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Match Document Document Title
8113468 Precision attitude control system for gimbaled thruster  
A system for providing attitude control with respect to a spacecraft is provided. The system includes a reaction wheel control module configured to control a number of reaction wheel assemblies...
7989744 Methods and apparatus for transferring a fluid  
Methods and apparatus for a missile having an external system operate in conjunction with an airframe and a fluid transfer system. The airframe includes an interior surface defining a substantially...
7988097 Precision attitude control system for gimbaled thruster  
A system for providing attitude control with respect to a spacecraft is provided. The system includes a reaction wheel control module configured to control a number of reaction wheel assemblies...
7922124 Power optimized system for electric propulsion stationkeeping geosynchronous spacecraft  
Systems and methods are disclosed employing electric propulsion stationkeeping in a cyclical manner to better match the cyclical pattern of power generated by the solar array system. For a typical...
7918420 System and methods for simultaneous momentum dumping and orbit control  
The present system and methods enable simultaneous momentum dumping and orbit control of a spacecraft, such as a geostationary satellite. Control equations according to the present system and...
7875838 Post boost control power assembly  
A tubular distributor in a missile having a right-angled hollow tubular first section, the right-angled hollow tubular first section having a first leg and a second leg, a straight hollow tubular...
7665695 Unified attitude control for spacecraft transfer orbit operations  
A method of controlling attitude of a spacecraft during a transfer orbit operation is provided. The method includes providing a slow spin rate, determining the attitude of the spacecraft using a...
7654490 Precision attitude control system for gimbaled thruster  
A system for providing attitude control with respect to a spacecraft is provided. The system includes a reaction wheel control module configured to control a number of reaction wheel assemblies...
7407131 Method for creating an aeronautic sound shield having gas distributors arranged on the engines, wings, and nose of an aircraft  
The present invention blocks and/or attenuates the upstream travel of acoustic disturbances or sound waves from a flight vehicle or components of a flight vehicle traveling at subsonic speed using...
7185857 Thrust vector actuation control system and method  
A thrust vector actuation control system and method is configured to allow self-testing of the entire actuation system and/or its individual system components. The control system also provides...
7118075 System and method for attitude control and station keeping  
A system and method for supplying thrust to a structure, such as a satellite or spacecraft, for the purposes of station keeping and attitude control of the structure in low-gravity (orbital) and...
7059571 Deployable spacecraft mount for electric propulsion  
An apparatus and method including a deployable spacecraft mount for electric propulsion is disclosed. A typical apparatus includes a spacecraft body, a deployable element having at least two basic...
6990396 Method and apparatus for reaction wheel dynamic compensation in long-duration deployment of a large reflector  
A method and an apparatus for controlling the attitude and momentum of a spacecraft while deploying an appendage from the spacecraft. The method comprises the steps of predicting an environmental...
6945500 Apparatus for a geosynchronous life extension spacecraft  
A satellite life extension spacecraft, comprising a mechanical implement adapted for connection to a parent spacecraft, a first and second boom, a first thruster pod and a second thruster pod...
6921049 System for counteracting a disturbance in a spacecraft  
A system for counteracting a disturbance in a spacecraft includes a biasing apparatus that is coupled to the spacecraft and a spacecraft controller within the spacecraft. The disturbance has a...
6908064 High-efficiency REA optimized stationkeeping  
A velocity change (ΔV) thruster is operated on a spacecraft, which unavoidably causes attitude error. A reaction wheel (RWA) corrects the attitude. At the beginning of the thruster maneuver, the ...
6883757 System and method for increasing the roll offset operating range for a spacecraft  
A method for increasing the roll offset operating range for a spacecraft using an earth sensor operating in single scan mode includes the steps of moving the spacecraft to a first roll position,...
6820411 Compact, lightweight high-performance lift thruster incorporating swirl-augmented oxidizer/fuel injection, mixing and combustion  
An apparatus for providing propulsive power that utilizes a novel swirl generator for rapidly and efficiently atomizing, vaporizing, as necessary, and mixing a fuel into an oxidant. The swirl...
6695251 Method and system for synchronized forward and Aft thrust vector control  
A system for controlling attitude about pitch, yaw, and roll axes and axial thrust of a body. The system comprises a main thrust generator located on an aft portion of the body and at least one...
6637701 Gimbaled ion thruster arrangement for high efficiency stationkeeping  
An attitude control system for a spacecraft that includes a north side, a south side, an east side, a west side, an earth facing side, and an anti-earth facing side. The attitude control system...
6622969 Maneuver device for artificial satellite  
The present invention provides a maneuver device for an artificial satellite, which causes small attitude error during maneuver and which requires a shorter period of setting time for obtaining a...
6598385 Two stage gas pilot valve controlling gas flow to a reaction jet nozzle  
A multi-stage pilot valve is disclosed for selectively supplying a working fluid to and venting from a reaction jet main stage actuation chamber. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the...
6585193 Spacecraft with integrated pulsed-plasma thrusters  
Various ways of integrating pulsed plasma thrusters with a spacecraft. In one embodiment, pulsed plasma thrusters are mounted on inflatable struts/booms. In another embodiment, pulsed plasma...
6581880 Energy managed electric propulsion methods and systems for stationkeeping satellites  
An electric propulsion (EP) device is used to enable, a stationkeeping satellite to track a prescribed stationkeeping Earth orbit. EP propellant and electric power are throttled to vary the thrust...
6577929 Miniature attitude sensing suite  
The present invention provides methods of and apparatus for determining the inertial attitude of an aerospace vehicle. In one embodiment, the invention provides a rotational astronomical...
