By Kenneth A. Stewart

NPS Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Mike Ross, left, and Research Associate Professor Mark Karpenko, right, are pictured with their recently issued patent certificates in their lab, July 29. Together with post-doctoral researcher Donghun Lee, Karpenko and Ross were awarded a patent for their invention, "Method and Apparatus for Contingency Guidance of a CMG-actuated Spacecraft."

Control Momentum Gyroscopes (CMG), like those studied by Ross and Karpenko, are used to maneuver satellites through space. Karpenko, Ross and Lee's invention provides a new approach for attitude control of CMG-equipped spacecraft.

"What everyone does when trying to get somewhere quickly is to make a straight line to where they want to go. We figured out that, using the physics of the satellite, we may be able to maneuver more quickly by following a different, curved path," Karpenko explained. "We have developed algorithms that help us enhance the performance of critical systems leading to more efficient mission fulfillment."

The team's latest patent builds upon previous work, which led to a 2014 patent for Karpenko and Ross. That patent was for the invention of a process used to implement fast attitude maneuvers for spacecraft using CMGs. The two patents may one day be used to efficiently maneuver satellites even after a satellite experiences a potentially-costly CMG failure.