Space Station power requirements and issues

This paper provides an overview of the Space Station configuration and summarizes the requirements, architecture, and significant challenges associated with the electrical power system (EPS). The Space Station configuration was baselined during the systems design review (SDR) process in March, 1994. The current configuration includes the addition of Russia as an international partner, resulting in major changes to the assembly sequence, pressurized module complement, and overall power architecture. The Russian contributions to the power system architecture, as well as an-overview and development status of the US provided elements is presented. Finally, a planned flight demonstration of solar dynamic power system on the Mir as part of the first phase of US/Russian cooperation in human space flight is described     

Life sciences

Space life sciences research activities are reviewed for 2003. Many life sciences experiments were lost with the tragic loss of STS-107. Life sciences experiments continue to fly as small payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) via the Russian Progress vehicle. Health-related studies continue with the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) aboard the Odyssey spacecraft, collecting data on the radiation environment in Mars orbit. NASA Ames increased nanotechnology research in all areas, including fundamental biology, bioastronautics, life support systems, and homeland security. Plant research efforts continued at NASA Kennedy, testing candidate crops for ISS. Research included plant growth studies at different light intensities, varying carbon dioxide concentrations, and different growth media. Education and outreach efforts included development of a NASA/USDA program called Space Agriculture in the Classroom. Canada sponsored a project called Tomatosphere, with classrooms across North America exposing seeds to simulated Mars environment for growth studies. NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research released an updated strategic research plan.     

Materials samples face rigors of space

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is described. This project is designed to conduct long duration materials tests on samples attached to the ISS. A batch of 750 material samples were delivered on STS-105 and attached to the ISS airlock. They will be exposed to the space environment for 18 months and are slated to return on STS-114. A second batch of 750 samples is being prepared. The experiment containers were used originally for the Mir Environmental Effects Payload, which tested a variety of substances, including some slated for use on the ISS. Researchers are particularly interested in the effects of atomic oxygen on the samples. Some samples are being tested to determine their use in radiation protection. As part of the MISSE project, ultrathin tether materials are being tested for use on the Propulsive Small Expendable Depoloyer System (ProSEDS), which will use a tether system to change a satellite's orbital altitude.     

空间站高温固液相变蓄热容器的实验研究

相变材料(PCM)容器是空间太阳能动力装置吸热—储热器的关键部件。吸热器的蓄/放热性能及其寿命取决于PCM容器的设计与制造是否可靠。文中对PCM容器的结构设计及其制造工艺、PCM的充装工艺、PCM的熔化—凝固特性和空穴的形成、PCM熔点及相变潜热的测量以及PCM与容器材料的相容性这些关键问题进行了试验研究。      

Soldier Identification System utilizing low probability ofintercept (LPI) techniques

This paper documents the design of a laser/radio frequency (RF) Soldier Identification (ID) System developed by Dynetics, Inc., Harris, Corp., and the US Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM). The Soldier ID system includes an Interrogation Unit with a programmable activation code. The Interrogation Unit consists of a directive, eye-safe laser and a spread-spectrum RF transceiver. This allows for a low probability of intercept (LPI) interrogation, which is of interest during covert operations. A Responder Unit is worn, for example, by a soldier and transmits an LPI spread-spectrum RF response, only after receiving the proper interrogation codes. The basic subsystems for the identification system are a Laser Interrogation Unit, an RF Responder Unit, and an electronic Programming Unit. The operating principles for the subsystem are reviewed, and the design issues are discussed. In addition to the preliminary design performed under Phase I of the program, a breadboard system was developed to validate the proof-of-principle concept. Hardware implementation is reviewed and test results are presented. The brassboard development and engineering plans are also presented     

Power management and distribution system for a more-electricaircraft (MADMEL)

A five-phase Power Management and Distribution System for a More-Electric Aircraft (MADMEL) program was awarded by the Air Force to Northrop/Grumman Military Aircraft Division in September 1991. The objective of the program is to design, develop, and demonstrate an advanced electrical power generation and distribution system for a More-Electric Aircraft (MEA). The MEA emphasizes the use of electrical power in place of hydraulics, pneumatic, and mechanical power to optimize the performance and life cycle cost of the aircraft. This paper presents an overview of the MADMEL program and a top-level summary of the program results, development and test of major components to date. In Phase I and Phase II studies, the electrical load requirements were established and the electrical power system architecture was defined for both near-term (NT-year 1996) and far-term (FT-year 2003) MEA application. The detailed design and specification for the Electrical Power System (EPS), its interface with the Vehicle Management System, and the test set-up were developed under Phase III. Phase IV, fabrication and testing of the subsystem level hardware, has been completed. Overall system level integration and testing, Phase V, is scheduled to be completed by September 1999     

