SPACECRAFT ATTITUDE DETERMINATION USING AI AND ATTITUDE MEASUREMENT INFORMATION THEORY

MICROCOSM PROPOSES TO USE AI TECHNIQUES IN CONJUNCTION WITH ATTITUDE MEASUREMENT INFORMATION THEORY PIONEERED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM CAPABLE OF DATA REJECTION, AMBIGUITY RESOLUTION, ATTITUDE DETERMINATION, ANDBIAS CALIBRATION. THE PROPOSED TECHNIQUE MAXIMIZES THE INFORMATION DERIVED FROM A GIVEN MEASUREMENT SET INCLUDING IDENTIFICATION OF BAD DATA, IDENTIFICATION OF ALTERNATIVE DATA SOLUTIONS (CORRESPONDING, FOR EXAMPLE, TO THE DISCREET SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE FROM THE INTERSECTION OF 2 CONES), AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF BIASES IN THE SOLUTIONSET. PHASE I WILL ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY AND EFFICIENCY BY DEVELOPING A RULE-BASED SYSTEM WHICH CAN BE EASILY APPLIED. THESE RULES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN SOFTWARE IN PHASE II. BECAUSE THE RESULTS OF BOTH PHASE I AND PHASE II CAN BE CLEARLY VIEWED AND JUDGED BY AN OBSERVER, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO EFFICIENTLY IDENTIFY ANY ALGORITHMIC ERRORS AND TO DEVELOP A HIGH DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE FINAL SOLUTION.