Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor Control System

Gerald S. Nurre; Stanley J. Anhouse; Sarma N. Gullapalli

doi:10.1117/12.977993

26 September 1989 Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor Control System

Gerald S. Nurre, Stanley J. Anhouse, Sarma N. Gullapalli

Proceedings Volume 1111, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing III; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.977993
Event: SPIE 1989 Technical Symposium on Aerospace Sensing, 1989, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The fine pointing information required for the extraordinary pointing stability of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is provided by the fine guidance sensor (FGS), which is capable of measuring extremely small pointing errors, of the order of 3 milliarcseconds. The FGS provides this fine pointing information over a relatively large, continuous range of angles of guide stars relative to the optical axis of the telescope. The FGS accomplishes this task by a judicious design involving the following: a two-axis high precision star selector servo system; an optical deflection system that provides high reduction from shaft angle to optical angle; a unique interferometer using Koester prisms and extremely sensitive photomultiplier tubes that enable the FGS to lock onto guide stars whose magnitude may be any value over a wide range of brightness (including 14.5 Mv and fainter); and the use of the large aperture of the telescope itself to advantage. This paper describes the FGS control systems involved in achieving this performance, supported by test data.

Citation Download Citation

Gerald S. Nurre, Stanley J. Anhouse, and Sarma N. Gullapalli "Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor Control System", Proc. SPIE 1111, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing III, (26 September 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.977993

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