Pinhole-coronograph tracking control

Abstract

The pinhole occulter system, a space shuttle based experiment for the production of hard X-ray images taken primarily from the Sun is described. The system is a pinhole camera utilizing a deployable 50 m flexible boom for separating the pinhole from the recording devices located in the shuttle. The system is subjected to the disturbances of the shuttle. The worst of these are thruster firing for orbit correction, man motion, motion induced by other systems, and gravity gradient torques. The control system of the pointing mount senses both position and velocity of the mask tip and uses these to estimate accurately the flexible modes of the system.