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6STROINERTIAL.NAVI;,ITICN FOR CRUISE APPLICATIONS

6 Robert B. Whitman/ Manager of special Projects

Northrop Corporation, Electronics Division

Hawthrne, California

ABSTRACT The system weighs 184 pounds, volume is 3.9 cubic

feet, and has a proven reliability of over JO0
-Astroinertial navigation systems provide the great- hours MTBF.
ost accuracy and a bounded position error over in
extended use-time and distance. These systems are The NAS-26 system provides both navigation ind
autonomous, passive, non-Jammable and automatic. guidance, and can also control and point other on-
board avionics and sensors with the best ac:uracy
The key element of the system, the astrolnertial available in any operational self-contained navie.
instrument, is a three gimbal stable inertial plat- gation system, from subsonic through hypersonic
form with an integral two degree of freedom day- speeds. The system described provides bounded
night star tracker that operates automatically cruise navigation performance--better than 1,000
world wide. ft. CEP--througt. ut flights of short or long dura-
tion (specific performance classified).
The system provides navigation, guidance, and con-
trol with the best accuracy available in any self- A next generation system with improved performance
contained navigation system, from subsonic through is also described.
hypersonic speeds, The present operational system
described in this paper, NAS-26, provides bounded
cruise navigational performance--better than 1,000 INTRODUtTION
ft. CEP--throughout flights of short or long dura-
tion (specific performance classified).,/ For thousands of years man has relied on th2 star,;
as a primary source for determining his position
on the surface of the earth. The United States'
SUMMARY first intercontinental missile, the SM-62 Snark,
used the first automatic astroinertial navigation
Northrop has been building astroinertial navigation system with three telescopes to overcome the in-
systems for over thirty years. These systems have adequacies of the gyros and accelerometers of the
been fully operational for over fourteen years and 1950's to bound position errors to 1.4 nautical
have logged over 35,000 hours of operational flight miles. The system to accomplish this weighed al-
performance. The NAS-26 system described in this most a ton with reliability that was in hours or
paper is the fourth generation system following tens of hours.
Snark, Skybolt, and classified programs.
Today, thirty years later, Northrop has a fourth
Astroinertial systems provide the greatest accuracy generation astroinertial operational system, the
and a bounded error over an extended use-time and NAS-26, with performance, weight, ana relinl ;i y
distance. These systems are autonomous, passive, that are each improved by a factor of over teinto
non-jammable and automatic, one from the original Snark system. What 15 more
surprising In our chaotic economy is that today's
The key element of the NAS-26 system, the astre- NAS-26 System is lower in production price than
inertial instrument, is a three gimbal reference the Snark System of the 1950's. The NAS-26 system
platform with an integral two degree of freedom is shown in Figure 1.
star tracker, The reference platform contains two
two-degree of freedom gyros and three accelero-
meters. The highly accurate star tracker provides PERFORMANCE
correction of inertial platform errors by precisely
tracking an average of three stars per minute, day The NAS-26 astroinertial systems underwent an ex-
or night, at any altitude. The system tracks down tensive flight test program in 1977. At the con-
to +3.5 magnitude stars and bright stars In back- clusion of the flight testing, the system was
grounds up to 8,000 foot-lamberts. The stellar declared fully operational and in complete compli-
ephemeris provides a minimum of two star avail- ance with the performance specifications. Table I
ability, world wide, with six to ten stars below shows the unclassified performance capabill-
( typically availaole. ties that may be released. Obviously, the actual

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Secret classified performance capabilities are The inertial platform provides instantaneous navi-
better. gation data; i.e., velocity, heading and position.
The astrotracker provides precise position up-
dates, accurate heading, and calibration of gyro
drift rates for near perfect gyro performance.
NAS-26 SYSTEM The composite hybrid system results in bounded
position performance that is essentially indepen-
dent of flight time with only second order noise
growth.

