A novel attitude guidance algorithm for exclusion zone avoidance
Jesse D. Koenig · 2009
The Trailblazer spacecraft was designed to use an optical sensing instrument to track objects moving through space. This instrument would be damaged if pointed to within a certain angle of the sun. Therefore, a novel attitude guidance algorithm was developed to avoid pointing the instrument within this exclusion zone, while minimizing disruptions to target-tracking. Traditional obstacle-avoidance and path-planning algorithms do not suffice because such methods generally do not provide for adherence to an intrinsic desired continuous path. The algorithm's computational demands do not present a problem for Trailblazer, owing to its high-performance computer.