Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
NASA T E C H N I C A L N O T E
..
-, - ___. 0132813
I. REPORT NO.
- __ TN
- NASA D-6068 I 2. G O V E R N M N T ACCESSION NO.
I
j. KtLIPlbNl'b LAIALOb NO.
1
1. T I T L E AND SUBTITLE
7.
- ..
3.
AUTHOR(S)
W. -B. C h u b b a n d S. M. S e l t z e r
PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
I 8 . PERFORMlNG ORGANlZATlON REPORT #
L
-_-- .. .- __ 13. TYPE OF REPORY & PERIOD COVERED
2. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AN0 ADORES5
National A e r o n a u t i c s and S p a c e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n T e c h n i c a l Note
W a s h i n g t o n , D. C . 20546
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
-. - - I
5. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
NASA's M a r s h a l l S p a c e F l i g h t C e n t e r is d e v e l o p i n g a n e a r t h - o r b i t i n g m a n n e d s p a c e
s t a t i o n c a l l e d S k y l a b . T h e p u r p o s e of S k y l a b is t o p e r f o r m s c i e n t i f i c e x p e r i m e n t s i n
s o l a r a s t r o n o m y a n d e a r t h r e s o u r c e s a n d to s t u d y b i o p h y s i c a l a n d p h y s i c a l p r o p e r t i e s
in a z e r o gravity environment. The attitude and pointing control s y s t e m r e q u i r e m e n t s
a r e d i c t a t e d by o n b o a r d e x p e r i m e n t s . T h e s e r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d t h e r e s u l t i n g a t t i t u d e
and pointing control s y s t e m a r e p r e s e n t e d .
18 .- 0 1 STR inUT I O N S m T E M e N T
Space station
Control m o m e n t gyro Unclassified - Unlimited
Attitude control
-~
I
9. S E C l k l T Y CLASSIF. (Or t b h rmpm'tt) 20. SECURITY CL IF. (or tu. P.W) 21. NO. OF PAGES 22. PRICE*
For Sale by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151
T A B L E O F CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY ............................ i
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
SKYLAB-A DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
MISSION IMPLEMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SYSTEM OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
iii
I.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
2 . CMGCluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. ..................
Distribution Law Principle 5
6 . TACS Thrusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LIST OF TABLES
iv
.. . I
DEFINITION OF SYIVIBOM
-
H momentum vector
S Laplace transform
commanded torque
disturbance torque
vehicle axes
SUMMARY
WORKSHOPSOLAR
INSTRUMENT UNIT
AIRLQCK MODULE
e- COMMAND MODULE
FIGURE 1. SKYLAB-A
Certain experiments and supporting facilities for their each side of the OWS and four panels are attached to
operation also will be contained in the OWS (see Appen- the ATM. Their purpose is to provide power for the
dix). Attitude control commands will be implemented Skylab-A system. The average power output of these
by a cold-gas thruster attitude control system (TACS) combined a r r a y s is approximately 7.2 kW.
located on the OWS. Two s o l a r a r r a y panels attached
to the sides of the OWS will provide some of the power Saturn V Instrument Unit gv). The I U is used only
required by the Skylab-A. The OWS will remain in during launch and for the subsequent seven and one-
orbit in unmanned storage modes and will be reactivated half hours of orbital operation while the CMG's are be-
during subsequent manned revisits. ing brought up to operational speed (i49 rou/a). Once
in orbit, it provides sequencing commands to actuate
Multiple Docking Adapter (MDAL ang Airlock Module (Ae$). and control the deployment of the Skylab-A elements. It
The MDA a n d v d o c k i n p . ~ o r t for
s the CSR.1and a l s o provides an IU digital command system and telem-
provide a pressurized passagewaybetween the CSM and e t r y link with the ground.
the living quarters in the OWS. The MDA contains the
ATM control and display (C&D) panel. Experiments Command and Sey:ce Module (CSM). The CSM provides
housed in these two modules are described in the the crew with transportation between the earth and the
Appcndix; most of the experiments are included in the Skylab-A. It also contains food, water, and other
Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP). essentials for c r e w support when the CSM is detached
from the Skylab-A. The CSM provides some of the
communication, instrumentation, and thermal control
M
- ount (ATM). The ATM is to be a capability. It h a s the capability of providing attitude
solar observatory developed primarily t o collect control to counteract transient responses to docking
data on s o l a r phenomena to increase man's knowledge maneuvers through use of its reaction control system
of the s o l a r environment. It provides a mounting (RCS) which utilizes hypergolic storable propellants.
