Contributions of Multibody Dynamics to Space Flight: A Brief Review

A brief historical review is given of developments in multibody dynamics that led to the successful prediction of attitude motions of space vehicles. The important role of methods that simplified the formulation of equations of motion of complex spacecraft is pointed out. Developments in modeling flexible bodies undergoing large overall motion are highlighted. Factors reducing computer simulation time, such as the use of symbol manipulation, recursive formulation, and parallel processing algorithms, are outlined, and real-time computation is exemplified. Applications of multibody dynamics to space flight range from solar panel deployment to servicing of satellites by the shuttle manipulator arm, construction of the space station, and more. Although the details of these examples remain unpublished in many company and agency reports, a few representative applications of multibody dynamics to spacecraft simulations are recalled.