Satellite motion simulator

Claim 1

A SPACE VEHICLE MOTION SIMULATOR COMPRISING: A PEDESTAL HAVING A PARTI-SPHERICAL, CONCAVE, UPPER SURFACE; MEANS, EXTENDING THRU SAID PEDESTAL, FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED GAS TO SAID SURFACE; A MISSILE-SIMULATING DEVICE HAVING A RANGE OF MOVEMENT, WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE, FOR ALLOWING THE DEVICE TO RESPOND TO SIMULATED ATTITUDE DISTURBING MOTIONS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELEMENT, DISPOSED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO ITS PITCH, YAW AND ROLL AXES, FOR THE SUPPORT OF MISSILE-CONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS, TO BE TESTED, AND A BALL-LIKE BEARING MEMBER FIXED TO A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID ELEMENT AND HAVING A LOWER, PARTISPHERICAL, CONVEX SURFACE THAT FITS WITHIN SAID CONCAVE UPPER SURFACE AND FLOATS ON A BEARING FILM OF SAID PRESSURIZED GAS; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ELEMENT FOR IMPARTING SAID ATTITUDE DISTURBING MOTIONS TO SAID ELEMENT; ACTUATING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ELEMENT FOR ACTUATING SAID MISSILE CONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS FOR RESPONSE THEREOF TO SAID ATTITUDE DISTURBING MOTIONS; MASSES SUPPORTED BY SAID ELEMENT FOR BALANCING SAID ELEMENT ABOUT THE PITCH, YAW AND ROLL AXES AND FOR SIMULATING A PREDETERMINED SPACE VEHICLE MOMENT OF INERTIA; MEANS FOR DETACHABLY AND ADJUSTABLY FASTENING EACH OF SAID MASSES TO SAID ELEMENT, WHEREBY SAID MASSES MAY BE DETACHED AND REPLACED BY OTHER MASSES FOR VARIATION OF THE SIMULATED VEHICLE MOMENT OF INERTIA, AND WHEREBY SAID MASSES INDIVIDUALLY MAY BE ALTERED IN POSITION RELATIVE TO THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID MISSILE SIMULATING DEVICE, FOR BALANCING SAID MISSILE SIMULATING DEVICE ON SAID GASEOUS FILM; THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID ELEMENT AND PEDESTAL HAVING SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE BETWEEN THEM TO ALLOW A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TILTING MOTION OF THE ELEMENT RELATIVE TO THE PEDESTAL, SAID MOTION SIMULATING CHANGES OF MISSILE ATTITUDE WHEN MISSILECONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS ARE BEING TESTED ON SAID ELEMENT.