Dynamic Vehicle Control (Problem)

The problem presented in this paper is the design of a system to control a flexible space launch vehicle which travels from liftoff at the Earth's surface through the atmosphere to low Earth orbit. The model given in the paper is one that has been used for many years in the aerospace industry to evaluate controller design and performance. The model is linear with variable parameters and is subject to a completely unknown and unmeasurable disturbance. In addition to stating the problem, brief details are provided of a design concept that has proved to work well, within the bounds of classical control theory.