Title :
Micro APS based star tracker
Author :
Liebe, Carl Christian ; Alkalai, Leon ; Domingo, George ; Hancock, Bruce ; Hunter, Don ; Mellstrom, Jeff ; Ruiz, Ian ; Sepulveda, C. ; Pain, Bedabrata
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract :
JPL has conducted a study on how to design future miniaturized star trackers. The study proposes an ultra-low power (70 mW), ultra-low mass (42 grams) and very fast (50 Hz) Micro, APS-based Star Tracker (MAST). The accuracy of the MAST will be ∼7.5 arcseconds at 50 Hz update rate. The MAST is indispensable to all low mass and power micro/nano spacecraft where mass and power is a concern. The MAST consists of only two chips-a breakthrough CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) image detector optimized for star tracker applications and an ASIC chip including an I2C interface, memory and an 8051 microcontroller. MAST has functionality so it outputs pixel data from small windows and the spacecraft computer performs the processing.
Keywords :
CMOS image sensors; aerospace computing; application specific integrated circuits; attitude control; attitude measurement; low-power electronics; microcontrollers; optical tracking; radiation hardening (electronics); sensitivity; space vehicle electronics; 3-axis attitude determination; 42 gm; 50 Hz; 70 mW; 8051 microcontroller; ASIC chip; CMOS APS image sensor; I2C interface; MAST architecture; active pixel sensor; memory; micro APS based star tracker; microspacecraft; miniaturized star trackers; nanospacecraft; radiation resistance; ultra-low mass star tracker; ultra-low power star tracker; CMOS image sensors; CMOS process; CMOS technology; Charge coupled devices; Image converters; Optical imaging; Pixel; Space technology; Space vehicles; Timing;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference Proceedings, 2002. IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7231-X
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2002.1035396
