Method and apparatus for determining satellite orientation utilizing spatial energy sources

Claim 1

AN ORIENTATION DETERMINING DEVICE FOR A ROTATING SPACE VEHICLE HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE AND INCLUDING A VEHICLE COORDINATE SYSTEM, SAID VEHICLE BEING ADAPTED FOR LOCATION AT A KNOWN POSITION IN A KNOWN ORBIT IN A REGION OF DIVERSE ENERGY EMISSION SOURCES HAVING VECTOR DIRECTIONS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF FIRST PARTICLE TRAPS DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ON SAID SURFACE OF SAID VEHICLE IN A PLANE INCLUDING THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID VEHICLE, SAID FIRST TRAPS PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL THE MAGNITUDE OF WHICH IS DETERMINED BY THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF ENERGY FROM A FIRST ENERGY EMISSION SOURCE RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST TRAPS, A SECOND PARTICLE TRAP DISPOSED ON SAID SURFACE AT A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR POSITION FROM THE PLANE CONTAINING SAID FIRST TRAPS, SAID SECOND TRAP PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL THE MAGNITUDE OF WHICH IS DETERMINED BY THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF ENERGY FROM A SECOND ENERGY EMISSION SOURCE RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND TRAP WHEREBY SAID FIRST TRAPS WILL GENERATE A COMBINED OUTPUT INDICATIVE OF THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF SAID FIRST ENERGY EMISSION SOURCE ON SAID SURFACE AND SAID SECOND TRAP WILL GENERATE A SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE LOCATION OF A PLANE INCLUDING SAID SECOND ENERGY EMISSION SOURCE.