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guidance

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:17 am
by cpooley
see 6th image of http://www.microlaunchers.com/7816/L3/sa09/sa09.html for how Microlauncheers plans to do it.

We plan for the 1st stage to be flown by ground based video guidance from launch to 30 km, then after staging, an optical
horizon seeker and use of polar coordinates for the 2 vacuum stages. We think precision might be on order of 10-20 m/sec.

Re: guidance

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:52 pm
by Jay
From slide 4, “Launch Trajectory,” from the Microlaunchers presentation at the 2009 Space Access Society meeting (April 2-4 2009):

“Stage one will be guided manually by optical tracking with a launch pad mounted video camera and by launching in clear weather.”

Manually guiding the flight to 30,000 meters (98,425 feet or 18.64 miles) by remote control using the image from a video camera mounted on the launch pad as your only reference sounds nigh impossible, especially if the rocket starts rolling. How much roll control will you have and how far down range will the rocket be at 30,000 meters altitude?

Jay

Re: guidance

PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:05 pm
by cpooley
Jay: It would not matter if the rocket were to roll for this method, but the rocket will not roll, at least till after upper stage separation at about 60-70 km with upward velocity for 1st stage to continue to about 100 km.

There is to be 3 axis steering. See http://www.amazon.com/Microlaunchers-Te ... 1491281111 .

The resolution of the launch pad camera is going to be sufficient to guide to the 30 km or so powered altitude.