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Re: Re:Europa Mail:Instruments

Subject: Re: Re:Europa Mail:Instruments
From: Graham Clarke <gemin@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 11:50:16
I was not recommending it, merely observing that if you are not making 
manoevres but merely making small corrections to maintain stable flight a 
fluid does know where up is, or at least was. The "was" is the nub of the 
matter if you do start manoevreing. There was a large research effort way 
back on suspended mass systems for attitude reference. They were not 
pursued eventually against emerging gyro technology mainly because of the 
computing required (analogue only available in those days) to correct for 
the acceleration effects in the general case.  It might be time for such 
systems to be revisited now that we have relatively cheap, accurate, and 
small, absolute angular encoders with digital readout along with vastly 
improved microcomputing. 

gemin (ex Ferranti Inertial Systems Division !)



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