AOE 5984
Advanced Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
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Instructor:  Dr. Chris Hall, Randolph 224D, 231-2314,
                        cdhall@vt.edu

Lectures:  M W 2:30 – 3:45, Randolph 320

Office hours:  8:00 – 9:30  M T W Th (or by appointment)

Text:  Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control, C. D. Hall, Lecture Notes posted on Handouts page.

Course Web Page:  Linked at http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~cdhall

This course provides a continuation of AOE 4140 Spacecraft Dynamics and Control, to include advanced topics appropriate for students beginning research in this field.
Prerequisites:  AOE 4140.  (3H, 3C).

Goal:  To introduce students to advanced dynamics and control problems of pointing spacecraft.

Homework Policy:  The emphasis in this course will be on hands-on applications.  Students will develop numerical simulations using the Open-SESSAME C++ framework, with each student adding to this extensible framework.  The grade will be based on homeworks (25%), one mid-term exam (25%), and a semester project with report and presentation (50%).

Grading Policy:      Homework    25%
Midterm       25%
Project         50%

Honor Code: The University Honor Code will be maintained.  You are encouraged to discuss homework assignments with your instructor, teaching assistant, and classmates. However, all work submitted for a grade must reflect your own understanding of the material.  You may not copy answers to homework problems and you may not assist others or seek assistance on exams.

Topics:  Objective

Review of attitude control concepts 
Identify the principal characteristics, applications, advantages and disadvantages of various attitude control concepts.

Simulation of Attitude Motion Using C++ and/or Matlab
Review of numerical integration techniques.
  Application of the Open-SESSAME Framework and Matlab simulation tools.   

Linearization and Feedback Control
 

Nonlinear Stability

Nonlinear Control

Optimal Control

Spacecraft Applications
Understand the application of basic linear control theory to basic attitude control problems.

Other Spacecraft Dynamics Books:

V. V. Beletsky and E. M. Levin, Dynamics of Space Tether Systems, 1993, Univelt.
This is an excellent monograph on tethered spacecraft.  The second author drew all the illustrations of tethers.

V. A. Chobotov, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control, 1991, Orbit Books.
This book covers all the right topics, but the notational inconsistency and errors make it difficult to use.

P. C. Hughes, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, 1986, Wiley.
This is an excellent text on the attitude dynamics (no control) of rigid and “quasi-rigid” spacecraft, especially the stability analysis.  The author uses vector and tensor notation extensively.

T. R. Kane, P. W. Likins and D. A. Levinson, Spacecraft Dynamics, 1983, McGraw-Hill.
This book does several advanced topics using “Kanesian” dynamics.  If you haven’t studied his method, this is a bit of work.

M. H. Kaplan, Modern Spacecraft Dynamics & Control, 1976, Wiley. 
Comparable to Wiesel’s book.  Several advanced problems worked out in some detail.

L. Meirovitch, Methods of Analytical Dynamics, 1970, McGraw-Hill. 
The last couple of chapters of this book cover several spacecraft dynamics problems from the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian points of view.

F. P. J. Rimrott, Introductory Attitude Dynamics, 1989, Springer-Verlag. 
Similar to Hughes, except uses scalar notation.  Includes flexibility effects.

H. Schaub and J. L. Junkins, Analytical Mechanics of Space Systems, AIAA, 2003.  Excellent new book covering both orbital and attitude dynamics.

M. J. Sidi, Spacecraft Dynamics and Control, 1997, Cambridge. 
A “practical engineering approach” to both orbital and attitude dynamics and control.

W. T. Thomson, Introduction to Space Dynamics, 1986, Dover. 
An excellent and affordable introduction to a variety of topics in spacecraft dynamics.

J. R. Wertz, editor, Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control, 1978, D. Reidel.
This is a monumental tome written by many people.  It is quite application-oriented, with many examples.

B. Wie, Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control, AIAA, 1998.
Comprehensive text including detailed review of control theory, and both orbit and attitude dynamics and control.

W. E. Wiesel, Spaceflight Dynamics, McGraw-Hill, 2nd edition, 1997
Elementary text covering orbit and attitude dynamics and control and applications.

 

The following journals publish papers on space dynamics:

          Acta Astronautica

          Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy

          IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control

          Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest

          Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics

          Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

          Journal of the Astronautical Sciences

          Journal of the British Interplanetary Society

          RCA Review

The following Proceedings series have papers on space dynamics:

          Advances in the Astronautical Sciences (American Astronautical Society)

          Progress in Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)