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Plenary Lecture

Flight Control Technology for the Re-Entry ADDASAT Platform

Professor Radu Dan Rugescu
Co-author: Dragos R. Rugescu
University “Politehnica” of Bucharest
Romania
E-Mail: rugescu@yahoo.com

Abstract: The micro-satellite ADDASAT platform is the target payload for the small, space launcher NERVA, developed through the homonymous Romanian research and development program. This program is sponsored by the Romanian Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation through the national grants NERVA-82076 and ORVEAL-2-2934, that has been recently qualified for financing with a high score of 4 from 103 projects. The micro-launcher is under current experimental development, with the first flight test of the solid booster and of the guiding inertial platform performed at the NATO flight test range Cape Midia in June 2010 and the second on June 2011, under the NERVA project. The design and experimental development of the ADDASAT platform has begun in 2012 by the SME “ADDA – Association Dedicated to Development in Astronautics”, the first Romanian private R&D Company engaged in building a recoverable micro-satellite with proprietary technology. The flight control technology is presented, with emphasize on the capability of securing the atmospheric re-entry with desired accuracy under a very restricted mass of the spacecraft. The atmospheric and extra-atmospheric ascent of the launcher is controlled by the combined aerodynamic and gasdynamic actuators called gaserons, under the guidance of the autopilot, located on the same micro-satellite. The gaserons are under national patenting process, application A/01210/2010.

            

The state of the art of the attitude control system for the NERVA launcher and the ADDASAT is presented, with emphasize on the first flight tests of the inertial platform and the laboratory tests of the first MRG-001 micro-thrusters.
The selection of attitude drivers for the satellite was decided upon the terms of service of the orbital guidance. With no orbit correction requirements, due to the very short life-in-orbit of the spacecraft of less than one day, the design terms generated the adoption of the partial non-compensated system of six independent thrusters, as seen in the draft.
Management policy and the first experimental development steps are presented in the conference by the main design heads of the program.

Brief Biography of the Speaker: Dr. Radu D. Rugescu, university professor, married (daughter and son), is born in Bucharest, Romania, E. U. He is affiliated since 1969 with University “Politehnica” of Bucharest (UPB), Dept. of Aerospace Sciences “Elie Carafoli”, successively as assistant professor, lecturer, associate and full professor. With expertise in Astronautics, with emphasize on Propulsion, Thermochemistry, Astrodynamics, Optimization, Statistics, Programming, Robotics and Manufacturing Technology, he teaches courses in Romanian, English and German languages on “Numerical methods”, “Processes in Rocket Engines”, “Technology of aerospace systems”, “Astrodynamics”, “Turbomaschinen”, “Orbital Launchers”, “Ecological combustion”, “Optics and Acoustics”, a. s. o. He has received the Doctor in Science degree from UPB in Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics and performed several specializations in Germany and U. S. A.
His research firsts include, some of them as patent applications, a Genuine Solid Rocket Propellant in 1959, The first Romanian liquid propellant rocket engine in 1969, the first Capture of freezing temperature of water-gas reaction in 1982, the first Romanian air-breathing rocket engine in 1987, a New variational method for discontinuous integrands in 1997, a new technology for Air captured imaging and TV live transmission from high altitude airplanes of solar eclipse in 1999, Non-Keplerian gravity coupling of very large space structures in 2004, Solar gravity-assisted Accelerator in 2006, The unit histogram for scarce statistical information in 2008, the Combined Rocket Engine in 2010, Solenoid microthruster for spacecraft orientation in 2012 and others. Project Director of NERVA grant (UEFISCDI) for the first Romanian orbital launcher, dr. Rugescu has authored 7 pending patents, many of them with students and young researchers.
He directs energy and space research projects, including initiatives with Stanford University in the Thermochemistry of Combustion, several 5-year collaborative exchanges with Texas A&M University, USA, as Fulbright alumnus and three ERASMUS contracts with INT-TELECOM & Management SudParis, Dépt. Réseaux et Services des Télécommunications, Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Turkey and Institute Polytechnique des Sciences Avancee, Ivry-Paris. He is known for 251 public works, including 18 books. His works benefit of 150 quotations and citations, 137 of which are international, with 18 from ISI-Thomson. 54 papers are published with young specialists as co-authors. He was honored with 30 biographic awards, including Who’s Who in America 2007-2011, Honor Diploma of St Sava Romanian College 2011, Turkish NIST-2011 diploma and Medal and others.
He is member of the Astronautics Commission of the Romanian Academy since 1975, member of the International Institute for Acoustics and Vibrations since 2002, of the American Chemical Society since 2010 and in other societies. He was nominated in 2011 by the Romanian government as board member of the National Commission for Academic Titles CNATDCU in Aerospace and Transportation.