| This thesis examines the dynamic response of a telescopically deployable dumbbell satellite. The satellite consists of a two-segment telescopic linkage and two point masses, and can execute simultaneous orbital, attitude, vibrational, and deployment motions in a planar Earth orbit. The study is motivated by the need for a greater understanding of the complex dynamics associated with current and future space missions. Highly nonlinear and coupled equations of motion governing the flexible, telescopically deployable dumbbell satellite are derived by the application of Hamilton's principle. The equations of motion for an isolated two-segment telescopic boom are also derived for studying the telescopic deployment mechanism. A numerical algorithm is developed to perform simulation studies on these equations. The algorithm involves finite difference discretization of the distributed spatial variables and integration of the resulting set of ordinary differential equations with respect to time. The simulation studies revealed that in nearly circular orbits, the local vertical is a stable orientation for all but librations with amplitude close to 90... |
