Analysis of contact dynamics for free-flying target capture operation with hybrid simulation

In order to make space missions successful reliably and safely, numerical dynamics simulation is important. In the simulation, identifying the contact force model and parameters is a key issue. In general, the identification experiment of space systems on the ground is difficult because of the gravity. This paper describes a strategy for identifying the contact parameters using a hybrid simulator. The hybrid simulator includes fatal control time delay which varies the contact force. However, the contact parameter can be identified by comparing the results of the hybrid simulation and pure numerical simulations including a time delay model. In this method, that the control time delay has little influence on the determination of contact parameters. In this paper, the dynamics model, including the time delay that exists in a hybrid simulator, is studied in detail. For verification of this method, the determined contact parameters are compared with the result of the contact experiments with a real floating object.