A long-distance laser altimeter for terrain relative navigation and spacecraft landing

Diego F. Pierrottet; Farzin Amzajerdian; Bruce Barnes

doi:10.1117/12.2050481

9 June 2014 A long-distance laser altimeter for terrain relative navigation and spacecraft landing

Diego F. Pierrottet, Farzin Amzajerdian, Bruce Barnes

Proceedings Volume 9080, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIX; and Atmospheric Propagation XI; 908005 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2050481
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2014, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

A high precision laser altimeter was developed under the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance (ALHAT) project at NASA Langley Research Center. The laser altimeter provides slant-path range measurements from operational ranges exceeding 30 km that will be used to support surface-relative state estimation and navigation during planetary descent and precision landing. The altimeter uses an advanced time-of-arrival receiver, which produces multiple signal-return range measurements from tens of kilometers with 5 cm precision. The transmitter is eye-safe, simplifying operations and testing on earth. The prototype is fully autonomous, and able to withstand the thermal and mechanical stresses experienced during test flights conducted aboard helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and Morpheus, a terrestrial rocket-powered vehicle developed by NASA Johnson Space Center. This paper provides an overview of the sensor and presents results obtained during recent field experiments including a helicopter flight test conducted in December 2012 and Morpheus flight tests conducted during March of 2014.

Citation Download Citation

Diego F. Pierrottet, Farzin Amzajerdian, and Bruce Barnes "A long-distance laser altimeter for terrain relative navigation and spacecraft landing", Proc. SPIE 9080, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIX; and Atmospheric Propagation XI, 908005 (9 June 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2050481

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