High-power, light-weight power conditioning

After a review of light-weight transformer efforts in the US, a weight analysis is carried out. From basic transformer relations and geometrical considerations it is shown how transformer specific power should scale with power and frequency. The result compares well with design results for frequency scaling but not for power scaling. After refinements for variations of voltage, cooling technique, power (while voltage is held constant) and current density, an algorithm is presented that agrees well with the results of adiabatic transformer designs and with vapor cooled transformer designs. Transformer specific powers as low as 0.01 kg/kW are predicted at an operating frequency of 20 kHz. Caution is advised in the use of the algorithm because few of the transformers with which the algorithm is compared have actually been considered. The SDI/AF/NASA megawatt converter program is discussed, and results of Phase I are summarized     

考虑局部遮挡的太阳能无人机能源控制

针对太阳能无人机在飞行状态下可能出现的太阳能电池局部遮挡情况，开展相应的太阳能电池最大功率点追踪算法和能源控制研究。通过将发光亮度引入相对吸引力计算过程对萤火虫算法进行改进，实现了局部阴影情况下太阳能电池最大功率点的高效追踪。以此为基础，设计了考虑局部遮挡情况下太阳能无人机的太阳能电池/蓄电池混合能源状态机控制规则。以"蒲公英I"无人机为例，建立了太阳能电池阵列模型，开展了考虑局部遮挡情况下太阳能电池最大功率点追踪仿真实验；基于"蒲公英I"飞行剖面，开展了考虑局部遮挡情况的混合能源控制仿真试验。研究结果表明：改进的萤火虫算法可以实现在局部阴影情况下太阳能电池最大功率点的有效跟踪，与萤火虫算法相比收敛时间更短、且功率波动幅度更小；采用改进萤火虫算法和状态机能源管理策略，在考虑局部遮挡的飞行状态下可以实现太阳能电池/蓄电池之间的合理功率分配与控制。     

A GPS/GLONASS/INS test program

Under contract of different German Ministries a test program investigating the combinations of GPS, GLONASS, and Inertial Navigation has been carried out since 1991. Besides other goals, the aim of the project is to investigate the capabilities of GLONASS in comparison to GPS, to realize a combined GLONASS/INS solution and to perform joint processing of GPS and GLONASS raw data. The paper describes the test procedures and presents some of the results. This includes the comparison of DGPS with stand-alone GLONASS and GLONASS/INS under different dynamic situations, e.g., driving tests, flight tests, and also the presentation of results of combined GPS/GLONASS data processing, which was successfully achieved in March '93 for the first time. The results show the potential of the non-SA-degraded GLONASS and the advantage of using both, GPS and GLONASS for combined solutions     

Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) for the Advanced Composition Explorer

The Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) experiment provides the bulk solar wind observations for the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). These observations provide the context for elemental and isotopic composition measurements made on ACE as well as allowing the direct examination of numerous solar wind phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, interplanetary shocks, and solar wind fine structure, with advanced, 3-D plasma instrumentation. They also provide an ideal data set for both heliospheric and magnetospheric multi-spacecraft studies where they can be used in conjunction with other, simultaneous observations from spacecraft such as Ulysses. The SWEPAM observations are made simultaneously with independent electron and ion instruments. In order to save costs for the ACE project, we recycled the flight spares from the joint NASA/ESA Ulysses mission. Both instruments have undergone selective refurbishment as well as modernization and modifications required to meet the ACE mission and spacecraft accommodation requirements. Both incorporate electrostatic analyzers whose fan-shaped fields of view sweep out all pertinent look directions as the spacecraft spins. Enhancements in the SWEPAM instruments from their original forms as Ulysses spare instruments include (1) a factor of 16 increase in the accumulation interval (and hence sensitivity) for high energy, halo electrons; (2) halving of the effective ion-detecting CEM spacing from ∼5° on Ulysses to ∼2.5° for ACE; and (3) the inclusion of a 20° conical swath of enhanced sensitivity coverage in order to measure suprathermal ions outside of the solar wind beam. New control electronics and programming provide for 64-s resolution of the full electron and ion distribution functions and cull out a subset of these observations for continuous real-time telemetry for space weather purposes. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Engineering test beds on the International Space Station

The International Space Station is a unique multi-faceted orbiting laboratory supporting research, development, test and evaluation of new innovative space and Earth-based applications. While NASA sponsored investigations on the ISS are focused largely on enabling future long duration human space exploration missions, Congress designated the US portion of the space station as a National Laboratory making its facilities available to other Federal agencies and private entities for non-exploration related ventures. RDT&E activities on the ISS encompass a number of technical areas including environmental control and life support, communications, materials science, guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, electrical power, and thermal control systems.     

Global Solar Wind Structure from Solar Minimum to Solar Maximum: Sources and Evolution

During the past few years, significant progress has been made in identifying the coronal sources of structures observed in the solar wind. This recent work has been facilitated by the relative simplicity and stability of structures during solar minimum. The challenge now is to continue to use coordinated coronal/solar wind observations to study the far more complicated and time-evolving structures of solar maximum. In this paper I will review analyses that use a wide range of observations to map out the global heliosphere and connect the corona to the solar wind. In particular, I will review some of the solar minimum studies done for the first Whole Sun Month campaign (WSM1), and briefly consider work in progress modeling the ascending phase time period of the second Whole Sun Fortnight campaign (WSF) and SPARTAN 201-05 observations, and the solar maximum third Whole Sun Month campaign (WSM3). In so doing I hope to demonstrate the increase in complexity of the connections between corona and heliosphere with solar cycle, and highlight the issues that need to be addressed in modeling solar maximum connections. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

TUBSAT-N,an ultra low cost global communication nanosatellite system

In the framework of the research project TUBSAT-N (Technical University of Berlin SATellite-Nano) it has been demonstrated that it is possible to achieve ultra low cost space access very quickly. TUBSAT-N and TUBSAT-N1 were launched as a satellite cluster in July 1998 with a convertible Russian military SS-23 SHTIL Rocket from a submarine. This project should prove that nanosatellite technology can be a good solution for a commercial ultra-low cost project.     

