Prof. Pini Gurfil

Space environment, spacecraft missions, launch vehicles, orbit dynamics and control, orbit equations, orbit perturbations, orbit transfer, attitude dynamics and control, spin stabilization, gravity gradient, three axis stabilization, thermal control, electric power, communications, spacecraft structures, applications for communications and remote sensing.

Keplerian orbital mechanics. Orbital perturbations. The general relative motion problem. Impulsive stationkeeping. Linear formation flying dynamics and control. High-order relative motion equations. Formulation of relative motion using orbital elements. Canonical modeling of relative motion. Perturbation-invariant formations. Nonlinear formation control. Centralized and de-centralized formationkeeping. Low-thrust propulsion for formation flying. Applications: Sparse-aperture imaging, remote sensing.

Coordinate systems. Date and time standards. Keplerian mechanics. Lagrange and Gauss equations. Lagrange and Poisson brackets. The fundamental averaging theorem. Accessibility and feedback control of continuous orbital transfer. High-order zonals. Halo orbits. Transfer to halo orbits. Space analytical mechanics. Euler-Lagrange and Hamilton equations. Applications to astrodynamics and rigid satellite dynamics.

Characterization of dynamic systems, applications of Laplace transform, transfer function, impulse response, frequency response, Bode diagram, state space representation, transition matrix, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, canonical transformations, controllability and observability, stability, Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion.

Feedback systems and specifications, error coefficients, derivative and integral control, stability criteria of Nyquist and Bode, Liapunov's method, Root Locus method including Zero-Angle, Root Contour, compensation networks, linear quadratic optimal regulator (LQR), LYapunov's method, state observers, pole placement. Laboratory experiments.