METHOD OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF TETHERING PROCESS Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: space engineering; coupling transport vehicles with orbital station. SUBSTANCE: proposed method includes determination of range, closure rate and error angles of active and passive spacecraft relative to sighting line, calculation of angles and angular velocities of sighting line, control of tethering rate and orientation of active spacecraft relative to coordinate system in which coupling unit of passive spacecraft is oriented. Center of mass of active spacecraft is shifted in plane perpendicular to sighting line till moment of zeroing of error angles of passive spacecraft relative to this line at definite distance between active and passive spacecraft. Then, motion of active spacecraft in the same plane is stabilized relative to attained position at simultaneous turning of active spacecraft till zeroing its error angles. Angle of turn of active spacecraft is stored and active spacecraft is oriented in coordinate system which is corrected for magnitude of stored error angle. Correcting the coordinate system in this way, angles of sighting line are zeroed and motion of center of mass of active spacecraft is controlled in plane perpendicular to this line. EFFECT: enhanced accuracy of coupling.