Fine-guidance error sensor, an electronic scanning star tracker
01 January 1967
The fine-guidance error sensor is a boresighted star and planet tracker developed for use as an error sensor for the fine-attitude control system under development for the Aerobee 150-A sounding-rocket program.
The fine-attitude control system is to operate in conjunction with the presently developed inertial attitude control system, which is used to despin the rocket after launch and to point the rocket, including the tracker and experimental package, to within 4 degrees of a desired star.
The tracker then acquires the target and provides error signals for the fine-attitude control system to point the rocket within 30 arc-seconds of the star. During its 3 to 5 minutes above the atmosphere, several successive stars can be tracked and studied.