structure, or rack, to which are attached the control
moment gyroscopes (CMG's), attitude control computers E q e r i m e n t s . The experiments are one of the p n m a w
and sensors, and associated electronics. Within the reasons for development of the Skylab-A and dictate
rack 811 experiment s p a r is located to which are attached the attitude and pointing control requirements. A
solar experiments and s p a r control sensors. The s p a r description of these experiments and their locations
is gimbaled about two axes with respect to the rack. are provided i n the Appendix.
The ATM provides a capability for film retrieval and
installatton by astronaut extravehicular activity (EVA).
3. MISSION IMPLEMENTATION
Solar Arrays~. Two s o l a r a r r a y panels are mounted on The unmanned Skylab-A, less the CSM, is placed in a
2
near-circular 435-km orbit with a nominal inclination package with respect to the LOS. The requirements
of 0.87 rad by a two-stage Saturn V launch vehicle. f o r the 2-local vertical (2-LV) mode of operation (e.g.,
Within the seven and one-half hours of IU lifetime, the during cnrth resources experiments) are the s a m e as
Skylab-A ATM rack is oriented toward the sun, and the shown in Table II except that a navigation error of
s o l a r panels a r e deployed. The Skylab-A interior i s a3.5 x io-‘ r a d is acceptable.
then pressurized to make it habitable for the crew.
5. CONTROL SYSTEMS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Approximately one day l a t e r the CSM, carrying a three-
man crew, is placed into a temporary 150 x 222 lan The ATM pointing and control system that has evolved
orbit by a Saturn IB launch vehicle. Using its own to date has been influenced by a number of factor^.^
propulsion system, the CSM achieves a rendezvous with The p r i m e requirement i s to meet the high accuracy
the remainder of the Skylab-A and docks to an axial system pointing specifications in the presence of exter-
port of the-MDA. It is planned f o r the crew to remain nal disturbance torques. The significant disturbance
onboard the Skylab-A f o r 28 days to conduct experiments. Torques of interest are those caused by earth-orbital
They then will prepare the Skylab-A for orbital storage environmental influences (gravity gradient and aero-
and return to earth i n the CSM on the 29th day. Two dynamic disturbances) as well as internal movements of
subsequent launches, similar to the secod launch, a r e the astronauts on board. Because of these earth-orbital
planned. Manned mission durations of no greater than environmental influences, the vehicle attitude must be
56 days a r e anticipated. The first two flights a r e held to a fixed position relative to the orbital plane. To
planned for the last quarter in 1972. m e e t the pitch and yaw pointing accuracies, a two-axis
gimbaled EPS with a maximum range of *3.5 x IO-’ r a d is
4. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS required. The p r i m a r y requirement for the EPS i s to
provide experiment package isolation from the relatively
The Skylab-A attitude and pointing control system has l a r g e vehicle perturbations that can result because of
been developed to meet the high accuracy requirements astronaut motion effects.
established by the desired experiment conditions. These
conditions must be maintained by the control system The CMG control system of the rack was chosen pri-
under the influence of external and internal disturbance marily because of performance benefits with respect to
torques, such as gravity gradient and aerodynamic dis- both dynamic response and compensation of cyclic ex-
turbances and onboard astron.aut motion. The Skylab-A ternal disturbance torques caused by gravity gradient
attitude control system provides a stable base about and aerodynamic effects. Most passive control schemes
which the ATM s p a r attitude control system may re- (gravity gradient, f o r example) would not have the re-
spond to meet higher frequency attitude control system quired accuracy and could not develop sufficient torque
demands. Hence, a fine pointing system, i. e., the to meet the dynamic performance requirements. During
experiment pointing system (EPS), for directing the data gathering intervals when experiment optics are ex-
experiment package on the ATM s p a r has evolved to posed, use of CMG’s prevents optics contamination that
meet the stringent experiment pointing requirements. would result from reaction control thruster exhaust.
