Space power systems requirements and issues: the next decade

Some of the more important space power technology issues, requirements, and challenges of the 1990s are described, and the impact of new component technology on the overall performance of space power systems is assessed. Advanced component, subsystem and system technologies that will significantly affect the performance, reliability, and survivability of next-generation baseload and burst mode space power systems are emphasized. Technology disciplines related to power sources (solar/nuclear and chemical), power conversion, energy storage, power conditioning/distribution and control, and waste-heat acquisition, transport, and rejection are primarily addressed. For some of them, performance trends that can be used as the basis for projecting future advanced power-system performance are developed. Performance capabilities for several different types of space power system for both baseload and burst mode applications are postulated on the basis of evolving technology and point designs that incorporate projections of advanced component capabilities     

An efficient SAR parallel processor

A parallel architecture especially designed for a synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) processing algorithm based on an appropriate two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT) code is presented. The algorithm is briefly summarized, and the FFT code is given for the one-dimensional case, although all results can be immediately generalized to the double FFT. The computer architecture, which consists of a toroidal net with transputers on each node, is described. Parametric expressions for the computational time of the net versus the number of nodes are derived. The architecture allows drastic reduction of the processing time, preserving elaboration accuracy and flexibility     

An environment for the integration and test of the Space Stationdistributed avionics systems

An approach is described to supplying an environment for the integration and test of the Space Station distributed avionics systems. Background is included on the development of this concept including the lessons learned from Space Shuttle experience. The environment's relationship to the process flow of the Space-Station verification, from systems development to on-orbit verification, is presented. The uses of the environment's hardware implementation, called Data Management System (DMS) kits, are covered. It is explained how these DMS kits provide a development version of the Space-Station operational environment and how this environment allows system developers to verify their systems performance, fault detection, and recovery capability. Conclusions on how the use of the DMS kits, in support of this concept, will ensure adequate on-orbit test capability are included     

Design of a space-based radar signal processor

Space-based radar (SBR) is capable of providing flexible wide-area coverage of air, land, and sea targets. Numerous studies have been carried out in the United States and Canada in recent years to investigate different concepts for SBR. The design of a suitable radar signal processor (RSP) is challenging due to the effects caused by the moving platform on target integration and clutter spectral spread. A candidate RSP is described that uses a corporate fed array (CFA) antenna as its primary radar sensor. The algorithmic definitions of the signal processing functions are provided; the relationships between these functions and the reasons for their location in the signal processing chain are also discussed. In addition, techniques for reducing the computational requirements are also presented     

A SAR processor based on two-dimensional FFT codes

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processor approach based on two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT) codes coupled with an asymptotic evaluation of the unit response function is presented. For the latter, no approximation is made to the distance function, so that the full range of geometric aberrations is analytically considered, enabling an effective reference filter to be designed. The two-dimensional FFTs were designed as to run on computers of very limited memory: the required FFT is computed by means of FFTs of lower order. Two FFT codes were considered: one is faster and allows full or reduced (quick look or multilook) resolution performance to be obtained easily; the second is slower but allows the use of a space-varying filter and/or investigations on limited portions (zoom) of the image. Both codes are suited to parallel processing, e.g. by a transputer net. A full discussion on computer memory and time requirements is presented as well as first examples of image processing results     

“暴风雪”航天飞机将再战江湖

1988年11月,前苏联成功发射了“暴风雪”航天飞机,打破了美国独家运营航天飞机的垄断局面。前苏联解体后,由于俄罗斯经济的不景气,“暴风雪”一直被封存着。随着国际空间站建造进度加快、国际商用卫星发射市场的繁荣和太空旅游热潮的兴起,俄航天有关部门正考虑让“暴风雪”再次复出     

