AUTONOMOUS RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING(ARD) SYSTEMS

Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (ARD) System. Under contract from the Space Automation and Robotics Center (SpARC) of the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM), ICS played a key role in deployment of the ARD system. The program was to demonstrate a low cost autonomous rendezvous and docking technique and perform fluid transfer experiments aboard the space shuttle. The demonstration was to use two Commercial Experiment Transporter (COMET) service modulesthat were left in orbit after their materials processing experiments have been completed.

The SCL system was used on an 80286-based computer on-board the ARD flight system to monitor and control the rendezvous snf docking sequence and to perform standard TT&C functions. SCL was also used on a Macintosh computer on the ground to monitor the vehicle's performance.

The ROMPS flight system was largely derived from the efforts in developing the flight software for the ARD program. The controller card, executive software, and SCL Real-Time Engine are re-used from job to job.

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