ELECTRO-OPTICAL SPACE NAVIGATION SIMULATION

Robert M. Williams

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	A comparision of self-contained electrooptical, radio and inertial systems shows that the electro-optical system is superior for several types of missions. Such missions are those havign long term attitude control, navigation and guidance requirements. The electro-optical system offers a passive method of orbit determination and yet, maintains the parameters relative to earth or lunar reference points. This system provides vehicle attitude, position and velocity by on-board calculations using measurements taken by on-board instrumentation. SUch systems have no build up of instrument error with time and do not depend on ground tracking support to maintain high accuracy knowledge and control of its own trajectory or orbital parameters. Computer simulation programs determine the magnitudes of the net errors obtained from a given navigation system. By the use of Kalman filtering techniques, the process is made iterative in nature.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 12, Number 4
Pages:	299 - 305
Cite this article:	Williams, Robert M., "ELECTRO-OPTICAL SPACE NAVIGATION SIMULATION", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 12, No. 4, Winter 1965-1966, pp. 299-305.
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