Introduction

The Use of a Spinning Dissipator for Attitude Stabilization of EarthOrbiting Satellites

ASIM K. SEN, Senior Member, IEEE Communications Research Centre Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract
This paper considers a novel attitude stabilizing system which acts both as a passive nutation damper and a momentum source for an Earth-orbiting satellite. The system may be designed to use four identical wheels mounted coaxially with and at the ends of the arms of a cruciform structure. The structure may then be spun about the axis perpendicular to the arms to provide angular momentum along the spacecraft spin axis. The wheels experience torques produced by inertial forces. The necessary damping and restoring (spring) torques are provided by means of a torsional arrangement built around the center of each wheel. The performance characteristics of the proposed stabiliziilg unit are evaluated by considering spacecraft parameters used in one phase of development of the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS). The results obtained for a specific design of the stabilizer indicate that global stability of the desired attitude motion of the spacecraft can be guaranteed with associated damping time constant as low as one second.

In a previous paper [11, the author has shown that a wheel-type energy dissipator with a torsional spring and damping arrangement provides an efficient means of nutation damping in a dual-spin satellite system. In particular, it was indicated that the stability criteria derived for this damper configuration had no destabilizing term which could be affected by the spin rate of the satellite main body containing the dissipator. Furthermore, it was shown by an approximate analysis that the damping time constant associated with the nutation damper was inversely proportional to the spin rate of the satellite main body which contained the dissipator. These facts, coupled with the observation that the inertial behavior of the two bodies of a dual-spin system differs only in respect to their spin rates, clearly suggest that considerable improvement in the damper performance could be readily achieved if the dissipator were designed to operate on the high-spin rotor, rather than on the slowly spinning main body of the satellite system considered. Unfortunately, a direct application of the analytic tool used in [1] fails to verify the preceding conjecture for situations in which the spacecraft configurations have an unfavorable inertia ratio. A different approach is, therefore, adopted in this paper. In the present analysis, it is assumed that the proposed dissipator consists of four independent wheels mounted coaxially with and at the ends of the arms of a cruciform structure, and the structure is then spun about the axis perpendicular to the arms, to provide angular momentum along the spacecraft spin axis. It can be seen that this design of the energy dissipating unit not only provides redundancy and improved efficiency in the overall damper performance, but it also eliminates the need for an additional rotor element to supply the necessary spacecraft momentum.

The Satellite System Under Consideration

Manuscript received September 20, 1972.

272

Consider the satellite configuration illustrated in Fig. 1. The main body of the spacecraft consists of a central part and a pair of solar panels attached to its sides. A cruciform structure, including four independent wheels, is also attached to the satellite main body through an appropriate bearing arrangement. The combined unit acts both as a nutation damper and a momentum wheel for the satellite system considered. Let xyz and x'y'z' (shown coincident in Fig. 1) define a set of centroidal principal axes for the spacecraft main body and the stabilizing system, respectively, with the nominal spin axis of both in the z (or z') direction, and let their origins be coincident and located at the center of mass, 0, of the whole spacecraft. It is assumed that the damper wheels are identical and the two sets A and B are constrained to oscillate in the y' - z' and x- z' planes, respectively. It is also assumed that each damper mass is associated with a torsional system which offers dissipative torque in addition to the restoring (spring) torque.
VOL. AES-9, NO. 2
MARCH 1973

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

where

IR=IO + 2Mb2 + 211bt

SOLAR PANEL

IR T = IR TO + 2Mb + 21M 'RTRT + 2Mb2 2 IR T= IR TO+2b + 2m

Im
=

ML2 2
2

I m

(8)

and where the symbols used are as follows:

CRUCIFORM STRUCTURE

IR spin-axis inertia of the spinning dissipator IR T'IR T' transverse inertias of the spinning dissipator

Iz spin-axis inertia of the satellite main body Ix, I, transverse inertias of the satellite main body

Fig. 1. The satellite system under consideration.

Equations of Motion For the satellite system (Fig. 1) considered, the equations of motion in a torque-free environment may be found to be (See Appendix) (1) Ix+ (Iz I~)c,.),& = 0
-I coz cW( I)wx I~Cy
=

(2)
az 2

IRTC

+ (IR

IRT')zCY z

2jm l 2Im

wz spin rate of the satellite main body Cox, wy transverse angular rates of the satellite main body, as measured in the xyz frame of reference coj spin rate of the spinning dissipator x', coy' transverse angular rates of the spinning dissipator, as measured in the x'y'z' frame of reference Q2 spin rate of the dissipating unit with respect to the spacecraft main body of inertia of the A and B dissipator moment IMn Im ' wheels, respectively C, C' damping rate constant associated with the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively K, K' spring constant associated with the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively M, M' mass of the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively L, L' radius of the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively b, b' distance between the spin axis of the spinning dissipator and the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively 01, 02 angular displacement of the A and B dissipator wheels, respectively.