The NAS-26 system has a stellar ephemeris of 61

stars permanently stored in the computer. This
provides a minimum of two star availability,
world wide, day or night. Normally six to ten
stars are available at any one time. The system
will automatically sequence through in order each
star within the field of view and then continu-
ously repeat the cycle. The astrotracker tracks
star magnitudes from -1.46 to +3.5 and in sky
backgrounds of 8,000 to 430 ft-lamberts, respec-
tively. The system automatically excludes stars
that are within 12.50 of the sun, within 30 of
Figure 1 other stars of similar magnitude, or near planets
or the moon. Also, once per second a test is made
Table 1 NAS-26 Performance to verify that the star is within the window field
of view under conceivably changing vehicle
Accuracy attitudes.
Astroinertial ...... less than 1,000 ft. CEP for The sequence of operations in star tracking is:
(occasional flights up to 10 hours.
star-tracking) * Read sidereal (solar) time from the computer
Inertial ........... less than 0.5 n.mni./hr. clock
(no prior * Determine present position from the computer
star-tracking) * The computer identifies catalog stars in field-
Velocity ............. less than 0.5 ft./sec. of-view
Attitude Readout .....better than 25 arc sec. * The computer selects brightest trackable star
Reliability .......... better than 800 hrs. MTBF within the field of view
9 Set photosensor gain for selected star magni-
tude and calibrate photosensor on built-in
REVIEW OF ASTROINERTIAL NAVIGATION isolite source

Before discussion of the NAS-26 System specifi- * Open shutter and measure sky-background light-
cally, it seems appropriate to discuss the unique level in star vicinity
features of astroinertial navigation as employed in o Set scan rate for star magnitude and measured
various Northrop systems, sky background

The astrotracker is mounted integral with the @ Commence search.

inertial platform, as shown in Figure 2. with com-
plete freedom in azimuth and essentially 00 to 900 The NAS-26 astrotraker sear(h pattern is shown in
in elevation. The primary key to the astroinertial Figure 3. The aspect ratio and size of the search
system's excellent performance is the integral pattern depends on the data provided from the
system, namely the ability to calibrate the star Kalhan filter. In simple terms the aspect ratio
line-of-sight directly against the inertial depends on the system uncertainties at the tine.
accelerometer null reference frame.
When a star signal is detected in the search,
the
TOSTAR astrotracker changes to the c.ontirmation mode.
TWO OGREES
OF T E OThe primary purpose of this mode is to verify that
FREEDOMTELESCOPE the signal is in fact the star and not noise. the
confirmation mode accomplishes this by qeneratinq
' INERTIALPLATFORM a horizontal pattern requiring four detections in
five passes and that the magnitude of the signal
is correct for the parti(ular star.
INERTIAL
ACCELEROMETERS T INERTIAL Once the confirmation mode has verified that it is
oROS the star, the astrotracker swit(hes to the ta,k
mode (star position deterininatim). Ten horizon-
Figure 2 NAS-26 Astrotracker tal and ten vertical passes are made it the tat,

.4.

74_
 ii

~ FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

The NAS-26 Astroinertial System may be described

SCRA CELEST,IA as a hybrid inertial navigation system that
PA-a- -- utilizes frequent star measurement updates in the
stellar navigation mode. Inertial only navigation
VERA AS is used as a back-up degraded mode and/or in con-
/ \ ditions where stars are not visible due to total
I'A / \\ , cloud cover.

NOATION '- - The NAS-26 provides continuous navigation, velo-

aow a &CCIa" gft city, and attitude reference information. It is
designed to interface with other avionics, such as
XTAML- ANSIM.A Air Data Computer, Magnetic Compass, Flight
/m AMMOM Director Unit, Horizontal Situation Indicator and
'4 other display elements.
mAT,
SO*m It also provides automatic vehicle guidance
S T" through control of the autopilot, automatic sensor
OGUAB-L-TO
XIACMISTUTURE WANT STAI
iCm C and astabilization,
pensation,sensor
control, base. motion con-
data reference image

