HIGH ACCURACY, HIGH RELIABILITY INFRARED HORIZON SENSORS FOR EARTH, LUNAR, AND PLANETARY USE

Frank Schwarz and Thomas Falk

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	THE RAPID PROGRESS and expanded activity in space exploration has made the requirements for attitude determination and control more stringent. Among the difficult requirements which the horizon sensors for future missions will be called upon to meet are: high accuracy (attitude data to better than 0.1°); reasonably fast response time (500 msec or better); ability to function with similar accuracy figures on the moon, on the earth, and some of the not-too-distant planets; wide altitude capability, possibly including synchronous altitude; long reliable operating life in the space environment as well as small size and low power requirement. A review of past and present horizon sensor systems reveal that some generally not all of these requirements can be satisfactorily met with systems which have already been fully developed.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 13, Number 3
Pages:	246 - 259
Cite this article:	Schwarz, Frank, Falk, Thomas, "HIGH ACCURACY, HIGH RELIABILITY INFRARED HORIZON SENSORS FOR EARTH, LUNAR, AND PLANETARY USE", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 13, No. 3, Fall 1966, pp. 246-259.
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