Earth-moon Trajectory Optimization Using Solar Electric Propulsion

The optimization of the Earth-moon trajectory using solar electric propulsion is presented. A feasible method is proposed to optimize the transfer trajectory starting from a low Earth circular orbit (500 km altitude) to a low lunar circular orbit (200 km altitude). Due to the use of low-thrust solar electric propulsion, the entire transfer trajectory consists of hundreds or even thousands of orbital revolutions around the Earth and the moon. The Earth-orbit ascending (from low Earth orbit to high Earth orbit) and lunar descending (from high lunar orbit to low lunar orbit) trajectories in the presence of J2 perturbations and shadowing effect are computed by an analytic orbital averaging technique. A direct/indirect method is used to optimize the control steering for the trans-lunar trajectory segment, a segment from a high Earth orbit to a high lunar orbit, with a fixed thrust-coast-thrust engine sequence. For the trans-lunar trajectory segment, the equations of motion are expressed in the inertial coordinates about the Earth and the moon using a set of nonsingular equinoctial elements inclusive of the gravitational forces of the sun, the Earth, and the moon. By way of the analytic orbital averaging technique and the direct/indirect method, the Earth-moon transfer problem is converted to a parameter optimization problem, and the entire transfer trajectory is formulated and optimized in the form of a single nonlinear optimization problem with a small number of variables and constraints. Finally, an example of an Earth-moon transfer trajectory using solar electric propulsion is demonstrated.     

Halo轨道转移及中途修正问题研究(英文)

This article addresses the design of the trajectory transferring from Earth to Halo orbit, and proposes a timing closed-loop strategy of correction maneuver during the transfer in the frame of circular restricted three body problem （CR3BP）. The relation between the Floquet multipliers and the magnitudes of Halo orbit is established, so that the suitable magnitude for the aerospace mission is chosen in terms of the stability of Halo orbit. The stable manifold is investigated from the Poincar6 mapping defined which is different from the previous researches, and six types of single-impulse transfer trajectories are attained from the geometry of the invariant manifolds. Based on one of the trajectories of indirect transfer which are ignored in the most of literatures, the stochastic control theory for imperfect information of the discrete linear stochastic system is applied to design the trajectory correction maneuver. The statistical dispersion analysis is performed by Monte-Carlo simulation,     

Robust control for constant thrust rendezvous under thrust failure

A robust constant thrust rendezvous approach under thrust failure is proposed based on the relative motion dynamic model. Firstly, the design problem is cast into a convex optimization problem by introducing a Lyapunov function subject to linear matrix inequalities. Secondly, the robust controllers satisfying the requirements can be designed by solving this optimization problem.Then, a new algorithm of constant thrust fitting is proposed through the impulse compensation and the fuel consumption under the theoretical continuous thrust and the actual constant thrust is calculated and compared by using the method proposed in this paper. Finally, the proposed method having the advantage of saving fuel is proved and the actual constant thrust switch control laws are obtained through the isochronous interpolation method, meanwhile, an illustrative example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed control design method.     

Modeling and simulation of a time-varying inertia aircraft in aerial refueling

Studied in this paper is dynamic modeling and simulation application of the receiver aircraft with the time-varying mass and inertia property in an integrated simulation environment which includes two other significant factors, i.e., a hose–drogue assembly dynamic model with the variable-length property and the wind effect due to the tanker's trailing vortices. By extending equations of motion of a fixed weight aircraft derived by Lewis et al., a new set of equations of motion for a receiver in aerial refueling is derived. The equations include the time-varying mass and inertia property due to fuel transfer and the fuel consumption by engines, and the fuel tanks have a rectangle shape rather than a mass point. They are derived in terms of the translational and rotational position and velocity of the receiver with respect to an inertial reference frame. A linear quadratic regulator(LQR) controller is designed based on a group of linearized equations under the initial receiver mass condition. The equations of motion of the receiver with a LQR controller are implemented in the integrated simulation environment for autonomous approaching and station-keeping of the receiver in simulations.     

A multi-aircraft conflict detection and resolution method for 4-dimensional trajectory-based operation

Conflict Detection and Resolution(CDR) is the key to ensure aviation safety based on Trajectory Prediction(TP). Uncertainties that affect aircraft motions cause difficulty in an accurate prediction of the trajectory, especially in the context of four-dimensional(4D) Trajectory-Based Operation(4DTBO), which brings the uncertainty of pilot intent. This study draws on the idea of time geography, and turns the research focus of CDR from TP to an analysis of the aircraft reachable space constrained by 4D waypoint constraints. The concepts of space–time reachability of aircraft and space–time potential conflict space are proposed. A novel pre-CDR scheme for multiple aircraft is established. A key advantage of the scheme is that the uncertainty of pilot intent is accounted for via a Space-Time Prism(STP) for aircraft. Conflict detection is performed by verifying whether the STPs of aircraft intersect or not, and conflict resolution is performed by planning a conflict-free space–time trajectory avoiding intersection. Numerical examples are presented to validate the efficiency of the proposed scheme.     