Figure 3 Astrotracker Search Pattern When interfaced with the Compass and Airspeed
Units, it provides the following modes of naviga-
with eight detections out of ten required. The tion:
resolver data for the detections are averaged to
provide the best estimation of the true star line e Astro-Inertial-Airspeed
of sight. The standard deviation of a single star . Astro-Inertial
line.of sight determination is better than three
arc sec. (specific data classified). a Inertial Only
a Dead Reckon
At this point the next brightest star is selected
and the process repeated automatically. After a Attitude Heading Reference.
NAS tbe
reading the above one would expectthie Initially, present position is supplied by the
tracks an average of three stars a minute for the operator via navigation control display unit;
thereafter alignment, both ground and airborne.
entire flight. Again the system tracks day or and navigation, can be fully automatic. Highest
night, consistently tracking at sea level in day- priority is given to the most accurate navigation
light. mode attainable. Alternatively, the operator may
The star line of sight data is provided to the 18- select the mode desired.
state Kalman filter to update vector estimates of: The inertial-computer system is configured in a

0 Positions wander azimuth, local gravitational mechanization,

a choice reflecting the dependence on stellar-
I Platform Tilts inertial as the primary mode. The star ephemer-
" Velocities ides for 61 stars are permanently stored in com-
puter memory, thereby providing automatic 24-hour
" Heading celestial nayigation reference without geographic
* Gyro Drifts limits. Star ephemeris tables are updated (re-
filled) annually. The star tracker, in addition
" Accelerometer Null Bias to "bounding" position errors during its operation.
" Star Tracker Elevation Bias. also provides precision gyro drift rate calibration
which contributes to significantly improved iner-
The net result 4s a navigation system completely tial-mode performance if this mode is required,
self-contained, independent of ground fixes with: as, for example, during periods of cloud cover.
(1) bounded position performance of better than This ster-calibration of the inertial gyros per-
1,000 ft. CEP (specific performance classified) for sists long after interruption of star tracking.
flights of up to ten hours, (2) star calibration of MAS-26 includes a Kalman filter software mechani-
gyro drift rates permitting significantly improved zatlon. This filter process, used for ground and
free inertial performance if cloud cover were to air alignent, for stellar-Inertial, and for
occur, and (3) extremely accurate headin-velocity- inertial navigation modes, is an 18-state variable
attitude data for weapon delivery or sensor point- Kalman mechanization that operates in real time in
ing or aiding.
the computer and determines the relative weight- -
ings to be placed on the measurements. When air-
speed is used as a velocity data source, for f 04t " Pe,,
example, optimal estimates are fed back to correct
both systems. Similar operations on the stellar
measurements, barometric altitude. etc., provide
extremely accurate navigational performance in the
primary modes and provide optimized transition to
degraded modes in the event of loss of any of the
subsystem elements or by virtue of unavailability
of cloud-free line of sight to the stars. At
.M7,,
0vLm
F L
25,000 ft. the worldwide mean probability of a
clear line of sight is 68 percent at any instant
of time, and improves rapidly to 100% as altitude
increases. As implied above, the system maintains , .." ovs.9 -- I
accuracy with intermittent tracking.

There is a large variety of output signals avail- AL

able from NAS-26. These outputs are computer con- r0?Aw$xwf ,AW
trolled and are, therefore, software flexible.
The use of the signals includes steering signals Figure 5 NAS-26 System
to enable great circle, heading, and point steer-
ing in addition to the conventional situation and * Hybrid Microelectronics for reduced size and
navigational displays. Most of the outputs are weight, and increased reliability
available for stabilization, mode control, motion
compensation, data annotation, etc., of sensor e Comprehensive BITE to assure fault detection and
systems. Therefore, the NAS-26 System can operate to enhance flight safety
as a complete automated guidance system, not just & Partitioning into functional entities to facili-
as a navigation system. tate isolation and to simplify LRU shop testing

The NAS-26 also serves as a source for an accurate 9 Use of worst-case practices to insure relia-
reference data base for inflight vehicle pare- bility and long life.
meters. The data available includes vehicle atti-
tude, velocities (vertical, crosstrack, ground
speed), heading, acceleration (three axis), ASTROINERTIAL INSTRUMENT (A[)
distance to destination, distance/bearing to
points of interest, crosstrack range, sensor mode, The NAS-26 Astroinertial Instrument (Ar) is an
etc. inertial measuring unit consisting of an enclosed
three-gimbal stable reference platform and star
Figure 4 shows a simplified NAS-26 system block tracker.
diagram.
The At is constructed in three main sections: a
middle support housing consisting of the gimballed
stable reference platform and star tracker; an
upper cover fitted with an optically polished view-
ON .ing window for the star tracker; and a lower
housing containing related electronic circuitry and
a recirculating air temperature control system
operating across a Peltier thermoelectric heat ex-
changer, cooled from externally supplied air.

