All Resistojet Control of the NASA Dual Keel Space Station

This paper describes a control system that uses small (0.1 N) hydrogen fueled, high–expansion–ratio resistojets to control a space station’s position and attitude. The number and size of the resistojets is calculated based on requirements for stationkeeping, compensation for steady–state gravity–gradient and aerodynamic torques, momentum loading due to Mobile Remote Manipulator System motion, shuttle orbiter docking, and translational evasive maneuvering. The all resistojet control system performs continuous orbit maintenance while keeping the linear accelerations on the spacecraft lower than they would be without any control system operating. No momentum exchange devices are needed to augment the resistojets. Simulation results are given for nominal operations and rigid body response to shuttle orbiter docking.