Shape control of spacecraft formation using a virtual spring-damper mesh

This paper derives a distance-based formation control method to maintain the desired formation shape for spacecraft in a gravitational potential field. The method is an analogy of a vir-tual spring-damper mesh. Spacecraft are connected virtually by spring-damper pairs. Convergence analysis is performed using the energy method. Approximate expressions for the distance errors and control accelerations at steady state are derived by using algebraic graph representations and results of graph rigidity. Analytical results indicate that if the underlying graph of the mesh is rigid, the convergence to a static shape is assured, and higher formation control precision can be achieved by increasing the elastic coefficient without increasing the control accelerations. A numerical exam-ple of spacecraft formation in low Earth orbit confirms the theoretical analysis and shows that the desired formation shape can be well achieved using the presented method, whereas the orientation of the formation can be kept pointing to the center of the Earth by the gravity gradient. The method is decentralized, and uses only relative measurement information. Constructing a distributed virtual structure in space can be the general application area. The proposed method can serve as an active shape control law for the spacecraft formations using propellantless internal forces.     

Cleaning space debris with a space-based laser system

High-energy pulsed laser radiation may be the most feasible means to mitigate the threat of collision of a space station or other valuable space assets with orbital debris in the size range of 1–10 cm. Under laser irradiation, part of the debris material is ablated and provides an impulse to the debris particle. Proper direction of the impulse vector either deflects the object trajectory or forces the debris on a trajectory through the upper atmosphere, where it burns up. Most research concentrates on ground-based laser systems but pays little attention to space-based laser systems.There are drawbacks of a ground-based laser system in cleaning space debris. Therefore the placement of a laser system in space is proposed and investigated. Under assumed conditions,the elimination process of space debris is analyzed. Several factors such as laser repetition frequency, relative movement between the laser and debris, and inclination of debris particles which may exercise influence to the elimination effects are discussed. A project of a space-based laser system is proposed according to the numerical results of a computer study. The proposed laser system can eliminate debris of 1–10 cm and succeed in protecting a space station.     

Dynamics modeling and control of a transport aircraft for ultra-low altitude airdrop

The nonlinear aircraft model with heavy cargo moving inside is derived by using the separation body method, which can describe the influence of the moving cargo on the aircraft attitude and altitude accurately. Furthermore, the nonlinear system is decoupled and linearized through the input–output feedback linearization method. On this basis, an iterative quasi-sliding mode(SM)flight controller for speed and pitch angle control is proposed. At the first-level SM, a global dynamic switching function is introduced thus eliminating the reaching phase of the sliding motion.At the second-level SM, a nonlinear function with the property of ‘‘smaller errors correspond to bigger gains and bigger errors correspond to saturated gains' ' is designed to form an integral sliding manifold, and the overcompensation of the integral term to big errors is weakened. Lyapunovbased analysis shows that the controller with strong robustness can reject both constant and time-varying model uncertainties. The performance of the proposed control strategy is verified in a maximum load airdrop mission.     

A novel biased proportional navigation guidance law for close approach phase

A novel biased proportional navigation guidance (BPNG) law is proposed for the close approach phase, which aims to make the spacecraft rendezvous with the target in specific relative range and direction. Firstly, in order to describe the special guidance requirements, the concept of zero effort miss vector is proposed and the dangerous area where there exists collision risk for safety consideration is defined. Secondly, the BPNG, which decouples the range control and direc-tion control, is designed in the line-of-sight (LOS) rotation coordinate system. The theoretical anal-ysis proves that BPNG meets guidance requirements quite well. Thirdly, for the consideration of fuel consumption, the optimal biased proportional navigation guidance (OBPNG) law is derived by solving the Schwartz inequality. Finally, simulation results show that BPNG is effective for the close approach with the ability of evading the dangerous area and OBPNG consumes less fuel compared with BPNG.     

Optimization on cooperative feed strategy for radial–axial ring rolling process of Inco718 alloy by RSM and FEM

During radial–axial ring rolling process,cooperative strategy of the radial–axial feed is critical for dimensional accuracy and thermo mechanical parameters distribution of the formed ring.In order to improve the comprehensive quality of the ring parts,response surface method(RSM) is employed for the first time to optimize the cooperative feed strategy for radial–axial ring rolling process by combining it with an improved and verified 3D coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model.The feed trajectory is put forward to describe cooperative relationship of the radial–axial feed and three variables are designed based on the feed trajectory.In order to achieve multiobjective optimization,four responses including thermo mechanical parameters distribution and rolling force are proposed.Based on the FEM results,RSM is used to establish a response model to depict the function relationship between the objective response and design variables.Through this approximate model,effects of different variables on ring rolling process are analyzed connectedly and optimal feed strategy is obtained by resorting to the optimal chart specific to a constraint condition.     