(3) Stability Analysis

2 2,mozO1 =0 IRTCL)y (IR IRT)W(xz2A m m

(4

1I Cz + I
x z

1cz'
)z

(Ix - Iy)ox WY
y
+
m

y 1

(S

For the kind of dynamical system considered here, an equilibrium state may be defined as the state of system motion at which the on-board energy dissipator ceases to be operative. In other words, for an equilibrium state of spacecraft motion, the following condition holds, regardless of the initial motion assumed: 01=01 =02 =02 =0 ~
=

Im61

C6

+KOi-I Ic;x'=0

(6)

01

01 0

02

020 -V

(9)

Im'02 +C02 +K02 +Im CIOY0

SEN: SATELLITE ATTITUDE STABILIZATION

(7) where 01 o and 020 are arbitrary constants representing the initial hang-off angles of the dissipator wheels considered.
273

When the preceding condition is imposed on the set of nonlinear motion equations given by (1) through (7), and the observation' is made that both wx and coy have zero values when the variables cot' and wy' become zero, it is seen that the equations set (1) - (7) can be made to admit the only equilibrium solution given by
co

rw=-,
77

ciz

r=

Q2

77

77

=-

constant, coj = constant

(A)
=0
=0

Iy Ix 6 I 'y I T T

IR T
RT
I

IT

BR T

IR T'
I
T

C=0==0 (10) 1 2 0 x Wy y which, in reality, represents the desired attitude motion of the spacecraft under consideration. Thus, it follows that global stability of the desired attitude motion of the spacecraft can be assured simply by proving that the motion described by (1) through (7) is stable in the close neighborhood of the equilibrium solution given by (10). The following set of linearized motion equations may be considered for this purpose:

Cx

6 =_

Im

Isr 6m a =1-

c'

ITr1
P2 -=
K
2
9

IT71
P2

I2 -

Kr

(18)

6xX+X

Y=0 y

(11)
(12)
(13)
-

6 y Y-XyX=0

From (11) through (16), the following characteristic equation may be obtained:
(6 Iys2 +Xy)(a6s6 +a5s5 +&a4s4 +a3s3

6R TX'+ XR Y' 26 Z1'- 26 '(r + r )Z2' = 0 6RTY XR X'+26m Z2I 26m(rw +r9)Z'=0
6mZi'+j3Zi'+P2Zi' -mX=O
m
m

+a2s2+a,s+ao)=0
where

(19)
(with

(14)
(15)

6RT =RT ,XR =XR

a6 =PQ
a5
a4

the

coefficients

are

given

by

(16)

where the variables now represent small increments around the equilibrium solution given by (10), and the variables have been nondimensionalized as follows:
Xx

=6RT(P13'+QO)
=6RT(QP2 +pp'2 +6RTOO')+R6m'+S6m
6m6m XR 2+462 6m2(rW + r)2

77

,Y=-

Wy
77

_x I x-77

y=

a3

=
=

f(S + 6R T2PI2) +1 g(R + RT2p2)

(Rp'2 + Sp2 + 6R 2p 2pI2 + XR 2pg)

0 . Z2 = 02 Z =-,

(17)

a2
a,

The dots in (11) through (16) now indicate differentiations with respect to the dimensionless time 7 = 77t, and the constants are defined as

(Qp'2 + Ofp2 )XR 2

2

Xx I-Y
=

rW

) ITSY - I
+

IX)I
XR

rW

w = p2pf2)e an
and where

(20a)

XR

(IR -IR T )(rw r.)

(R
=

-IR T)(rw r)
+

m=6RT -26M)
Q =m (6RT
26m )
+

IT
(IX +IY +
2

77

|(IZw Z + IR Wz )I
I

= 6m

[XR2 + 2mXR(rw
+

r,)]
(20b)

S=
1On the basis of the relationship wx2
274
+

mI['R

26m )XR (rw + r ()]

Wy2

(Axf2

Wyr2.