,,,, The middle housing contains the gimballed stable

.a, I platform and the astrotracker. The order of gim-
balling inward from the middle housing support is:
inertial roll, pitch and yaw, star tracker azimuth,
Figure 4 NAS-26 Simplified Block Diagram, and star tracker elevation. Roll. yaw and azimuth
gimballing have complete rotation freedom; pitch
motion is mechanically limited to +850; elevation
-
SYSTEM CONFIGRATION motion is limited to -20 to +1000. Rotational tor-
que is applied to the gimbals and tracker axes in
The iAS-26 consists of four major assemblies accordance with computer commands by pancake-type
(LRU's): the Astroinertlal Instrument (At), direct drive OC torque motors. The gimbals and
Digital Computer, Power Supply Unit (PSU), and tracker axes are also equipped with pancake-type
Control Display Unit (COU) (Figure S). multipole resolvers for angle pickoffs and gimbal
angle transformations. Transmission of electrical
The RAS-26 electronic design features are: signals and power between the instrument housing, -
the gimbals, and the astrotracker is achieved by
* Serial Communications for minimum inter-LRU means of slip rings. These slip rings are mounted
wiring integrally within each gimbal axis.

-. K ,
The inertial platform is a bowl shaped casting sun-shade with an open slot for telescope visi-
having a central hub section extending downward bilfty (similar to the viewing slot in an astro-
from the bowl and several web frames radiating nomical observatory). To avoid saturation of the
from the hub for mounting gyros and accelero- photosensor by excessive light entering the tele-
meters. Fixed in the inertial platform assembly scope, a solenoid-operated shutter closes over the
are two two-degree-of-freedom precision position window of the photo-multiplier case when not
gyros and three single-axis pendulous proof-mass actually scanning, or whenever the sky brightness
accelerometers arrayed with their sensitive axes exceeds a predetermined level, such as scanning in
paralleling the reference axis of the platform. close proximity to the sun.
The platform assembly rotates in yaw about a ver-
tical axis in the base of the pitch gimbal. The photomultiplier contains a photo-cathode
located such that the optically directed rays from
The astrotracker assembly can best be visualized the telescope fall upon it. The signal collected
as a second platform similar in material and from the anode is used as the input to an elec-
shape, and smaller in size than the inertial plat- tronics package mounted near the base of the
form. The major components of the astrotracker photomultiplier beneath the sunshade. A buffer
are installed within the tracker bowl, whereas the amplifier, filter and preamplifier comprise the
inertial platform components are mounted in web phototube electronics package. The output of this
frames below the platform bowl. The tracker bowl preamplifier is used in the detection circuitry of
is rotatable about a vertical axis relative to the the tracker electronics located in the lower
inertial platform. The axis is co-linear to the housing.
platform yaw axis; however, it rotates independent
of platform yaw motion, permitting azimuth rota- The upper housing is a cover fitted with an opti-
tions of the astrotracker opposite to or at cally polished viewing window. A 95-degree c:'-
different rates from those of the platform. of vision is attainable through this nine-inch
diameter astro-window.
The star pointing telescope is mounted trunnion-
fashion within the tracker bowl so that the tele- The lower housing contains those electronic cir-
scope can be rotated in elevation about a cuits related to the Al function which are not
horizontal axis. The telescope optical barrel is thermally sensitive. These include the tracker
mounted on one side of the trunnion and the photo detection and servo electronics, platform elec-
sensor and shutter are mounted on the opposite tronics, interface electronics, and the digital-
side, effecting a counterbalance. An alignment to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion
mirror, whose normal is parallel to the optical electronics that, along with a 2,000 word micro-
axis and perpendicular to the elevation axis of processor, provide the communications and inter-
the telescope, is located near the outer end of face circuits with the Digital Computer. The
the telescope. lower housing contains a blower and heat exchanger
structure to provide cooling by drawing ambient
The optical barrel of the star pointing telescope air through the housing.
is 2 inches in diameter and about 2.5 inches in
length. It is a modified Cassegranian telescope The NAS-26 uses two Kearfott Gyroflex Mod 2 two.
consisting of a primary aluminized mirror, a degree-of-freedom dry tuned gyros and three
doublet lens backed by a secondary mirror, a fold- Kearfott Model 2401 accelerometers. See Table 2
ing mirror and field stop re-imaging lens system. and Figure 6.

