Comparative assessment of human–Mars-mission technologies and architectures

We compare a variety of mission scenarios to assess the strengths and weaknesses of options for Mars exploration. The mission design space is modeled along two dimensions: trajectory architectures and propulsion system technologies. We examine direct, semi-direct, stop-over, semi-cycler, and cycler architectures, and we include electric propulsion, nuclear thermal rockets, methane and oxygen production on Mars, Mars water excavation, aerocapture, and reusable propulsion systems in our technology assessment. The mission sensitivity to crew size, vehicle masses, and crew travel time is also examined. Many different combinations of technologies and architectures are applied to the same Mars mission to determine which combinations provide the greatest potential reduction in the injected mass to LEO. We approximate the technology readiness level of a mission to rank development risk, but omit development cost and time calculations in our assessment. It is found that Earth–Mars semi-cyclers and cyclers require the least injected mass to LEO of any architecture and that the discovery of accessible water on Mars has the most dramatic effect on the evolution of Mars exploration.     

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.     

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.     

月球探测任务测控系统总体设计技术研究

我国的探月工程采用"绕、落、回"三步走发展战略,测控系统作为工程五大系统之一,通过探月工程建成了全球布站的深空测控网和18 m测控网,并圆满完成了历次任务对探测器的测控,在任务分析与设计、测定轨和链路设计等方面积累了大量实战经验。本文以嫦娥四号中继星和探测器两次发射任务为例,系统梳理了我国深空测控网和18 m测控网现状;根据任务需求,从测控覆盖、链路性能、测定轨精度和日凌影响等方面对测控任务实施能力进行了详细分析。以此为基础,对多目标测控、轨道测量和日凌期间的测控方案进行了系统设计。通过对任务期间获取的实测数据进行全面分析,总结了测控实施情况,并对后续工作提出了建议,以期为我国后续月球和深空探测测控通信任务设计提供借鉴。     

国内外行星表面巡视器自主导航技术研究

作为航天技术发展的前沿和趋势,深空探测是人类历史上最为复杂的系统工程之一.星球巡视器是在星球表面移动作业的无人探测系统,能够对星球表面进行大面积、近距离和接触式的考察,是地外星球着陆探测作业的主要手段.星球巡视器导航技术是研究星球巡视器的关键技术之一,其导航自主性能直接影响星球探测计划能否顺利进行.本文首先概述了星球巡...