Lunar Excursion Module Landing Control System Design with P, PI and PID Controllers

Abstract

The development of space technology has always been one of the most exciting areas of science. System, used in the Moon Landing of mankind, became worth examining with developing technologies. In particular, developments in control systems theory have led to significant successes in the control of highly complex systems. It is also possible to re-examine the performance of this system, which is quite costly, by using simulation methods. The vehicle is called as the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), which brings the astronauts down to the Moon’s surface from the space vehicle in the Moon's orbit. Proportional (P), proportional-integral (PI) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers were prepared for the safe descent of the lunar navigation module modeled using MATLAB / Simulink computer software. These selected controllers ensure that the individually controlled LEM operates in accordance with the rules set out in the current landing procedure in the literature. The most appropriate coefficients for the controllers were selected by using the system response curve and continuous vibration methods and their performances were compared in detail.