Huge object manipulation in space by vehicles

Studies about space robots have assumed a relatively small object as a manipulated target. But in space a target object can be relatively huge, for example the spacecraft, the space station, the solar power satellite, etc. In these cases, manipulation by several vehicles which have a thrust engine is superior than that by arms mounted on the spacecrafts. In the manipulation by vehicles, the fuel consumption in a thrust engine is related to the size of force activated by a vehicle and the size of force depends on the positions of contacting points. Therefore, contacting points of the vehicles is important in view of the fuel consumption. In the paper, the authors discuss how to find the optimal contacting points. The optimal contacting points are defined as the points which minimize the norm of force needed for the specified acceleration of a target object and maximize the dynamic manipulability margin. The results of the simulation are indicated.<>