Attitude deadband

When the spacecraft's control system is being used to hold a particular attitude, there is a small range of attitude error around the ideal which is deemed acceptable and within which the thrusters do not fire. This error band is called the deadband and is usually set to be either ±5 degrees or ±0.5 degrees, depending on how accurately the spacecraft needs to be pointed. A narrower deadband will use more RCS fuel, as the thrusters will tend to fire more often when the spacecraft drifts through the small range. The required attitude is maintained by a series of algorithms in the spacecraft's computer called the DAP (Digital AutoPilot). (ap15fj)