A flexible processor for a digital adaptive array radar

A digital beamforming processor for an adaptive array radar is described. The functionality and the architecture of the processor are strongly driven by a goal of achieving adaptive null depths in the 60-dB to 70-dB range, which necessitates substantial preprocessing of each channel. In particular, conversion to baseband quadrature channels is accomplished digitally using a single A/D converter per channel, and FIR (finite impulse response) equalizing filters are employed in each channel to match channel transfer functions. The processor is highly modular, and this not only distributes the total processing load, but also the I/O (input/output) bandwidth requirement. This is accomplished by distributing the adaptive beamforming algorithm systolically across a linear array of processing nodes. The processor is expandable to a different number of channels and sufficiently flexible to be applied to other problems of an array signal processing nature. Experimental data presented demonstrate that the processor is capable of supporting channel-to-channel cancellation of interfering signals to the level of -65 dB     

False alarm analysis of the envelope detection GO-CFAR processor

The greatest of constant false alarm rate processor (GO CFAR) is a useful architecture for adaptively setting a radar detection threshold in the presence of clutter edges. The GO CFAR input is often the envelope detected in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) channels of the baseband signal (x_e=√(I²+Q²)). This envelope detection can also be approximated using x=a max{|I|,|Q|}+b min{|I|,|Q|} which requires less complex hardware (a and b are simple multiplying coefficients). The envelope GO CFAR processor and several envelope approximation GO CFAR processors are compared in terms of the probability of false alarm (PFA) performance. Closed-form expressions which describe the PFA performance are given and their accuracy evaluated. It is shown that for all cases, the PFA is proportional to the number of reference cells n for small threshold multiplier T and inversely proportional to n for large T. A region of intersection occurs where the PFA is the same for two different values of n. For example, at T'=1.68 in the |I|+|Q| GO CFAR (a=1, b=1) the PFA for n=1 is equal to the optimal n=∞ fixed-threshold PFA (PFA=0.112)     

Fast converging adaptive processor or a structured covariance matrix

The use of adaptive linear techniques to solve signal processing problems is needed particularly when the interference environment external to the signal processor (such as for a radar or communication system) is not known a priori. Due to this lack of knowledge of an external environment, adaptive techniques require a certain amount of data to cancel the external interference. The number of statistically independent samples per input sensor required so that the performance of the adaptive processor is close (nominally within 3 dB) to the optimum is called the convergence measure of effectiveness (MOE) of the processor. The minimization of the convergence MOE is important since in many environments the external interference changes rapidly with time. Although there are heuristic techniques in the literature that provide fast convergence for particular problems, there is currently not a general solution for arbitrary interference that is derived via classical theory. A maximum likelihood (ML) solution (under the assumption that the input interference is Gaussian) is derived here for a structured covariance matrix that has the form of the identity matrix plus an unknown positive semi-definite Hermitian (PSDH) matrix. This covariance matrix form is often valid in realistic interference scenarios for radar and communication systems. Using this ML estimate, simulation results are given that show that the convergence is much faster than the often-used sample matrix inversion method. In addition, the ML solution for a structured covariance matrix that has the aforementioned form where the scale factor on the identity matrix is arbitrarily lower-bounded, is derived. Finally, an efficient implementation is presented.     

空间的文化 文化的空间——走近忆苑掌门人 韦志青

东方文化内敛含蓄,西方文化外向热烈,这是东西方文化的不同之处。而东方文化最主要的特征是追求精神层面的价值达到由内而外的统一,"心若止水,万物皆空。"凡事只是溯本求源的一场修行,是清静的禅心。人生的修行如此,生命的本源亦如是。     

Total information processor for 121.5/243 MHz SARSAT signals

Search and rescue satellite-aided tracking (SARSAT) has certain shortcomings which could possibly be ameliorated by employing a more extensive signal processing strategy. The approach proposed is based on partially compensating for the Doppler shift, which then permits the data processing windows to be increased significantly. Incorporating a ranking technique with the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) processor and implementing an autoregressive moving-average estimator provides an optimal strategy that maximizes the probability of detecting the emergency signals     

