Ariane 5 GTO debris mitigation using natural perturbations

GTO objects can potentially collide with operative satellites in LEO and GEO protected regions. Internationally accepted debris mitigation guidelines require that these objects exit these protected regions within 25?years, e.g. by re-entering and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. In this paper, an inventory of the GTO debris generated from Ariane 5 launches in the period 2012–2017 is provided, and it is expected that none of these objects will re-enter within 25?years. For future launches, natural perturbations can be exploited to increase compliance with mitigation guidelines without the use of extra propellant or complex de-orbiting systems, which is attractive from an economic point of view. The lifetime of GTO objects is very sensitive to initial conditions and some environmental and body-related parameters, mainly due to the effect of solar gravity on the perigee altitude. As a consequence, the lifetime of a specific GTO object cannot be predicted accurately, but its probability of re-entering in less than 25?years can be estimated with proper accuracy by following a statistical approach. By propagating the orbits of over 800,000 simulated Ariane 5 GTO objects, it was found that the launch time leading to the highest probability of compliance with debris mitigation guidelines for GEO launches from Kourou corresponds to about 2 PM local time, regardless of the date of launch, which leads to compliance rates ranging from 60 to 100%. Current practice is to launch at around 5–9?PM, so a change in procedures would be required in order to reach a higher degree of compliance with debris mitigation guidelines, which was predicted to be on average below 20% for the objects generated in the period 2012–2017.     

GEO卫星结构屏蔽设计与性能分析

地球同步轨道(GEO)卫星在轨期间将遭遇空间带电粒子辐射,导致的电离总剂量效应会损伤星上的电子元器件。在对GEO卫星典型结构进行屏蔽设计时,采用钽箔等材料对卫星结构大开口处进行封堵,又用屏蔽厚度的实体相交法求解卫星的屏蔽性能。建立卫星的三维屏蔽厚度模型,对比屏蔽设计前后的总剂量值,同时分析该封堵方法对卫星机热系统的影响。通过对GEO卫星结构三维屏蔽性能的分析,验证了该封堵方法的有效性。     

DebrisWatch I: A survey of faint geosynchronous debris

Recent anomalies exhibited by satellites and rocket bodies have highlighted that a population of faint debris exists at geosynchronous (GEO) altitudes, where there are no natural removal mechanisms. Despite previous optical surveys probing to around 10–20 cm in size, regular monitoring of faint sources at GEO is challenging, thus our knowledge remains sparse. It is essential that we continue to explore the faint debris population using large telescopes to better understand the risk posed to active GEO satellites. To this end, we present photometric results from a survey of the GEO region carried out with the 2.54 m Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma, Canary Islands. We probe to 21st visual magnitude (around 10 cm, assuming Lambertian spheres with an albedo of 0.1), uncovering 129 orbital tracks with GEO-like motion across the eight nights of dark-grey time comprising the survey. The faint end of our brightness distribution continues to rise until the sensitivity limit of the sensor is reached, suggesting that the modal brightness could be even fainter. We uncover a number of faint, uncatalogued objects that show photometric signatures of rapid tumbling, many of which straddle the limiting magnitude of our survey over the course of a single exposure, posing a complex issue when estimating object size. This work presents the first instalment of DebrisWatch, an ongoing collaboration between the University of Warwick and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (UK) investigating the faint population of GEO debris.     

Material selection for a CubeSat structural bus complying with debris mitigation

The increasing number of commercial, technological and scientific missions for CubeSats poses several concerns about the topic of space junk and debris mitigation. As no regulation is currently in place, innovative solutions are needed to mitigate the impact that Low Earth Orbit objects can have during uncontrolled re-entry and the associated potential events of surface collision. We investigated the requirements, in terms of materials selection, for the development of a 3D-printed structural bus able to withstand loads during launch and in-orbit operations, with the objectives to be as light as possible and requiring the least amount of heat for demise during atmospheric re-entry. The selection indicated magnesium alloys as the best candidates to improve the reference material, aluminium 6061 T6, resulting in both mass-reduction and improved demisability. We also analysed how the relative importance of these two objectives can modify the selection of materials: if minimizing the heat to disintegration were valued more highly than lightness, for example, the new best candidates would become tin alloys. Our analysis, furthermore, suggested the importance of Liquid Crystal Polymer as the sole plastic material approaching the performance of the best metal choices. This contribution, thus, provides novel insight in the field of 3D-printed materials for the fast-growing CubeSat segment, complying with the debris mitigation initiatives promoted by space agencies and institutions.     