The characteristic equation given by (19) consists of two factors, the first of which represents a quadratic polynomial
MARCH 1973

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

involving parameters related to the spacecraft main body alone. Since no energy dissipators are assumed to be present in this part of the spacecraft, neither stabilizing nor destabilizing influence is indicated by the roots of this quadratic polynomial. The second factor of (19), on the other hand, clearly demonstrates the possibility of damping of spacecraft nutation due to the spinning dissipator. The usual procedure for investigating this point involves the application of the Routh-Hurwitz criterion to the resulting characteristic polynomial. It can be seen that the procedure yields both the necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of the equilibrium solution given by (10). However, in order to reduce the order of the characteristic polynomial involved, the following assumption is made in regard to the operation of the dissipating unit (Fig. 1): Only one pair of the dissipator wheels, say, the pair A, is allowed to oscillate to cause energy dissipations in the spacecraft, while the remaining pair, marked B, is held fixed. Thus, by letting Sm' and 1' go to zero and p'2 approach infinity in (20), the characteristic equation for this important special case of the proposed stabilizer is found tobe V6R T6m(6R T 26)]S4 +(6RT2 g)S3 + [5RT2P2+5mXR2

the inequality (22a) is trivially satisfied for the satellite system under consideration, (22b) through (22e) yield the following stability criteria: 3>0, XR >O (23) The preceding criteria are based on the sign convention that the nominal direction of the angular momentum vector associated with the spinning dissipator is positive.
An Approximate Determination of the Damping Time Constant

By assuming the damping of spacecraft nutation caused by the spinning dissipator to be representable by a decay function of the form WT = wTO exp ( )

(24)

where T denotes the damping time constant, an approximate expression for T can be determined as follows. In general, one can write
wT2 =

Y2 + yf2

(25),

+26

XR(r +r)]s2 +(f3XR2)s+P2R2 R

O.

From (21), the following stability conditions rn obtained by the application of the Routh-H ( [ criterion:

where wT is related to the total transverse angular rate of the satellite system considered. Following differentiation and substitution of (13) and (14), (25) yields, for the special case of the two-wheel operating mode of the stabilizer,
WTWT
(26rn) [

Y w+(rw +r,n)YZI

(26)

>0
[F 2 + W +2~~~~
2

Now, since the decay rate of WT is likely to be high in the event the energy dissipator becomes very effective, it is reasonable to consider only the transient solution of (15), with the result

/ m\

Zl=Zoi'
+ r9)

exp[ (-

cos r ]-a)

(27a)

2) XR(rW

>0

3XR [XR + 6R T(rW + r9)]

P XR

>0

(22d)
(22e)

21 ,-" -ZO
=

exp

Ir

Cos

(pmr a)
(27b)

>0 .

+Pm sin

(Pm T-a)]

As in [1] , it is interesting to note that the stability conditions obtained above do not involve any destabilizing term which could be affected by the spin rate of the dissipating system considered. This result constitutes the basis of the conjecture made earlier that improvements in the damper performance can be readily achieved without affecting spacecraft stability simply by increasing the spin rate of the proposed dissipator. Finally, by observing that
SEN: SATELLITE ATTITUDE STABILIZATION

_= Zo l ' exp

[Q)][j(1)

-Pi

cos

(pmr a-) + pm Om

sin (pm T

a)

(27c)
275

Furthermore, the following approximate solutions may be obtained from (13) and (14):

-1 [m /(4pm2 where where OM = (0/6M)' pM = (2 /M )1, a = tan -pm2 )/2] , and Zo ' is an arbitrary initial value of Zi'.
V
=

gm 2

1/2

X' -w TCOSXRT 7-

(28a)
and

4pm

Y' --wTsinXR r
where

(28b)
A=

XR T = (XR/6R T)-

[() + (R T+ pm)2]
+

Substitution of (27) and (28) in (26) results in

L
RT

P-2 Pm2}A(T)
(29)
where
T-

(T -m )2].

