Autonomous Attitude Reference System for Remote Sensing Satellites
Boris E. Landau, Gennady Anshakov, Vladimir Peshekhonov, Leonid Nesenyuk
The problems and the design philosophy of precision autonomous gyroscopic attitude reference systems of orbital remote sensing satellites are considered. The peculiar features of these systems are presented in connection with the need for calibrations of gyroscopes and their geometric references to the measurement axes of stellar sensors. The method for performing these procedures is given and an example of their implementation is shown. The state-of-the-art in the development of promising types of gyroscopes (fiber-optic and electrostatic) for the systems under consideration, the lines of their future development and improvement of strapdown attitude reference systems based on them are discussed.