EVALUATION OF MICROGRAVITY LEVEL FLUCTUATION DUE TO ATTITUDE ORBITAL MOTION IN A TETHERED SATELLITE SYSTEM

One of the most useful applications of tethered satellite systems is t o isolate the payload from the main base (or space station) and to pro vide a better or variable microgravity environment. This paper present s a method for evaluation of the microgravity level inside the tethere d platform which may be influenced by dynamical motion of the main bas e and ballast. For this evaluation, a complete set of dynamical equati ons is derived for the attitude/orbital motion of the three-mass syste m connected by tethers with emphasis on the motion of the low-g platfo rm placed in the middle. The solution of this equation is for angular and translational velocities, to be substituted into an evaluation for mula of the microgravity level at an arbitrary position in the platfor m based on a generic and rigorous definition of the microgravity. A se t of linearized equations of motion is also provided.