On the false alarm probability for an overlapped FFT processor

A standard processor for detecting narrowband signals in noise applies the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to overlapped data blocks, and then sums the squared magnitudes of the bins from successive FFTs. The overlap of the data blocks causes these bins to be correlated, even when the noise is white. A simple expression is derived for the probability of false alarm when the covariance matrix of the FFT bins is tridiagonal     

航天动态

美航天飞机将于2010年前全部退役 7月7日,美国航空航天局宣布,航天飞机还要飞行10次,至2010年2月、4月和5月,3架现役航天飞机将分别上演谢幕飞行。航天飞机退役之后,美国将启用新一代的战神火箭和奥赖恩载人飞船,承担美国人重返月球等载人飞行任务     

Space colonization

NASA interest in colonization encompasses space tourism; space exploration; space bases in orbit, at L1, on the Moon, or on Mars; in-situ resource utilization; and planetary terraforming. Activities progressed during 2002 in areas such as Mars colonies, hoppers, and biomass; space elevators and construction; and in-situ consumables.     

Space colonization

A series of workshops were sponsored by the Physical Science Division of NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research to address operational gravity-compliant in-situ resource utilization and life support techologies. Workshop participants explored a Mars simulation study on Devon Island, Canada; the processing of carbon dioxide in regenerative life support systems; space tourism; rocket technology; plant growth research for closed ecological systems; and propellant extraction of planetary regoliths.     

空间多功能在轨维护机器人系统及其末端执行器设计

空间机器人是空间在轨服务的一种重要工具。以合作目标与非合作目标的在轨维护为目的,通过对现有空间机器人研究现状的调研和分析,提出了基于末端工具可快换的多功能在轨维护机器人系统,并提出多种末端执行器设计方案。其中三指-三瓣式末端执行器作为末端工具快换装置,不仅具有机械接口捕获对接的功能,还具有电力/信号传输功能,以及机械臂动力传输功能;钢丝绳缠绕式末端执行器具有优越的容差和软捕获性能,适合用于实现对安装有捕获接口的合作目标以及非合作目标卫星发动机喷管的捕获;而欠驱动三指末端执行器具有良好的待捕获目标物体形状自适应功能以及软捕获功能,因此可用于对空间形状不规则的太空垃圾等目标进行非合作目标捕获。通过对多功能在轨维护机器人系统及其末端工具快换过程以及末端执行器对目标捕获操作的研究,所提出的基于末端工具快换的多功能在轨维护机器人系统有较好的应用前景。     

空间天气事件对空间站的工程影响分析

基于历史统计数据,采用最坏情况分析方法,分析空间天气事件引发的带电粒子环境及大气密度变化对空间站的工程影响,结果显示:(1)发生强太阳质子事件并伴随强地磁扰动(Kp＞5)时,部分太阳质子可以到达空间站,但其对空间站元器件及材料在整个任务期内遭受的累积电离总剂量贡献不大;若航天员出舱活动持续8h,将遭受来自高能太阳质子的剂量当量为4mSv,大约相当于航天员驻留180d的1/80;(2)太阳耀斑和地磁暴均能引发大气密度变化,而地磁暴对空间站轨道影响较大,最恶劣情况多出现在太阳活动周下降期.即最坏情况下,在350km和400km高度,空间站轨道衰减率可分别增加652m/d和316m/d.     

Recent Space Data

This paper summarises the workshop session on recent space data. Most presentations addressed the intense solar storm in October–November 2003. Large perturbations of atmospheric trace gas concentrations, notably NO₂ and HNO₃, were found over extended areas around the magnetic poles in the mesosphere and stratosphere, extending over many weeks in the stratosphere. The impact on total ozone seems to be very limited although some more subtle investigations are still to be done. Several new space instruments with many innovative data products have been introduced. Very good coverage in vertically resolved observations of many chemical species is reached for stratospheric chemistry and dynamics research. Data have already been used to improve stratospheric models. Data continuity is an issue. However, the greatest concern is the lack of any suitable future space instrumentation for tropospheric research (air quality and climate forcing/carbon cycle) as well as UTLS problems (climate/chemistry interaction, stratosphere/troposphere exchange).