Combined flywheel energy storage and attitude control apparatus for spacecraft
AssigneeHughes Electronics Corporation
InventorsThomas R. Parks, John W. Smay, John P. Harrell
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Abstract
An apparatus for storing energy and actuating the attitude of a spacecraft includes a first gimbaled flywheel assembly having a first rotor rotating in a first direction, and a second gimbaled flywheel assembly having a second rotor rotating in a second direction opposing the first direction. The first and second gimbaled flywheel assemblies are adapted to store and release energy and to actuate the attitude of the spacecraft. The apparatus includes one or more non-gimbaled counter-rotating flywheel pairs that are adapted to store and release energy.
Claims12
An apparatus for storing energy and actuating the attitude of a spacecraft, comprising:
- a first gimbaled flywheel assembly having a first rotor rotating in a first direction;
- a second gimbaled flywheel assembly having a second rotor rotating in a second direction opposing the first direction;
- the first and second gimbaled flywheel assemblies adapted to store and release energy;
- the first and second gimbaled flywheel assemblies further adapted to actuate the attitude of the spacecraft;
- and
- one or more non-gimbaled counter-rotating flywheel pairs adapted to store and release energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.