Development of the High Altitude Student Platform

The High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) was originally conceived to provide student groups with access to the near-space environment for flight durations and experiment capabilities intermediate between what is possible with small sounding balloons and low Earth orbit rocket launches. HASP is designed to carry up to twelve student payloads to an altitude of about 36 km with flight durations of 15–20 h using a small zero-pressure polyethylene film balloon. This provides a flight capability that can be used to flight-test compact satellites, prototypes and other small payloads designed and built by students. HASP includes a standard mechanical, power and communication interface for the student payload to simplify integration and allows the payloads to be fully exercised. Over the last two years a partnership between the NASA Balloon Program Office (BPO), Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF), Louisiana State University (LSU), the Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), and the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) has led to the development, construction and, finally, the first flight of HASP with a complement of eight student payloads on September 4, 2006. Here we discuss the primary as-built HASP systems and features, the student payload interface, HASP performance during the first flight and plans for continuing HASP flights. The HASP project maintains a website at http://laspace.lsu.edu/hasp/ where flight application, interface documentation and status information can be obtained.     

SPORT卫星构型方案设计

根据SPORT卫星有效载荷探测的需求, 结合卫星总体设计及构型布局设计原则, 在运载对卫星构型布局约束条件下, 针对天线单元的两种探测形式, 给出了两种卫星构型设计方案. 其目的在于为有效载荷在星上的布局提供可视化平台, 确定有效载荷在星上的位置和方向, 避免有效载荷间的位置干涉和相互遮挡, 观察有效载荷的工作空间, 初步确定科学目标实现的方式, 为卫星平台的结构方案设计提供依据. 经探测任务初级系统的可行性论证, 两种方案均可满足SPORT卫星有效载荷探测的需求.      

面向深空探测应用的集成一体化载荷数管技术

深空探测对探测器有效载荷电子学及数管的轻小型化和自主能力提出了更高要求.将各载荷电子学与传统的载荷数管集成一体化设计，构建新型高度集成的载荷数管体系结构，可以实现资源集约利用，提高信息融合能力，利于实施自主管理.本文介绍了嫦娥系列探测器载荷电子学及数管设计的现状；提出两种新型一体化载荷数管体系结构，其中第一种低成本集成化方案已应用在中国首次火星探测任务中；通过对未来深空探测载荷数管的技术需求进行分析，对载荷数管发展趋势进行了展望.      

中国月球及深空空间环境探测

深空探测承载着人类航天技术发展、探索宇宙奥秘和寻找地外生命及人类宜居地的重任,成为各航天大国关注的热点。我国月球与深空探测虽然起步晚,但起点高,正在追赶并将实现领先。简要回顾了我国月球及深空空间环境探测的载荷情况、数据结果、理论和应用研究成果,简述了当前在研的自主火星空间环境探测目标以及规划中的未来深空探测任务,并根据当前国际发展态势,及我国在研、规划中的月球及深空探测任务情况,分析了我国月球及深空空间环境探测的关键科学问题、载荷技术发展趋势、理论与模拟的研究需求,最后对深空环境探测进行了展望。     

Network science landers for Mars

The NetLander Mission will deploy four landers to the Martian surface. Each lander includes a network science payload with instrumentation for studying the interior of Mars, the atmosphere and the subsurface, as well as the ionospheric structure and geodesy. The NetLander Mission is the first planetary mission focusing on investigations of the interior of the planet and the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere. A broad consortium of national space agencies and research laboratories will implement the mission. It is managed by CNES (the French Space Agency), with other major players being FMI (the Finnish Meteorological Institute), DLR (the German Space Agency), and other research institutes. According to current plans, the NetLander Mission will be launched in 2005 by means of an Ariane V launch, together with the Mars Sample Return mission. The landers will be separated from the spacecraft and targeted to their locations on the Martian surface several days prior to the spacecraft's arrival at Mars. The landing system employs parachutes and airbags. During the baseline mission of one Martian year, the network payloads will conduct simultaneous seismological, atmospheric, magnetic, ionospheric, geodetic measurements and ground penetrating radar mapping supported by panoramic images. The payloads also include entry phase measurements of the atmospheric vertical structure. The scientific data could be combined with simultaneous observations of the atmosphere and surface of Mars by the Mars Express Orbiter that is expected to be functional during the NetLander Mission's operational phase. Communication between the landers and the Earth would take place via a data relay onboard the Mars Express Orbiter.     

