Application of the backward-smoothing extended Kalman filter to attitude estimation and prediction using radar observations

The Lincoln Attitude Estimation System (LAES), a new tool being developed for the Space Situational Awareness Group (SSAG) at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, integrates several existing hardware and software systems, with a backward-smoothing extended Kalman filter (BSEKF). LAES is intended to determine the rotational motion of a freely tumbling spacecraft from a sequence of discrete-time radar images. The raw range-Doppler returns are collected using a ground-based sensor, which is owned and operated by the SSAG, and processed into a set of range/cross-range images. A three-dimensional geometric model is, through computer graphics procedures, displayed on top of the two-dimensional radar images, enabling an analyst to rotate (and scale in cross-range) the model in order to align it to the object's image. Therefore, the orthographic projection matrix that the computer graphics procedures computed to display the computer model, simultaneously describes the projection of the object onto the radar image plane. These measurements are essentially corrections to a nominal or baseline motion which had to be assumed in order to generate the images in the first place. Combining the reference motion, which describes the orientation of the image plane in inertial space, with the sequence of rotations describing the attitude of the spacecraft within the image plane, yields the final set of attitude measurements which are then passed to the BSEKF for processing.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Volpe, Kyle Clarke

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David Chan and John E. Keesee.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/51646

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/51646