The primary mirror in the telescope base reflects Table 2 NAS-26 Gyro Parameters
the field of view into the secondary mirror. The 0
secondary mirror is centered in the objective Random Drift ( /hr) 1cr(0 hrs) .006
aperture and reflects the field onto a diagonally Fixed Restraint (O/hr) p-p,
positioned flat mirror. The diagonal mirror folds day-day .02
the converging field 90 degrees and directs the Mass Unbalance (°/hr/g) p-p.
rays, through an 0.10 inch aperture in the side day-day, 30-90 days .03
wall of the telescope barrel, into the field stop Anisoelastic Drift (O/hr/g2) max. .015
assembly. A primary focus is achieved in the Temperature Sensitivity
o
0.0036-Inch diameter opening of the field stop, - FT (0/hr/F ) .002
after which a re-imaging lens directs the rays - MU (O/hr/g/°F) .004
through a window in the electronic photo sensor Volume (Cubic inches) 5.5
case. A secondary focus occurs on the photo- Size 2.1" die. x
cathode of the multiplier. The use of glare .8" length
shades and optically absorbent coatings optimize Weight (oz) 8
the light perception of the telescope optics. The Settling Time (min) I
instantaneous field of view of the telescope is Operating Life (hrs) 15,000
40-arc seconds.
In the event of a Digital Computer failure, the
To minimize the entry of spurious light into the NAS-26 System is mechanized such that the system
astrotracker, the telescope and photomultiplier on gracefully degrades to an Attitude Heading
the elevation shaft are fitted with a shield Reference System (AHRS) with the inertial platform
having an opening only for the telescope barrel, stabilized by the Al electronics. The Al elec-
In addition, the tracker bowl incorporates a domed tronics is also mechanized such that in case of
 single and double precision logical and arithmnetic
capabilities, roll table mechanization, and high-
speed multiple shift operations. In addition, a
high throughput rate is achieved through direct
memory access and provision is made for a full
complement of efficient program interrupts, index-
ing and subroutine access features. A summary of
the NDC-1070 characteristics is given in Table 3.
Table 3 NDC-1070 Computer Characteristics

Clock Frequency 4.5 mHz

Memory Type Magnetic cores; non-
volatile, random access,
DRO
Size 32,768 or 65,536 words
Word Length 16 Bits
Cycle Time 2.0 Microseconds
Access Time 1.0 Microseconds
Figure 6 NAS-26 Inertial Components
Arithmetic Mode Serial, 2 bits at a time
failure of the platform-related circuitry, the Number System Binary, fixed point frac-
magnetic heading from the flux valve is routed tional; with negative
directly to the HSI through minimal signal con- numbers in twos complement
ditioning circuitry. form

Data Formats 16 bits (single precision)

POWER SUPPLY UNIT or 32 bits (double
precision)
The NAS-26 Power Supply Unit (PSU) is the power Add 2 Microseconds - Inter-
source for the Al electronics and the CDU and also register (16 bits)
supplies power for the Al Peltier thermoelectric 6 Microseconds - 16 bit
heat exchanger, memory-register
Multiply 6 Microseconds - Inter-
The PSU includes power on/off sequencing and register (16 bits)
built-in test equipment (BITE) features to monitor 8 Microseconds - 16 bit
and protect the PSU, as well as other LRUs, from memory-register
over-current and out-of-tolerance conditions. Total Instructions 73

