国际空间站智能在轨运行进展及启示

空间站作为近地空间的大型平台，具备长期飞行与空间科学探索能力.随着在轨任务的不断增加，高效空间站在轨运行管理成为挑战性的难题.人工智能与航天技术的深度融合，使得空间站在轨运行逐步向智能化发展，航天器在轨运行智能化已成为必然趋势.本文对国际空间站（International Space Station，ISS）在轨智能化发展历程进行了深入分析，调研人工智能技术在其健康管理、任务规划与调度、任务操作和人机交互中的应用，以期对未来中国空间站的智能在轨运行提供启示.      

空间站机械臂研究

空间极端环境下, 大多数舱外活动必须借助于机械臂. 机械臂是国际空间站的主要组成部分, 其对空间站的在轨组装、外部维修以及运行起着至关重要的作用, 同时机械臂可以减少航天员在舱外的工作时间和频率. 通过对国际空间站成员国关于机械臂研究概况的介绍, 包括航天飞机机械臂、空间站机械臂、欧洲机械臂、日本实验舱机械臂以及德国机械臂, 为中国空间机械臂的设计提供参考.      

Changes in operational procedures to improve spaceflight experiments in plant biology in the European Modular Cultivation System

The microgravity environment aboard orbiting spacecraft has provided a unique laboratory to explore topics in basic plant biology as well as applied research on the use of plants in bioregenerative life support systems. Our group has utilized the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to study plant growth, development, tropisms, and gene expression in a series of spaceflight experiments. The most current project performed on the ISS was termed Seedling Growth-1 (SG-1) which builds on the previous TROPI (for tropisms) experiments performed in 2006 and 2010. Major technical and operational changes in SG-1 (launched in March 2013) compared to the TROPI experiments include: (1) improvements in lighting conditions within the EMCS to optimize the environment for phototropism studies, (2) the use of infrared illumination to provide high-quality images of the seedlings, (3) modifications in procedures used in flight to improve the focus and overall quality of the images, and (4) changes in the atmospheric conditions in the EMCS incubator. In SG-1, a novel red-light-based phototropism in roots and hypocotyls of seedlings that was noted in TROPI was confirmed and now can be more precisely characterized based on the improvements in procedures. The lessons learned from sequential experiments in the TROPI hardware provide insights to other researchers developing space experiments in plant biology.     

Life sciences flight hardware development for the International Space Station.

During the construction phase of the International Space Station (ISS), early flight opportunities have been identified (including designated Utilization Flights, UF) on which early science experiments may be performed. The focus of NASA's and other agencies' biological studies on the early flight opportunities is cell and molecular biology; with UF-1 scheduled to fly in fall 2001, followed by flights 8A and UF-3. Specific hardware is being developed to verify design concepts, e.g., the Avian Development Facility for incubation of small eggs and the Biomass Production System for plant cultivation. Other hardware concepts will utilize those early research opportunities onboard the ISS, e.g., an Incubator for sample cultivation, the European Modular Cultivation System for research with small plant systems, an Insect Habitat for support of insect species. Following the first Utilization Flights, additional equipment will be transported to the ISS to expand research opportunities and capabilities, e.g., a Cell Culture Unit, the Advanced Animal Habitat for rodents, an Aquatic Facility to support small fish and aquatic specimens, a Plant Research Unit for plant cultivation, and a specialized Egg Incubator for developmental biology studies. Host systems (Figure 1A, B: see text), e.g., a 2.5 m Centrifuge Rotor (g-levels from 0.01-g to 2-g) for direct comparisons between g and selectable g levels, the Life Sciences Glovebox for contained manipulations, and Habitat Holding Racks (Figure 1B: see text) will provide electrical power, communication links, and cooling to the habitats. Habitats will provide food, water, light, air and waste management as well as humidity and temperature control for a variety of research organisms. Operators on Earth and the crew on the ISS will be able to send commands to the laboratory equipment to monitor and control the environmental and experimental parameters inside specific habitats. Common laboratory equipment such as microscopes, cryo freezers, radiation dosimeters, and mass measurement devices are also currently in design stages by NASA and the ISS international partners.     

Remote sensing from the International Space Station

The time has come to give serious thought to the use of the International Space Station (ISS) as a space platform to advance remote sensing research in several scientific disciplines. The European scientific community has been developing instrumentation for deployment on the ISS for some time now. Recently, NASA opened competitions for scientific programs to be supported as “Missions of Opportunity” to utilize the “EXPRESS Pallet” facility on the ISS. A single EXPRESS Pallet has the capability of carrying a collection of instruments similar to the payload of a conventional satellite. A major difference between ISS and satellite programs is that the research funding will be expended on scientific instrumentation and analysis and not on a spacecraft, launch vehicle, and flight operations. As the ISS becomes fully operational, EXPRESS Pallets could be deployed in short periods of time compared to preparing a satellite program. The ability to retrieve, improve, and re-fly an instrument is important to a progressive research program. This allows the experiment to be responsive to data analysis in a timely manner and also keep pace with developing technology.     

