Proposed CMG momentum management scheme for space station

A discrete control moment gyro (CMG) momentum management scheme (MMS) applicable to spacecraft with principal axes misalignments, such as the proposed NASA dual keel space station, is presented in this paper. The objective of the MMS is to minmize CMG angular momentum storage requirements for maintaining the space station near local vertical in the presence of environmental disturbances. It utilizes available environmental disturbances, namely gravity gradient torques, to minimize CMG momentum storage. The MMS is executed once per orbit and generates a commanded torque equilibrium attitude (TEA) time history which consists of a yaw, pitch and roll angle command profile. Although the algorithm is called only once per orbit to compute the TEA profile, the space station will maneuver several discrete times each orbit.