#15 - HISTORY OF FLIGHT STABLITY, CONTROL & FLYING QUALITIEs

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Dr Peter Zipfel provides a comprehensive view of the 6DOF simulation. Topics include earth and atmospheric models, equations of motion, Euler kinematics, quaternions, aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance, navigation, and control.

The 70lb Apollo guidance computer with 32kB RAM, 72kB ROM, operating at 43kHz was enough to guide and land the lunar lander to successfully land on the moon. As Brian Troutwine puts it, “The AGC was barely possible,” and this is what makes it worth studying.  

In this 31 minute lesson, Thomas Antony provides the an overview of the challenge, the mission goal, guidance over the entry phase of the spacecraft, history of mars landers, the MSL, trajectory control, the guidance algorithm, dynamic model derivation, equations of motion, guidance objectives, and simulation of the Apollo guidance algorithm.

 In this one-hour event, Col Randy "Laz" Gordon engages the audience with thought provoking questions, drawing on comparisons between the F-22 Raptor and a Cessna aircraft. In addition to flight controls, Laz touches on many other relevant subjects, including aerodynamics, stability, stealth, power systems, landing, refueling, and more. This is a popular lecture, having over 5.5M views. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth the time spent. 

In this lecture by former X-29 test pilot, Kurt “Bulletproof” Schroeder, Captain USNR (Ret.).    

you’ll learn how the X-29 was a technology demonstrator, the benefits and challenges of forward swept winged aircraft, aerodynamic properties, stability and control, fault handling, flight test challenges, and how this X-Airplane progressed aviation technology. 

In this lecture, former NASA astronaut one of twelve x-15 pilots, Joe Engle, is both educational and entertaining as he gives one a sense of what it was actually like to be strapped in and fly the incredible x-15 spaceplane. His lecture is a testament to human engineering, the courage of experimental pilots, and the reward of unparalleled achievements in aerospace technology that leaves a legacy of inspiration. 

In this talk, Dr. Kevin Wise seamlessly connects control architecture and theory with real-world flight test data. He highlights the profound impact of adaptive control and how recent theoretical advances have unlocked new capabilities. Additionally, the lecture delves into insightful discussions on flight certification and its influence on acceptable control law usage. The methods described in this lecture can be found in, Robust and Adaptive Control for Aerospace Systems, 2nd edition.

In this one-hour tutorial, David Wright explains physical tradeoffs and challenges to ballistic missile range, payload, and accuracy. Topics include: phases of ballistic missile flight, range designations, rocket burnout angle and speed versus range, mass of structure versus propulsion and impact to airspeed, staging, steering, and guidance and control. 

Survey the history, people, methods, and technologies of the relatively new engineering discipline: control.

In this 2021 Plenary Lecture at the American Control Conference, Dr Anu Annaswamy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides an excellent perspective on adaptive control and how this branch of control theory is a key element of fully autonomous systems. 

Here's excellent Bode Prize lecture by Dr Richard Murray at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control. Dr Murray provides a Past-Present-Future perspective on control theory and application. I find the historical perspective particularly enriching to the subject area. 

Gunter Stein was awarded the first Bode Prize at the IEEE CDC Conference in 1989. In his award lecture, known as the first Hendrik Bode lecture, he focused on Bode's integral, a formula that quantifies the limitations of feedback control. As Karl Astrom rightly wrote, "The lecture is like really good wine; it ages superbly."