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LINE-OF-SIGHT GUIDANCE TECHNIQUES
FOR MANNED ORBITAL RENDEZVOUS
Ac11ves
1L-3 R IC S
by
Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.
Major, USAF
B. S. , United States Military Academy
(1951)
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SCIENCE
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
January, 1963
Signature of Author
Certified by
Department of Aeronautics and'
Astronautics, January, 1963
The sis0Siervisor
Certified by
Certified by
I #I' I I)
Certified by__
{
Accepted by
Chairman, Departmental
Graduate Committee
AI 1I 7 1968
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Yc.w
ii
LINE-OF-SIGHT GUIDANCE TECHNIQUES
FOR MANNED ORBITAL RENDEZVOUS
by
Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.
Major, USAF
Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
on January 7, 1963, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Science.
ABSTRACT
A study is made of the inertial rotation of the line -of sight
throughout three dimensional Keplerian rendezvous trajectories. A
simple, yet very meaningful method of classifying rendezvous
trajectories through the use of "Rendezvous Parameters" is presented.
Simple approximate expressions are derived in terms of these
parameters which greatly facilitate the analysis of rendezvous
guidance.
The noncoplanar aspects of rendezvous are analyzed by a
method, valid for low relative inclinations, which, based on two brief
target position observations, permits the simple calculation of the
out-of-plane velocity change required to shift the relative line of nodes
to a predetermined point.
These principles are then applied to a specific rendezvous
mission situation, namely the NASA Gemini rendezvous mission. A
rendezvous guidance technique, designed to extend man's control
capabilities,