A report describes the ACS Design Tool - a Macintosh- and PC-based computer program for evaluating conceptual designs of a spacecraft attitude-control system (ACS) within a computation time of about 15 minutes. Services provided by the program include computation of ACS performance and sizing of ACS equipment for 3-axis gravity-gradient- and spin-stabilized spacecraft; computation of pointing jitter; computation of star-acquisition probabilities; computations of inertial quantities; radiation-shielding computations; transformation of attitude coordinate frame; conversion of units of measure; estimation of cost of an ACS at either of two different levels of complexity and accuracy; information on project definitions and standards; and data bases on celestial bodies, thrusters, ACS equipment lists, and costs for JPL missions. Developed within the Microsoft Excel software environment, this program provides easy-to- use graphical user interfaces (GUIs), including pull-down menus, scroll/increment buttons, and general buttons. The program consists of six collections of subprograms, which are summarized in the report. The report includes examples of GUI displays for all of the subprograms.
This work was done by Kenneth Lau, Edward Swenka, G. Mark Brown, Edward Mettler, Tooraj Kia, Samuel Sirlin, David Bayard, Fred Hadaegh, Edward Wong, John Lai, and Brian Cox of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NPO-20298
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Program for concetual design of an attitude-control system
(reference NPO20298) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document presents a technical support package for the Program for Conceptual Design of an Attitude-Control System (ACS), developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This software tool, compatible with both Macintosh and PC platforms, is designed to facilitate quick evaluations of spacecraft attitude-control systems within approximately 15 minutes.
The ACS Design Tool offers a range of capabilities essential for spacecraft design, including the computation of ACS performance, sizing of ACS equipment for various spacecraft configurations (3-axis, gravity-gradient, and spin-stabilized), and assessments of pointing jitter and star-acquisition probabilities. It also performs complex inertia calculations, radiation shielding computations, and transformations of attitude coordinate frames. Additionally, the tool provides unit conversions and cost estimations for ACS at two different levels of complexity and accuracy.
Developed within the Microsoft Excel environment, the ACS Design Tool features user-friendly graphical interfaces, including pull-down menus and buttons, which enhance usability for design teams. The software consists of six collections of subprograms: Definitions, ACS Design, Other Computations, Unit Conversion, ACS Cost, and Databases. These collections encompass various functionalities, such as project phase definitions, spacecraft class definitions, and technology readiness level (TRL) definitions, which help users navigate the complexities of spacecraft design.
The document also highlights the importance of the underlying databases, which include environmental data on solar system planets and their moons, a list of commercially available thrusters, and historical logs of the ACS Conceptual Design Tool's versions. These databases serve as valuable resources for users, providing essential information for environmental disturbance calculations and equipment selection.
The development of this tool was a collaborative effort by a team of experts from Caltech for NASA, including Kenneth Lau, Edward Swenka, G. Mark Brown, and others. The tool aims to support real-time design activities in the JPL Project Design Center (PDC) and is intended to streamline the design process for attitude control subsystems, making it a significant advancement in the field of spacecraft design.
Overall, the ACS Design Tool represents a comprehensive solution for conceptual design trades, performance evaluation, and costing, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of spacecraft mission planning.
