ETS-II Experiments Part IV: Characteristics of Millimeter and Centimeter Wavelength Propagation

Preliminary results of the ETS-II millimeter and centimeter wavelength propagation experiments are presented based on data collected over one year. Rain attenuation is discussed primarily from the statistical point of view. At 34.5 GHz attenuation in excess of 5, 10, and 19.5 dB were observed 1, 0.3, and 0.1 percent of the test time (5500 hr), respectively. At 11.5 GHz attenuation in excess of 2.5, 4.3, 6.3, 10, and 15.5 dB were observed 0.1, 0.03, 0.01, 0.003, and 0.001 percent of the test time, respectively. Duration time of attenuation is also examined for the benefit of a link design. The longest duration of attenuation of the 34.5-GHz wave exceeding 5 dB was about 150 min. At 11.5 GHz, the longest duration of attenuation in excess of 3 dB, was 60 min and that in excess of 6 dB was 10 min. Rain attenuation is discussed also with relation to the radar and the rain gauge data. Depolarization data of 34.5-GHz and 11.5-GHz waves are orocessed statistically, and it is shown that cross-polarization discriminations in excess of 21.5 dB and 29 dB are observed 0.1 percent of the test time at 34.5 GHz and 11.5 GHz, respectively.     

ATS-6 Millimeter Wave Propagation and Communications Experiments at 20 and 30 GHz

The Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-6) Millimeter Wave Experiment, developed and implemented by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, has provided the first direct measurements of 20-and 30-GHz Earth-space links from an orbiting satellite. Studies at eleven locations in the continental United States were directed at an evaluation of rain attenuation effects, scintillations, depolarization, site diversity, coherence bandwidth, and analog and digital communications techniques In addition to direct measurements on the 20-and 30-GHz links, methods of attenuation prediction with radars, rain gauges, and radiometers were developed and compared with the directly measured attenuation. This paper presents a review of the major results of the first year of measurements with ATS-6, with emphasis on the impact of the measurements on millimeter wave space systems design.     

Frequency diversity in millimeter wave satellite communications

Dual-band frequency diversity seems to be an effective fade countermeasure to rain-induced attenuation in satellite communications above 20 GHz. This method, particularly suited for satellites operating in two frequency bands, typically K_a band and C or K_u band, achieves very low levels of outage probability especially where the rain fades are severe. A theoretical analysis of a frequency diversity system is performed to evaluate the amount of reserve capacity needed to counteract fading in a satellite network. The problems that arise in implementing adaptive fade countermeasures because of the dynamic characteristics of fading are discussed, and the results of the simulations performed using the attenuation time series at 11.6 GHz, measured with the Sirio satellite throughout four years, are presented     

RF optical links

RF photonic links that can be used to supplement gigahertz RF electrical transmission lines without the characteristic attenuation, induced noise, and distortion associated with long cable lengths are discussed. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) capabilites are examined in terms of available wavelengths, hardware, and spacing. Typical RF fiber-optic links at 6-18 GHz are addressed with respect to architecture and electrical and optical characteristics. A global Positioning System (GPS) fiber-optic link is presented     

Optimized RF test range for educational purposes

Both the design and construction of a composite scale airframe and the equipment for an anechoic test range plus the in-house production of absorptive wall covering-all for engineering education-are briefly described. It is shown, that low cost home-made absorbing material with an attenuation of 30 dB or more can be designed. Waveguide and ground plane antennas for test purposes can be constructed from surplus materials. In this case the design and measurements of a 3 GHz antenna pair are shown. Finally, as a test object, a cheap yet effective scale model of a modern fighter aircraft is used for measurements of radar cross section and antenna installations. As a demonstration of the total system capabilities, the measurement of installed F-18 antennas is shown     

