Effects of tether attachments on the Shuttle/Tethered Satellite System dynamics

The dynamics of the Shuttle Tethered Satellite System are influenced by attaching the tether at some point other than the center-of-masses of the Shuttle and the subsatellite. At the Shuttle, the tether attachment is made at the end of a boom deployed out of the payload bay. This attachment noticeably affects retrieval dynamics of the satellite pendulous motion. At the satellite, the tether attachment is assumed to be made on the circumference of the satellite. This attachment greatly affects the attitude motion of the satellite about its own center-of-mass. Computer simulation results are presented showing the effects of the Shuttle boom in a three-dimensional model and the effects of satellite attachment in a planar model.