Low Cost Space Structure Pointing Experiment

Previous approaches for assessing spacecraft pointing and rapid retargeting have been considered but have been quite expensive. The proposed approach would investigate whether significant elements of STP can be demonstrated by an experiment composed of a few representative critical "sparse" elements, incorporated in a small satellite to be launched from a Shuttle Hitchhiker bus. Use of sparse elements will minimize the complexity, weight, and cost of the experiment, while the Hitchhiker approach will substantially reduce launch costs. Specifically, it is proposed to assess the feasiblity of being able to accurately emulate a Directed Energy Weapon spacecraft using a spatially correct satellite composed of sparse optical components. After orbital insertion, these components would be deployed out of the spacecraft to the correct relative distances. They would then represent a spacecraft-borne optical system that can be pointed and repointed to the required accuracy. Using these critical "sparse" elements from a representative full-scale DEW concept, combined with portrayals of accurate representative structural dynamics, it is proposed that the experiment can provide scalable large structure data. It would lend itself to demonstrating Pointing and Rapid Retargeting and to investigating and demonstrating structural dynamics associated with large deformable mirrors.