微波在液体火箭发动机真空羽流中的衰减

为研究液体火箭发动机真空羽流对微波的衰减作用,以某双组元液体火箭发动机为对象,使用热力计算程序对燃烧室内的电子数密度进行了计算,使用冻 结假设和有限化学反应速率假设两种情况对喷管内带电粒子的电离和再结合过程进行了模拟,并对羽流中带电粒子数密度和5~30GHz微波穿过羽流的衰减量进行了估算.研究结果显示:该发动机燃烧室和喷管出口的电子数密度量级分别为 1013~1014cm-3和1010~1011cm-3,K,Na等碱金属为主要电子释放剂,Cl-,OH-等基团为主要电子吸收剂;低频微波在羽流中衰减更严重,5GHz微波的衰减可达4.5dB;微波斜穿羽流的衰减通常大于横穿情况.      

结构吸波材料多层阻抗渐变设计及应用

对多层阻抗渐变的吸波结构设计思想进行了分析,介绍了多层阻抗渐变思想在吸波层板和泡沫两类结构吸波材料设计上的应用。理论计算与试验验证结果均表明,采用多层阻抗渐变设计能够使吸波层板和泡沫的吸波带宽向低频拓展,同时显著提高吸波泡沫的吸收强度。具有三个阻抗渐变吸收层的4 mm厚吸波层板在5~18 GHz频段反射率小于-10 d B;具有六个阻抗渐变吸收层的22 mm厚吸波泡沫在2~18 GHz频段反射率小于-10 d B,其中在6~18 GHz频段反射率小于-20 d B,8~12 GHz频段反射率小于-30 d B。多层阻抗渐变设计是提高结构吸波材料吸波性能的有效手段。     

Interference experiments between fixed-satellite and terrestrialradio-relay services

To resolve interference problems between fixed-satellite and terrestrial radio relay services and expand coordination areas between the two services, theoretical and experimental studies were carried out. Theoretical D/U values calculation formulas between the two systems were derived, interference data from 4 GHz and 11 GHz band terrestrial radio-relay systems were obtained by a measuring system mounted on a vehicle. By comparing those results, it becomes clear that the ensemble interference reduction factors for 4 GHz and 11 GHz bands are around 20 dB, which is mixed values of attenuation and reflection from big buildings in urban areas     

稳态等离子体推力器羽流仿真及其对微波的衰减和相移作用

为了评估稳态等离子体推力器（SPT）羽流对微波造成的衰减和相位变化,使用二维轴对称的PIC-DSMC方法,在空间及室压6mPa的真空舱两种环境下,计算了SPT-100羽流场中的电子分布。在此基础上,通过分析特征频率和计算衰减因子、相位常数,估算了2,4,8,12.5GHz共4个频率微波穿过羽流场时的衰减量和相移。8GHz和12.5GHz微波未发现明显的衰减,相移为10°～120°。2GHz和4GHz微波在喷口附近衰减量范围为10～50dB。仿真结果表明,C波段和S波段在SPT羽流中容易发生衰减,而X波段以上的高频微波衰减量很小,同时这几个波段微波均发生较大相移。真空舱内6mPa背压下对衰减量的预测仅略高于实际飞行情况,但微波相移会有较大误差。     

Predicting and adapting satellite channels with weather-induced impairments

Efficiency improvements using predictive and adaptive methods over satellite channels with weather-induced impairments are presented. Scintillation and rain attenuation are the two dominant factors for signal fading over satellite-Earth paths at operating frequencies over 10 GHz. We develop statistical and spectral analyses of these processes, and obtain simple linear predictors for received signal attenuation using autoregressive (AR) models. For adaptation, we propose changing signal transmission power, modulation symbol size, and/or code rate as the state of the channel changes. In particular, we introduce a continuous power control and discrete rate control strategy. Quantitative analyses of power consumption and channel capacity indicate that there can be a substantial gain in performance with such adaptive schemes.     

