Space vehicle attitude control

Claim 1

IN AN ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A SATELLITE ADAPTED TO ORBIT A PARENT BODY, A PLURALITY OF HEAT SENSORY MEANS, EACH OF SAID SENSORY MEANS BEING COMPRISED OF TRANSDUCER MEANS FOR PRODUCING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE RADIANT ENERGY INCIDENT UPON IT, AND FOCUSING MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SATELLITE FOR CONTINUOUSLY FOCUSING ALL THE INCIDENT THERMAL RADIATION WITHIN A GIVEN FIELD OF VIEW PASSING THROUGH THE FOCUSING MEANS UPON THE TRANSDUCER MEANS, EACH OF SAID HEAT SENSORY MEANS ADAPTED TO BE FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON THE SATELLITE IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO THE SATELLITE SO THAT WHEN THE SATELLITE HAS THE DESIRED ATTITUDE WITH RESPECT TO ITS PARENT BODY, SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE PARENT BODY AND SKY ARE WITHIN THE FIELD OF VIEW OF EACH OF THE HEAT SENSORY MEANS AND THE VOLTAGES PRODUCED BY THE TRANSDUCER MEANS OF EACH OF THE SENSORY MEANS HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VALUES, CIRCUIT MEANS TO WHICH THE OUTPUT VOLTAGES OF THE TRANSDUCER MEANS OF EACH OF THE HEAT SENSORY MEANS ARE APPLIED FOR PRODUCING ERROR SIGNALS WHICH ARE A FUNCTION OF THE DEVIATION OF THE ATTITUDE OF THE SATELLITE FROM SAID PREDETERMINED ATTITUDE WITH RESPECT TO ITS PARENT BODY.