12.07.2015 Views

GP-B Post-Flight Analysis—Final Report - Gravity Probe B - Stanford ...

GP-B Post-Flight Analysis—Final Report - Gravity Probe B - Stanford ...

GP-B Post-Flight Analysis—Final Report - Gravity Probe B - Stanford ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

9.2.2.2 Spin-up SuspensionDuring spin-up operations, much higher suspension voltages and control efforts are required to suspend thegyroscope against the spin-up gas. Figure 9-14 shows the control effort exerted by the suspension system (top)and the required electrode voltages to produce the force (bottom). A peak voltage of 150 VDC is required tosuspend the rotor against the push of the spin-up gas at full flow rate – 40 mN peak (0.06 g equivalentacceleration). Nominal flow rate is 725 sccm at a temperature 6 K. To apply these DC high voltages, the GSShigh voltage amplifier system and 660 Hz spin-up controller was required.Figure 9-14. GSS control efforts during full flow gyroscope spin-up operations(top plot: blue = A, green = B, red = C)9.2.2.3 Spin axis alignmentThough a core requirement of the experiment is to minimize GSS-induced disturbance torques on thegyroscope rotor, it is desired to align the spin axis of the rotor after gas spinup to within 1 arc-sec (2.8 × 10 4 deg)of a target orientation near line of sight of the guide star. This alignment establish the initial conditions for theexperiment.In the GSS, the electric fields used to suspend the rotor can be chosen to either enhance or minimizeelectrostatic torques on the gyroscope. By judicious choice of electrode voltages, the net electric field intensityon one axis can be made preferentially larger or smaller than the other axes, while staying consistent with theforce constraints needed to hold the rotor centered in the cavity. When the interaction of this electric field268 March 2007 Chapter 9 — Gyro Suspension Subsystem (GSS) Analysis

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!