Correlation of IRTAM and FPMU data confirming the application of IRTAM to support ISS Program safety

A “Real-Time” plasma hazard assessment process was developed to support International Space Station (ISS) Program real-time decision-making providing solar array constraint relief information for Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) planning and operations. This process incorporates real-time ionospheric conditions, ISS solar arrays’ orientation, ISS flight attitude, and where the EVA will be performed on the ISS. This assessment requires real-time data that is presently provided by the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) which measures the ISS floating potential (FP), along with ionospheric electron number density (Ne) and electron temperature (Te), in order to determine the present ISS environment. Once the present environment conditions are correlated with International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) values, IRI is used to forecast what the environment could become in the event of a severe geomagnetic storm. If the FPMU should fail, the Space Environments team needs another source of data which is utilized to support a short-term forecast for EVAs. The IRI Real-Time Assimilative Mapping (IRTAM) model is an ionospheric model that uses real-time measurements from a large network of digisondes to produce foF2 and hmF2 global maps in 15?min cadence. The Boeing Space Environments team has used the IRI coefficients produced in IRTAM to calculate the Ne along the ISS orbital track. The results of the IRTAM model have been compared to FPMU measurements and show excellent agreement. IRTAM has been identified as the FPMU back-up system that will be used to support the ISS Program if the FPMU should fail.     

First flight of the ASTROCULTURE (TM) experiment as a part of the U.S. Shuttle/MIR program.

A number of space-based experiments have been conducted to assess the impact of microgravity on plant growth and development. In general, these experiments did not identify any profound impact of microgravity on plant growth and development, though investigations to study seed development have indicated difficulty in plants completing their reproductive cycle. However, it was not clear whether the lack of seed production was due to gravity effects or some other environmental condition prevailing in the unit used for conducting the experiment. The ASTROCULTURE (TM) flight unit contains a totally enclosed plant chamber in which all the critically important environmental conditions are controlled. Normal wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and development in the ASTROCULTURE (TM) flight unit was observed during a ground experiment conducted prior to the space experiment. Subsequent to the ground experiment, the flight unit was transported to MIR by STS-89, as part of the U.S. Shuttle/MIR program, in an attempt to determine if super dwarf wheat plants that were germinated in microgravity would grow normally and produce seeds. The experiment was initiated on-orbit after the flight unit was transferred from the Space Shuttle to MIR. The ASTROCULTURE (TM) flight unit performed nominally for the first 24 hours after the flight unit was activated, and then the unit stopped functioning abruptly. Since it was not possible to return the unit to nominal operation it was decided to terminate the experiment. On return of the flight unit, it was confirmed that the control computer of the ASTROCULTURE (TM) flight unit sustained a radiation hit that affected the control software embedded in the computer. This experience points out that at high orbital inclinations, such as that of MIR and that projected for the International Space Station, the danger of encountering harmful radiation effects are likely unless the electronic components of the flight hardware are resistant to such impacts.     

空间增材制造技术的应用

中国空间站旨在进行大量在轨科学实验和空间应用研究,在轨保障是支持空间站在全寿命周期内完成载人航天任务的重要途径.传统地面制造及上行补给方式难以满足较大规模应用的需求,亟需一种创新性的保障模式突破资源瓶颈,空间增材制造技术具有极大的潜力实现即造即用的资源保障模式.本文根据空间增材制造技术的最新研究进展,结合中国空间站和载人深空探测任务需求,对空间增材制造技术的在轨应用模式进行分析,提出了中国空间增材制造技术未来发展所面临的问题和解决途径.      

Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass for the International Space Station (ISS-CREAM)

The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) instrument is configured with a suite of particle detectors to measure TeV cosmic-ray elemental spectra from protons to iron nuclei over a wide energy range. The goal is to extend direct measurements of cosmic-ray composition to the highest energies practical, and thereby have enough overlap with ground based indirect measurements to answer questions on cosmic-ray origin, acceleration and propagation. The balloon-borne CREAM was flown successfully for about 161 days in six flights over Antarctica to measure elemental spectra of Z = 1–26 nuclei over the energy range 10¹⁰ to >10¹⁴ eV. Transforming the balloon instrument into ISS-CREAM involves identification and replacement of components that would be at risk in the International Space Station (ISS) environment, in addition to assessing safety and mission assurance concerns. The transformation process includes rigorous testing of components to reduce risks and increase survivability on the launch vehicle and operations on the ISS without negatively impacting the heritage of the successful CREAM design. The project status, including results from the ongoing analysis of existing data and, particularly, plans to increase the exposure factor by another order of magnitude utilizing the International Space Station are presented.     

