Design and Calibration of a Torsion Pendulum for Micronewton-Class Spacecraft Thrusters
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 3
Abstract
The development and calibration of a micronewton space thruster test stand is described. The test stand uses a torsion pendulum-type design. A calibration system consisting of a rarefied-flow, gas-dynamic thruster was used to provide a known reaction force to deflect the torsion pendulum arm. Under-damped oscillation dynamics of the arm are described. The novel displacement-sensing system consists of laser light reflected from the arm and recorded using a linear charge-coupled device (CCD). Calibration thruster pressure is transmitted via pulsed laser to an external receiver. Four experimental tests are discussed characterizing the displacement of the arm during active thrusting periods. The time-response of these displacements are used to experimentally infer the rigidity of the spring system. Micronewton-range thrust values on the order of 1 to 10 micronewtons were estimated to be produced by the calibration thruster. Additionally, the observed torsional rigidity was 1 to 3 times higher than the expected value based on the physical properties (i.e. wire diameter and material) of the system, reducing the precision of the torsion pendulum in its present form. Opportunities for further study and error reduction are also proposed.
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Data Availability Statement
Data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 3 • May 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 11, 2021
Accepted: Dec 16, 2021
Published online: Feb 28, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 28, 2022
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