The design requirements for each of the systems are
listed in Tables I and II. Roll is defined as the angularThe TACS (and the RCS, if necessary) i s available to
provide c o a r s e attitude control and CMG momentum de-
TABLE I. EPS CONTROL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS saturation capability (if needed). The TACS and CMG
system must be c&pable of maneuvering the vehicle to a
desired experiment observation orientation; i. e. , 2-LV
i
Command
I
System Stability for and s o l a r inertial. It was also necessary to meet the
Pointing maneuver requirements of the vehicle using the CMG
Axis 15 Min
Uncertainty system as much as possible to minimize TACS propel-
*i.i x i0-5rad lant consumption.
EPS X (pitch) a i . i x i0”rad
EPS Y (yaw) *i.i x i 0 - 5 r a d *i.i x i 0 - 5 r a d Control of Skylab-A a s differentiated from control of
the experiment s p a r mounted on Skylab-A may be accom-
EPS 2 (roll) k2.9 x iO-’rad CMG control plished by the CMG’s alone, the CMG’s i n conjunction
system with the TACS (nested system), or the TACS alone. In
addition, i n an emergency situation and as a back-up for
TABLE II. CMG CONTROL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Z-LV maneuvers, the CSM reaction control system may
b e utilized.
Command I
System Stability for Major control system design philosophy considerations
Pointing 1 5 Min
Axis Uncertainty were:
ii.2 x i0-3rad *2.6 x iO-’rad (1) To use the CMG system to meet vehicle
CMG X @itch) control and maneuver requirements whenever possible.
CMG Y &aw) *i.2 x iO-’rad *2.6 x i0-3rad
(2) To minimize the action of noncyclic torques
CMG Z (roll) i2.s ~ o - ~ r a d @ias torques) upon the vehicle. These torques a r i s e
from two sources. The f i r s t i s that the major princi-
rotation about the line of sight (LOS) from the experi- pal moments of inertia of the vehicle are not identical
ment package to the center of the sun, and pitch and and the interaction of the gravity field upon these in-
yaw are defined as angular deviations of the experiment ertias produces a bias momentum accumulation of
3
approximately 600 Nms about the vehicle X axis over an system. The momentum exchange devices are t h r e e
orbital period. The second is a result of vehicle vent- orthogonally-mounted double-gimbaled CMG's; each
ing of waste gases and accounts f o r a bias momentum has a stored momentum capability of 2700. Nms. ?$e
accumulation of from 500 to 1000 NmS about a non- CMG cluster is shown i n Figure 2 where 6,g)and 6,~)
specified vehicle axis.
6. CONTROL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION The use of CMG's in the pointing and control of a large
manned space station is new, and the problems associ-
The attitude and pointing control system (APCS) con- ated with that type of system a r e unique and were un-
sists of the three basic systems: the CMG, the TACS, solved. Some of the problems encountered in the devel-
and the EPS. The first two systems may control the opment of the CMG control system include the following:
Skylab-A either separately o r together i n a nested con-
figuration. The EPS system is used only for experi- (1) An acceptable control law for use of the CMG's
ment s p a r control. in control of the Skylab-A.
The CMG system is a momentum exchange control (2) A means for preventing the CMGIs from "falling
OUTER GIMBAL \
OUTER GIMBAL
TORQUER
O U T E R GIMBAL
CMG MOUNTING P L A N E
4
I
The function of the control law is to utilize three nor- FIGURE 3. MOMENTUM VECTOR CONFIGURATION
malized torque commands together with the present
orientation of the CMGIs (in terms of their direction ORBIT NORMAL
cosines) to generate inner and outer gimbal rate com-
mands on each of the three CMG's. The steering law
generates gimbal rate commands in such a way that
(assuming the actual gimbal rates a r e equal to the
commanded gimbal rates) the torques resulting on the
vehicle a r e identical to the desired torques in direction
and magnitude. Only when the maximum gimbal rate
capability is exceeded will themagnitude of the result-
ing torque be less than commanded, but the direction
will still be that of the command.. No crosscoupling is
inherent in the control law.
5
the center of the s o l a r disk. This was accomplished by
sampling the vehicle monientum a t specified times during
the daylight orbital period nnd comparing it with the pre-
vious day’s samples. The compared samples indicated
whether the bias momentum components about the var-
ious vehicle axes w e r e increasing o r decreasing. This
information was then translated into appropriate angle
MIDNIGHT position commands about the vehicle 2 axis to ensure
minimization of bias momentum accumulation.