Cytogenetic examination of cosmonauts for space radiation exposure estimation

Purpose

To evaluate radiation induced chromosome aberration frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes of cosmonauts who participated in flights on Mir Orbital Station and ISS (International Space Station).

Materials and methods

Cytogenetic examination which has been performed in the period 1992–2008 included the analysis of chromosome aberrations using conventional Giemsa staining method in 202 blood samples from 48 cosmonauts who participated in flights on Mir Orbital Station and ISS.

Results

Space flights led to an increase of chromosome aberration frequency. Frequency of dicentrics plus centric rings (Dic+Rc) depend on the space flight duration and accumulated dose value. After the change of space stations (from Mir Orbital Station to ISS) the radiation load of cosmonauts based on data of cytogenetic examination decreased. Extravehicular activity also adds to chromosome aberration frequency in cosmonauts’ blood lymphocytes. Average doses after the first flight, estimated by the frequency of Dic+Rc, were 227 and 113 mGy Eq for long-term flights (LTF) and 107 and 53 mGy Eq for short-term flights (STF).

Conclusion

Cytogenetic examination of cosmonauts can be applied to assess equivalent doses.     

Planetary protection issues for Mars sample acquisition flight projects.

The planned NASA sample acquisition flight missions to Mars pose several interesting planetary protection issues. In addition to the usual forward contamination procedures for the adequate protection of Mars for the sake of future missions, there are reasons to ensure that the sample is not contaminated by terrestrial microbes from the acquisition mission. Recent recommendations by the Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Research Council (United States), would indicate that the scientific integrity of the sample is a planetary protection concern (SSB, 1997). Also, as a practical matter, a contaminated sample would interfere with the process for its release from quarantine after return for distribution to the interested scientists. These matters are discussed in terms of the first planned acquisition mission.     

"神舟七号"飞船热控分系统设计和在轨性能评估

针对出舱活动飞船热控设计难点,简要介绍了其热控方案,并对热控分系统在轨飞行数据进行了深入分析,综合评估其在轨工作性能.飞行试验表明,飞船在待发及上升段、自主运行段、出舱活动段、返回再入段,热控分系统均具有良好的温度调控能力和适应能力,整船仪器设备温度及密封舱空气温湿度均满足指标要求.     

Operations of a spaceflight experiment to investigate plant tropisms

Plants will be an important component in bioregenerative systems for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. Since gravity is reduced both on the Moon and Mars, studies that identify the basic mechanisms of plant growth and development in altered gravity are required to ensure successful plant production on these space colonization missions. To address these issues, we have developed a project on the International Space Station (ISS) to study the interaction between gravitropism and phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana. These experiments were termed TROPI (for tropisms) and were performed on the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) in 2006. In this paper, we provide an operational summary of TROPI and preliminary results on studies of tropistic curvature of seedlings grown in space. Seed germination in TROPI was lower compared to previous space experiments, and this was likely due to extended storage in hardware for up to 8 months. Video downlinks provided an important quality check on the automated experimental time line that also was monitored with telemetry. Good quality images of seedlings were obtained, but the use of analog video tapes resulted in delays in image processing and analysis procedures. Seedlings that germinated exhibited robust phototropic curvature. Frozen plant samples were returned on three space shuttle missions, and improvements in cold stowage and handing procedures in the second and third missions resulted in quality RNA extracted from the seedlings that was used in subsequent microarray analyses. While the TROPI experiment had technical and logistical difficulties, most of the procedures worked well due to refinement during the project.     