空天飞行器弹道/轨道一体化设计

弹道/轨道一体化设计是解决空天飞行器发射入轨和轨道转移问题的一种全新思路。针对目前存在的空天飞行器弹道/轨道一体化设计问题,通过改进非开普勒轨道方程的方法建立飞行器在连续推力、气动力、引力以及摄动力等多种力作用下的弹道/轨道一体化设计动力学模型;提出基于轨道设计反方法的弹道/轨道一体化设计方法。其创新点主要体现在：通过整合连续推力、气动力、引力以及摄动力等多种作用力达到了统一弹道/轨道模型的目的;提出了基于傅里叶级数形状方法的轨道设计方法,该方法相比于之前的逆多项式法,可以处理带推力约束的轨道设计问题;由于在弹道段采用类似于轨道设计反方法的设计思想设计弹道,使得弹道和轨道两段轨迹的设计方法也达到了统一,致使从模型和设计方法的角度都体现了弹道/轨道设计的统一性,解决了传统分段设计方法是在不同段采用不同的模型和方法,很难体现出一体化设计思想的问题。仿真分析表明本文提出的弹道/轨道一体化设计方法是可行和有效的。     

基于弹道逃逸和小推力捕获的地月转移轨道设计

针对地月空间货运任务和环月轨道空间设施建设任务,提出一种弹道逃逸和小推力捕获相结合的新型地月轨道转移模式,并建立了一整套该类型轨道设计方法。首先,在三体模型假设下分别建立地心弹道逃逸轨道和月心小推力捕获轨道的二维极坐标动力学模型。对于弹道逃逸轨道,将地心旋转系对准角和地月转移加速速度增量作为控制变量,提出初值估计解析公式,并应用序列二次规划算法进行快速求解。对于小推力捕获轨道,以月心距为参考量设置与弹道逃逸轨道的拼接点约束,提出能量匹配方法预估飞行时间,采用最优螺旋轨道的初始伴随状态解析式预估近月点伴随变量初值。基于混合法和轨道逆推思想,采用人工免疫算法进行小推力捕获轨道求解。仿真结果表明,基于弹道逃逸和小推力捕获的地月轨道转移方式大幅降低了近月制动燃料消耗,能快速穿越地球辐射带,且飞行时间适中;同时,提出的轨道设计方法能快速搜索到基于弹道逃逸和小推力捕获的地月转移轨道,验证了该方法的有效性。     

非合作目标交会的双层MPC全局轨迹规划控制

针对空间非合作目标近距离视线交会中的全局最优鲁棒轨迹规划与控制问题,提出了基于高斯伪谱方法（GPM）和线性时变模型预测控制（LTVMPC）的双层模型预测控制（MPC）算法。在轨迹规划方面,以视线坐标系下的相对轨道动力学为模型、能量最少和控制精度最优为性能指标构建最优控制问题,利用GPM精度高、收敛速度快的特点将最优控制问题转化为易于求解的全局非线性规划问题,在MPC框架下求解得到全局最优的标称轨迹,克服了传统的MPC不适用于全局大范围非线性规划的缺点;在轨迹跟踪控制方面,考虑预测时域内状态转移矩阵的时变特性,设计了LTVMPC算法对标称轨迹进行追踪,避免了存在不确定性时轨迹的重规划,从而降低在线计算量,保证算法在线自主实施,并且采用滚动优化的策略使算法对不确定性具有鲁棒性。由于规划层和控制层考虑的约束相同,因此规划的轨迹是可控、可达的。数字仿真表明,在燃料消耗和交会时间等方面,提出的方法均显著优于传统的MPC方法,相较于传统的MPC方法,新算法的交会时间减少50%左右,燃料消耗降低30%以上。     

Fuel-optimal deorbit scheme of space debris using tethered space-tug based on pseudospectral method

This paper proposes a fuel-optimal deorbit scheme for space debris deorbit using tethered space tug. The scheme contains three stages named respectively as dragging, maintenance and swinging. In the first stage, the tug, propelled by continuous thrust, tows deorbit to a transfer orbit with a tether. Then in the second stage, the combination of the tug and the debris flies unpowered and uncontrolled to a swing point on the transfer orbit. Finally, in the third stage, the tug is propelled at the swing point and the rotation speed of the tethered system increases such that the debris obtains enough velocity increment. The trajectory optimization of the first stage is established considering the total fuel consumption of the three stages, whereas the dynamic model is simplified for computation efficiency. The solution to the optimal problem is obtained using a direct method based on Gauss pesudospectral discretization. Then a model predictive controller is designed to track the open-loop optimal reference trajectories, reducing the states’ deviations caused by model simplification and ignorance of perturbations. Furthermore, it is proved that the fuel-optimal swing point is the apogee of the transfer orbit. The paper analyzes the fuel consumption of a typical scenario and demonstrates effectiveness of the proposed deorbit scheme numerically.     

