Spacecraft stabilization system and method

摘要

An improved system and method for ejecting and stabilizing a satellite/perigee stage assembly from a shuttle or orbiter type craft in space where the satellite includes gyros aligned parallel to three orthogonal axes, a computer, and spin and attitude control thrusters is described. The method comprises the steps of orienting the shuttle such that the perigee motor is pointing in the desired firing attitude, initializing said gyros and initializing the attitude determination algorithm in the spacecraft's computer, ejecting the spacecraft/perigee stage assembly without spin, after ejecting, slowly spinning the assembly about a desired spin axis, damping the assembly's nutation and precessing the assembly to the initial attitude while slowly spinning, and when at the initial attitude, spinning up the assembly for perigee motor firing.