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An Acquisition Control for the Laser Interferometer Space AntennaThe Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission is a planned gravitational wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbit. Laser interferometry is used to measure distance fluctuations between test masses aboard each spacecraft to the picometer level over a 5 million kilometer separation. Each spacecraft has two incoming and two outgoing laser beams for a total of six laser links. These links will have to be established sequentially at the start of the mission, and the spacecraft control systems must aim their lasers at each other with pointing motions less than 8 nanoradians per root Hertz in the frequency band 0.1-100 mHz. This paper presents a strategy for the laser acquisition process. The outgoing beam on one spacecraft is spoiled to provide a wide beam that encompasses the accuracy (noise and mounting bias) of the star tracker. The control system then takes advantage of an array of sensors with increasing sensitivity to quiet the receiving spacecraft and lock the laser. This process is carried out for each of the six links of LISA. A complete analysis and simulation of the acquisition process are presented.
Document ID
20040081295
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Maghami, Peiman G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hyde, T. Tupper
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Kim, Jinho
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: 5th International LISA Symposium
Location: Noordwijk
Country: Netherlands
Start Date: July 12, 2004
End Date: July 16, 2004
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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