technology overview

The Control of Flexible Structures (COFS) 1 Project provides the invaluable opportunity to test, validate, and measure the effectiveness of theories, structural concepts, control systems, and flight certification processes for future missions through a research program focusing on multiple issues in large flexible structures, dynamics, and controls. The COFS 1 Project consists of a series of ground and flight activities building progressively from modeling and dynamic characterization of large space systems to the more complex issues of flexible-body control. The program objectives are to: determine the degree to which theory and ground testing can predict flight performance of next-generation low-frequency structures; evaluate structural fidelity of representative next-generation large deployable precision structure; assess math modeling requirements for large lightweight complex systems on which ground test results are questionable; determine degree to which scale model analysis and tests can be correlated to full-scale performance; evaluate system identification and state estimation algorithms on complex lightweight structures in the space environment; evaluate and verify controls/structures modeling capability; evaluate control laws and control systems; and evaluate damping effects in micro-g environment.