JPH0710095A - Space equipment for recovering spacecraft - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a space equipment capable of recovering a spacecraft which stops its functions and executes a complicate motion. CONSTITUTION:A mother craft 2 mounting an exclusive craft 3 for attitude control is moved close to a spacecraft 4 to be collected. The exclusive craft 3 for attitude control is separated from the mother craft 2 for recovering the spacecraft, and makes a single flight and is connected to the spacecraft 4 to be recovered by means of a holding part 24. The exclusive craft 3 for attitude control activates the gas jet 22 by the command from the mother craft 2 to atabilize the attitude of the spacecraft 4 to be recovered. Then, the mother craft 2 is brought close to the spacecraft 4 to be recovered, holds it by a manipulator 5, and recovers the spacecraft 4 to be recovered together with the exclusive craft 3 for attitude control is recovered to the mother craft 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a space device for recovering a spacecraft such as a satellite that has stopped functioning in orbit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When recovering a spacecraft such as a satellite that has stopped functioning in orbit around the earth, currently no unmanned spacecraft recovery technology has been established. When approaching the aircraft, a large jig is manually attached to the spacecraft to be collected, and it is grasped and collected by a manipulator equipped with a space shuttle.

[0003] When the spacecraft to be recovered is relatively stationary with respect to the spacecraft for recovery, the spacecraft to be recovered can be easily recovered, but when the spacecraft to be recovered is not controlled in attitude and makes a complicated motion, The large jig could not be mounted manually and could not be collected.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a space device capable of stabilizing the motion of a spacecraft such as a satellite that has stopped functioning even if the spacecraft such as a satellite that has stopped functioning makes a complicated motion and recovers the spacecraft. The challenge is to provide.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an actuator for grasping and controlling the attitude of a spacecraft to be collected and a short-range communication device, and an attitude that can be coupled to the spacecraft to be collected. Provided is a space device for spacecraft recovery, which comprises a control-only machine and a recovery mother machine which can be mounted with the attitude-control-only machine and which issues a command to operate the actuator of the attitude-control-only machine.

[0006]

As shown in FIG. 3, a spacecraft such as a satellite which has stopped its function and whose attitude is not controlled makes a complicated rotary motion which is a combination of rotary motions about various axes. When recovering a spacecraft that has such a complicated motion, it is necessary to stop such a complicated motion first, but if the recovery target spacecraft has stopped functioning, It does not have the ability to stop exercise, so it must be stopped externally.

Therefore, the functions generally required for the recovery spacecraft are listed below. (1) A function of moving to the vicinity of the spacecraft to be collected. (2) A function to measure and analyze the motion of the target spacecraft. (3) A function that stabilizes the attitude of the target spacecraft to the extent that it can be grasped by the manipulator of the recovery spacecraft. (4) A function to grasp the target spacecraft for recovery with a manipulator and store it in the cargo room of the recovery spacecraft. (5) Function to return to the ground.

Since the spacecraft for recovery is required to have the above functions, it is generally large in size. Therefore, if the recovery target spacecraft whose attitude is not stabilized is directly grasped by the recovery target spacecraft, the recovery target spacecraft may be damaged due to unexpected contact between the recovery target spacecraft and the recovery target spacecraft. Because it is dangerous.

Since the attitude control-dedicated machine constituting the recovery space device according to the present invention is limited in its function to grasping the recovery target space machine and its attitude control, it is small in size and has a high maneuverability. For this reason, even if the spacecraft to be recovered has a complicated motion, it can be coupled to the spacecraft to be recovered.
After coupling to the spacecraft to be collected, the attitude control-dedicated machine operates its actuator in response to a command from the collection mother machine to stabilize the attitude of the spacecraft to be collected. After the attitude is stabilized, the spacecraft to be recovered and the attitude control dedicated machine are recovered by the actuator of the recovery mother machine.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A space device for recovering a spacecraft according to the present invention will be specifically described below based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the recovery space device 1 includes a recovery mother machine 2 and an attitude control dedicated machine 3. Attitude control machine 3
Is connected to the recovery mother machine 2 in normal times to form an integrated recovery space device 1 as shown in FIG.

