Docking/separation test of two-dimensional truss structure with variable geometries

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental simulation of soft docking/separation of space structures, such as the space station and free-flyings where the low gravity condition will be utilized for a wide variety of tests and experiments. When the whole structure of a space vehicle having a large mass moves to dock to a target, it is usually difficult to avoid a dynamic impact which disturbs a stationary state of the target. A twodimensional truss structure with variable geometries was constructed to apply an adaptive structural concept to a docking problem. The central idea of the soft docking is to deform the docking structure in such a way that the center of the structural mass has no motion to induce no inertia force of the structural mass. An experimental result shows that there was very slight difference between the acceleration of the target structure before and during the docking operation.