Mechanical and control system development for full-scale planar motion spacecraft simulator

The main subject of the research described in this paper focuses on the design, development and hardware implementation of some crucial subsystems for a full-scale/mass, air-levitated spacecraft emulator testbed. The subsystems developed involve the Guidance, Navigation and Control system, the Electric Power System, the onboard electronics and the structural frame. The testbed was designed and developed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, as part of the technology development and validation for a potential future Comet Surface Sample Return mission.