Engineering topics

Wojtalik, F. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Wojtalik, F. S..

5 records

NASA NTRS1988

Hubble Space Telescope systems engineering

The role of systems engineering in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) development program at NASA Marshall is reviewed. The scientific objectives and overall characteristics of the HST are recalled, and particular attention is given to the early identification and correction of problems in the optical system, the pointing-control system (maneuvering and fine guidance), the rate-gyro assembly, reaction-wheel isolation, the battery reconditioning circuit, and optical cleanliness.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Space telescope

This paper describes the Space Telescope, a program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful optical and ultraviolet astronomical observatory to be operated in space. Through the remote eyes of this telescope, astronomers will look further into space and time to produce data including imagery of unequaled quality of galaxies, star systems, quasars and other objects of scientific interest. The Space Telescope will do this by observing the sky from a nominal 550 kilometer low earth orbit via an optical system with a 2.4 meter diameter primary mirror. Additionally, this observatory has a precision pointing control system that is capable of maintaining a locked state on an object for extended periods accurately to within 0.01 arc seconds. The observatory instrument complement, optical system and pointing control system is presented.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Systems engineering - Space Telescope project

At midpoint in the development of the Space Telescope (ST), a review process was conducted which determined that much benefit could be derived from an expanded systems engineering effort. The Systems Engineering Office thus established is responsible for the running of a management information system whose functions encompass design change control and the implementation of a maintenance and refurbishment program. By these means, interface hardware/software incompatibilities between critical ST modules and subsystems have been revealed and corrected.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1982

HEAO project - Revisited

A stellar inertial attitude reference with strapdown rate integrating gyros, together with star trackers and a general purpose computer, constitute the attitude control subsystem shared by NASA's HEAO observatories. HEAO-2, which is equipped with the largest and most precise grazing incidence X-ray mirror deployed aboard a satellite to date, has achieved accurate telescope pointing in autonomous maneuvering to selected targets, the acquisition of guide stars for attitude updating, and the positioning of unique experiments at the telescope focal point. Performance data have confirmed maneuvering accuracies of 1 arcmin, and pointing accuracies of 2-5 arcsec. Additional performance results presented support the extrapolation of the present HEAO attitude reference design to future applications.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

High Energy Astronomy Observatory program

The series of three orbiting high energy astronomy observatories that comprise the HEAO program are described. Several unique designs as well as the attitude control and determination system, used for observatory scan rotation of the first and third missions and for precision pointing on the second mission, are analyzed. Attention is given to observatory requirements, design characteristics, and the RGA performance summary.

Wojtalik, F. S.↗