Dynamic stabilization of thin aperture light collector space telescope using active rods

Abstract

Thin aperture light collector (TALC) is the next generation of telescopes for space exploration. TALC consists of deployable annular segmented mirrors supported on a central mast with the help of cables. The dynamic stability of the telescope is of immense importance in order to make sure that the telescope is pointing in the right direction during the observation period. We present a control strategy for the dynamic stabilization of the segmented TALC structure using active rods. The active rods consist of collocated pairs of piezoelectric stack actuators and sensors. Decentralized integral force feedback is proposed to enhance the dynamic stability of the TALC. The effectiveness of the strategy is demonstrated on a 1/10th scaled mock-up model of the TALC. For numerical investigation, finite element analysis of the TALC is carried out and a reduced order model is extracted using the Craig–Bampton method. This reduced order model is then used for the design and numerical validation of the controller. Experiments are conducted on the mock-up model of the TALC to evaluate the performance of the proposed strategy. It is found that the proposed strategy is quite effective for dynamic stabilization of TALC. It is found to reduce both steady state and transient responses of the TALC.