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SPACE PATENTS BY
Aerospace Assignees
Aerospace Inventors
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Method of determining and controlling the inertial attitude of a spinning, artificial satellite and systems therefor

Invented by: William M. Johnson
Sudbury, MA

Originally Assigned to: Kara Whitney Johnson
San Francisco, CA Johnson
[Now assigned to . . .]

Issued:2012-05-22
Filed:2010-04-20
Application No:12763427
Examined by:Dinh; Tien

A method of and apparatus for determining and controlling the inertial attitude of a spinning artificial satellite without using a suite of inertial gyroscopes. The method and apparatus operate by tracking three astronomical objects near the Earth's ecliptic pole and the satellite's and/or star tracker's spin axis and processing the track information. The method and apparatus include steps and means for selecting preferably three astronomical objects using a histogram method and determining a square of a first radius (R.sub.1.sup.2) of a track of a first astronomical object; determining a square of a second radius (R.sub.2.sup.2) of a track of a second astronomical object; determining a square of a third radius (R.sub.3.sup.2) of a track of a third astronomical object; determining the inertial attitude of the spin axis using the squares of the first, second, and third radii (R.sub.1.sup.2, R.sub.2.sup.2, and R.sub.3.sup.2) to calculate pitch, yaw, and roll rate; determining a change in the pitch and yaw of the artificial satellite; and controlling on-board generated current flow to various orthogonally-disposed current-carrying loops to act against the Earth's magnetic field and to apply gyroscopic precession to the spinning satellite to correct and maintain its optimum inertial attitude.

[pdf] U.S. Pat. No. 8,185,262

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This information is part of a study by Oasis Global, Inc. of all space inventions filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not an endorsement of any particular assignee, inventor or invention. Although Peter A. Koziol represents inventors and assignees of space inventions he does not represent all of the inventors and assignees listed. The prosecuting attorney agent or firm for each patent is identified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the patent specfication, which can be viewed by clicking on the patent image or downloading the patent document. For more information regarding Mr. Koziol's background and experience, or to learn more about space inventions, please contact Mr. Koziol.

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