Stability criteria of slosh motion with periodicity in a spinning spacecraft

The dynamic stability of the motion with periodicity of the slosh mass in the spinning spacecraft was investigated. To determine the stable-unstable regions of the internal mass motion of this vehicle, a Strutt diagram was constructed using an analytical method. Simulation results for each point in the parameter plane show that the characteristics of the stability of motion are as expected, and the stability diagram is appropriate. It was found that the time histories of the pendulum motion at the points in the unstable band emanating from β = 0 are nonoscillatory and increase exponentially with time, whereas those corresponding to points in other unstable bands are oscillatory but with amplitudes that increase mostly exponentially with time.