Inflatable antenna for cubesats: Motivation for development and antenna design

CubeSats and small satellites have potential to provide means to explore space and to perform science in a more affordable way. As the goals for these spacecraft become more ambitious in space exploration, moving from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) or further, the communication systems currently implemented will not be able to support those missions. One of the bottlenecks in small spacecraft communication systems is represented by antennas' size, due to the close relation between antenna gain and dimensions. Current antennas for CubeSats are mostly dipole or patch antennas with limited gain. Deployable (not inflatable) antennas for CubeSats are currently being investigated, but these solutions are affected by the challenge of packaging the whole deployable structure in a small spacecraft.The work that we propose represents the first attempt to develop an inflatable antenna for CubeSats. Inflatable structures and antennas can be packaged efficiently occupying a small amount of space, and they can provide, once deployed, large dish dimension and correspondent gain. Inflatable antennas have been previously tested in space (Inflatable Antenna Experiment, STS-77). However they have never been developed for small spacecraft such as CubeSats, where the packaging efficiency, the deployment, and the inflation represent a challenge.Our study explores for the first time the possibility of developing such antenna in a way compatible with CubeSat dimensions and constraints. The research provides answers on the possible dimensions for an inflatable antenna for small satellites, on the gain and resolution that can be achieved, and on the deployment and inflation mechanism compatible with CubeSat. Future work in the development of the antenna will include the test of the antenna in flight during a specific technical demonstration mission.The article is structured as follows: context and motivation for Cubesat inflatable antenna are described; then a study to design the antenna which achieves the required performance metrics, while respecting the constraints imposed by CubeSat structure, is presented.     

X-ray, γ-ray and neutron detector development for future space instrumentation

An overview of the material developments currently being pursued by the European Space Agency (ESA) with respect to X-ray, γ-ray and neutron detection media is given. The benefits underlying the selection of specific materials are discussed. In the X-ray regime the basic microphysics behind degraded spectral performance caused by the polarization effect and Te inclusions, have been investigated. We have found that both effects degrade the spectra by producing a localised distortion of the electric field. The underlying cause for the distortion does however differ. For the γ-ray regime, a low-noise equivalent scintillator to LaBr₃ has been developed in the form of CeBr₃. Three inch crystals with a FWHM energy resolution of 4.4% at 662 keV have successfully been produced. For neutron detection, a boron compound based solid state neutron detector has been developed that is sensitive to neutrons, alpha particles and 60 keV X-rays. The measured detection efficiency in detection for thermal neutrons was found to be in the order of a few per cent.     

星载FPGA内时序电路设计与时钟控制技术分析

在分析星载FPGA内时序电路特性以及FPGA可编程资源特性的基础上,指出了FPGA内同步时序电路出现时钟偏斜现象的机理。针对时钟偏斜,提出了星载FPGA内时序电路的设计准则。基于设计准则,提出了并行移位寄存器的一种异步化设计方法,阐述了在FPGA源代码中设置设计约束,或在逻辑综合与布局布线过程中联合设置设计约束,将主要同步时序电路时钟信号布置在全局时钟网络上的方法。工程实践表明：上述方法很好地解决了星载FPGA内同步时序电路时钟偏斜问题,可确保星载FPGA工作的稳定性与可靠性。     

Structural control interaction for an LSS attitude control system using thrusters and reaction wheels

This work provides some important information about control structure interaction (CSI) for a large space structure (LSS) attitude control subsystem (ACS) comprised of thrusters and reaction wheels. The LSS physical model is assumed as a rigid long tubular beam as the main bus with two attached long flexible solar panels. Two thrusters (one at each tip of the LSS) are used for large amplitude maneuvers and the reaction wheels for fine control. Lagrange's formulations for generalized and quasi-coordinates were used to derive the equations of motion. The gravity gradient, the solar pressure and the drag were included in the mathematical model as external perturbations. The assumed modes discretization method has been used to model the solar array elastic displacements so as to obtain a set of ordinary differential equations to describe the LSS motion. Different control strategies were implemented to analyze the CSI for two configurations, fine and coarse control. The MatLab/Simulink platform has been used for the computational simulations. The results are in agreement with the CSI theory in that thruster firings excite the solar panel vibrations and that the elastic vibration is an important issue to be taken into account for LSS ACS performance evaluation for both fine and coarse control. In spite of the CSI the maneuver objectives have been accomplished with results that meet the mission criteria.     

