Experience of integrated interferometric guidance and astrometry

Darrell B. Story; Edmund P. Nelan; G. Fritz Benedict; William H. Jefferys; Arthur J. Bradley; Linda Abramowicz-Reed

doi:10.1117/12.178961

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5 July 1994 Experience of integrated interferometric guidance and astrometry

Darrell B. Story, Edmund P. Nelan, G. Fritz Benedict, William H. Jefferys, Arthur J. Bradley, Linda Abramowicz-Reed

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Proceedings Volume 2221, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing VIII; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.178961
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Engineering and Photonics in Aerospace Sensing, 1994, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The three fine guidance sensors on-board the Hubble Space Telescope are the first white-light amplitude shearing interferometers to be used for space platform guidance, control, and astrometry. Two fine guidance sensors (FGS) under fine lock control now maintain spacecraft pointing precision to within 7 milliseconds of arc rms over the majority of each orbit. Fine guidance sensor control optimization techniques have yielded significant improvement in tracking stability, integrated performance with the pointing control system, loss-of-lock statistics and astrometric accuracy. We describe the optical interferometer, based on the Koester's prism design. We include a discussion of the instrument calibration status, the FGS fine lock performance design enhancements, pointing control system design enhancements, and ground software techniques appropriate to jitter removal in astrometric data. The combination results in marc sec precision astrometry.

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Darrell B. Story, Edmund P. Nelan, G. Fritz Benedict, William H. Jefferys, Arthur J. Bradley, and Linda Abramowicz-Reed "Experience of integrated interferometric guidance and astrometry", Proc. SPIE 2221, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing VIII, (5 July 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.178961

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