-600 (2) The saturation effects of the remaining non-
- 800 cyclic disturbance torque were nullified by periodically
producing controlled bias torques which would tend to
desaturate the CMG cluster. The controlled.hias tor-
ques are produced by employing rectified components
Y(Nms) of the gravity gradient torques encountered during the
night portion of the orbit to desaturate the CMG cluster.
6000 The rectification of the gravity gradient torques is made
possible by maneuvering the vehicle about two axes dur-
ing the night side of the orbit. The magnitude of the
maneuver angles i s a function of the momentum accumu-
lation during the daylight portion of the orbit.
-4 000
- 6000
-80001
1 4
NOON
4
MIDNIGHT
or the strapdown equations which utilize r a t e gyro in-
formation as their basic input. Sensors as well as the
basic digital computer are redundant to provide increased
system reliability over the 240-day mission. Rate in-
formation i s provided by r a t e gyros. The gyros have a
coarse s c a l e of *ti .7 x io-‘ rad/s and a fine scale of *i .7 x io-’
r a d s . The scale is selected by logic within the operating
““h/\m
TOTAL MAGNITUDE (Nms)
digital computer.
8ooo+- -- - -CAPABILITY
3CMG - - - - - 8100
--- - --
Nmr
Thc ATR? digital compiitcr (ATAIDC) is the primary data
processing, compuhitionnl, and logic generation facility
in the control system. Fast loop computations (e. g.,
2000 rate gyro proccssing and CMG control laws) a r c pcr-
formed a t n rate of five times per second, and slow loop
0
$.
NOON
+
MIDNIGHT
computations (c.g., orbital navigation) are performed a t
a rntc of onc tinic pcr second. The computer memory
capacity is lci,300 words with lengths of 16 bits. Present
estimates of computcr memory requirements are approx-
FIGURE 5. COMBINED DISTURBANCE IMPULSE imntcly 15,500 words. The ATMDC i s the “brains” of
the system and performs the following primary APCS
reveals that with the given vehicle configuration and functions.
mission requirements (i. e. , point the vehicle 2 axis
at radiometric center of sun every daylight period), it (1) Orbital navigation and timing
is impossible to eliminate the noncyclic torques, but (2) Control of operational modes
it is possible to minimize them.
(3) Maneuver generation commands
This problem of CJIG momcntum management was (4) CMG and TACS control
attacked in two scp:irate !va!.s. (5) CMG momentum desaturation commands
(1) 1n e noncyclic disturbance torques were mini- (6) System redundancy management (test and selec-
mized by finding nn optimal vehicle orientation while still tion of alternate vehicle components in the case of off-
meeting the requirement that the vehicle 2 axis point to nominal component or system operation).
I
I
THRUSTER 2
THRUSTER1 ,
THRUSTER 3
DETAIL 0
+X 4-
+Y
DE
I
I I
I
I
I
I
I I
I
I I
I
I I
I
I
I
I
SENSOR 12)
I
I NESTED I
CONTROL
SYSTEM
I
r--1 I
c
THRUSTER
FIRING
I
I I
in--@
COMMANDS
I
TCSA
L
I
I
-I ',
I
'I U L
I-
IU/
LVDC
I
I
C M G E A : C M G ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY
C W G I A C M Q INVERTER ASSEMBLY
I I READOUT ASSY. 1 I
T C S A THRUSTER CONTROL SWITCHING ASSEMBLY
L V D C . L A U N C H I N G VEHICLE DIGITAL COMPUTER
p
------- -------
C CONTROL SUISYSTEM
FIGURE 7. FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM O F THE ATTITUDE AND POINTING CONTROL SYSTEM
7
\
CMG+TACS
TACS NO FIRE REGION
1 FULL T O R W E REGION
- -. \
' ATTITUDE ERROR
t
CMG's would produce opposing torques. If the state
of the vehicle lies in both the CMG zero torque region
and the TACS no fire region, the attitude rate (which
rehains constant in this zone) will cause the attitude
-2700
-5400 4
I
I
e r r o r to decrease until the vehicle state leaves the
73.0 Na
zone. The TACS, in addition to bounding the magni-
-8100
tude of the rate and position e r r o r s , also performs a 99.6 Nr
CMG momentum desaturation function i n the %ested1' SRT: SUNRISE TERMINATOR
mode of operation. If the CMG total momentum vector S S T : SUNSET TERMINATOR
excceds 95% of the CMG capability, the digital computer
directs those TACS engines to f i r e which will most
efficieutly cause the total momentum vector to fall FIGURE 9. Z-LOCAL VERTICAL MANEUVER IN
below 95%. An example of this type of operation is CMG/TACS NESTED CONFIGURATION
illustrated i n Figure 9.
