Profiles of quick access to the orbital station for modern spacecraft

The problems of decreasing the duration of the autonomous flight of a spacecraft (SC) before the docking with an orbital station (OS) are considered in this paper. Modern SCs should be docked with the International Space Station (ISS) with an arbitrary initial phase angle; for this reason, the rendezvous of the Russian Soyuz-TMA spacecraft with the ISS is performed for 2 days. The paper presents to consideration some new flight profiles with essentially smaller duration. The results of modeling the developed rendezvous profiles are presented and solutions to emergency situations are considered.     

Short profile for the human spacecraft Soyuz-TMA rendezvous mission to the ISS

Reduction of flight duration after insertion till docking to the ISS is considered. In the beginning of the human flight era both the USSR and the USA used short mission profiles due to limited life support resources. A rendezvous during these missions was usually achieved in 1–5 revolutions. The short-term rendezvous were made possible by the coordinated launch profiles of both rendezvousing spacecraft, which provided specific relative position of the spacecraft or phase angle conditions. After the beginning of regular flights to the orbital stations these requirements became difficult to fulfill. That is why it was decided to transfer to 1- or 2-day rendezvous profile. The long stay of a crew in a limited habitation volume of the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft before docking to the ISS is one of the most strained parts of the flight and naturally cosmonauts wish to dock to the ISS as soon as possible. As a result of previous studies the short four-burn rendezvous mission profile with docking in a few orbits was developed. It is shown that the current capabilities of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle and the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft are sufficient to provide for that. The first test of the short rendezvous mission during Progress cargo vehicle flight to the ISS is planned for 2012. Possible contingencies pertinent to this profile are described. In particular, in the majority of the emergency cases there is a possibility of an urgent transfer to the present 2-day rendezvous profile. Thus, the short mission will be very flexible and will not influence the ISS mission plan. Fuel consumption for the nominal and emergency cases is defined by statistical simulation of the rendezvous mission. The qualitative analysis of the short-term and current 2-day rendezvous missions is performed.     

多舱段载人航天器空气环境控制系统性能分析

建立了一种多舱段载人航天器空气环境控制系统性能集成仿真分析模型,包括舱体模块、乘员模块、舱压控制模块、温湿度控制模块和CO2净化模块,并对两舱段载人航天器空气环境控制系统性能进行了计算分析。结果表明,舱间通风传热能力较差,造成组合体温湿度水平超出指标范围,而舱间通风传质能力较强,可实现氧分压水平和CO2分压水平的集中控制。提出了一种控制系统改进方案,在非主控舱段增设控温系统改善组合体空气温度水平,仿真结果表明,控制系统改进后组合体各空气环境参数均满足设计要求。该工作有助于加快载人航天器空气环境控制系统的设计和改进流程。     

载人航天器大气环境控制系统性能集成分析

考虑到载人航天器大气环境控制系统设计参数和控制参数众多,文章建立了一种载人航天器大气环境控制系统性能集成仿真分析模型,包括舱体模块、航天员模块、舱压控制模块、温湿度控制模块和二氧化碳净化模块。利用该模型对载人航天器常规工作模式下大气环境控制系统性能进行了计算分析,得到了在不同热负荷水平下载人航天器密封舱空气各个参数随在轨时间的变化趋势,结果表明:氧分压控制、二氧化碳净化和人区温湿度控制之间存在着密切的相互影响关系,不可孤立地进行分析。此外,文章还分析确定了非常规工作模式下热负荷水平允许上限,为载人航天器工作模式的确定提供了依据。研究结果有助于载人航天器大气环境控制系统的设计和流程改进。     

Space station MMOD shielding

This paper describes the International Space Station (ISS) micro-meteoroid orbital debris (MMOD) impact shielding including the requirements for protection as well as technical approaches to meeting the requirements. Current activities in providing MMOD protection for ISS are described, including efforts to augment MMOD protection by adding shields on-orbit. Another activity is to observe MMOD impact damage on ISS elements and returned hardware, and to compare the observed damage with predicted damage using Bumper code risk assessment software. A conclusion of this paper is that ISS will be protected adequately from MMOD impact after completing augmentation of ISS shielding for service module, and after improving MMOD protection for Soyuz and Progress vehicles. Another conclusion is that impact damage observed to the ISS mini-pressurized logistics module matches the distribution of impacts predicted by Bumper code.     