A self-deploying and self-stabilizing helical antenna for small satellites

Space antennas with a helical geometry are an advantageous choice for many applications, for instance if the transmission of electromagnetic waves with a circular polarization is intended, or if signals from terrestrial objects shall be received with a high angular resolution. In all these cases the desired electromagnetic properties of a helical geometry can be combined with the mechanical advantage that the antenna acts as a compression spring, provided that its core structure has the necessary high spring stiffness but can nevertheless easily be compressed. Such an antenna has been developed by DLR Institutes in Bremen and Braunschweig together with some industrial partners for a small satellite named AISat, which shall be able to pursue the position of individual ships in critical sea areas in order to improve the security of seafare trade. The development was very challenging since the antenna must expand from a stowed stack length of only 10 cm to a total length of 4 m. Only a special carbonfiber core under the conductive coating and a system of stabilizing cords led to a satisfying solution. Both the self-deployment and the self-stabilization function of this innovative antenna concept have been successfully tested and verified under zero-g-conditions in the course of a parabolic flight campaign. It could be convincingly demonstrated that the helical antenna can really achieve its desired contour in weightlessness within some seconds and maintain the required stability. Beyond the current application for the AISat satellite it is therefore quite a promising concept for future satellites.     

军用飞机无维修待命时间预计分析

针对目前军用飞机无维修待命时间指标尚未开展详细预计的问题,通过对影响无维修待命时间的因素分析,提出非电子产品的非工作失效率外场评估方法,结合电子产品的非工作失效率预计值,对军用飞机的无维修待命时间进行了详细预计,并分析了薄弱环节,提出了相应的设计准则。     

超细铝粉的燃烧特性及燃烧模型

运用ＤＴＡ－ＴＧ、ＰＤＳＣ单幅近距摄影、扫描电镜、推进剂爆热的测定等多种实验技术，对超细铝粉燃烧特性及其燃烧模型进行了研究。结果表明，在中压区，推进剂燃面的ＳＡ１直接点火燃烧放热，提高了推进剂燃速，并提出了ＳＡ１在推进剂燃面上直接点火的观战及燃面点火的两个条件；揭示了铝粉在中、高压区内的不同作用，提出了铝焰的概念；绘制了铝和ＳＡ１的燃烧行为图。     

月球图像传输与处理的分析和仿真

需要一个平台对探月卫星,探月图像传输和处理进行研究. 嫦娥一号月球图像的传输与处理的仿真,结合了链路分析,采用MATLAB GUI 和虚拟现实设计工具。由于图像在深空传输中,距离较远,信号会受到很大的衰减,传输质量会受到噪声干扰的严重影响。因此要对系统链路进行严格的预算分析,包括考虑地球大气产生的影响,以确保信号传输质量满足要求,另外还要通过适当算法提高图像的清晰度。这种仿真方法对探月图像传输的研究奠定了基础,并且对降低探月成本有一定的帮助。     

Genetic modification and selection of microorganisms for growth on Mars

Genetic engineering has often been suggested as a mechanism for improving the survival prospects of terrestrial microoganisms when seeded on Mars. The survival characteristics that these pioneer microorganisms could be endowed with and a variety of mechanisms by which this can be achieved are discussed, together with an overview of some of the potential hurdles that must be overcome. Also, a number of biologically useful properties for these microorganisms are presented that could facilitate the initial human colonisation and ultimately the planetary engineering of Mars.     

