Refine Your Search

Search Results

Author:
Technical Paper

QSAM - An Approach to Detect Low Frequency Acceleration in Spacelab

1994-06-01
941362
Most of the microgravity experiments show highest sensitivity to residual acceleration in the low frequency range, typically below 0.01 Hz where atmospheric drag, gravity gradient and centrifugal forces are pre-dominant. QSAM (Quasi-Steady Acceleration Measurement) is an instrument especially developed to detect this range where conventional methods are hampered by high amplitude noise problems entailing errors in measurement results. Noise is defined to include all disturbing contributions surrounding the signal, which the experimentalist wants to reject but has no control over the source because of its unpredictable nature. One of the most disturbing noise source covering the low frequency acceleration signal is the residual zero point drift (bias) of an accelerometer and its electronics, which is slowly varying due to unknown dependency on temperature, aging and other effects. The measurement system QSAM applies signal modulation by turning the sensor's sensitive axis.
X