Parameter optimization for torsion spring of deployable solar array system with multiple clearance joints considering rigid–flexible coupling dynamics

In this paper, four novel evaluation indices and corresponding hierarchical optimization strategies are proposed for a deployable solar array system considering panel flexibility and joint clearance. The deployable solar array model consists of a rigid main-body, two panels and four key mechanisms, containing torsion spring mechanism, closed cable loop mechanism, latch mechanism and attitude adjustment mechanism. Rigid and flexible components are established by Nodal Coordinate Formulation and A...     

试论教练装备空海军联合发展

阐述了美国空军和海军教练机装备发展现状,分析了美国空军和海军教练机装备联合发展的过程、原因以及优势,并结合我国空军和海军教练机的发展情况,得出我国空/海军教练机装备联合发展的几点启示。     

Modelling of the electromagnetic field in the interplanetary space and in the Earth's magnetosphere

A magnetohydrodynamic model of the solar wind flow is constructed using a kinematic approach. It is shown that a phenomenological conductivity of the solar wind plasma plays a key role in the forming of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) component normal to the ecliptic plane. This component is mostly important for the magnetospheric dynamics which is controlled by the solar wind electric field. A simple analytical solution for the problem of the solar wind flow past the magnetosphere is presented. In this approach the magnetopause and the Earth's bow shock are approximated by the paraboloids of revolution. Superposition of the effects of the bulk solar wind plasma motion and the magnetic field diffusion results in an incomplete screening of the IMF by the magnetopause. It is shown that the normal to the magnetopause component of the solar wind magnetic field and the tangential component of the electric field penetrated into the magnetosphere are determined by the quarter square of the magnetic Reynolds number. In final, a dynamic model of the magnetospheric magnetic field is constructed. This model can describe the magnetosphere in the course of the severe magnetic storm. The conditions under which the magnetospheric magnetic flux structure is unstable and can drive the magnetospheric substorm are discussed. The model calculations are compared with the observational data for September 24–26, 1998 magnetic storm (Dst _min=−205 nT) and substorm occurred at 02:30 UT on January 10, 1997. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NETEX UWB test results

The goal of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Networking in Extreme Environments (NETEX) program is to create a wireless networking technology for the military user that enables robust connectivity in harsh environments and support its integration into new and emerging sensor and communication systems. Phase 1, resulted in a thorough understanding of the effects of ultra wide band (UWB) system operation on existing military spectrum users based on modeling, simulation, and measurements. In order to accomplish this task, the DARPA Advanced Technology Office (ATO) procured a set of UWB emitters and broadband antennas to use as interference sources and contracted with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC AD) Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E/sup 3/) Division to provide candidate victim systems from the existing (legacy) US naval aircraft and shipboard inventory for testing. Testing was conducted on seventeen legacy systems during October 2002 through March 2003. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the results of these tests. This paper will provide a brief discussion of the UWB emissions as described by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and describe the generic UWB emitter used for these tests. It will then provide a discussion of the results as they apply to the purpose of the NETEX program.     

空间发电系统热管式吸热器热性能分析

为了提高吸热器的热性能、降低吸热器的质量,将热管用于空间太阳能热动力发电系统的吸热蓄热器,建立了相应的物理和数学模型,给出了数值求解方法,计算了蓄热容器最高温度、热管最高壁温、工质出口温度、相变材料(PCM)熔化率等参数,并与基本形吸热器进行了对比,验证了PCM的储热能力,减小了工质气体出口温度的波动。计算结果可用于吸热器的设计。      

Radar nomenclature

Like much of the equipment used by the armed forces, both civil and military radar systems may be allocated an identification resolved from a synonym, mnemonic, project name, number, application notation, or specialised nomenclature and sometimes may even be based upon the whims of an intelligence reporting service. Of these, mnemonics are very popular; whilst of designation systems used by the US armed forces is probably best known, whilst the Russian system is least understood. Other well-known identification systems and schemes are those employed in Sweden, France, and the UK and are amplified in this article.     

超声速进气道在亚临界条件下的附加阻力的计算

以二波系轴对称外压式超声进气道为例,说明进气道在亚临界工作状态下的脱体激波位置和附加阻力系数的英美计算方法及俄罗斯的附加阻力系数计算方法,两种方法的计算结果与实验数据的比较表明了该算法的有效性,并对两种算法的特点进行了比较和分析。