Spot 1 end of life disposition manoeuvres

The Earth observation satellites of the SPOT family are on a Sun-synchronous orbit at 822 km altitude. The on-orbit lifetime of objects at this altitude is about two centuries, which represents an important risk to the other satellites.The space debris issue has caused the main Agencies to adopt mitigation guidelines with the objective to reduce the population of objects orbiting the Earth. In 1999, CNES published its own standard presenting the management, design and operation rules. This document is fully compliant with the Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) mitigation guidelines approved in 2002 by 11 Space Agencies and submitted to United Nations – Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in February 2003.The space debris mitigation requirements expressed in the CNES standard and in the IADC mitigation guidelines limit the orbital lifetime in LEO to less than 25 years. Although not applicable to Spot 1, launched earlier in 1986, this rule was voluntarily applied and the decision to deorbit Spot 1 was taken.The corresponding operations, performed in November 2003, were complex due to a large number of constraints such as the unusual flight domain, the on-board sensors, the short ground station visibilities or the uncertainties in the estimation of the remaining fuel in the tanks. In the preliminary phase, the orbit was lowered 15 km below the operational orbit to avoid any collision risk with the other Spot satellites. Then, in a second phase, a series of eight apogee boosts lowered progressively the perigee altitude to 619 km. Finally, a large last manoeuvre was performed to empty the tanks and to reduce the perigee altitude the maximum amount. A succession of four ground stations visibilities allowed a real time monitoring of this manoeuvre. In particular the effect of gas bubbles in the propulsion system was observed through telemetry confirming the fuel depletion. The batteries were then disconnected and the telemetry emitter was switched off. According to the obtained perigee altitude, the on-orbit lifetime of Spot 1 should be about 18 years, which meets the space debris mitigation requirements.     

Exploration life support technology challenges for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and future human missions

As NASA implements the U.S. Space Exploration Policy, life support systems must be provided for an expanding sequence of exploration missions. NASA has implemented effective life support for Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) and continues to develop advanced systems. This paper provides an overview of life support requirements, previously implemented systems, and new technologies being developed by the Exploration Life Support Project for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Outpost and future Mars missions. The two contrasting practical approaches to providing space life support are (1) open loop direct supply of atmosphere, water, and food, and (2) physicochemical regeneration of air and water with direct supply of food. Open loop direct supply of air and water is cost effective for short missions, but recycling oxygen and water saves costly launch mass on longer missions. Because of the short CEV mission durations, the CEV life support system will be open loop as in Apollo and Space Shuttle. New life support technologies for CEV that address identified shortcomings of existing systems are discussed. Because both ISS and Lunar Outpost have a planned 10-year operational life, the Lunar Outpost life support system should be regenerative like that for ISS and it could utilize technologies similar to ISS. The Lunar Outpost life support system, however, should be extensively redesigned to reduce mass, power, and volume, to improve reliability and incorporate lessons learned, and to take advantage of technology advances over the last 20 years. The Lunar Outpost design could also take advantage of partial gravity and lunar resources.     

Porous Tube Plant Nutrient Delivery System development: a device for nutrient delivery in microgravity.

The Porous Tube Plant Nutrient Delivery System or PTPNDS (U.S. Patent #4,926,585) has been under development for the past six years with the goal of providing a means for culturing plants in microgravity, specifically providing water and nutrients to the roots. Direct applications of the PTPNDS include plant space biology investigations on the Space Shuttle and plant research for life support in Space Station Freedom. In the past, we investigated various configurations, the suitability of different porous materials, and the effects of pressure and pore size on plant growth. Current work is focused on characterizing the physical operation of the system, examining the effects of solution aeration, and developing prototype configurations for the Plant Growth Unit (PGU), the flight system for the Shuttle mid-deck. Future developments will involve testing on KC-135 parabolic flights, the design of flight hardware and testing aboard the Space Shuttle.     

中国航天医学进展

航天医学是随着载人航天事业的发展而兴起的一门特种医学学科、随着人类对太空的不断探索,从学科创建至今的短短几十年时间取得了巨大的发展,我国的载人航天工程于20世纪90年代初启动,但航天医学发展的历史却可追溯到50年代末,特别是近10年来,我国载人航天工程的启动为航天医学的发展带来了重大机遇,目前,我国首次载人航天飞行已获圆满成功,首飞航天员也已安全、健康地重返地球,航天医学专家们与航天员一同经受住了首次载人航天飞行的考验、本文简要介绍了我国航天医学的基础研究和应用研究,以及取得的进展,并展望了今后将面临的挑战和机遇。     

NASA's Space Life Sciences Training Program.

The Space Life Sciences Training Program (SLSTP) is an intensive, six-week training program held every summer since 1985 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). A major goal of the SLSTP is to develop a cadre of qualified scientists and engineers to support future space life sciences and engineering challenges. Hand-picked, undergraduate college students participate in lectures, laboratory sessions, facility tours, and special projects: including work on actual Space Shuttle flight experiments and baseline data collection. At NASA Headquarters (HQ), the SLSTP is jointly sponsored by the Life Sciences Division and the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs: it has been very successful in attracting minority students and women to the fields of space science and engineering. In honor of the International Space Year (ISY), 17 international students participated in this summer's program. An SLSTP Symposium was held in Washington D.C., just prior to the World Space Congress. The Symposium attracted over 150 SLSTP graduates for a day of scientific discussions and briefings concerning educational and employment opportunities within NASA and the aerospace community. Future plans for the SLSTP include expansion to the Johnson Space Center in 1995.