Robust control for microgravity vibration isolation

Many microgravity science experiments need an active isolation system to provide a sufficiently quiescent acceleration environment. The glovebox integrated microgravity isolation technology (g-LIMIT) vibration isolation system will provide isolation for microgravity science glovebox experiments in the International Space Station. Although standard control system technologies have been demonstrated for these applications, modern control methods have the potential for meeting performance requirements while providing robust stability in the presence of parametric uncertainties that are characteristic of microgravity vibration isolation systems such as g-LIMIT. Whereas H-2 and H-infinity methods are well established, neither provides the levels of attenuation performance and robust stability in a compensator with low order. Mixed H-2/mu controllers provide a means for maximizing robust stability for a given level of mean-square nominal performance while directly optimizing for controller order constraints. The benefit of mixed norm design is demonstrated from the perspective of robustness to parametric uncertainties and controller order for microgravity vibration isolation. A nominal performance metric analogous to the mu measure for robust stability assessment is also introduced to define an acceptable trade space from which different control methodologies can be compared.