Star-tracker-based, all-sky, autonomous attitude determination

An automatic star identification program, which has previously been demonstrated only in computer simulation, has been integrated and tested with the tracker test lab prototype star tracker at Table Mountain Observatory. Thirteen of sixteen sky frames were matched correctly with no a priori attitude knowledge. The cause of failure in the frames that failed was determined to be algorithmic, and the flaws in the algorithm causing the failure were identified. The methodology of both Table Mountain Observatory test runs and computer simulated test runs are described, as well as results and recommendations.