A high-temperature superconductor energy-momentum control system for small satellites

A method for angular momentum management in flywheel energy storage systems that employ superconducting bearings for spacecraft attitude control is presented. Success with high-temperature superconductor momentum wheels as practical energy storage systems has led to increased interest in their dual function for providing electrical power as well as attitude control of small satellites. The physics of angular momentum management is used to quantify how superconductor magnetic bearing flywheels as electro-mechanical devices serve as both energy storage and angular momentum storage systems within an end-to-end architecture. The result is a compound energy-momentum attitude and electrical power control system for satellites.

[1]  Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar,et al.  Ellipsoidal Figures of Equilibrium , 1969 .

[2]  D. A. Christopher,et al.  Flywheel technology development program for aerospace applications , 1997, Proceedings of the IEEE 1997 National Aerospace and Electronics Conference. NAECON 1997.

[3]  Ki Bui Ma,et al.  Reaction wheel with HTS bearings for mini-satellite attitude control , 2002 .

[4]  E. Leimanis.  The General Problem of the Motion of Coupled Rigid Bodies about a Fixed Point , 1965 .

[5]  H. Goldstein,et al.  Classical Mechanics , 1951, Mathematical Gazette.

[6]  V. A. Spector,et al.  Spacecraft flywheel systems-benefits, and issues , 1997, Proceedings of the IEEE 1997 National Aerospace and Electronics Conference. NAECON 1997.

[7]  W. Chu,et al.  Design of superconducting magnetic bearings with high levitating force for flywheel energy storage systems , 1995, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[8]  R. E. Smith,et al.  Design and operation of the Skylab attitude and pointing control system , 1974 .

[9]  Eunjeong Lee,et al.  Superconductor-magnet bearings with inherent stability and velocity-independent drag torque , 1999, 1999 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (Cat. No.99TH8399).

[10]  R. J. Jost,et al.  Electrodynamic tether currents in the day/night ionosphere: Correlations during the Plasma Motor Generator mission , 1996 .

[11]  J. Hanks,et al.  Spacecraft energy storage systems , 1998 .