The EPS operates independently from the CMG system
and TACS. It has i t s own sun s e n s o r s and r a t e gyros meet positioning requirements about the third axis. The
f o r position and rate control. Control signals a r e gen- flex-pivots allow about *3.5 x I O - ' rad of rotation of the X
erated in the experiment pointing electronic assembly and Y axes while the roll positioning device allows for a
(EPEA), an analog device. rotation of i2.i rad about the experiment package Z
axis. Figure 10 shows a block diagram of this system.
The EPS utilizes flex-pivot* gimbal bearings for control While the EPS provides automatic control of the experi-
about two axes and an open-loop positioning device to ment package X and Y axes, manual positioning of these
*A flex-pivot gimbal bearing i s made of a pair of flat cross-leaf springs and is welded to and supported by rotating
sleeves. It has no backlash and provides limited angular travel.
8
SOLAR
VECTOR *-B I I
SAME AS ABOVE
two axes i s provided f o r the purpose of offset pointing. positioned, the RPM will hold the location until a repositioning
Fine sun s e n s o r s (FSS) a r e used for sensing s p a r atti- command is received. The astronaut repositions the
tude crrors, with r a t e gyros sensing s p a r rates. The s p a r in accordance with experiment demand require-
EPEA conditions the sensor's signals to provide rate ments. The s p a r roll position i s displayed on the C&D
plus dlsplacenient command signals to the flex-pivot panel.
actuators (dc torque motors).
9
(1) Orbital Day: The ATMDC will u s e the CMG Ncstcd Attitude Hold Mode: The vehicle will be
acquisition sun s e n s o r for X and Y axes attitude infor- under ncsted CMG/TACS control i n this mode and w i l l
mation ana the strapdown computation for 2 axis atti- be maintained in an inertial hold. The ATMDC will use
tude information. The r a t e gyro outputs will be used the strapdown computation for attitude information in
for r a t e stabilization in all three axes. X, Y, and Z, and the rate gyro outputs for rate stabili-
zation. The momentum management maneuvers will be
(2) Orbital Night: The ATSZDC will use the inhibited i n this mode. No provisions exist f o r automatic
strapdown computatioj for X , Y , and 2 axes attitude entry to or exist from this mode. Manual vehicle attitude
information and the rate gyros for rate stabilization. commands may be entered in this mode via DAS. The
attitude i s not limited, but the maneuver rate is limited
Momentum management desaturation maneuvers will be to a5.2 x rads.
performed dhring the night periods. Automatic entry
into the solar inertial mode occurs when the APCS is in TACS Attitude Hold Mode: This mode will be an inertial
the experiment pointing mode (day operation) and the hold mode, random attitude, with the TACS i n control.
crew does not exit the mode manually p r i o r to orbital A s in the attitude hold mope, the ATMDC will obtain
sunset. This mode will also be entered a t the time of attitude and rate information from the strapdown computa-
a computer switchover, unless the mode existing a t that tion and the rate gyros. No provisions exist for automatic
time is the stand-by mode. entry to o r exit from this mode; and the attitude is not
limited, but the maneuver r a t e is limited to *5.2x iO-’rad/a.
Experiment Pointing M-odg: The experiment pointing
mode i s identical to the day portion of the solar inertial Z-Local Vertical (Z-Lv) Mode: This mode will be
mode, with respect to vehicle control. In this mode, used for earth pointing experiments during the manned
however, the EPS will be activated.’ Normally, the periods and for rendezvous during the unmanned periods.
experiment pointing mode will be entered manually, The vehicle will be under CMG/TACS control in this
with automatic exit a t orbital sunset. Automatic entry mode. The mode will have two sources of activation.