Project of the space test&fitting-out dock for solar-powered electric propulsion on-board international space station

A concept of a universal fitting-out module applicable for space flight test of a solar-powered electric propulsion (EP) as well as for the assembly and deployment of small spacecraft (S/C) from the international space station (ISS) is proposed.     

苏/俄交会对接技术研究

苏/俄交会对接技术的研发,最初是为20世纪60年代初苏联月球使命服务的,后来主要用于空间站的运输使命。因此,最初的＂联盟＂飞船逐步演变发展为联盟号载人飞船系列与进步号货运飞船系列。联盟号和进步号飞船应用＂指针＂或＂航向＂交会雷达系统,基本采用自动轨道交会方法。对应急运作,联盟号航天员可使用手控器;对于不载人的进步号使命...     

绳系卫星系统交会对接的应用与设计

文章介绍了绳系系统交会对接这项新技术在空间中的应用。主要包括:空间站利用系绳与航天器交会对接,实现为空间站提供各种供给;利用绳系系统与空间碎片对接,可回收或转移空间碎片,保护空间环境;利用一级或多级的绳系系统组成轨道转移系统,实现向地球同步轨道或火星轨道上转移和运送有效载荷。文章还介绍了绳系交会对接系统的设计,包括系统的一般控制方法和算法以及系统的结构设计。随着各项相关技术的发展,绳系卫星系统交会对接将发挥更大作用。     

Omicron space habitat—research stage II

The design presented in this paper is in response to the revolution in private space activities, the increasing public interest in commercial flights to space and the utilization of structures such as space hotels or private orbital habitats. The baseline for the Omicron design concept is the Russian Salyut derived space station module. Salyut was the first space station to orbit the Earth. Its unique design and technical features were what made the development of space stations Salyut 1–7, MIR and the International Space Station (ISS) Zwezda service module possible. Due to its versatility and the reliable operating launch vehicle Proton, this space module series has the potential to be adapted for space hotel development. This paper proposes a conceptual design of the space habitat called Omicron, with particular focus on interior design for the microgravity environment. The Omicron concepts address the needs of space tourism with a strong emphasis on the safety and comfort of the spaceflight participants. The Omicron habitat supports three inhabitants in nominal conditions (e.g., two passengers and one astronaut). The habitat provides a flexible interior, facilities and spaces dynamically transforming in order to accommodate various types of activities, which will be performed in an organically formed interior supporting spatial orientation and movement in microgravity. The future development potential of Omicron is also considered. The baseline version is composed solely of one rigid module with an inverted cupola for observations. An alternative version offers more space using an inflatable structure. Finally, a combination of multiple Omicron modules enables the creation of a larger orbital habitat. The Omicron's subsystems support a few days visit by trained passengers. The transport to the habitat would be provided e.g., by the Soyuz TMA spacecraft carried by the Soyuz launch vehicle in the early stage of Omicron's development, before a fully reusable spacecraft would be available.     

美国载人航天商业运输的发展

研究了美国载人航天商业运输的发展现状和趋势。美国在取消星座计划之后,实施商业乘员和货物项目,将依靠商业运输器实现＂国际空间站＂的乘员和货物运输,以缩短＂后航天飞机＂时代（航天飞机退役后）运输的断档期。美国商业乘员和货物项目包括商业轨道运输服务（COTS）计划、商业再补给服务（CRS）计划和商业乘员开发（CCDev）计划...     

