Autonomous navigation of formation flying spacecrafts in deep space exploration and communication by hybrid navigation utilizing neural network filter

Autonomous navigation of spacecrafts is a difficult task, however, which is a must in future deep space exploration. With multiple spacecrafts flying in space, this aim can be achieved by formation flying spacecraft (FFS) utilizing inverse time difference of arrival (ITDOA) and inverse difference Doppler (IDD) methods, which can locate the position of earth-station from one-way uplink signals in the FFS coordinate, and by way of conversion of coordinates, the position of FFS is achieved in earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate. The ability of neural network (NN) filter in navigation to extract position of spacecrafts from random measuring noise of signal arrival time and Doppler shift is studied with different radius of FFS and surveying parameters. The NN filter used by spacecraft group is new way of unidirectional autonomous navigation and is of high precision of hybrid navigation.     

Piloted operations at a near-Earth object (NEO)

In late 2006, NASA's Constellation Program sponsored a study to examine the feasibility of sending a piloted Orion spacecraft to a near-Earth object. NEOs are asteroids or comets that have perihelion distances less than or equal to 1.3 astronomical units, and can have orbits that cross that of the Earth. Therefore, the most suitable targets for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) are those NEOs in heliocentric orbits similar to Earth's (i.e. low inclination and low eccentricity). One of the significant advantages of this type of mission is that it strengthens and validates the foundational infrastructure of the United States Space Exploration Policy and is highly complementary to NASA's planned lunar sortie and outpost missions circa 2020. A human expedition to a NEO would not only underline the broad utility of the Orion CEV and Ares launch systems, but would also be the first human expedition to an interplanetary body beyond the Earth–Moon system. These deep space operations will present unique challenges not present in lunar missions for the onboard crew, spacecraft systems, and mission control team. Executing several piloted NEO missions will enable NASA to gain crucial deep space operational experience, which will be necessary prerequisites for the eventual human missions to Mars.Our NEO team will present and discuss the following:

• new mission trajectories and concepts;

• operational command and control considerations;

• expected science, operational, resource utilization, and impact mitigation returns; and

• continued exploration momentum and future Mars exploration benefits.

深空探测自主导航与控制技术综述

深空探测自主导航与控制技术是深空探测任务成功实施的关键。基于开展深空探测自主导航与控制技术研究的迫切性,综合分析和评述深空探测自主导航与控制技术的研究进展,着重分析深空探测自主导航与控制的必要性和国外深空探测自主导航与控制技术的研究发展趋势,提出深空探测自主导航与控制的关键技术,根据分析,提出了发展深空探测自主导航与控制技术的建议．     

美国新型载人火星探测技术方案

文章概括介绍了＂发现号＂宇宙飞船的布局结构。然后详细介绍了飞船用于火星探测的两种着陆舱的具体设计方案以及载人火星探测的任务剖面。最后分析了＂发现号＂宇宙飞船火星探测方案的关键可行技术和诸多设计优点。     

“凤凰号”火星探测器着陆过程

文章主要介绍了＂凤凰号＂火星着陆器的着陆过程、着陆点选择方法原则、巡航阶段工作任务,对进入（Entry）、下降（Descent）和着陆（Landing）即EDL阶段的蒙特卡罗分析结果和飞行器重建数值结果进行了总结比较。并对＂凤凰号＂相关的经验和教训进行了比较总结,这对中国未来的火星探测以及其他深空探测具有一定的借鉴作用。     

国外深空探测态势特点与启示（上）

通过对国外主要航天大国在深空探测领域发展过程的梳理,重点分析了各国在无人深空探测技术、载人深空探测技术和地面测控通信技术三个方面的技术发展特点,并从总体角度对其主要技术特征和关键技术进行了深入剖析,从中提炼出对我国深空探测活动的启示,以期对我国深空探测的开展有所借鉴和推动。     

国外深空探测态势特点与启示（下）

通过对国外主要航天大国在深空探测领域发展过程的梳理,重点分析了各国在无人深空探测技术、载人深空探测技术和地面测控通信技术三个方面的技术发展特点,并从总体角度对其主要技术特征和关键技术进行了深入剖析,从中提炼出对我国深空探测活动的启示,以期对我国深空探测的开展有所借鉴和推动。     

Human response to high-background radiation environments on Earth and in space

The main long-term objective of the space exploration program is the colonization of the planets of the Solar System. The high cosmic radiation equivalent dose rate represents an inescapable problem for the safe establishment of permanent human settlements on these planets. The unshielded equivalent dose rate on Mars ranges between 100 and 200 mSv/year, depending on the Solar cycle and altitude, and can reach values as high as 360 mSv/year on the Moon. The average annual effective dose on Earth is about 3 mSv, nearly 85% of which comes from natural background radiation, reduced to less than 1 mSv if man-made sources and the internal exposure to Rn daughters are excluded. However, some areas on Earth display anomalously high levels of background radiation, as is the case with thorium-rich monazite bearing sand deposits where values 200–400 times higher than the world average can be found. About 2% of the world’s population live above 3 km and receive a disproportionate 10% of the annual effective collective dose due to cosmic radiation, with a net contribution to effective dose by the neutron component which is 3–4 fold that at sea level. Thus far, epidemiological studies have failed to show any adverse health effects in the populations living in these terrestrial high-background radiation areas (HBRA), which provide an unique opportunity to study the health implications of an environment that, as closely as possibly achievable on Earth, resembles the chronic exposure of future space colonists to higher-than-normal levels of ionizing radiation. Chromosomal aberrations in the peripheral blood lymphocytes from the HBRA residents have been measured in several studies because chromosomal damage represents an early biomarker of cancer risk. Similar cytogenetic studies have been recently performed in a cohort of astronauts involved in single or repeated space flights over many years. The cytogenetic findings in populations exposed to high dose-rate background radiation on Earth or in space will be discussed.     

基于不同动力引力辅助模型的木星转移轨道设计

针对木星转移轨道设计中动力引力辅助模型选择问题展开了研究。首先,介绍了近心点机动和甩摆后机动2种动力引力辅助模型,给出了2种模型下最优脉冲机动速度增量的解算方法;然后,基于动力引力辅助模型,提出了包含引力辅助的行星际转移轨迹初始设计方法;最后,以木星探测任务转移轨迹设计为例,对比了不同动力引力辅助模型下探测器的燃料消耗情况。仿真结果表明:相比于甩摆后机动方式,近心点轨道机动方式更加节省燃料。基于近心点机动引力辅助模型,最终完成了金星-地球-地球引力辅助序列的木星转移轨迹初始设计,为我国未来采用引力辅助方式的深空探测任务提供了一定的参考。     

返回舱/空间探测器热防护结构发展现状与趋势

针对中国天地往返和深空探测领域对热防护结构的需求，综述了国内外返回舱和空间探测器热防护材料/结构的发展现状，着重介绍了包括蜂窝增强热防护材料、纤维增强热防护材料、组合式热防护结构以及展开式热防护结构等在内的代表性热防护材料/结构的设计理念和性能特征。在系统总结热防护结构发展趋势的基础上，分析了返回舱和空间探测器热防护结构发展中存在的关键问题，可以看出：纤维增强热防护材料在热防护结构重量方面表现出了突出优势，材料拼接设计成为结构发展的重要阻碍；组合式热防护结构设计在现有材料发展水平的基础上，将成为提高热防护结构效率的有力途径；展开式热防护结构有望使航天器有效载荷重量显著提升，但受限于柔性热防护材料性能和结构工艺，仍有待发展。更加频繁的天地往返运输和深空探测项目的开展必将对热防护结构发展产生巨大的推动作用。