Feasibility study of a gravimeter for gravity orientation sensing in micro gravity environments at the example of Phobos

Abstract

The exploration of undiscovered environments in outer space has improved in part because of the development of new technologies and instruments. These instruments aid in the guidance, orientation and attitude determination of the spacecraft whilst also assisting in the collection of scientific data. The purpose of this work is the investigation of the feasibility of a unique method of identifying a gravity vector. This instrument is named GUVD. A test setup was design and assembled to represent a breakout version of the GUVD. Successive tests were performed under two types of conditions to validate the theory and concept. The analysis conducted during post processing showed a strong correlation between. The identification of the spacecraft body position in the setup corresponds to the hypothetical location of the gravity vector. Moreover, the results displayed a recurrent pattern. At the end, it was possible to design a preliminary sketch of the GUVD and its future test setup.