(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-04-26)
Boisvert, Alexander J.
This paper analyzes the attitude dynamics of an inflatable tetrahedron tethered to a 3U
CubeSat via a 10 meter tether. In previously flown space tether missions the primary moment
on the system being considered is the gravity gradient torque. In this analysis, however, the
large area to mass ratio of the target increases the impact of drag and solar radiation moments
so they are also examined. The dynamics of the deployed system was analyzed using the 42
spacecraft simulator, an open source simulation software developed by NASA Goddard. Both
single and 10 element tethers were analyzed at altitudes ranging from 300 kilometers to 600
kilometers. They system showed the potential to develop unstable oscillations when
uncontrolled but an active damping control scheme shows potential for maintaining the
stability of the system. The deployment of the tether is analyzed as a damped spring system in
SIMULINK. The deployment is analyzed for three deployment speeds and three potential
damping ratios. The impact of this analysis on the requirements for the attitudedetermination
and control subsystem are also considered.