空间站工程空间应用载荷安全性认定技术研究

针对我国空间站工程大规模空间应用的安全性需求,提出了空间站工程空间应用载荷安全性认定的概念与内涵,明确了载荷上站安全性认定工作的关键技术要素,涉及基于多因素风险的载荷分类原则、有效载荷危险分级技术以及有效载荷安全性认定的技术要求体系等工程技术范畴,在此基础上,制定了空间应用载荷安全性认定的技术实施流程,为后续开展空间站大规模空间应用载荷上站安全性认定工作提供了参考。     

空间站运营任务安全性评估工作研究

针对空间站运营管理中保证航天员和平台安全的需求,介绍了国际空间站安全性工作组织架构和工程活动实施经验,从我国空间站在轨寿命长、在轨任务多、安全性要求高等特点出发,从与人机工效相关的安全性工作、有效载荷安全性认定、以安全性为中心的维修、风险量化分析与控制、建立运营任务安全性规范体系五个方面提出了空间站运营任务的安全性评估工作思路,可以为我国空间站工程安全性技术体系的建立提供借鉴和参考。     

我国空间站安全与任务保证工作若干问题探讨

从我国空间站运营阶段对安全性、可靠性、维修性及质量保证(SRMQA)工作的需求出发,在系统分析国外载人航天安全与任务保证(SMA)工作体系的基础上,总结国际空间站安全性可靠性工作的先进经验,并针对我国空间站对航天员安全、寿命与可靠性要求更高的需求,从管理和技术应用两个方面,系统论述了我国空间站安全与任务保证应重点开展的安全性、寿命与可靠性等工作。     

国外载人航天器维修性标准综述

为保证中国空间站在轨长寿命、高可靠运行,达到10年以上的运行寿命,对维修性设计、分析、验证及在轨维修工作提出了迫切需求。通过对国外载人航天器维修性相关标准进行调研和系统分析,对GPQ-MAN-04《国际空间站有效载荷以安全性为中心的维修性(维修手册)》、GPQ-MAN-05《国际空间站有效载荷在轨维修以安全性为中心的方法——维修计划指南》、JSC-48513-4A《国际空间站维修&维修小组(MRG)在轨飞行维修手册》、GPQ-010《有效载荷项目的产品保证要求及其附录》及相关5个附录等重要国外维修性标准进行系统研究及解读,并对中国载人航天器维修性标准的制定进行了展望。     

国际空间站有效载荷集成流程分析

国际空间站（ISS）针对有效载荷从论证、研制到随ISS飞行的过程建立了标准集成流程和精益集成流程两种模式,这两种模式互为补充,有效支持了ISS载荷随飞行任务的滚动实施。在有效载荷集成过程中,NASA采用多线并行的方式,其集成流程从理念上不完全等同于传统卫星有效载荷随飞行任务实施的研制流程,并设置有效载荷集成经理,架设有效载荷管理方、研制方和研究团队之间的桥梁。通过对国际空间站有效载荷集成过程的深入分析,提出可供我国空间站有效载荷集成借鉴的经验,如提供快速集成流程、加强有效载荷集成管理、强化有效载荷全寿命周期管理等。     

空间站工程空间激光安全工程技术研究

针对我国空间站工程空间激光器的危害问题,提出了完整的空间站工程激光安全的技术方案,涉及激光器安全等级的划分、激光器安全阈值要求、激光器危害的防护控制措施、以及激光器安全风险的评估等工程范畴。在此基础上,结合我国目前空间站空间应用的实际需求,提出了开展空间激光器安全防护的工程设计准则,为后续空间站工程空间应用系统激光器安全性设计提供了参考。     

载人航天概率风险评价工程实践及其在空间应用中的前景分析

在总结国外概率风险评价技术在载人航天领域的工程实践基础上,剖析了该技术在载人航天的范围、对象、实施条件等工程适用性问题。结合我国空间站工程空间应用系统有效载荷产品的特点和空间科学与应用实验任务需求,对概率风险评价技术在空间应用系统中的应用前景进行初步分析,提出了该技术在空间应用系统中推广应用的实施策略和实施流程,并以高微重力科学实验过程为例进行了建模示例,探讨了其工程应用的可行性,为后续开展空间科学与应用实验过程的安全性定量风险评价工作提供了参考。     

