Solution to the problem of determining the relative 6 DOF state for spacecraft automated rendezvous and docking

Phillip C. Calhoun; Richard Dabney

doi:10.1117/12.211505

12 June 1995 Solution to the problem of determining the relative 6 DOF state for spacecraft automated rendezvous and docking

Phillip C. Calhoun, Richard Dabney

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2466, Space Guidance, Control, and Tracking II; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.211505
Event: SPIE's 1995 Symposium on OE/Aerospace Sensing and Dual Use Photonics, 1995, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The automated rendezvous and docking of spacecraft requires knowledge of the relative 6 degrees of freedom (6 DOF) between the chase and target spacecraft. A sensor system for estimation of the 6 DOF state is being developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center for the Automated Rendezvous and Capture Project. This sensor employs the use of a charge coupled device camera mounted on the chase spacecraft to image a reflective target located on the target spacecraft. The target is illuminated using an array of laser diodes and the resulting camera image is processed to produce an estimate of the relative 6 DOF state. This paper will contain a brief description of the sensor system, known as the Video Guidance Sensor, and will describe the algorithms necessary to determine the 6 DOF state from the camera image. The solution begins by determining the range to each target reflector. This information is used to determine spacecraft position and to derive vectors used for attitude determination. Two methods of attitude determination using vector measurements are described for a 3 spot and 5 spot target.

Citation Download Citation

Phillip C. Calhoun and Richard Dabney "Solution to the problem of determining the relative 6 DOF state for spacecraft automated rendezvous and docking", Proc. SPIE 2466, Space Guidance, Control, and Tracking II, (12 June 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.211505

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