(33)

+p

where

I
= exp
= exp
-

MOMB(r)-(rw+r.)
C(T) + PmD(T)I]

Now, with the approximation (A /4p ) << 1, and with the reintroduction of dimensionality (since X = iqt), (32) can finally be reduced to

Pm XR TP\ seconds
AO ?/

(34)

A(r) = exp
B(r)

[-(2)

cos XR TT cos (pmT - at)

a)

(30a)

AO=[(XRT' Pm)2
(30b)
Numerical Results

+(

4) (XRT+ Pm)] * (35)

2( ) T] cos XR Tr sin (pmiT

(2
)] sin XR Tr cos (pmiT

The roots of the sixth-order characteristic polynomial (19), whose coefficients are given by (20), were determined numerically using a set of parameters employed in an early design phase of the CTS spacecraft. The damping time constant Tm associated with the least damped mode was D(T) = exp t jjj sin XRTT sin a) (30d) then used in the evaluation of the performance characteristics of the proposed stabilizer. Results were Note that the preceding expression for w'T is in a form obtained for both the two-wheel and four-wheel modes of which can be easily integrated to yield a corresponding operations of the stabilizing unit. The results are presented expression for WT. When these expressions are substituted in Fig. 2. From the figure, it can be seen that a damping time constant in the neighborhood of only one second is in the definition of the damping time constant T, given by readily obtainable from a reasonable design of the (WT),r=O1 stabilizer. Specifically, the following points may be noted: T--.| (31) _1 (T)T=O.J 1) The minimum value of the damping time constant Tm is not altered appreciably if the operating state of the one obtains, from (31), stabilizer is changed from the two-wheel to the four-wheel In the four-wheel mode of operation, the minimum mode. Pm

C(r)

a)

F /om\1

(pimT

T=
4

(XR TP\
A

/(l V)(4Pm

3m

2)

(2 (3+

+4(1

+X1-)\1-A
X

R3P

value of T is found to occur at a lower value of the nondimensional spring constant p2, and the bandwidth of the Tm curves at each chosen value of the dissipator spin rate is increased. 2) For both two-wheel and four-wheel modes of operation of the stabilizer, the bandwidth of the Tm curves increases with an increase in the dissipator spin rate, thus making the stabilizer performance less sensitive to
MARCH 1973

276

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

Lx ly Iz

645 SLUG-FT2 655 SLUG-FT2 72 SLUG FT2 Wz RPH 1/24 IRO 0O048 SLUG FT2 I RTO O 02 4 SLUG- FT2
-

12

M L

0 03 0 5

SLUGS

FT

1
10
(A
0

- 0.584 x 10-3

2 FT

z
0
u w

TWO-WHEEL MODE ---FOUR-WHEEL MODE

C100 RPM

(n

E
I-

z z
0
u

(A

200 RPM
-4

z a.
a0
L- 400 RPM

L- 500 RPM

30

4.0

50

60

70

80

90

II

Iao

1 II U

Ie 12-0

DIMENSIONLESS SPRING CONSTANT,

p2

Fig. 2. Performance characteristics of the proposed

stabilizer.

TABLE I

Comparison of T and Tm (Two Wheel Mode)

Stabilizer Spin Rate, Q7 (rpm)

100 200 300 400 500

Total Satellite Momentum, HT

(ft.lb.sec)
5.53 11.05 16.58 22.11 27.63

Resonant Value of p2

Calculated T (seconds)
1.22 0.61 0.41 0.31 0.24

Damping

Time Constant

From Root Study, Tm (seconds)

4.55 2.28

7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15

1.52 1.14 0.91

variations in the spacecraft parameters, including those of the dissipator.

The damping time constant T for the two-wheel mode of operation of the proposed stabilizer was also evaluated numerically by using the approximate expressions given by (34) and (35). The value of the nondimensional parameter p2 used in these evaluations was chosen to be the resonant value, as obtained from Fig. 2. The results are compared in Table I.
Conclusions

performance characteristics of the proposed stabilizer can be improved to any desired extent simply by increasing the spin rate of the dissipating unit concerned. From the numerical results presented in the paper, it is indicated that a damping time constant in the neighborhood of only one second can be easily achieved with a reasonable design of the stabilizer. A remarkable feature of the suggested stabilizing scheme is that no "trap state" is found to occur in the spacecraft, thus assuring global stability of the desired attitude motion of the satellite system considered [2].
It is felt that a successful implementation of the proposed scheme would initiate a new generation of satellite attitude control systems in which an appropriately sized dissipator at an appropriate spin rate acts as a master stabilizer for any given size and shape of the spacecraft.
277

In this paper, an attitude stabilizing system is proposed for an Earth-orbiting satellite in which a spinning dissipator is used to provide both nutation damping and the necessary angular momentum of the spacecraft. It is shown that the
SEN: SATELLITE ATTITUDE STABILIZATION

Appendix
Derivation of the Equations of Motion

+ 62 pIm -2Im(0z0iI

+2' [2Im c0j'61 + 2fm X f92] (38) Following Greenwood [3], the rotational equations of motion for the satellite system of Fig. 1 in a torque-free where the Is represent the moments of inertia of the satellite system under consideration. environment may be expressed as By combining (37) and (38), one can finally obtain the following set of scalar equations: f(PjxP1) dm (H+ x1)+(H'+w'xH')+ I Ce) + (I),- c = 0 (39)
=1

