Spin Dynamics of Manned Space Stations

Download or read book Spin Dynamics of Manned Space Stations written by Peter R. Kurzhals and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation of the spin dynamics of manned space stations has been conducted. The rigid-body equations of motion for arbitrary rotating stations were outlined and programmed on an electronic data processing system. Docking impacts, attitude-system torques, mass unbalances, and transient crew motions were simulated in these equations, and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration procedure was used to determine the resultant station motion. A toroidal configuration spinning about the axis of maximum moment of inertia was selected for the computer study, and results are presented in nondimensional form. The results are given as the traces of the station axis of symmetry in fixed space and as the time histories of the nondimensional angular velocities and attitudes of the station. This representation provides a simple physical picture of the station motion and of the time variation of the primary motion coordinates. The results of this analysis indicated that the applied moments, mass unbalances, and crew motions produced undamped station wobbling, which to the crew would appear as a continuous rolling motion of the station floor. Since undamped rolling motions produced by the disturbances, when coupled with the station rotation, could possibly lead to nausea and disorientation of the crew, a means of damping these motions is desirable. For this study two damping systems were considered, a gyroscopic wobble damper and a proportional jet damper. These systems, in general, were able to minimize the effects of the station wobble on the crew by reducing the apparent rolling motions to a small tilt of the station floor. The gyroscopic damping system was more efficient than the proportional jet system for small wobble angles, but the jet system was more effective than the gyroscopic system for the large wobble angles.