6565043 Redundant system for satellite inclination control with electric thrusters  
A thruster system for spacecraft includes a thruster, a thruster mounting boom, a gimbals mechanism connecting the thruster to the thruster mounting boom, and a pivot mechanism connected to the...
6499699 Satellite attitude control system and method  
A satellite attitude control system includes a programmed processor system which includes a gyroscopic actuator first control stage for changing the attitude of the satellite and a reaction wheel...
6494402 Lateral exhaust microthruster  
A microthruster having an inverted exhaust system traps burst diaphragm fragments providing a clean exhaust while an exhaust port provides increased back pressure for efficient combustion of a...
6481672 Gimbaled thruster control system  
A method for controlling spacecraft velocity. A thruster torque gimbal angle command is calculated to provide a desired thruster torque demand command including a desired momentum adjust torque and...
6439507 Closed-loop spacecraft orbit control  
A spacecraft orbit control system and method that provides orbit control of a spacecraft. The system comprises the spacecraft, one or more electric and/or chemical thrusters disposed on the...
6439122 Separation system for missile payload fairings  
In detail, the system includes at least one first pulley mounted on the first structural member and at least one-second pulley mounted on the second structural member. A cable is attached by one...
6435457 Thruster systems for spacecraft station changing, station keeping and momentum dumping  
Spacecraft thruster systems are provided that can realize station changing, station keeping and momentum dumping in spacecraft while minimizing loss of spacecraft service time. The systems are...
6378292 MEMS microthruster array  
A microelectrical mechanical system (MEMS) microthruster array is disclosed. The MEMS microthruster array of the present invention can be used for maintaining inter satellite distance in small...
6341762 Service valve and use of same in reaction control system  
Various types of valves are disclosed, as well as the use of the same in a reaction control system for space travel vehicle applications. Multiple functions are provided by one of these valve...
6340138 Stationkeeping method utilizing open-loop thruster pulses and closed-loop authority limited momentum storage devices  
A Stationkeeping Mode for a spacecraft having a gimballed momentum wheel for attitude control in which the stationkeeping is divided into short duration open-loop stationkeeping maneuvers to...
6332592 Method for velocity precision pointing in spin-stabilized spacecraft or rockets  
A method of velocity precision pointing of spin-stabilized spacecraft or rockets is disclosed. This method involves softening the ignition transient of the ramp up phase of thrust, which may be...
6315239 Variable coupling arrangement for an integrated missile steering system  
An integrated system for missile steering, which uses both jet reaction control (JRC) and aerofin control systems, is provided with a variable coupling mechanism for adjusting the relative...
6311477 Reduced toxicity fuel satellite propulsion system including axial thruster and ACS thruster combination  
A reduced toxicity fuel satellite propulsion system including a reduced toxicity propellant supply (10) for consumption in an axial class thruster (14) and an ACS class thruster (16). The system...
6296207 Combined stationkeeping and momentum management  
There is provided a method and system for simultaneous north-south stationkeeping and 3-axis momentum management for a geosynchronous orbiting spacecraft. The spacecraft has a first thruster, a...
6260805 Method of controlling attitude of a momentum biased spacecraft during long-duration thruster firings  
A method is provided for controlling the attitude of a momentum biased spacecraft about all three mutually orthogonal axes during a thruster firing maneuver without separately sensing angular...
6208915 Method for low-fuel, computer-assisted control of any number of thrusters arranged on a spacecraft  
A method for the on the whole minimum-fuel, computer-assisted control of an optionally determined number of thrusters, arranged as desired on a spacecraft, is to be specified, which method solves...
6205378 Adaptive mass expulsion attitude control system  
An attitude control system and method operative with a thruster controls the attitude of a vehicle carrying the thruster, wherein the thruster has a valve enabling the formation of pulses of...
6173565 Three axis pulsed plasma thruster with angled cathode and anode strip lines  
A spacecraft attitude and altitude control system utilizes sets of three pulsed plasma thrusters connected to a single controller. The single controller controls the operation of each thruster in...
6154691 Orienting a satellite with controlled momentum gyros  
Controlled momentum gyros are rotated to change the attitude of a satellite as rapidly as possible by rotating them along a great circle path on an imaginary spherical surface around the satellite....
6142422 Method to reorient a spacecraft using only initial single axis attitude knowledge  
A method for inertially aligning a spacecraft along an axis, comprising the steps of using quaternion feedback control to reorient the spacecraft, and during the step of reorienting, using rate...
6138945 Neural network controller for a pulsed rocket motor tactical missile system  
A neural network controller for a pulsed rocket motor tactical missile. The missile includes a fuselage or body, with a propulsion system. The pulsed propulsion system has a need for a logical...
6135393 Spacecraft attitude and velocity control thruster system  
A rocket propulsion system for spacecraft achieves greater economy, reliability and efficiency rocket by incorporating monopropellant RCS thrusters (1a-1f) for attitude control and bipropellant...
6135394 Practical method and apparatus for satellite stationkeeping  
A practical stationkeeping method and apparatus wherein an electric propulsion system on a satellite is used to correct north-south drift and the majority of east-west drift which is caused by...
6131858 Compact single-propellant unitary propulsion system for a small satellite  
A compact single-propellant unitary propulsion system for placing a satellite into an orbit and subsequently correcting the orbit so that the satellite is stabilized on three axes comprises a...
6128556 CMG control based on angular momentum to control satellite attitude  
Control moment gyros in an array are rotated to reorient a satellite. Gyro angle is selected from one of three values based upon whether the stored angular momentum for the desired angle is below a...
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