Aeroshell design techniques for aerocapture entry vehicles

A major goal of NASA's In-Space Propulsion Program is to shorten trip times for scientific planetary missions. To meet this challenge arrival speeds will increase, requiring significant braking for orbit insertion, and thus increased deceleration propellant mass that may exceed launch lift capabilities. A technology called aerocapture has been developed to expand the mission potential of exploratory probes destined for planets with suitable atmospheres. Aerocapture inserts a probe into planetary orbit via a single pass through the atmosphere using the probe's aeroshell drag to reduce velocity. The benefit of an aerocapture maneuver is a large reduction in propellant mass that may result in smaller, less costly missions and reduced mission cruise times. The methodology used to design rigid aerocapture aeroshells will be presented with an emphasis on a new systems tool under development. Current methods for fast, efficient evaluations of structural systems for exploratory vehicles to planets and moons within our solar system have been under development within NASA having limited success. Many systems tools that have been attempted applied structural mass estimation techniques based on historical data and curve fitting techniques that are difficult and cumbersome to apply to new vehicle concepts and missions. The resulting vehicle aeroshell mass may be incorrectly estimated or have high margins included to account for uncertainty. This new tool will reduce the guesswork previously found in conceptual aeroshell mass estimations.     

Federal tax incentives and financing for the reusable launch vehicle

Financing a very large new space transportation system is a major venture. It requires an initial investment of many billions of dollars and will be expected to perform successfully during its lifetime of at least twenty-five years. In the past, space systems of this magnitude have been funded, owned and operated by the government. Today, as the responsibility for opening and maintaining space systems is expected to shift from government to industry leadership, the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) presents the private sector with the challenge of finding ways of financing and building a system that will prove to be a successful private venture. The government, recognizing that it is a major customer of the RLV and that new technology must be developed for the RLV to work and to adequately reduce the cost of access to space, will fund some Initial technology development as well as provide some incentives for a private operator. This paper shows that using the current tax system's corporate investment benefits, coupled with a favorable debt financing arrangement, a profitable privately owned RLV system Is within the realm of possibility.     

Aeroshell design techniques for aerocapture entry vehicles

A major goal of NASA's In-Space Propulsion Program is to shorten trip times for scientific planetary missions. To meet this challenge arrival speeds will increase, requiring significant braking for orbit insertion, and thus increased deceleration propellant mass that may exceed launch lift capabilities. A technology called aerocapture has been developed to expand the mission potential of exploratory probes destined for planets with suitable atmospheres. Aerocapture inserts a probe into planetary orbit via a single pass through the atmosphere using the probe's aeroshell drag to reduce velocity. The benefit of an aerocapture maneuver is a large reduction in propellant mass that may result in smaller, less costly missions and reduced mission cruise times. The methodology used to design rigid aerocapture aeroshells will be presented with an emphasis on a new systems tool under development. Current methods for fast, efficient evaluations of structural systems for exploratory vehicles to planets and moons within our solar system have been under development within NASA having limited success. Many systems tools that have been attempted applied structural mass estimation techniques based on historical data and curve fitting techniques that are difficult and cumbersome to apply to new vehicle concepts and missions. The resulting vehicle aeroshell mass may be incorrectly estimated or have high margins included to account for uncertainty. This new tool will reduce the guesswork previously found in conceptual aeroshell mass estimations.     

Hydrothermal simulation experiments as a tool for studies of the origin of life on Earth and other terrestrial planets: a review