空间站微重力环境研究与分析

太空中的微重力环境对基础科学研究和新技术开发具有重要意义,为了满足未来我国空间站开展微重力科学实验的需求,需要对空间站上的微重力水平进行分析和评估,指导高微重力要求实验载荷的布局和微重力实验期间的飞行任务规划。空间站上的微重力水平用加速度值度量,通常可以分为准稳态加速度、瞬态加速度和振动加速度。针对此问题调研总结了国际空间站的微重力研究情况,并以400 km轨道高度上100吨级"T"字型积木式空间站作为算例,估算其准稳态加速度大小及分布,并初步分析瞬态加速度水平的量级。结果表明,空间站准稳态加速度水平在1μgn量级,主要贡献来自重力梯度效应;瞬态加速度可达103μgn量级。文章对将来我国空间站微重力应用支持的设计工作有一定的借鉴意义。     

载人航天工程空间应用载荷生物安全工程技术体系研究

针对我国载人航天工程空间应用系统科学实验载荷生物危害问题,提出了完整的载人航天工程空间应用科学实验载荷的生物安全工程体系,涉及空间生物安全的定量要求、生物安全等级的划分、生物安全监测以及生物危害的包覆设计等工程范畴。在此基础上,结合我国目前载人空间站空间应用的实际需求,提出了开展空间生物安全防护的工程实践方案和建议,为后续开展载人空间站空间应用系统生物安全设计提供了指导和参考。     

空间站有效载荷综合处理单元设计研究

针对空间站传统有效载荷功能单一、处理资源固化、体系架构封闭等问题,通过对空间站电子信息综合应用系统总体功能和资源需求的分析,基于空间站平台约束条件,设计了一种在开放式物理平台上采用蓝图技术实现软件定义功能的综合处理单元(IPU),并对一套对外接口传输能力为600 Gbps、处理能力为1800 GFLOPS的原理样机进行了测试验证。结果表明,IPU支持在统一平台上通过软件定义功能,能有效提升系统资源利用率,满足总体应用需求。     

Space Station Payload Accommodation

The unique characteristics of the Space Station are changing the ways payloads are designed and accommodated for orbital flight. Station accommodations need to be versatile and operationally flexible to permit integration of many types of equipment in a variety of modes; and autonomous to render each payload independent or invisible to the rest of the system and other mission equipment. This paper presents the various categories of Space Station payloads, the user facilities that are being designed to accommodate them, illustrates through scientific and commercial scenarios the utilization of those facilities, and identifies the factors that must be considered to make the Space Station an effective tool for the users.     

Space Shuttle UHF communications performance evaluation

Computational investigations and experimental measurements were performed to evaluate the Space Shuttle UHF communication system performance for payload bay antenna at the proposed new location. To insure adequate communication coverage at relocated new location, the link margin for the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) astronauts and between Space Shuttle Orbiter and International Space Station (SSO-ISS) during rendezvous were analyzed. The multipath effects from the vehicle structures surrounding the antenna were investigated. The Radio Frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation to the Orbiter Docking System (ODS) pyrotechnics was also analyzed to ensure the EMC/EMI compliances.     

Channelization: the two-fault tolerant attitude control functionfor the Space Station Freedom

The Space Station Freedom was, from the mid-1980's through 1993, the design for an international orbiting laboratory facility. The Space Station Freedom was comprised of “utility” systems, such as power generation and distribution, thermal management, and data processing, and “user” systems such as communication and tracking, propulsion, payload support, and guidance, navigation, and control. These systems are required to work together to provide various station functions. To protect the lives onboard and the investment in the station, the systems and their connectivity had to be designed to continue to support critical functions after any single fault for early assembly stages, and after any two faults for later stages. Of these critical functions, attitude control was the most global, incorporating equipment from nearly all major systems. The challenge was to develop an architecture, or integration, of these systems that would achieve the specified level of fault tolerant attitude control and operate, autonomously, for the three-month unmanned periods during the assembly process. Additionally, this architecture had to maintain the desired utility of the station for each stage of the assembly process. This paper discusses the approach developed for integrating the systems such that the fault tolerance requirements were met for all stages of assembly. Some of the key integration issues are examined and the role of analysis tools are described. The resultant design was a highly channelized one, and the reasons and the benefits of this design will be explored. The final design was accepted by the Space Station Control Board as the design baseline in July 1992     

