ECONOMIC EJECTED GAS CANNISTER (BULLETS 2 AND 3)

PURPOSE: DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF NEW, LOW COST COMPONENTS FOR 3-AXIS ATTITUDE CONTROL. SUBSYSTEM COST GOALIS $100K. THIS WILL REQUIRE ENGINEERING INNOVATION AND ATTENTION TO MANUFACTURE AND TEST PROCESSES AND, ULTIMATELY,REASONABLE VOLUME. THE ATTITUDE CONTROL ALGORITHMS ARE FLIGHT PROVEN ON HCMM, SAGE, ERBS AND SME. KEY ELEMENTS: AN INNOVATIVE 4-POINT SCANNING HORIZON SENSOR THAT IS ALTITUDE INDEPENDENT. THE SENSOR WILL USE A STANDARD MOTOR ALREADY PRODUCED AND A PYRO-ELECTRIC DETECTOR. A DEMONSTRATION MODEL HAS BEEN PRODUCED. THE SENSOR IS INHERENTLY INEXPENSIVE TO BUILD, AND DOES THE JOB OF TWO CONICAL EARTH SENSORS WITH LESS ELECTRONICS. A LOW COST MOMENTUM/REACTION WHEEL OF 1-2 FT. LB. SECONDS. WE WILL WORK WITH SCHAEFFER MAGNETICS TO DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY DESIGN: COST GOAL, $15,000. SCHAEFFER MAKES THEMOTOR ASSEMBLY FOR OUR PRESENT CONICAL EARTH SENSOR. EXISTING MOMENTUM/REACTION WHEEL VENDORS ARE MUCH TOO COSTLY. THE MAGNETIC CONTROL SYSTEM PROVIDES ACQUISITION, ROLL-YAW CONTROL, NUTATION DAMPING, AND MOMENTUM CONTROL. SIMPLIFIED CIRCUITRY, INNOVATIVE PACKAGING, STANDARDIZED DOCUMENTATION AND AUTOMATIC TESTING ARE THE KEYS TO CONTROL COSTS.