Investigation of national policy shifts to impact orbital debris environments

Low earth orbit has become increasingly congested as the satellite population has grown over the past few decades, making orbital debris a major concern for the operational stability of space assets. This congestion was highlighted by the collision of the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites in 2009. This paper addresses the current state of orbital debris regulation in the United States and asks what might be done through policy change to mitigate risks in the orbital debris environment. A brief discussion of the nature of orbital debris addresses the major contributing factors including size classes, locations of population concentrations, projected satellite populations, and current challenges presented in using post-mission active debris removal to mitigate orbital debris. An overview of the current orbital debris regulatory structure of the United States reveals the fragmented nature of having six regulating bodies providing varying levels of oversight to their markets. A closer look into the regulatory policy of these agencies shows that, while they all take direction from The U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, this policy is a guideline with no real penalty for non-compliance. Various policy solutions to the orbital debris problem are presented, ranging from a business as usual approach to a consolidated regulation system which would encourage spacecraft operator compliance. The positive aspects of these options are presented as themes that would comprise an effective policy shift towards successful LEO conservation. Potential economic and physical limitations to this policy approach are also addressed.     

Space exploration and human survival

I am sympathetic to the view that, given the likelihood of massive natural disasters, such as collisions between the Earth and large asteroids, we should engage in large-scale space exploration and colonization so as to hedge our bets against extinction. I will consider several criticisms of this view. For example, some philosophers may raise objections against the notion of long-term human survival as a value. How can we have obligations towards beings who have not even been conceived yet and thus cannot be properly said to have rights? On a different note, Wendell Berry argues that the abundance of resources in space will produce bad character, for good character requires the discipline of finitude. Others challenge the connection between space exploration and survival, for they fear that by entertaining the promise of new Earths in the heavens we are more likely to neglect our planet, thus leading to our downfall. Presumably, we should instead increase our efforts to restore and preserve the balance of nature. I will advance a variety of replies. For example, we do decide for posterity to a great extent. We may plant the trees from which “our” descendants will receive nourishment and shade, or we may destroy what could have given them a fighting chance against drought and famine. We have an obligation not to plant a bomb that will go off two years from now in a hospital nursery, and another to ensure that the buildup of chemicals in the hospital water tank will not reach critical mass and kill most of the newborns in ten years. The “balance of nature” involved in another objection is a myth that cannot be justified by natural history, whether astronomical or biological. Moreover, the inevitable changes in the environment, independent of asteroid impacts, will make the Earth uninhabitable in a few hundreds of millions and years. In addition, in order to act wisely we need an understanding of the Earth as a planet, and this requires the exploration of space.     

被动式车载光电系统的目标定位算法研究

阐述了被动式车载光电系统对目标的定位过程,给出了目标定位模型,并详细介绍了目标从车体坐标系到大地坐标系的坐标变换,实现了被动式车载光电系统对目标定位的坐标解算.     

AB beam propulsion for interplanetary flights

The author offers a revolutionary method—non-rocket transfer of energy and thrust into Space with a distance of millions of kilometers. The author has developed the theory and made the computations. The method is more efficient than transmission of energy by high-frequency waves. The method may be used for space launch and for accelerating the spaceship and probes for very high speeds, up to a relativistic speed by the current technology. The research also contains prospective projects which illustrate the possibilities of the suggested method.     

基于形象定位分析的西安与成都旅游形象多元化对比研究

以实地调研的问卷统计结果为基础,通过对西安市与成都市的旅游发展状况的简要分析,结合旅游形象定位的理论,对西安与成都的旅游形象多元化定位进行探索性研究,总结了西安与成都旅游形象推陈出新的必要性及可能途径,同时对西安与成都的旅游品牌形象的构建提出可行性构想。     

Modeling medium-scale TEC structures,observed by Belgian GPS receivers network

GALOCAD project “Development of a Galileo Local Component for the nowcasting and forecasting of atmospheric disturbances affecting the integrity of high precision Galileo applications” aims to perform a detailed study on ionospheric small- and medium-scale structures and to assess the influence of these structures on the reliability of Galileo precise positioning applications. GPS-derived TEC (total electron content) is obtained from the Belgium Dense Network (BDN), consisting of 67 permanent GPS stations. An empirical 3-D model is developed for studying these ionospheric structures. The model, named LLT model, described temporal variations of TEC in latitude/longitude frame (46°, 52°)N and (−1°, 11°)E. The spatial variations of TEC are modeled by Tchebishev base functions, while the temporal variations are described by a trigonometric basis. To fit the model to the data, the observed area is divided into bins with (1° × 1°) geographic scale and 6 min on time axis. LLT model is made flexible, with varying number of coefficients along each axis. This allows different degree of smoothing, which is the key element of the present approach. Model runs with higher number of coefficients, capturing in details medium-scale TEC structures are subtracted from results obtained with smaller number of coefficients; the latter represent the background ionosphere. The residual structures are localized and followed as they travel across the observed area. In this way, the size, velocity, and direction of the irregular structures are obtained.     

Experimental data and analysis of the October 2003 Forbush decrease

On October 28, 2003 an Earthward-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed from SOHO/LASCO imagery in conjunction with an X17 solar flare. The CME, traveling at nearly 2000 km/s, impacted the Earth on October 29, 2003 causing ground-based particle detectors to register a counting rate drop known as a Forbush decrease. The CME was not only responsible for affecting the rate of cosmic rays, but also caused anisotropies in their direction of incidence. Data from Project GRAND, an array of proportional wire chambers which detects secondary muons, are presented during the time of this Forbush decrease.     

A geomagnetic activity forecast for improving the efficiency of aeromagnetic surveys in Greenland

In recent years several aeromagnetic surveys were carried out in Greenland and more will be carried out in the future. We describe some of the characteristics pertinent to surveys in Greenland and the problems faced and experiences made by the survey teams working there, with special emphasis on the west coast where most surveys were conducted. Both unfavorable terrestrial weather and space weather appear to complicate survey planning. We discuss possible options available to the survey teams for mitigating the adverse effect of part of the problems, namely survey data contamination by intense geomagnetic activity. The implementation of a prototype geomagnetic activity forecast service as an aid to planning survey flights is discussed in more detail. The forecast service was tested by an independent observer, and the performance of the scheme is evaluated by a subsequent comparison between forecast and actual measurements. The comparison rendered largely acceptable results, but their validity is limited by the fact that the two-month test interval was characterized by a mostly relatively quiet magnetic field.     

串联型MPPT空间电源系统稳定性技术

串联型最大功率点跟踪(MPPT)空间电源系统存在母线电压振荡或跌落等不稳定现象,文章以MPPT不调节母线电源拓扑为研究对象,建立了系统等效电路模型,通过小信号等效分析、状态空间方程特征根求解等手段,分别对MPPT控制域及电压控制域下电源系统的稳定性进行了分析.结果表明,在太阳电池阵及阵列功率调节器特性曲线一定的条件下,通过对二者间电感、电容参数合理配置,可以保证系统稳定.在MATLAB/SIMULINK中搭建了串联型MPPT不调节母线电源系统仿真模型并进行实例仿真,仿真结果验证了理论分析的正确性.