Specifying spacecraft flexible appendage rigidity

Abstract

As a method for specifying the required degree of rigidity of spacecraft flexible appendages, an analytical technique is proposed for establishing values for the frequency, damping ratio, and modal gain (deflection) of the first several bending modes. The shortcomings of the technique result from the limitations associated with the order of the equations that can be handled practically. An iterative method is prescribed for handling a system whose structural flexibility is described by more than one normal mode. The analytical technique is applied to specifying solar panel rigidity constraints for the NASA Space Telescope. The traditional nonanalytic procedure for specifying the required degree of rigidity of spacecraft flexible appendages has been to set a lower limit below which bending mode frequencies may not lie.