Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Blue, Randel C..
The Mars Microprobe Project provides a unique opportunity to validate instrumentation technologies for performing relevant science experiments on the Martian Surface and at a depth of up to two meters.
Future space systems will require control sensors capable of real-time measurements of position coordinates of many structural locations. Applications for such a sensor include figure and vibration control, rendezvous and docking, and structure assembly verification. The paper discusses an experimental study of SHAPES (spatial, high-accuracy, position-encoding sensor), a 3D position sensor that provides range and two angular positions of laser-illuminated retroreflector targets that mark the locations to be measured. Simultaneous range measurements to multiple targets by a time-of-flight corelation of short laser pulses are made with a CCD-equipped streak tube. Angular positions are measured with a CCD camera. Position measurements of 24 targets with sub-millimeter range accuracy at a 10 Hz update rate have been demonstrated.