Integrated Simulation of Orbital and Structural Dynamics, Formation Flying, and Attitude Control for Flexible Space Systems

"This effort will develop a novel flexible space system simulation architecture for predicting the on-orbit performance of large aperture space systems such as those envisioned for Space-Based Laser and other MDA/DoD applications. The principal objective ofthis proposal is to develop an architecture for a single unified simulation capability that encompasses all of the effects needed to accurately predict and subsequently control the complex dynamics of future lightweight flexible space systems.Specifically, this architecture will include orbital dynamics and perturbations, attitude dynamics, flexible body dynamics, formation control, and other effects to produce a physics based visualization tool for assessing the behavior of these systems. Thiseffort will provide an improved capability for modeling and simulating the performance of flexible spacecraft and other complex systems (e.g. robotics). Benefits include: higher fidelity models, decreased design time, and visualization tools forunderstanding the complex dynamical behavior of these systems."