The primary power input to the PSU from the Instruction Formats 16 bits (short) or 32 bits
vehicle is 115V, 400 Hz, 3 phase. (long)
Addressing Single memory address per
The PSU conditions, controls, regulates and dis- instruction, direct
tributes the power to the AI and CDU; the computer addressing to 65,536 words
receives power directly from the vehicle. The PSU
supplies ten (10) separate dc voltages and 400 Hz A chronometer is not required as airborne equip-
blower power to the Al electronics section, two ment with NAS-26. The chronometer is used as aero-
(2) dc voltages for the thermoelectric heat ex- space ground equipment and is brought to the
changer and +28V to the CDU. vehicle to initialize NAS-26 system time in the
NDC-1070 computer. The computer maintains time
through power dropouts for 15 minutes with an
DIGITAL COMPUTER internal battery.
The Northrop NDC-1070 Computer provides the compu-
tation/data processing functions for NAS-26. CONTROL DISPLAY UNIT (CDU)
While the NAS-26 is fully designed to interface
with the NDC-1070, it is possible, In order to The NAS-26 Control Display Unit gives the operator
meet other application requirements, for NAS-26 the ability to interface with the navigation
computations to be performed by another suitable system, control the navigation operating mode,
digital computer available to the application, change the sensor control parameters, and change
the flight route. The operator may also effective-
The NDC-1070 is a fully qualified, military, ly display many parameters of interest.
general purpose digital computer for airborne
applications requiring high processing rates and A combination of fifteen keyboard buttons, one
high speed throughput capability. Specifically rotary switch and one incremental switch allows the
designed for the military operational environment insertion or display of parameters as listed below.
and flight proven, the NDC-1070 is mechanized The panel includes three alphanumeric displays,
using TTL MSI logic circuits and magnetic core mode displays, and status displays.
memory. Functionally, the NOC-1070 provides full

.4m
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t- "
The status displays include star tracking status, Power
temperature status, and system malfunction status.
The electrical power required for the NAS-26 is as
The alphanumeric displays are able to display, as follows:
a minimum, the following data:
Aver& Peak
9 Present Position - Latitude. Longitude 5-f (Watts)
* Time and Day Al & PSU 500 800 39 400 Hz
9 Heading Digital Computer 235 270 10 400 Hz
* Altitude CDU 50 70 28 VDC
* Sensor Control Point (CP) Data - Ident. No., Total 785 1140
Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, Range
9 Verification Fix Point (FP) Data - Ident. No., Calibration
Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, Range
The NAS-26 Astroinertial
Instrument (AI) is cali-
* Oestination Point (OP) Data - Ident. No., brated at the factory using specialized factory
Latitude, Longitude, Altitude, Range. checkout equipment. This calibration is accomp-

The following data Is capable of being inserted lished with the Al middle housing (containing the
through the panel: inertial platform and tracker assemblies) sealed
under internal thermal control, and using the Al
9 Latitude e Day electronics for platform and tracker control.
Thus, the Al is calibrated in its operational en-
* Longitude * Altitude vironment without simulation of hardware or thermal
control. Calibration is accomplished under control
9 Heading * CP, FP, and OP control data of a microprocessor and calibration software that
* Time connects to and controls the Al, the tilt table.
and autocollimator light source. The parameters
that are calibrated include the internal light
COOLING AND POWER reference, telescope resolver angular errors, gim-
bal resolver angular offsets, and the accelerometer
Coolin and gyro parameters. The accelerometer and gyro
parameters include null bias, scale factor, mis-
The cooling requirements for NAS-26 are as follows: alignment. nonlinear corrections, drifts, etc.

Astroinertial Instrument (Hermetically Sealed Field verification tests are made periodically on
Section) the Al and if the parameter is found to exceed
specification, dnd not correctable in the field.
Inlet Air Temperature 30 F to gOF the Al is returned to the depot for recalibration.
Inlet Air Flow Rate 2 to 5 pounds/minute

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9, - ......