Star Tracking and Scanning Systems their Performance and Parametric Design

This paper deals with star tracking and scanning systems whose ultimate application is the navigation and control of aerospace vehicles. The subject generally has received very sparse treatment in the open literature. It will be the purpose of this paper to discuss some of the critical considerations related to the optimum design and performance of star trackers and scanners. It discusses the basic system and its functional elements, the input data, its character and limitations, the optical system, its characteristics and performance, the photomultiplier and vidicon as promising radiation detectors, the decision problem and its probabilistic nature, and the optimization of system performance through the manipulation of major design parameters.