HEALTH MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEM RECONFIGURATION FOR LARGE SPACE TRUSSES USING OPTICAL FIBER SENSORS

THE NEXT GENERATION SPACECRAFT WILL BE MADE OF NEW STRONG, LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS WITH LITTLE DAMPING SO THAT ACTIVE VIBRATION SUPPRESSION IS ESSENTIAL. THESE SPACECRAFT, FUNCTIONING IN A REMOTE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT WHERE IMMEDIATE REPAIR IS PRECLUDED, MAY SUSTAIN DAMAGE FROM EXTERNAL DISTURBANCES AND AGING. TO ADDRESS THE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF FUTURE SPACECRAFT, THIS PROGRAM IS DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM TO MONITOR THE INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE AND--IN THE EVENT OF FAILURE--TO AUTOMATICALLY RECONFIGURE THE CONTROL SYSTEM ENABLING THE SPACECRAFT TO CONTINUE TO MEET ITS MISSION REQUIREMENTS, OR TO DEGRADE GRACEFULLY. IN ADDITION TO CONVENTIONAL SENSORS, THIS HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM ALSO INCORPORATES OPTICAL FIBER SENSORS WHICH CAN BE EMBEDDED DIRECTLY IN THE STRUCTURAL MATERIAL TO DETECT DAMAGE AT ITS INCEPTION WHILE MONITORING THE MACRO-SCALE BEHAVIOR OF THE SPACECRAFT.