is also provided as an option to be activated by the For earth’resources e ~ e r i m e n t s ,the crew will com-
crew via DAS command. The crew will be able to en- mand the ATMDC via the C&D panel switch to enter
able o r inhibit automatic experiment pointing mode the Z-LV mode. At that time the ATMDC should s t a r t
entry a t will. If the crew has enabled automatic entry, the maneuver to Z-LV. The elapsed time from initia-
the ATMDC will activate the mode each orbital sunrise, tion of the maneuver until the Z-LV attitude i s reached
if and only if the system is in the solar inertial mode the will be a stored value in the ATMDC, addressable by
preceding night period. the crew via the DAS. Figure 11 illustrates a typical
SOLAR VECTOR
€REP OPERATION
OVER TARGET
S E T UP EREP
EXPERIMENTS
TERMINATOR
MANEUVER
ORBIT MIDNIGHT
10
1
Z-LV earth resources maneuver sequence. For ren- CMG stops a r c locatcd a t 1-1.4 rad and outer stops ape a t
dezvous. both the time for initiation and the time for + 3 . 8 and -2.3 rad. These physical conatraints Iimited
completion of the Z-LV acquisition will be specified. totnl CMG momentum utilization whencvcr thc slops
In thin case the ground will command the mode change. wcrc cncuuntcrcd. Special digital logic was dcvcloped
Leaving the Z-LV mode will be similar; i t may be to minimizc the number of situations when CMG gimbal
commanded either by crew command (C&D switch) stops would be encountered.
or ground (relative to time).
A documcnt' dcscribing in dctail thc ATM digital
Mode Options: Several somewhat unrelated ''sub- computcr program rcquircmcnts has bccn prcparcd by
modes" will be available, primarily for the crew, for NASA and rcccntly ul,tlatcdo for NASA by IBM. InclQded
altering certain operational aspects of the APCS. in tlus document arc detailed rcquirrments and imple-
Again, the states of these submodes may b e changed mentation schenics in analytical form for functions such
by c r e w command, ground command, or ATMDC pro- a s nionicnlum management, CMG rriomcnhun distribution,
gram control. The submodes include inhibiting auto- CMG control laws, TACS logic, vehicle altitude reference
matic gravity gradient desaturation maneuvers, in- (strapdown), and APS moclc control.
hibiting CMG or TACS control, switching the navigation
timing sequence from a computational procedure to one
based on sun prcscnt discrctes, and the capability of
pcrforniing a preprogramcd s e t o f maneuvers to 8. CONCLUSIONS
rcacquirc thc s o l a r vector should the system suffer
a tcmpornry l o s s of attitude inCormation. Based on the mission and high accuracy experiment
pointing requirements, the design of the Skylab-A
Ilybrid simulations of thc Skylab nttihitlc and pointing attitude and pointing control system h a s been
control system a1 M:irshall Spnc'c Flight Ccntcr have developed. A significant portion of the system i s
bccn in operation Cor Llic 1):tsl csightcvn months. In capable of manual operation. enabling the astronauts
gcmc,rnl, simuI:iti*~l i ' c , s i i l t s h:tvc, I)c*cmi n :Igrc.c~mcml to perform functions requiring human judgment, such
with 1hcwrclic:tl i)rc-ilic.tcstl rcLsiills. 111 Lliosr inst:inc'cs as choosing scientific targets and selecting and point-
whcrc pix*dictctl :inti a c . t i i : i l rcsulls Ii:ivc tliffr~rctl,tlic ing appropriate experiments toward these tsrgets. To
simul:ilion motlrls hnvc I)wn usrd :is dcsibn 1001s to keep the number of tasks to be perfoinied by the astro-
rorrcct digiti1 logic to rliminntc o r minimize thcsc nauts within reason, many functions such a s attitude
tliflcrcwcs. Onc :ircn whcrc inconsistent results pointing stability are performed using closed loop auto-
wcrc nolrtl conccrnctl gimbal nnglc stops. Inncr gimlJal matic control.
APPENDIX
SKYLAB EXPERIXIENTS*
11
Metabolic Activity (M171): Evaluate man's metabolic Effects of Zero-g on Human Cells (S015): Study the in-
effectiveness in space to determine long-duration flucncc of zero-g on living human cells and determine if
mission requirements for logistics resupply, environ- the absence of gravity has a significant effect on their
m c n t d control, and task planning. metabolism.
Body Mass Measurement (M172): Validate a m a s s Potato Respiration (SOG1): Determine whether removal
measurement device large enough to contain a man and from the earth's rhythmic geophysical environment will
to provide data for bone and tissue studies. affect a well-known biorhythm.
