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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
Many current and upcoming NASA missions use FSMs to achieve fine pointing. This CIF proposes to develop an active control FSM which should lead to better tracking of the guide star in its FOV, while also improving the attitude control performance of the spacecraft. This effort involves the development of mature algorithms for staged control systems employing an FSM. The FSM concept consists of an electronic assembly, mechanical assembly and associated cables. In the proposed algorithm, optimal control feedback would be used to actively control the FSM by optimizing the property of the reactionless mass, the mirror, and the type and number of actuators to achieve the picometer level wavefront error imposed on the attitude control system. This would improve the quality of science with a low cost and high performance FSM that can operate at a frequency greater than 1 KHz.
Pointing accuracy is critical to a great many space missions, especially in astrophysics. Up to this date, HST, JWST and WFIRST use passive control systems to achieve successfully the required sub-arc second pointing accuracy. However, many future Astrophysics concepts demand an advanced pointing control system that results in picometer level wavefront errors. Currently, pointing stability is achieved with a coarse-loop that is governed by the spacecraft attitude control systems along with an inertial frame and a servo-controlled, fast steering mirror. Improvements to this developing technology are clearly desired. Applying optimal control theory to the fast steering mirror can help to not just achieve the desired picometer accuracy but also reject disturbances due to jitter and attitudes control systems drift.
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