Study on the technique of barbell mass and inertia simulating of a docking simulation test bed

Technique of mass and inertia simulating is proposed to simulate spacecraft's mass and inertia on a ground physical docking dynamics simulation test bed, which makes the docking test bed simulate different mass spacecraft docking. A barbell mass and inertia simulator is designed. Configuration of the barbell simulator is presented, adjusting parameters and range are made, and simulating error is analyzed. Results show that the barbell mass and inertia simulator is a novel structure with accuracy, simplicity and convenience.