Gravity Substitute Workbench (M507): Access the use Circadian Rhythm, Pocket Mice (S071): Determine the
of aerodynamic and electrostatic force fields as an aid effects on the physical functions of pocket mice when
in the manipulation of loose objects i n zero-g. removed from gravity and the geophysical 24-hour period.
Astronaut EVA Hardware Evaluation (M508): Evaluate Circadian Rhythm, Vinegar Gnat (S072): Determine the
man's capability to perform work under the conditions effects on the physical functions of vinegar gnats when
imposed by space flight and develop quantitative design removed from the gravity and the geophysical 24-hour
criteria applicable to future missions in space. period.
Astronaut Maneuvering Equipment (M509): Obtain data Experiments Located i n the Multiple Docking Adapter
on the mechanical and human-factor problems encoun-
tered by man using maneuvering devices. Zero-g Flammability (M479): Determine the effects of
zero-g on the flammability of nonmetallic materials i n
UV Stellar Astronomy (SO19): Perform a partial sky a spacecraft environment.
survey of Milky Way star fields to obtain UV spectra
using a Ritchey-Chrctien objective-prism spectrograph. Material Processing i n Space (M512): Demonstrate and
evaluate molten-metal flow characteristics under zero-g
X-Ray UV Solar Photography (S020): Obtain X-ray/UV and space vacuum conditions.
solar spectra by a grazing incidence spectrograph to
support development of solar flare prediction techniques. Nuclcar Emulsion (SOO9): Investigate the physical and
chemical characteristics of primary cosmic radiation
Gegenschein Zodiacal Light (5073): Measure the intensity incidcnt on the earth's atmosphere.
and polarization of the night sky light i n the zodiacal "3
Gegenschein region. W Airglow Horizon Photography (S063): Secure phota-
graphs of the U V emission from the airglow layers of
the upper atmosphere.
Particle Collection (S149): Study flux, size, compo-
sition, and vclocity of micrometeoroids in the near- Multispectral Photographic Facility (Si 90): Determine
earth environment. the cxtcnt to which multiband photography may be
In-Flight Aerosol Analysis (T003): Determine the applied to earth s i t e s using s i x Ifasselbald electric
cameras with synchronized shutters.
aerosol particle concentration and s i z e distribution i n
the spacecraft atmosphere as a function of time. Infrared Spectrometer (S191): Manually acquire and
track ground truth s i t e s to obtain spectrometer data
Crew/Vehiclc Disturb,uces (T013): Measure the effects
of crew motion on the dynamics of their spacecraft and
to evaluate earth resources sensing from orbital
dctermine how these motions affect high accuracy point- altitudes i n the visible to infrared spectral regions.
ing experiments. Ten-Band Multispectral Scanner (5192): Secure
quantitative radiance values simultaneously in ten
Foot-Controllcd Mancuvering Unit ("020): Determine
thc Cecnsibility of the maneuvering unit for astronaut spectral bands, from visible to infrared, using imagery
translation and rotntional maneuvers in space. scanning with automated data processing techniques.
12
Precision Optical Tracking (T018): Track the Saturn Cytogenetic Studies of Blood (M111): Determine the
space vehicle with a laser radar system during the preflight and postflight chromosome aberration
early iaunch phase to determine liftoff motions. Crequencies in the peripheral blood leukocytes of the
Preflight and Postflight Experiments crew.
Bone Densitometry (M072): Make a densitometric Man’s Immunity in Vitro Aspects (M112): Assay
comparison of preflight X-rays of selected bones of humoral and ccllular immunity as reflected by the
the body to evaluate bone demineralization under plasma concentrations of the major immunoglobulin
prolonged weightlessness. classes, study the functions of blood lymphocytes.
and assay selectcd coagulation factors.
Bioassay of Body Fluids (M073): Compare plasma and
urine samples taken before and after flight to assess the Blood Volume and Red Cell Life Span (M113): Document
metabolic changes in man as a result of space flight. changes i n red cell mass, red cell survival, and plasma
volumes occurring as a result of space flight.
Lower Body Negative P r e s s u r e (M091): Apply negative Rcd Blood Cell Mebbolism (M114): Determine the
p r e s s u r e to the lower half of the astronaut’s body
before and after flight to ascertain the cardiovascular effects of space flight on red cell metabolism and
function changes resulting from space flight. membrane integrity.