The potential of life's origin in submarine hydrothermal systems has been evaluated by a number of investigators by conducting high temperature-high pressure experiments involving organic compounds. In the majority of these experiments little attention has been paid to the importance of constraining important parameters, such as the pH and the redox state of the system. This is particularly revealed in the apparent difficulties in interpreting experimental data from hydrothermal organic synthesis and stability studies. However, in those cases where common mineral assemblages have been used in an attempt to buffer the pH and redox conditions to geologically and geochemically realistic values, theoretical and experimental data seem to converge. The use of mineral buffer assemblages provides a convenient way by which to constrain the experimental conditions. Studies at high temperatures and pressure in the laboratory have revealed a number of reactions that proceed rapidly in hydrothermal fluids, including the Strecker synthesis of amino acids. In other cases, the verification of postulated abiotic reaction mechanisms has not been possible, at least for large molecules such as large fatty acids and hydrocarbons. This includes the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction. High temperature-high pressure experimental methods have been developed and used successfully for a long time in, for example, mineral solubility studies under hydrothermal conditions. By taking advantage of this experimental experience new and, at times, unexpected directions can be taken in bioorganic geochemistry, one being, for instance, primitive two-dimensional information coding. This article critically reviews some of the organic synthesis and stability experiments that have been conducted under simulated submarine hydrothermal conditions. We also discuss some of the theoretical and practical considerations that apply to hydrothermal laboratory studies of organic molecules related to the origin of life on Earth and probably also to the other terrestrial planets.     

Export control regime for space items in China: Opportunities and challenges in the new era

Export control system is vital to effective control of sensitive items and technologies and thus an appropriate system is indispensable to the realization of the goal of non-proliferation. The progress so far shows that China has made great efforts in constructing a domestic regime for export controls. Nevertheless, it has also been recognized that the mere existence of a domestic regime is not sufficient and that the realization of export control should be complemented with effective and efficient enforcement. The paper examines the effectiveness of the current export control regime in China and explores means to strengthen the current regime to dispel the concerns from other nations. The paper concludes that China has been committed to export controls in sensitive space items in the past years; yet further improvements could be made to better serve China's national interests and its commitments under international nonproliferation export control regimes.     

Smallsats for METOP: Design definition, heritage and performance

The results of a study by MMS for BNSC and the UK Meteorological Office into the potential use of Smallsats to support METOP are reported. A risk of degradation or failure of a mission critical instrument during the METOP lifetime has been identified. The scenario proposed uses a Smallsat flying in formation with METOP to replace a failed instrument with data being returned to METOP via an inter-satellite link. An assessment of small launcher and small platform availability and instrument interface requirements indicates that such a scenario is feasible. Minor modifications to METOP and a relative pointing correction during ground processing would be required. It is concluded that a Smallsat could provide a significant improvement to METOP programme reliability with low design and cost risk. Scenario attractiveness depends upon whether a critical instrument failure would justify replacement.     

Near-critical fluids under microgravity : status of the eseme program and perspectives for the iss

Started 16 years ago, the ESEME program has led to a number of important findings. We note a simple and unified view of phase transitions, which has been applied to the development of biological patterns, and a very fast thermalization mode that we coined the “piston effect”. This effect has been applied to control the cryogenic reservoirs of the Ariane 5 rocket. All these findings have been obtained thanks to the good coordination of the ESA and CNES space facilities and the construction of high technology experimental modules. The future of the program is linked to the CNES DECLIC facility and the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL). DECLIC has been designed to increase the temperature regulation above the critical point of water (550 K) so as to investigate chemical reactions under conditions of supercritical water, and in relation to the promising applications of waste treatment by supercritical oxidation. Thanks to the construction of a special vibrational Experiment Container for FSL, the thermal and mechanical behavior of fluids under forced vibration can be investigated. The results of such studies will help to estimate the effect of g-jitter on fluids, and control gases and liquids in space.     

压电-活塞式合成射流驱动器结构与性能

在传统的压电合成射流驱动器驱动器的基础之上,结合活塞式合成射流驱动器的结构特点,设计了一种新型的压电式合成射流驱动器结构。使用ANSYS仿真出这种新结构的振型模态并与传统压电式合成射流驱动器的振动模态对比。通过热线风速仪对新驱动器的驱动能力进行测量。得到了这种新型驱动器的频率响应曲线、瞬时速度、中心线上速度分布和开口处横向速度分布曲线。实验结果显示出这种新型的压电-活塞式合成射流驱动器峰值速度可以达到80m/s以上,可以有效增加驱动器的驱动能力。     

