Spacecraft telemetry link performance in a transfer orbit

There are several critical periods early in the mission of a geo-stationary communication satellite. The first is the period from launch vehicle ignition until the upper stage final successful burn. The second is after the above span until the vehicle reaches its final altitude of a synchronous orbit. For a nominal low thrust apogee boost ascent subsystem during that later time, almost continuous telemetry is mandatory. This is especially true during the crucial periods of main engine burns and attitude correction phases. Maintaining a strong telemetry link throughout this phase requires an adequate RF signal link from the spacecraft to a ground station in the telemetry RF channel. An analysis of this link performance during each orbit until final position has two major aspects. One, the location of the spacecraft in relation to the ground tracking station at each moment in the mission is a matter of geometry and Keplerian physics. The other is the RF signal and its supporting subsystems, both on the ground and aboard the vehicle. The fundamental theoretical considerations or both the orbit parameters and radio link components are examined and then the individual parameter sensitivities are analyzed. Next, a nominal cast for a generic mission is studied. This survey considers the telemetry performance during each major stage of the flight from the launch through the transfer orbit to the postinjection period to the final orbit. Then abnormal situations due to both orbit and RF faults are examined. Finally, some design and operation concepts which may lessen the impact of the previous anomalies, are presented     

Minimax Approach to Trajectory Optimization of Multistage Launch Vehicles

An optimum pitch steering program is developed, using a minimax technique, for a multistage launch vehicle in the presence of large parameter uncertainties. The uncertainties are characterized by deterministic bounds on the respective parameters. The pitch steering program is obtained by maximizing two independent scalar performance ance indexes. 1) the coast apogee velocity for a specified altitude; 2) the perigee of the satellite orbit. The product of dynamic pressure and angle of attack is constrained so as to minimize the structural loads during the atmospheric flight. The values of the uncertain parameters are determined by minimizing the same performance indexes in order to achieve a worst case design. The existence of saddle point solution to this class of problems is shown using the techniques of differential game theory. The conjugate gradient algorithm has been used for computer er aided design of the minimax technique.     

载人登月着陆器奔月窗口搜索方法

对环月轨道共面交会的载人登月任务中,着陆器(LM)奔月零窗口与轨道参数精确快速设计方法进行了研究。任务采用人货分离奔月模式,着陆器于载人飞船到达环月轨道前抵达环月共面交会轨道,着陆器近月点一次共面减速完成近月制动。提出一种三层快速精确奔月窗口搜索方法:第一层采用地心二体轨道理论解析计算月窗口及奔月轨道参数初值,作为正确性基本参考;第二层采用改进的双二体解析动力学模型求解月窗口内奔月轨道参数变化规律;第三层采用高精度轨道动力学模型和SQP_Snopt优化求解奔月零窗口及轨道参数精确解。仿真结果表明,本文提出的三层逐级奔月窗口搜索方法能快速精确求解载人登月任务中着陆器奔月窗口及精确轨道参数,也揭示了影响着陆器奔月窗口的主次因素和规律,为中国未来载人登月工程提供参考。     

Parametric Identification of a Return Space Vehicle during Vertical Landing

Real values of parameters for a space vehicle and its steering devices are specified by using the motion parameters measured in flight based on solving the differential equations of motion.     

Conversations. With Norman Thagard [interview by Johan Benson

This article is an interview with U.S. astronaut Norman Thagard. He was on the Russian Mir 18 mission. Launched to the space station from Baikonur on March 14, 1995, he returned to Earth on the Shuttle 115 days later. With the completion of that mission, Thagard holds the U.S. record for the most time spent in space. Topics of discussion during the interview include: the cultural isolation faced by an American astronaut on a Russian space facility; the physiological and psychological effects of long-duration space flight; the problems of loss of bone and the radiation environment; readaptation to gravity on Earth; and, recommendations to the designers of the Alpha station.     

Mir: a health report

The current equipment and safety status of the Russian space station Mir is discussed. Mir has operated past its expected life expectancy and has been having an increasing number of equipment failures and problems. The Russian system of addressing equipment repairs and maintenance is examined along with implications for the future International Space Station.     

Lunar habitat concept employing the space shuttle external tank

The space shuttle external tank, which consists of a liquid oxygen tank, an intertank structure, and a liquid hydrogen tank, is an expendable structure used for approximately 8.5 min during each launch. A concept for outfitting the liquid oxygen tank-intertank unit for a 12-person lunar habitat is described. The concept utilizes existing structures and openings for both man and equipment access without compromising the structural integrity of the tank. Living quarters, instrumentation, environmental control and life support, thermal control, and propulsion systems are installed at Space Station Freedom. The unmanned habitat is then transported to low lunar orbit and autonomously soft landed on the lunar surface. Design studies indicate that this concept is feasible by the year 2000 with concurrent development of a space transfer vehicle and manned cargo lander for crew changeover and resupply.     

采用 DGCMG 的空间站扰动辨识动量管理

研究长期在轨空间站的动量管理问题。针对动量管理过程中力矩平衡姿态的求解与稳定性进行分析，应用李亚普诺夫方法，给出一种考虑常值姿态干扰的动量管理控制方法，使用双框架控制力矩陀螺作为姿态控制执行机构，进行动量管理控制仿真。仿真结果表明该方法控制准确、收敛快速，可以作为空间站姿态控制的工程参考。     

An epoch state filter for use with analytical orbit models of low earth satellites

Kalman filters provide a well established means for satellite orbit determination. In combination with space based sensors like GPS, DORIS or PRARE, accurate estimates of the spacecraft position and velocity can be obtained in real-time on-board the space vehicle. Traditionally, numerical methods of varying complexity are applied for propagating the state vector between measurements and updates of the state vector are referred to the epoch of the latest sensor output. In the present study a different approach is followed, which offers increased on-board autonomy and is particularly promising for small satellites with moderate accuracy requirements. An analytical orbit model is used to describe the spacecraft trajectory and mean elements at epoch are estimated instead of the instantaneous, osculating state vector. This adds the capability of performing on-board orbit prediction over time scales of up to one week, which is required, for instance, for the autonomous forecast of eclipse times or station contacts. Making use of the SGP4 orbit model that is compatible with NORAD twoline elements, an epoch state Kalman filter has been implemented and tested with GPS flight data of GPS/MET (MicroLab-1) and MOMSNAV (MIR). It is demonstrated that the proposed method provides an accuracy compatible with that of the analytical model and is robust enough to handle large data gaps in case of limited on-board resources for GPS operations. By adjusting the ballistic coefficient along with the mean elements, a considerable improvement of mid-term orbit predictions is achieved over methods that are restricted to the estimation of the state vector alone.     

Nonlinear dynamic modeling and simulation of an atmospheric re-entry spacecraft

This paper discusses the dynamic modeling and simulation techniques for the X-38 re-entry spacecraft, a prototype crew return vehicle (CRV) for the international space station (ISS). A general simulator for atmospheric re-entry dynamics (GESARED) was developed in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The 6 degree-of-freedom re-entry flight dynamics were modeled to achieve minimum restrictions and singularities. Quaternion representation of vehicle attitude was used to avoid computational singularities in angular kinematic model equations. The Earth's atmosphere, Earth's shape and gravitational potential were modeled appropriately. The vehicle's aerodynamic characteristics, navigation sensors, and the actuator dynamics were also modeled and implemented. Several numerical simulation tests and analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of the model equations and the simulator.