Applications for Inertial Sensors in Space

Abstract

Inertial sensors have application to all phases of spaceflight ranging from launch vehicles to lunar and planetary spacecraft. New classes of sensors such as the true free rotor gyro make new concepts in celestial-inertial instruments possible. Some unusual potential space applications and experiments, as exemplified by the proposal to verify the theory of General Relativity by a gyro in low earth orbit pose unusual inertial sensor requirements.