Planning algorithms are impacting technical disciplines and industries around the world, including robotics, computer-aided design, manufacturing, computer graphics, aerospace applications, drug design, and protein folding. This coherent and comprehensive book unifies material from several sources, including robotics, control theory, artificial intelligence, and algorithms. The treatment is centered on robot motion planning but integrates material on planning in discrete spaces. A major part of the book is devoted to planning under uncertainty, including decision theory, Markov decision processes, and information spaces, which are the “configuration spaces” of all sensor-based planning problems. The last part of the book delves into planning under differential constraints that arise when automating the motions of virtually any mechanical system. Developed from courses taught by the author, the book is intended for students, engineers, and researchers in robotics, artificial intelligence, and control theory as well as computer graphics, algorithms, and computational biology.

Planning Algorithms: Introductory Material

This paper assumes a requirement for an unmanned multiunit satellite to be assembled in orbit. The requirement to be met is to bring the satellites together so tha t they do not collide but actually rendezvous. The equations of motion of the rendezvous satellite in a relative coordinate system are derived and used to compute a final injection velocity which would effect collision after a time r. The velocity is corrected periodically by a command guidance system and just before impact retrothrust is applied. A terminal infrared homing sj^stem is required to actually accomplish physical contact and joining of the satellites. The first satellite placed in orbit is the "control satellite" and controls all the satellites to be assembled and contains the ccmputer, command guidance equipment, precision orientation equipment, and other features necessary to effect rendezvous. The succeeding satellites contain a propulsion system, a rough at t i tude control system, and a command receiver plus whatever scientific equipment they carry to perform their basic mission. This paper presents the following:

Terminal Guidance System for Satellite Rendezvous

1. Introduction 2. Orbital dynamics 3. Orbital maneuvers 4. Attitude dynamics and kinematics 5. Gravity gradient stabilization 6. Single and dual spin stabilization 7. Attitude maneuvers in space 8. Momentum-biased attitude stabilization 9. Reaction jet attitude 10. Structural dynamics and liquid sloshing Appendix A. Attitude transformation in space Appendix B. Attitude determination hardware Appendix C. Orbit and attitude control hardware.

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control: A Practical Engineering Approach

Attitude Determination and Estimation.- Matrices, Vectors, Frames, Transforms.- Rotational Kinematics and Dynamics.- Sensors and Actuators.- Static Attitude Determination Methods.- Filtering for Attitude Determination.- Attitude Control.

Fundamentals of Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control

Results obtained by applying the method of stochastic averaging to random vibration problems are discussed. This method is applicable to a variety of problems involving the response of lightly damped systems to broad-band random excitations. Solutions pertaining to both linear and non-linear vibrations are reviewed, and it is shown that the technique enables, in the case of parametric excitation, stability criteria to be established. Some results which have been obtained relating to the first-passage reliability problems are also surveyed. Various applications of the theory to engineering problems are outlined.

Stochastic averaging: An approximate method of solving random vibration problems

Orbital Mechanics

Solar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics, and Mission Applications

Minimum-fuel, multiple-impulse, time-fixed solutions are obtained for circle-to-circle rendezvous. The coplanar case and a restricted class of noncoplanar cases are analyzed. For several initial phase angles of the target relative to the vehicle, optimal solutions are obtained for a range of fixed transfer times and terminal radii. Primer vector theory is used to obtain the optimal number of impulses, their times and positions, and the presence of initial or final coasting arcs. For sufficiently large transfer times, the optimal solutions become the well-known time-open solutions, such as the Hohmann transfer for the coplanar case. The results obtained can be used to perform a time vs fuel trade-off for missions which have operational time constraints, such as space rescue operations and avoidance maneuvers.

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Optimal multiple-impulse time-fixed rendezvous between circular orbits

Minimum fuel multiple impulse orbital rendezvous for fixed transfer time near circular orbits

John E. Prussing

Papers

Orbital Mechanics

Solar Sailing: Technology, Dynamics, and Mission Applications

Optimal multiple-impulse time-fixed rendezvous between circular orbits

Optimal four-impulse fixed-time rendezvous in the vicinity of a circular orbit.

Optimal two- and three-impulse fixed-time rendezvous in the vicinityof a circular orbit