Patent EA-023850-B1 (EA)
Title: Method for reorientating and controlling thrust of rotating spacecraft with solar sail
Inventor: MAYOROVA VERA IVANOVNA
IPC: G05D1/08
Filed: 2011-12-29
Abstract: The invention relates to engine systems for spacecrafts and can be used for maneuvering the spacecraft with the solar sail for improved control of the thrust of the named spacecraft. The result consists in the possibility of reorientating the spacecraft in three dimensions, independently of the action of solar radiation (solar pressure), and changing the orientation, in three dimensions, of the vanes of the solar sail, by virtue of controllably changing the ratios of the values for the main moments of inertia of the spacecraft with the solar sail with reference to the main orthogonal axes of the named spacecraft. A change in the orientation of the initially stably rotating spacecraft and respectively in the thrust vector of the solar sail of the named spacecraft by the required angle is produced by means of a temporary loss of stability of the instantaneous axis of rotation of the spacecraft and restoration of the named stability by reorientation of the instantaneous axis of rotation by the required angle with reference to the initial position. The loss of stability occurs by virtue of the controllable change in the ratios of the values for the three main moments of inertia of the spacecraft with the solar sail with reference to three main orthogonal axes of the named spacecraft, wherein one of the named axes coincides with the axis of the initially stable rotation of the spacecraft. In particular, for the loss of stability of the instantaneous axis of rotation, the value of the moment of inertia that is initially maximum among the three main moments of inertia is temporarily and controllably brought to the medium magnitude among the three main moments of inertia. And for reorientation of the spacecraft by the required angle for restoration of stability, the value of the named main moment of inertia is again made the maximum one among the three values of main moments of inertia. The spacecraft with a solar sail belongs to a rotor type and has three main mutually orthogonal axes: the axis of initial stable spacecraft rotation, the common longitudinal axis of two identical sail vanes flatly extended under action of centrifugal forces produced by stable rotation of the spacecraft, and the common axes of redistributed masses, including cargoes, that are controllably moved synchronously, radially and mirrorilike identically with reference to the common centre of the three main axes. In the initial, stable state of the spacecraft rotation around the first main axis, the movable cargoes are controllably and identically moved apart so that the value for the main moment of inertia of the spacecraft with a solar sail is the highest among values of the three main moments of inertia. For the temporary loss of stability of the instaneous axis of rotation, the movable cargoes are controllably and identically shifted to the centre of the axis so that the value of the main moment of inertia with reference to the first main axis becomes the medium one among the values of the three main moments of inertia. And during reorientation by 180 or 90° for restoration of stability of the instaneous axis of rotation, the cargoes are moved apart again to the required diametrical distance.