圆柱体弹丸超高速斜撞击薄板的碎片云特征仿真分析

为研究圆柱体弹丸超高速撞击薄板的碎片云特征,基于仿真软件AUTODYN-3D的光滑粒子流体动力学（SPH）方法,模拟圆柱体弹丸不同长径比、不同攻角条件下超高速撞击薄板的过程。设圆柱体弹丸撞击速度为5 km/s,长径比分别为0.5、1.0、2.0、4.0,攻角为15°～75°,数值模拟结果分析表明:圆柱体弹丸超高速斜撞击薄板形成的碎片云中,大部分是小质量碎片;大碎片的质量和动能占比较大,是造成后墙损伤的主要原因。同时,当弹丸长径比为0.5和1.0时,15°攻角下的碎片云侵彻能力最弱;长径比为2.0和4.0时,75°攻角下的碎片云侵彻能力最弱。研究结果可为航天器防护结构设计优化提供参考。     

Initial characterization of the microgravity environment of the international space station: increments 2 through 4

The primary objective of the International Space Station (ISS) is to provide a long-term quiescent environment for the conduct of scientific research for a variety of microgravity science disciplines. This paper reports to the microgravity scientific community the results of an initial characterization of the microgravity environment on the International Space Station for increments 2 through 4. During that period almost 70,000 hours of station operations and scientific experiments were conducted. 720 hours of crew research time were logged aboard the orbiting laboratory and over half a terabyte of acceleration data were recorded and much of that was analyzed. The results discussed in this paper cover both the quasi-steady and vibratory acceleration environment of the station during its first year of scientific operation. For the quasi-steady environment, results are presented and discussed for the following: the space station attitudes Torque Equilibrium Attitude and the X-Axis Perpendicular to the Orbital Plane; station docking attitude maneuvers; Space Shuttle joint operation with the station; cabin de-pressurizations and the station water dumps. For the vibratory environment, results are presented for the following: crew exercise, docking events, and the activation/de-activation of both station life support system hardware and experiment hardware. Finally, a grand summary of all the data collected aboard the station during the 1-year period is presented showing where the overall quasi-steady and vibratory acceleration magnitude levels fall over that period of time using a 95th percentile benchmark.     

High velocity impact characterization of Al alloys for oblique impacts

This paper describes the experimental and computational analyses of a high velocity aluminum projectile impact on an Al6061-T6 spacecraft inner wall at different oblique angles. Al2017-T4 spherical projectiles of 5.56 mm in diameter and 0.25 g in weight were chosen within the velocity range of 1000±200 m/s due to the limitation of the light gas gun. The energy absorbed was calculated by measuring the velocities before and after impact on the inner wall. The energy absorbed by the wall and the remaining energy carried by the projectile helped to estimate the severity of further damage to inner components. Afterwards, validation was done by using the commercially available software LS-DYNA with a dedicated SPH. On average, a 10% energy absorption difference between experimentation and simulation was found. By using C-SCAN, the damage area proportion of the total inner wall to impact penetration hole area was found to be on average 6%, 26% and 53% greater than the projectile cross sectional area for the oblique angle impacts of 30°, 45°, and 60°, respectively. These findings helped to understand the relationship between the oblique impact event and the damage area on a spacecraft inner wall along with space debris cloud propagation and comparison with experimental results using LS-DYNA.     

Protecting spacecraft against meteoroid/orbital debris impact damage: an overview

Meteoroids and orbital debris pose a serious damage threat to all spacecraft. The effects of a meteoroid/orbital debris (M/OD) impact depend on a variety of factors, including where the M/OD impact occurs, the size, composition, and speed of the impacting object, and the function of the impacted spacecraft system. These effects can be minimal, can degrade a functional spacecraft component, or can compromise spacecraft functionality, even to the point of mission loss or loss of life. To minimize the damage threat from the meteoroid/orbital debris environment, it is often necessary to install protective shielding around critical spacecraft systems. If a system cannot be shielded, operational constraints may need to be imposed to reduce the damage threat. This paper presents an overview of the research and development activities performed since the late 1950s with an aim of increasing the level of protection afforded satellites and spacecraft operating in the M/OD environment and ultimately mitigating the mechanical and structural effects of an M/OD impact.     

