Pre-Flight Testing of the SPARTAN GADACS Experiment

Frank Bauer, E. Lightsey, J. McCullough, J. O’Donnell, R. Schnurr, B. Class, L. Jackson, and S. Leiter

Abstract:	A Global Positioning System (GPS) attitude experiment is currently being developed to fly on a SPARTAN Space Shuttle deployed spacecraft. The experiment, called the GPS Attitude Determination And Control System (GADACS), is expected to provide answers to several questions which will help pave the way for spacecraft- based GPS attitude sensing in the future. Several ground-based, aircraft-based, and post-processed space- based GPS attitude determination experiments have been performed to date. Many of these have demonstrated attitude determination to 0.1” or less. While these experiments demonstrate that the attitude sensing concept for spacecraft appears feasible, they do not totally prove that real-time GPS attitude sensing will be robust enough for spacecraft control operations. The GADACS experiment is one of several logical on-orbit experiment stepping stones which will help validate and fully qualify GPS as a practical spacecraft attitude sensor. A comprehensive test program was developed for GADACS to certify its flight worthiness and to validate the proper operation and polarity of the GADACS sensor measurement devices. This test program includes several tests to calibrate the GPS attitude sensor relative to other inertial sensors, tests to ensure the hardware can withstand the rigors of space, and tests to qualify the hardware design. An overview of the GADACS experiment, its mission goals, hardware description, and pre-flight testing performed or planned at the subsystem and spacecraft level are presented.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994) September 20 - 23, 1994 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	1233 - 1241
Cite this article:	Bauer, Frank, Lightsey, E., McCullough, J., O’Donnell, J., Schnurr, R., Class, B., Jackson, L., Leiter, S., "Pre-Flight Testing of the SPARTAN GADACS Experiment," Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1994, pp. 1233-1241.
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