Solar wing thermal shock compensation using solar wing position actuator

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture for compensating for solar wing thermal shock in a spacecraft. The method comprises the steps of determining solar wing compensation to compensate for the thermal shock disturbance and rotating the solar wing about a second axis according to the determined compensation, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis and to a vector from the spacecraft to the sun. The solar wing compensation can be based on predicted solar wing deflections due to thermal shock perturbations, or if available, solar wing temperature measurements. In an embodiment of the present invention applicable to satellites with multiple solar wings, asymmetric control is applied by independent adjustment of the thermal shock compensation loop controlling each solar wing. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the solar wing position actuator is further commanded by a feedback control loop using the measured spacecraft attitude. The apparatus comprises an attitude control system having a device for predicting or measuring solar wing perturbations, at least one solar wing position actuator, cooperatively coupled to the solar wing for rotating the solar wing about a second axis, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis and to a vector from the spacecraft to the sun, and a thermal shock compensation loop, for generating at least one solar wing position actuator command to rotate the solar wing about the second axis in accordance with the predicted or measured solar wing perturbations.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.