Inertial Sensor
In the context of aerospace engineering, an inertial sensor, also known as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), is a device that measures and reports a spacecraft's velocity, orientation, and gravitational forces, using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes, sometimes also magnetometers. Inertial sensors are crucial for navigation systems in aerospace vehicles, as they provide data that allows for the calculation of position and speed, even in the absence of external references. They are particularly useful in environments where GPS signals may be unreliable or non-existent, such as in deep space exploration. The data from inertial sensors can be used to guide a spacecraft's trajectory, maintain its orientation, or stabilize its flight. Inertial sensors are typically made up of three orthogonally mounted accelerometers and three orthogonally mounted gyroscopes to measure linear acceleration and angular velocity respectively. The data from these sensors is then processed to calculate the vehicle's position, velocity, and attitude.
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