Sсheme of rendezvous mission to lunar orbital station by spacecraft launched from Earth

In recent years, great experience has been accumulated in manned flight astronautics for rendezvous in near-Earth orbit. During flights of Apollo spacecraft with crews that landed on the surface of the Moon, the problem of docking a landing module launched from the Moon’s surface with the Apollo spacecraft’s command module in a circumlunar orbit was successfully solved. A return to the Moon declared by leading space agencies requires a scheme for rendezvous of a spacecraft launched from an earth-based cosmodromee with a lunar orbital station. This paper considers some ballistic schemes making it possible to solve this problem with minimum fuel expenditures.     

载人航天器独立飞行时密封舱内内流动换热及热湿分析研究

载人航天器密封舱以通风换热方式对舱内人员及其设备进行散热,控制舱内温度,利用冷凝干燥组件调节舱内湿度.针对某一处于独立飞行状态下、由返回舱和轨道舱组成的密封舱,采用数值模拟软件I-DEAS对其速度场、温度场以及湿度场进行了稳态数值分析,研究了密封舱内的温度分配和湿度分布,并对密封舱的温湿控制方案的合理性进行了评价.     

航天器反应式碎片规避动作规划方法

提出一种航天器反应式碎片规避动作规划方法，首先以扰动流体动态系统(IFDS)算法作为动作规划的基础算法，通过其中的总和扰动矩阵对航天器的轨道速度矢量进行修正，实现轨道机动规避；然后，建立基于双延迟深度确定性策略梯度(TD3)深度强化学习算法的反应式动作规划方法，通过TD3在线优化IFDS规划参数，实现对碎片群的“状态-动作”最优、快速规避决策。在此基础上，将优先级经验回放和渐进式学习策略引入该方法中，提升训练效率。最后，仿真结果表明，所提方法可使航天器安全规避多发、突发、动态且形状各异的空间碎片群，且具有较好的实时性。     

空间碎片防护研究最新进展

空间碎片对在轨航天器的安全运行构成了严重威胁,对航天器的撞击事件频繁发生。随着空间碎片环境的日趋恶化,航天器的防护变得越来越重要。文章从空间碎片环境模型、撞击风险评估、航天器部件损伤、防护材料与结构的超高速撞击试验、撞击试验数据库建设、超高速发射设备、在轨撞击感知、机构间超高速发射设备交叉校验等方面对国内外空间碎片防护研究的进展进行了总结,并在此基础上给出我国未来空间碎片防护研究的发展建议。     

球形气囊的超高速撞击损伤特性试验与仿真研究

低成本、可自主展开的气球卫星是未来卫星技术的应用方向之一,而日益增多的空间碎片是低轨航天器,包括气球卫星所面临的主要威胁之一.为满足气球卫星的生存力分析以及在轨被撞击产生空间碎片的评估需求,开展球形气囊超高速撞击试验与仿真研究,获得了不同材质气囊的撞击损伤特性,并初步揭示弹丸贯穿球形气囊过程的破坏细节以及碎片云团特性,...     

Lessons learned from Mir--a payload perspective

Among the principal objectives of the Phase 1 NASA/Mir program were for the United States to gain experience working with an international partner, to gain working experience in long-duration space flight, and to gain working experience in planning for and executing research on a long-duration space platform. The Phase 1 program was to provide the US early experience prior to the construction and operation of the International Space Station (Phase 2 and 3). While it can be argued that Mir and ISS are different platforms and that programmatically Phase 1 and ISS are organized differently, it is also clear that many aspects of operating a long-duration research program are platform independent. This can be demonstrated by a review of lessons learned from Skylab, a US space station program of the mid-1970s, many of which were again “learned” on Mir and are being “learned” on ISS. Among these are optimum crew training strategies, on-orbit crew operations, ground support, medical operations and crew psychological support, and safety certification processes.