30/20 GHz Band Small Earth Station for ISSDN Experiment

The system design and operational results of a 30/20 GHz band small Earth station for integrated services satellite digital network (ISSDN) experiments are presented. The Earth station has a high efficiency offset Cassegrain antenna with elliptical beam, a high power klystron amplifier with 1 kW output power and an uncooled parametric low noise amplifier with 200 K noise temperature. Experiments were performed using the medium capacity communications satellite for experimental purposes (CS). Performance on the Earth station was high. Effective radiation power (ERP) was greater than 88.1 dBW, and the receiving figure of merit (G/T) was larger than 30.6 dB/K. Good transmission characteristics were obtained through the satellite link for demand assigned time-division multiple access (DA-TDMA) with 20 Mbit/s bit rate.     

Atmospheric Attenuation Models for Satellite-To-Earth Links

In an earlier paper by the authors1 it was mentioned that atmospheric attenuation effects could be included by assuming that the attenuation is directly proportional to number of air masses. While this assumption is valid for the optical region, it is not true in the microwave region (1 to 40 GHz). For a clear atmosphere, the two constituents which absorb microwaves are oxygen and water vapor. An analysis of the atmospheric attenuation data for the microwave region has been made and some rather simple expressions for computing the attenuation as a function of zenith angle are developed with an accuracy suitable for satellite antenna footprint calculations.     

Japan's CS (Sakura) Communications Satellite Experiments

The Japanese Communications Satellite (CS), called Sakura, is a "Medium Capacity Communications Satellite for Experimental Purposes" and is the first experimental communications satellite in which 30/20 GHz bands were adopted and were developed for practical domestic use. Large scale field trials have been carried out for more than three years in order to evaluate 30/20 GHz (Ka-band) and 6/4 GHz (C-band) domestic satellite communications system technologies under actual operational conditions by using the CS Sakura launched in December 1977. Through the various experiments on Kand C-band large fixed and small transportable Earth station systems, satellite control experiments, and Ka-band propagation measurements, it has been verified that the medium capacity satellite communications system meets the design objectives.     

基于SPT70的微波霍尔推力器谐振腔电磁特征计算分析

微波霍尔推力器是双极霍尔推力器的一种形式,其电离源中的圆柱谐振腔是一个关键件,它承担着微波能量的传输并激发表面波等离子体的重要作用。正确选择其结构和谐振模态是构建微波霍尔推力器的重要基础。为此,针对不同结构、不同谐振模态的微波谐振腔进行结构参数计算分析和电磁场分布规律数值模拟,从中选取可以和霍尔推力器SPT70加速通道相匹配的腔体结构。计算分析和数值模拟结果表明2.45GHz谐振于TM011模的圆柱谐振腔和SPT70加速通道有合适的匹配关系。     

舰载散射通信自主建链研究

目前主流的散射通信建链方式均依靠第三方通信手段,如果在强对抗环境中,无法进行双方站点位置信息的交换,散射通信将无法进行。针对这个问题,文章提出了 1种舰载散射通信的自主建链方法,利用不同波束宽度的天线以不同角速度进行空间扫描来完成建链。在建链过程中,主站采用步进式扫描,从站采用连续快速扫描进行目标站台方位搜索。仿真结果显示:岸-舰散射通信系统可以在几秒内快速完成建链;舰-舰散射通信系统由于双移动特性,建链时间会比较长,但也可以控制在分钟级。此方法在理论层面验证了散射通信系统自主建链可行性。     

通过固体推进剂火焰的激光信号衰减研究

本文讨论波长为 1.0 6 μm的 YAG激光束通过固体推进剂火焰时引起的信号衰减。对固体推进剂药条上方的燃烧火焰和发动机喷出的高速羽焰进行了实验测量。结果表明,YAG激光束在穿越推剂火焰后会引起信号衰减;不同的推进剂引起的衰减量有很大不同;推进剂中铝粉的含量是造成近场羽焰激光信号衰减的主要因素。      