星际小推力转移轨道快速设计方法

 针对星际探测任务中燃料最省小推力转移轨道问题，提出一种基于标称轨道的快速设计方法。首先以具有相同端点时刻的无摄动标称轨道为参考，对传统的非线性轨道优化模型进行合理变换，将复杂的优化问题简化为可解的两点边值问题；然后基于标称轨道3个独立积分推导出解析的状态转移矩阵，并以此为基础导出了两点边值问题的最优解析解。该方法无需数值迭代，有效地克服了数值优化方法收敛性差、计算效率低的缺点。最后，以探测火星的小推力转移轨道为例对该方法进行了验证，与精确的数值结果相比，该方法计算的燃料消耗误差小于1%。     

航天器燃耗最优轨道直接/间接混合法延拓求解

针对转移时间和始末状态固定的航天器燃耗最优轨道的求解,给出了一种延拓方法:以双脉冲轨道为初值,首先求解全程推进轨道,然后逐步增加推力幅值,应用直接/间接混合法依次求解所有推力幅值下的、满足包括开关函数在内的所有必要条件的转移轨道,包括连续和脉冲推力轨道。通过基于开关函数曲线变化趋势的开关序列预设方法,以及基于已有优化结果的延拓步长自适应方案,实现了延拓方法的自动运行。为实现该延拓方法,给出了适用于改进春分点根数模型的脉冲最优转移轨道主矢量必要条件,推导了无推力轨道段改进春分点根数协态变量状态转移矩阵。通过3个算例对延拓求解会遇到的不同情况进行了具体说明。延拓方法可以看作现有直接/间接混合法的进一步完善与拓展,延拓过程和结果有助于对燃耗最优轨道与系统参数之间的关联获得更为深刻的认识。     

基于Gauss伪谱法的UCAV对地攻击武器投放轨迹规划

研究无人作战飞机(UCAV)在对地攻击阶段的武器投放轨迹规划问题.针对传统方法在处理复杂的飞行器运动学、动力学约束上存在的困难,提出了一种基于Gauss伪谱法(GPM)的求解策略.首先,为了最大程度地逼近实际飞行环境,对UCAV的气动力特性、发动机推力特性、油耗特性及大气环境特性进行了高精度拟合,并充分考虑了飞行器各种...     

A320系列飞机燃油系统常见故障签派放行处置研究

针对A320系列飞机不同机型燃油系统构型存在差异，不便于签派放行处置的问题，提出了A320系列各机型常见故障的签派放行处置方法。首先，系统总结了A320系列飞机各机型燃油系统的布局、供油部件和供油逻辑，指出了各机型可能出现的故障类型和引起故障的机理。其次，分析了可能影响航空公司运行的常见故障，以供油的原理和逻辑为基础，根据构型不同指出对运行影响最大的两个部件为中央燃油泵和传输活门。再次，提出了不同故障条件下签派员的处置方法。最后，以飞机处于签派放行阶段、起飞阶段、中央油箱燃油部分消耗阶段和中央油箱无油阶段为例分别进行分析，进行算例分析说明。结果表明，所提方法能够有效指引签派员处置中央燃油泵或传输活门出现常见故障。     

ARTEMIS Mission Design

The ARTEMIS mission takes two of the five THEMIS spacecraft beyond their prime mission objectives and reuses them to study the Moon and the lunar space environment. Although the spacecraft and fuel resources were tailored to space observations from Earth orbit, sufficient fuel margins, spacecraft capability, and operational flexibility were present that with a circuitous, ballistic, constrained-thrust trajectory, new scientific information could be gleaned from the instruments near the Moon and in lunar orbit. We discuss the challenges of ARTEMIS trajectory design and describe its current implementation to address both heliophysics and planetary science objectives. In particular, we explain the challenges imposed by the constraints of the orbiting hardware and describe the trajectory solutions found in prolonged ballistic flight paths that include multiple lunar approaches, lunar flybys, low-energy trajectory segments, lunar Lissajous orbits, and low-lunar-periapse orbits. We conclude with a discussion of the risks that we took to enable the development and implementation of ARTEMIS.