Minimum Energy Trap States of Dual-Spin Spacecraft

Some results are presented on the dynamics of gyrostats containing two axisymmetric rotors where one of the rotors is viscously damped and the other is subject to a controllable torque. The purpose of this arrangement is to investigate the use of internal torques to enable a spacecraft to escape from a trap state. Suppose the spacecraft is intended to operate in a state in which the primary rotor R 1 has a speci ed angular momentum and the other rotor R 2 , subject only to internal viscous torques, is not spinning relative to the spacecraft reference frame. Normally this state is asymptotically stable because of the damping. It is possible that a different asymptotically stable state exists satisfying these conditions on the rotor momenta, in much the same way that a single-spinner may spin in either direction about its major axis. If the spacecraft becomes trapped in the alternate state, it is necessary to help it escape. In an earlier study, a pulsing procedure was proposed. Herein we show that periodic torquing of the primary rotor may lead to escape but generally is rather ineffective. An alternative escape procedure is presented that essentially is guaranteed to lead to escape. Unlike the local analysis that suggests the pulsing procedure, the procedure used here is based on a global analysis of the rotational dynamics.

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Minimum Energy Trap States of Dual-Spin Spacecraft

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Nonlinear controller to reduce resonance effects during despin of a dual-spin spacecraft through precession phase lock

Nonlinear controller to reduce resonance effects during despin of a dual-spin spacecraft through precession phase lock

Dynamics of an Asymmetric Gyrostat

Escape from Gyrostat Trap States

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