Satellite: Attitude Quaternions

The attitude quaternion and angular velocity of the vehicle's body axes computed with respect to the vehicle's central body inertial coordinate system. The quaternion components q1, q2, and q3 are the vector components of the quaternion; q4 is the scalar part. The angular velocity is computed as observed from the inertial frame and resolved into inertial components.

Type: Time-varying data

Availability: Reports | Graphs | Dynamic Displays | Strip Charts

NameDimensionTypeDescription
TimeDateFormatReal NumberTime.
q1UnitlessReal NumberFirst element of quaternion (and of its vector part) representing orientation between the two sets of axes.
q2UnitlessReal NumberSecond element of quaternion (and of its vector part) representing orientation between the two sets of axes.
q3UnitlessReal NumberThird element of quaternion (and of its vector part) representing orientation between the two sets of axes.
q4UnitlessReal NumberFourth element of quaternion (its scalar part) representing orientation between the two sets of axes.
wxAngleRateUnitReal NumberFirst component of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents projection of angular velocity vector onto x-axis of the selected set.
wyAngleRateUnitReal NumberSecond component of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents projection of angular velocity vector onto y-axis of the selected set.
wzAngleRateUnitReal NumberThird component of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents projection of angular velocity vector onto z-axis of the selected set.
w magAngleRateUnitReal NumberMagnitude of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents relative speed of rotation between the two sets of axes.
RightAscension of wLongitudeUnitReal NumberRight ascension of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents the angle between the x-axis of the selected set and projection of the angular velocity vector onto the xy-plane of the selected set. The angle is measured counterclockwise about the z-axis of the selected set.
Declination of wAngleUnitReal NumberDeclination of angular velocity vector between the two sets of axes. Represents the angle between the angular velocity vector and its projection onto the xy-plane of the selected set. The angle is positive when the angular velocity vector is directed toward positive z-axis of the selected set.