Excavation of artificial caverns inside asteroids by leveraging rotational self-energy

Future space ventures will likely require exploitation of near-Earth asteroid resources. Moreover, it can be envisaged that asteroids may host habitats in their interiors. In fact, a cavern inside an asteroid would be a natural radiation shield against cosmic radiation and may also serve as a confined environment for storage of mined material such as water ice or other processed volatiles such as propellants. To this end, this paper proposes to leverage the asteroid rotational self-energy to remove material from the asteroid interiors and create a spherical cavern, by means of the orbital siphon concept. The siphon is a chain of tether-connected payload masses (the asteroid material), which exploits the rotation of the asteroid for the delivery of mass from the asteroid to escape. Under certain conditions the siphon can be initiated to ensure self-sustained flow of mass from the asteroid to escape. A net orbital siphon effect is generated by connecting new payloads at the bottom of the chain while releasing the upper payloads. Key parameters are discussed, such as the required siphon dimension and the maximum size of the internal cavity that can be excavated, as a function of the asteroid rotational period. Moreover, assuming elastic material behaviour, a closed-form expression for the stress tensor is found and a failure criterion is used to identify regions in the asteroid interiors subjected to the larger stresses. It is shown that the conditions for failure are relaxed as the radius of the internal void increases.     

Space adapted cryogenics

The cooling requirements applicable to scientific and application payloads of space missions currently planned within the next decade are presented as well as the applicability of the various cryogenic techniques to these requirements. The severe constraints imposed by the spacecraft system, the launch vehicle and the space environment on the spaceborne cryogenic payload are commented. Infra-red astronomy is one of the most demanding candidates for space cryogenics and examples of relevant cooling systems currently under development or proposed for near future missions within ESA activities are described. The trend for long term applications is also commented.     

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.     

嫦娥四号任务科学目标和有效载荷配置

嫦娥四号探测器由中继星、着陆器和巡视器组成.其科学目标为:月基低频射电天文观测研究,月球背面巡视区浅层结构探测研究以及月球背面巡视区形貌与矿物组分探测研究.共配置6台有效载荷设备,其中3台载荷设备配置在着陆器上,分别为降落相机、地形地貌相机和低频射电谱仪,其余3台配置在巡视器上,分别为全景相机、测月雷达和红外成像光谱仪.本文主要论述了嫦娥四号任务的科学目标、着陆区概况、有效载荷配置及系统设计、各有效载荷任务和主要技术指标等.      

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.     

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.      

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.     

空间小鼠实验有效载荷研究进展

啮齿动物是空间研究中常见的模型对象，已开展的空间生物实验中，小鼠表现出对飞行条件的有效适应.通过空间培养，研究者可对失重环境下小鼠的生理行为、骨骼和神经系统变化做进一步研究分析.本文对空间小鼠实验有效载荷的研究进展及其空间飞行实验进行了概述，为中国空间站上的小鼠培养箱设计提供参考.概述了地面小鼠培养技术和装置，为空间小鼠实验有效载荷设计提供地面对照；从实验研究内容和硬件系统设计两方面介绍了国际上已开展的空间小鼠实验，为中国空间生命科学研究和工程研制提供参考；对于中国发展空间小鼠实验有效载荷提出了建议.      

CBERS-02 Application Assessment

As the successor of CBERS-01, CBERS-02 was launched successfully on 21October 2003 and transmitted its first downlink data the next day. According to the OBT (On Board Test) outline, CRESDA cooperated with CAST and many remote sensing organizations in China in implementing the test of the satellite payloads, ground processing system and data application. In this paper, the test is briefly illustrated in three parts: Ⅰ. Satellite Parameters Test (especially the test for payloads), Ⅱ. Payload Image Quality Assessment, and Ⅲ. Data Application Assessment. The results of the test show that the image quality of CBERS-02 is much improved over CBERS-01 and will continue to play a more important role in the society and economic development of China.     