Bumpy ride back to space

Plans for U.S. return to the International Space Station via STS-114 are described with emphasis on safety of flight hardware and safety of the space station and the space shuttle.     

Space: where are we headed?

In a new column, the author reviews NASA space activities since the beginning of 2003 and looks at plans for the future. Topics include the Space Shuttle Columbia, what's in store for the International Space Station (ISS), the development of an orbital space plane, orbiter safety upgrades, and the future of space exploration and research beyond the ISS. He presents arguments for sending astronauts to asteroids, the Moon, and Mars.     

Mir: a health report

The current equipment and safety status of the Russian space station Mir is discussed. Mir has operated past its expected life expectancy and has been having an increasing number of equipment failures and problems. The Russian system of addressing equipment repairs and maintenance is examined along with implications for the future International Space Station.     

Optimization of the tether-assisted return mission of a guided re-entry capsule

This paper presents the mission analysis of a tether-assisted payload retrieval from the International Space Station (ISS). The objective is to assess all relevant phases of such a mission in order to allow a comparison with a conventional mission employing a propulsive deorbitation. The controlled tether deployment procedure and the guided return flight of the released re-entry capsule are optimized. A preferable deployment strategy is identified that allows for favorable entry conditions and low flight loads. The optimal deployment trajectories serve as a basis for an optimal dynamic regulator. This approach is extended towards an adaptive concept, where artificial neural networks are applied to deployment control. For the guidance of the capsule a predictive concept is proposed that is based on the optimal re-entry trajectories identified previously. By applying these concepts, the attainable landing accuracy during return amounts to an average of 5 km, and the application of the tether system exhibits overall system mass advantages. This demonstrates that the tether-assisted return mission is a competitive alternative.     

The infrared space observatory

The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), a programme of the European Space Agency, is an astronomical satellite operating at wavelength from 2.5 to 200 m. It will be launched in 1995.The ISO optical subsystem is a cryogenically cooled telescope with its baffling system (main baffle and sunshade). The telescope, a 60 cm Ritchey-Chrétien type, focuses the beam to the four scientific instruments located in its focal plane. The extremely low temperature, 1.8 K, is provided by the payload module (PLM) cryostat, filled with superfluid He.This paper presents the main choices done for the telescope design together with their rationale and the performances achieved on the flight model (FM) of the telescope. The FM telescope is presently installed inside the payload module, ready for the system final verifications.     

International Space Station power storage upgrade planned

As the Earth-orbit International Space Station (ISS) grows, it needs more power which is generated by solar panels. For periods in which the planet Earth occults sunlight, energy is stored in the biggest set of batteries ever flown in space. Reliability of power is important in a space station because a failure requires costly launch of replacement components. Even greater importance results when astronauts work in the station. A power failure that causes the astronauts to perish would be a very serious event. The first battery-containing "integrated equipment module" was launched November 30, 2000 and installed on port 6 of the International Space Station. Two more modules will be launched by the United States; to be launched in 2004 is the European Space Agency's "attached COLUMBUS APM laboratory," which will have its own power system. Unexpected battery-related events occurred in the integrated equipment module during its first year-and-a-half in orbit. The problems and their solutions were described in papers presented at the 37/sup th/ Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference. Since the International Space Station carries more battery cells than any other spacecraft, the in-flight performance data from its battery assembly can be useful to engineers who design power supplies for other spacecraft. We, therefore, summarize the battery development process, the adopted design, and an unexpected in-flight battery degradation and its correction.