I&),

+ L f@x(?'xr') dm 0 4~~~~~

(36)

Iyy -(Iz -Ix )(x =z IR TCx + (IR .'R TI)wy Coz 2'm U
-2Im
= 0z 620

(40)
I

where the vectors H and H' denote the absolute angular moments of the spacecraft main body and the stabilizing IRT - (R IR T)Cox. (z + 2Im102 unit, respectively, about their common center of mass 0. co and co' are the angular velocities of the respective bodies in -21mZ = inertial space, and ri refers to the radius vector for any elementary mass dm on the ith dissipator wheel. The dot IZ z z+Iz -(Ix - Iy )CxCy 'z over an unprimed vector indicates time differentiation in the reference xyz frame, whereas the dot over a primed e -w(Ix oy Ie+ 2M Cy I + 2IM ('x l2 vector indicates time differentiation in the assumed x'y'z' frame of reference. where Now, by expressing the primed and unprimed vector IR =z=1Ro +2Mb2+2M'b'2 quantities as components in the x'y'z' and xyz reference and that the unit vectors z frames, respectively, by noting and z' are identical, evaluation of the various terms in (36) IRT =IX'+2m, IRT =Iy + 2Im yields '2 IX O + 2Mb2'y IY =IR +2Mb Ix' IR= IRTO yRTo

(41)

w,'

(42)

(43)

(H + xi + (H

+Z

xH)%

V [I[x xx + ( Iz
r_ (IZ

cI o y )c yz

Im =-

ML2
2

Im ' -

M'L12
2

and
4
(ri xr.
i=l
=

Ix wx ) 'jZ] and where IRO and IR TO represent the moments of inertia '[IIy ,U with the cruciform structure of the stabilizer. +t[ WYI (I' If) I'J associated -(Ix [ I The preceding set of motion equations may be y(x -y xxx z y] z supplemented now by a pair of equations describing the z motions of the dissipator wheels about the x' and y' coordinate axes of the stabilizing unit. Thus, by computing the moments about the x' axis due to both the y' and z components of inertial forces acting on the dissipator wheels marked A, and noting that the resulting torque simply equals the sum of the damping and restoring torques, one of these equations may be obtained as ..Ol +C~l +K61 1 ~ = I 0, iCO, + KO - lmux = (44)
I

)&
x
-

4
+

Sco (r. xri ?d

Z z

i=l
x

[2Im

-2Im'(Y

where C denotes the damping rate constant and K is the spring constant associated with the dissipator wheels A. Similarly, by considering the inertial forces acting on the dissipator wheels labelled B, the second equation may be found as

2IM 01

2lm'WZ 6 2 ]

Im'02 +C'02 +K'02 +IIIy

=0.

(45)

+y'[2Iml(jy'+ 2fmX wzf

278

where C' and K' represent the corresponding dissipator parameters associated with the wheels B.
MARCH 1973

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AEROSPACE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

References

[2]
[31

[1) A.K. Sen,

"A nutation damper for a dual-spin spacecraft," IEEE Trans. Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. AES-6,

pp. 764-769, November 1970.

-, "On the existence of a trap state for OSO-type satellites," IEEE Trans. Automatic Control, vol. AC-17, pp. 510-515, August 1972. D.T. Greenwood, Principles of Dynamics. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1965, pp. 374-375.

Asim K. Sen (M'63-SM'72) was born in Calcutta, India, on January 2, 1939. He received the B.Sc. degree in physics in 1958, the M.Sc.(Tech.) degree in radio physics and electronics in 1961, and the D.Phil.(Sc.) degree for his work on control system analysis in 1967, all from the University of Calcutta. From 1962 to 1965 he was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta, and from 1965 to 1967 he was a Lecturer in Physics at the University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. From 1967 to 1969 he was at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man., Canada, on a post-doctoral fellowship. From 1969 to 1971 he was a Research Associate at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. During the period January, 1972 to December, 1972, he has been a Consultant at the Communications Research Center, Ottawa, Canada. He has published many papers in the areas of statistical linearization technique, stability theory for control systems, and transistor circuit analysis. His current research interest centers on attitude dynamics and control of spin-stabliized satellites.
SEN: SATELLITE ATTITUDE STABILIZATION

279