The attitude control dedicated machine 3 moves together with the recovery mother machine 2 into the space near the recovery target machine 4. Here, the collecting mother machine 2 measures the motion of the collection target machine 4 and, if necessary, receives the support from the ground and sets a flight path etc. for coupling the attitude control dedicated machine 3 to the collection target machine 4 Input to the controller of machine 3.

The dedicated attitude control machine 3 is separated from the recovery mother machine 2 as shown in FIG. 1B and independently flies along this flight path to be connected to the recovery target machine 4. After coupling with the recovery target machine 4, the attitude control dedicated machine 3 operates an actuator such as a gas jet of the attitude control dedicated machine 3 in accordance with a command from the recovery mother machine 2 to stabilize the attitude of the recovery target machine 4.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the attitude control dedicated machine 3 shown in FIG. The gas jet controller 21 controls each gas jet 22 for achieving the flight path input from the recovery mother aircraft 2. There are a plurality of gas jets 22, and the attitude control dedicated machine 3 is provided with a high degree of motion function. The propellant tank 23 supplies propellant to each gas jet 22. The grasping mechanism 24 grasps or penetrates the structural part of the spacecraft 4 to be recovered and fixes the attitude control dedicated machine 3 on the spacecraft 4 to be recovered. The communication device 25 receives the command from the collecting mother device 2. The gas jet 22 is an attitude control dedicated machine 3
After being coupled to the recovery target spacecraft 4, if necessary, it is expanded from the state of FIG. 2A to the state of FIG. 2B and operates also as an attitude control actuator of the recovery target spacecraft 4.

The attitude of the spacecraft 4 to be recovered is controlled by the attitude control dedicated machine 3 in this manner, and there is no complicated rotary motion.
It is in a state of being relatively stationary with respect to the collecting mother machine 2. After that, the recovery mother machine 2 approaches the recovery target spacecraft 4, grasps it with the manipulator 5, etc., and recovers the recovery target spacecraft 4 together with the attitude control dedicated machine 3. The present invention has been specifically described above based on the illustrated embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and within the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims, various shapes and structures can be used. It goes without saying that changes may be made.

[0015]

As described in detail above, according to the space device for recovery of a spacecraft according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a spacecraft such as a satellite that has stopped the function of performing complicated rotary motion, which has been difficult in the past. It is possible to collect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a space device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a state in which the mother machine is equipped with a dedicated attitude control machine, (b)
Shows a state in which the dedicated attitude control aircraft is flying independently, and (c) shows a state in which the dedicated attitude control aircraft is combined with the spacecraft to be recovered.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the dedicated attitude control machine shown in FIG.
(A) is the state before deployment when mounted on a mother aircraft or during flight, (b)
Is shown in a state after being deployed when the attitude control is activated by being connected to the spacecraft to be recovered.

3A and 3B are perspective views showing a complicated motion of a spacecraft whose attitude is not controlled, in which (a) is a rotation about a vertical axis, (b) is a rotation about a horizontal axis, and (c) is a rotation about an oblique axis. It shows a rotating state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Space device for recovery 2 Recovery mother machine 3 Dedicated attitude control machine 4 Recovery target space machine 5 Manipulator equipped with recovery mother machine 21 Gas jet controller 22 Gas jet 23 Propellant tank 24 Grasping mechanism 25 Communication device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An attitude control-dedicated machine which has an actuator and a short-range communication device for grasping and attitude control of the spacecraft to be collected and can be coupled to the spacecraft-to-be-collected, and a dedicated machine for attitude control can be mounted. 1. A space device for spacecraft recovery, comprising a recovery mother machine that issues a command to operate the actuator of the same attitude control dedicated machine.