1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
RESEARCH ON ORBIT TRANSFER VEHICLE BASED ON A NEW PRINCIPLE
| Project/Area Number |
07505010
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 展開研究 |
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| Research Field |
Aerospace engineering
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| Research Institution | KYUSHU UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
YASAKA Tetsuo Kyushu Univ.Fac.Eng., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (80261238)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
NAKATANI Ichiro Instit.Space and Astronautical Sciences, 教授 (40150049)
HANADA Toshiya Kyushu Univ., Fac.Eng., Ass.Professor, 工学部, 助教授 (30264089)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1997
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| Keywords | orbit transfer / tumble orbit transfer / free-flying-platform / orbit generation / command |
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| Research Abstract |
Theoretical investigations and simulation through experimental vehicle were conducted for the purpose of realizing a novel orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) in space, based on the tumble orbit transfer principle.
OTV transfers a customer satellite into a new orbit by activating its thrusters after capturing the satellite. The OTV under the investigation utilizes a long arm in capturing the customer satellite, or extends its arm after the capture. The thrust is applied in a direction perpendicular to the arm, at one end of the arm. This maneuver causes rotational motion, as well as linear velocity increment, which puts the system into a transition orbit. By separating the satellite at a selected moment on command, the two end masses are put into different orbits by additional velocities of rotation. Out of plane transfer in this manner was confirmed effective by theoretical simulation, in addition to inplane transfer maneuver effects which had been confirmed in earlier investigation.
The experimental vehicle makes a free motion on a laboratory floor by levitation by air bearings and thrusters using compressed air. Accelerometers and gyros provide data for attitude/position determination and control. Within the limit of air and electrical umbilicals, the vehicle was confirned to move with very small resistance. After a series of experiments with various configurations, the best configuration was reached by adding compressed air sources for supplying air independently to the thrusters.
The present research established element technologies to verify the novel orbit transfer vehicle. The remaining task is to combine control algorithm derived by the theoretical investigation into the experimental vehicle.
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