General line of sight stabilization system

A compact line of sight stabilization system for use with an imaging system located about an unstable carrier platform, said stabilization system comprising:

• at least two mirrors, each of said mirrors being mounted to a fixed platform by aiming means and in a plane substantially parallel to a target to provide substantially orthogonal observation of a ground position;
• said aiming means allowing independent rotation of said mirrors about at least one of the axes in the plane of said mirrors;
• at least one of said mirrors being mounted by aiming means allowing rotation about at least two of said axes;
• a hardware control means for directing said aiming means in response to measurements taken from three orthogonally positioned gyrometers that measure a rotation rate of the unstable carrier platform about the at least two of said axes;
• wherein the aiming means occurs without reorientation of the fixed platform relative to the unstable carrier platform;
• and wherein movement of the at least one of said mirrors occurs in a substantially continuous pattern that predicatively mirrors motion of and approximately angular velocities and accelerations of the unstable carrier platform;
• said stabilization system being mounted in a line of sight of said imaging system;
• and
• said stabilization system providing at least one of pitch, row, yaw, and forward motion compensation corrections while maintaining consistent image orientation, for said imaging system.