An analysis of the operation of a mass measuring system in an orbiting spacecraft

An analysis of the operation of a m a s s measuring system, which is based on the oscillating spring-mass principle, aboard a spacecraft is made.This analysis considers the dynamic effects of the oscillating device on an uncontrolled spacecraft by developing the equations of motion for the system.An approximate solution of these equations is then deduced, and a simple analytic expression for the maximum attitude e r r o r is found.Numerical integration of the equations of motion w a s performed on a digital computer for some typical measurement operations.Comparison between the approximate and exact solutions for these c a s e s w a s very close.Results showed small (less than 0 .0 2 ' ) attitude e r r o r s arising from the operation of this device.. ..