{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8538606","patent":{"patent_number":"US-8538606","title":"Systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2010-11-03T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2013-09-17T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["G01C","G01S"],"num_claims":20,"abstract":"Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for determining flight direction of a spacecraft. The method includes providing at least one imaging detector associated with a spacecraft; imaging at least a portion of a celestial body onto the at least one imaging detector; acquiring, by the at least one imaging detector, sequential images of at least a portion of the celestial body; and determining the spacecraft flight direction relative to the celestial body based at least in part on processing the sequential images, wherein the processing is performed by one or more computer processors."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft","description":"Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft. According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8538606","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8538606","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Systems, methods, and apparatus for sensing flight direction of a spacecraft\" (US-8538606). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8538606","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-8538606","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-8538606","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-05-31T12:47:18.192Z"}