航空航天用高频高压正弦压力发生器的设计仿真

研制高频高压正弦压力发生器,测试航空航天用压力传感器在高频高压工况下的动态性能是确保发动机优化测试和控制系统有效的关键。为解决现有平面扫掠型正弦压力发生器存在频率和压力受限的问题,提出了一种径向活塞式正弦压力发生器的原理及结构设计,并进一步基于任意拉格朗日欧拉法进行数值仿真,计算其正弦信号在不同压力和不同工作频率下的动静幅值比与失真度,以及优化压力传感器的安装位置。结果表明:设计的径向活塞式正弦压力发生器应确保0.2～8.0 MPa的工作压力和200～10 000 Hz的正弦压力工作频率,正弦压力动静幅值比优于20%,可应用于航空发动机、汽轮机等领域的动态测试。     

POGO蓄压器变频降幅特性分析

论述纵向耦合振动（POGO）蓄压器的变频降幅特性，指出其主要影响因素是蓄压器容积及连接管路的液阻，根据输送管路的特定频率，选择适当的蓄压器容积，使其固有频率与特定管路的压力脉动频率相一致，可以获得预期的变频降幅效果。给出了蓄压器的变频降幅试验研究结果，可为POGO蓄压器的设计，研制，使得提供参考。     

Space assets for demining assistance

Populations emerging from armed conflicts often remain threatened by landmines and explosive remnants of war. The international mine action community is concerned with the relief of this threat. The Space Assets for Demining Assistance (SADA) undertaking is a set of activities that aim at developing new services to improve the socio-economic impact of mine action activities, primarily focused on the release of land thought to be contaminated, a process described as land release. SADA was originally initiated by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). It has been implemented under the Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) program of the European Space Agency (ESA).Land release in mine action is the process whereby the demining community identifies, surveys and prioritizes suspected hazardous areas for more detailed investigation, which eventually results in the clearance of landmines and other explosives, thereby releasing land to the local population. SADA has a broad scope, covering activities, such as planning (risk and impact analysis, prioritization, and resource management), field operations and reporting.SADA services are developed in two phases: feasibility studies followed by demonstration projects. Three parallel feasibility studies have been performed. They aimed at defining an integrated set of space enabled services to support the land release process in mine action, and at analyzing their added value, viability and sustainability. The needs of the mine action sector have been assessed and the potential contribution of space assets has been identified. Support services have been formulated. To test their fieldability, proofs of concept involving mine action end users in various operational field settings have been performed by each of the study teams. The economic viability has also been assessed.Whenever relevant and cost-effective, SADA aims at integrating Earth observation data, GNSS navigation and SatCom technologies with existing mine action tools and procedures, as well as with novel aerial survey technologies. Such conformity with existing user processes, as well as available budgets and appropriateness of technology based solutions given the field level operational setting are important conditions for success. The studies have demonstrated that Earth observation data, satellite navigation solutions and in some cases, satellite communication, indeed can provide added value to mine action activities if properly tailored based on close user interaction and provided through a suitable channel. Such added value for example includes easy and sustained access to Earth observation data for general purpose mapping, land use assessment for post-release progress reporting, and multi-source data fusion algorithms to help quantify risks and socio-economic impact for prioritization and planning purposes. The environment and boundaries of a hazardous area can also be better specified to support the land release process including detailed survey and clearance operations. Satellite communication can help to provide relevant data to remote locations, but is not regarded as strongly user driven. Finally, satellite navigation can support more precise non-technical surveys, as well as aerial observation with small planes or hand-launched UAV's.To ensure the activity is genuinely user driven, the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) plays an important role as ESA’s external advisor. ESA is furthermore supported by a representative field operator, the Swiss Foundation of Mine Action (FSD), providing ESA with a direct connection to the field level end users. Specifically FSD has provided a shared user needs baseline to the three study teams. To ensure solutions meet with end user requirements, the study teams themselves include mine action representatives and have interacted closely with their pre-existing and newly established contacts within the mine action community.