空间载荷地面检测设备的安全性设计研究

空间载荷的研制过程离不开地面检测设备的支持。本文结合空间载荷研制的工程实际需要,对其研制过程中必不可少的地面检测提出了一种安全保障性设计,旨在保障空间载荷在地面检测过程中的安全性。在硬件上采用一种IC读卡器实现对相关研制人员的地面检测操作权限的审核,之后对通过权限操控载荷的人员的所有操作以日志文件的形式记录下来,并会对每一个操作的合法性进行判断,屏蔽任何的异常误操作同时发出报警信息,能够有效地保护空间载荷的安全。这种地面检测的安全保障性设计能够防范研制人员的人为失误给载荷造成的损害,使所有地面检测操作处于可控状态。     

带柔性载荷超静平台的模型参数在轨辨识

摘要： 针对柔性载荷振动引起超静平台模型参数在轨辨识精度下降的问题,设计一种超静平台模型参数在轨辨识方法.建立考虑柔性载荷振动的超静平台动力学模型,采用卡尔曼滤波估计柔性载荷振动的模态位移,利用多参数并发递推最小二乘法实现超静平台模型参数的准确辨识,通过仿真验证算法的有效性.仿真结果表明：在不考虑柔性载荷振动时,超静平台模型参数辨识收敛速度缓慢,辨识误差较大;采用文中考虑柔性载荷振动的多变量并发递推最小二乘法,能够明显提高超静平台模型参数估计精度.     

Bioscience experiments in the German Spacelab mission D-1: introduction and summary.

The German Spacelab mission D-l was performed from 30 October through 6 November 1985. Payload operation in orbit was managed by DFVLR for the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology. The scientific program of the mission placed emphasis on microgravity research. In bioscience, the role of gravity in vital functions of biological systems was investigated, such as intracellular and intercellular interactions, developmental processes as well as regulation and adaptation in highly organized systems including human beings. In addition, the biological significance of cosmic radiation or altered zeitgeber within the complex matrix of all relevant spaceflight components were studied. Most of the experiments were accommodated in the following three payload elements: The Bioscience Experiment Package, and the ESA facilities Vestibular Sled and BIORACK. The information gained from the individual experiments will be compiled to help answer pending questions of space bioscience.     

Science Research of Microgravity Satellite SJ-10

The program SJ-10, one of the scientific satellite programs in the Strategic Priority Research Program on Space Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was launched on April 6, 2016. There are totally 19 scientific payloads, a multi-function furnace for 8 material researches and three-dimensional cell cultures for the neural stem cell and the hematopoietic stem cell respectively. The recoverable satellite consists mainly of two capsules:a recoverable capsule was recovered on 18 April 2016, with all payloads of life science, the multi-function furnace and the payload for measurement of Soret Coefficients of Crude Oil (SCCO); and an un-recoverable capsule continued to work in additional 3 days with all other physics payloads. The experiments were operated via teleoperations, and all experimental data were received by the ground station in real time. The data and recoverable samples are analyzed by the experiment teams of the program.      

Hypertension and orthostatic hypotension in applicants for spaceflight training and spacecrews: a review of medical standards.

The inauguration of NASA of the position of Payload Specialists for SHUTTLE-SPACELAB flights has broken the tradition of restrictive medical physical standards in several ways: by reducing physical requirements and extensive training; by permitting the selection of older individuals and women; by selecting individuals who may fly only one or several missions and do not spend an entire career in space activities. Experience with Payload Specialists to be gained during the forthcoming SPACELAB missions, observing man in spaceflight step by step on an incremental basis, will provide valuable data for modifying the medical standards for Payload Specialists, Space Station Technicians, and Space Support Personnel who perform routine work rather than peculiar tasks. Such revisions necessarily include a modification of traditional blood pressure standards. In this paper I review the history and evolution of these standards in aeronautics and astronautics.