Design and characteristics of a multiband communication satelliteantenna system

Feasibility studies on a multiband communication satellite antenna system and the key technologies involved in devising this system are described. The proposed multiband communication satellite utilizes four frequency bands: Ka (30/20 GHz), Ku (14/12 GHz), C (6/4 GHz), and S (2.6/2.5 GHz). It has six beam configurations, three multibeam and three shaped-beam. The following key technologies are presented: (1) a low-loss frequency selective subreflector (FSR) for compact feeds, (2) a low-loss and broadband frequency selective surface (FSS), and (3) a highly accurate and reliable mesh reflector     

Detumbling strategy based on friction control of dual-arm space robot for capturing tumbling target

The rotational motion of a tumbling target brings great challenges to space robot on successfully capturing the tumbling target. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the target’s rotation to a rate at which capture can be accomplished by the space robot. In this paper, a detumbling strategy based on friction control of dual-arm space robot for capturing tumbling target is proposed. This strategy can reduce the target’s rotational velocity while maintaining base attitude stability through the establishment of the rotation attenuation controller and base attitude adjustment controller. The rotation attenuation controller adopts the multi-space hybrid impedance control method to control the friction precisely. The base attitude adjustment controller applies the dual-arm extended Jacobian matrix to stabilize the base attitude. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) The compliant control method is adopted to achieve a precise friction control, which can reduce the target angular velocity steadily; (2) The dual-arm extended Jacobian matrix is applied to stabilize the base attitude without affecting the target capture task; (3) The detumbling strategy of dual-arm space robot is designed considering base attitude stabilization, realizing coordinated planning of the base attitude and the arms. The strategy is verified by a dual-arm space robot with two 7-DOF (degrees of freedom) arms. Simulation results show that, target with a rotation velocity of 20 (°)/s can be effectively controlled to stop within 30 s, and the final deflection of the base attitude is less than 0.15° without affecting the target capture task, verifying the correctness and effectiveness of the strategy. Except to the tumbling target capture task, the control strategy can also be applied to other typical on-orbit operation tasks such as space debris removal and spacecraft maintenance.     

Optical fiber geostationary tether satellite (F-GTS) system design

The geostationary satellite orbit (GSO) is a limited natural resource and its efficient utilization is very important. The geostationary tether satellite (GTS) system has a number of satellites aligned along the local vertical on either side of the nominal geostationary position. The system is synchronized with the Earth's rotation and all the various altitudes are geostationary, Furthermore, optical-fiber geostationary tether satellite (F-GTS) system has been introduced to improve the GTS system, with regard to increment of communication capacity, simplification of interference paths and intersatellite link (ISL) capability. The F-GTS system design is discussed with the purpose of achieving a realistic satellite network. Three frequency bands, i.e., the 14/11, 30/20, and 50/40 GHz bands, are examined for selection of the optimum frequency band. The F-GTS system example for covering the service areas in Japan is discussed with regard to satellite antenna diameter, communication capacities, etc. To apply the F-GTS system to the whole GSO, the diagonal azimuth orbit arrangement method is proposed for low latitude service areas. Moreover, the F-GTS communication capacity and total communication capacity, when the F-GTS systems are applied to the whole GSO, are also examined.     

电路模拟吸波材料带宽拓展方法探索

电路模拟吸波材料有一定的频率选择特性,电磁波有效损耗的带宽通常比较窄,通过多层电路屏、掺杂电损耗介质、磁损耗介质层组合、磁电损耗组合的方法,对电路模拟结构吸波材料在2~18GHz区间电磁损耗带宽的拓展进行了初步探索。结果证明:四种方法都能够提高电路模拟吸波材料的有效吸波带宽,并能够不同程度地提高材料的吸波效率。多层电路屏、掺杂电损耗介质的多层电路屏、组合磁损耗介质层的多层电路屏、组合磁损耗介质层和电损耗介质的多层电路屏,其反射率≤-5dB的带宽较单层电路屏的1.2GHz分别增加了6.4、10.6、9.6、10.6GHz,最小反射率分别达到-8、-10、-12、-25dB。