GPS Modeling in the Attitude Determlnation Error Analysls System: Development and Application to TRACE

Mohammad Rokni, Eleanor Ketchum and Joseph Garrick

Abstract:	The technology of GPS attitude determination for spacecraft is young but growing rapidly. The developments in the field have traditionally drawn from a single measurement model and evolved from there. Those most closely involved in the process have not necessarily had experience in spacecraft attitude sensor modeling and performing in-flight calibration, but have been more hardware or even navigation specialists. In the process of modeling GPS for use in the Goddard Space Flight Center’s existing spacecraft Attitude Determination Error Analysis System (ADEAS), some shortcomings in current measurement modeling approaches surfaced. This paper presents an improved measurement model for GPS attitude determination of the form used for other traditional spacecraft attitude sensors. Similar models are presented for three axis magnetometers and star trackers for comparison. Attitude error analysis for the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) using ADEAS is presented. TRACE will be launched in September 1997 with a three axis gyro pack, a magnetometer, and GPS. Interestingly, the GPS antennas will be on separate deployable solar panels, rendering pre-launch self-survey nearly useless. Analysis is presented which explores the ability to solve for attitude, baseline misalignment, baseline length uncertainty, and baseline bias in either a single filter or a combination of batch least squares and a sequential filter using measurements from various combinations of the TRACE attitude hardware including GPS only.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995) September 12 - 15, 1995 Palm Springs, CA
Pages:	1767 - 1774
Cite this article:	Rokni, Mohammad, Ketchum, Eleanor, Garrick, Joseph, "GPS Modeling in the Attitude Determlnation Error Analysls System: Development and Application to TRACE," Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995), Palm Springs, CA, September 1995, pp. 1767-1774.
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