Ray Deiotte (The Boeing Company), Dr. Mike Guyote
(The Boeing Company), Dr. Thomas Kelecy (Boeing – LTS), Dr. Doyle Hall (Boeing – LTS), John Africano (Boeing – LTS),
Paul Kervin (AMOS (AFRL/Det15)
Keywords: NROC, Non-Resolved Object Characterization
Abstract:
The MSSS satellite categorization laboratory is a fusion of robotics and digital imaging processes that aims to decompose satellite photometric characteristics and behavior in a controlled setting. By combining a robot, light source and camera to acquire non-resolved images of a model satellite, detailed photometric analyses can be performed to extract relevant information about shape features, elemental makeup, and ultimately attitude and function. Using the laboratory setting a detailed analysis can be done on any type of material or design and the results cataloged in a database that will facilitate object identification by curve-fitting individual elements in the basis set to observational data that might otherwise be unidentifiable.
Currently the laboratory has created, an ST-Robotics five degree of freedom robotic arm, collimated light source and non-focused Apogee camera have all been integrated into a MATLAB based software package that facilitates automatic data acquisition and analysis. Efforts to date have been aimed at construction of the lab as well as validation and verification of simple geometric objects. Simple tests on spheres, cubes and simple satellites show promising results that could lead to a much better understanding of non-resolvable space object characteristics.
This paper presents a description of the laboratory configuration and validation test results with emphasis on the non-resolved photometric characteristics for a variety of object shapes, spin dynamics and orientations. The future vision, utility and benefits of the laboratory to the SSA community as a whole are also discussed.
Date of Conference: September 10-14, 2006
Track: Non-Resolved Object Characterization