Status and Perspectives in Protective Design

Starting with an introduction into the field of hypervelocity impacts, an overview over current research in the area of protection against space debris is given. Trends and strategies to further develop know-how in protection technology are then discussed. One purpose is to demonstrate that improvements in shield efficiency can be expected. To achieve this aim, a strategy is outlined which tries to avoid the adjustment of numerical and material parameters by fits to penetration experiments. Instead, it is suggested to determine material parameters from carefully selected laboratory tests, covering a broad range of strains, strain rates and stress states. Knowledge of the dynamic material behaviour can then be used for the development of new shield concepts by means of numerical simulation.     

基于嫦娥一号高能粒子数据的地球磁层屏蔽效应研究

月球绕地球运行轨道约有1/4位于地球磁层内,因此,地球磁层是否会为月球轨道附近高能粒子提供足够的磁场屏蔽对于探索月球活动具有重要影响.嫦娥一号是中国首颗绕月人造卫星,其绕月飞行的工作轨道距离月球表面200 km.通过对嫦娥一号高能粒子探测器(HPD)的探测数据进行分析,比较了当月球位于地球磁层内外6个不同能道(能量范围4～400 MeV)时质子通量的变化,发现当月球位于地球磁层内时,这些能道的质子通量并没有发生显著减少,结果表明地球磁层不能为月球轨道附近高能粒子提供显著的磁屏蔽.     

单通道和双通道微波衰减测量系统中的射频泄漏分析

研究了单通道和双通道微波衰减测量系统中的射频泄漏所导致的测量误差。使用电磁屏蔽箱和以铝片包裹连接头的方法降低外部辐射泄漏,在双通道衰减测量系统中使用隔离器以减小内部泄漏。利用高灵敏度锁相放大器测量了射频泄漏信号,通过在60 MHz和5 GHz所得的实测数据比较了单通道和双通道衰减测量系统的射频泄漏误差。实验结果表明射频泄漏得到了有效的抑制。     

航天器对于接近碎片轨迹的高精度预报方法

航天器可以通过地面提前预报的方法获悉有威胁的空间碎片运行情况，并且通过事先机动的方法加以规避，但对于事先没有提前预警的“意外”接近必须采取应急措施进行规避，其前提条件是能够对这些碎片进行快速、精确的轨迹预报，选择适当的相对运动方程并进行参数辩识是其中关键步骤。本文对接近碎片轨迹的高精度描述模型进行了研究，在接近时刻前后使用相对运动方程加修正的方法得到了令人满意的结果，为航天器后继的参数辩识和进行有效的自主规避行为提供了基础支撑。     

载人飞船碰撞检测解析方法研究

在轨编目物体数目与日俱增，为保证载人航天任务的顺利完成，必须对可能威胁任务轨道的空间目标进行碰撞检测。本文分析了美国航天司令部开发的SGP4近地轨道预报模型，引入其中的摄动力长期项公式。通过模型比对可知，引入摄动力长期项的计算结果与解析法SGP4结果接近，而且摄动力的长期项对轨道根数的影响可以表示为关于时间的函数，结合天球投影可以迅速找出2个物体分别过轨道交线的时间，因此该方法能够保证碰撞预警的精度与速度。仿真结果验证了该方法的快速有效性。     

Protecting spacecraft against meteoroid/orbital debris impact damage: an overview

Meteoroids and orbital debris pose a serious damage threat to all spacecraft. The effects of a meteoroid/orbital debris (M/OD) impact depend on a variety of factors, including where the M/OD impact occurs, the size, composition, and speed of the impacting object, and the function of the impacted spacecraft system. These effects can be minimal, can degrade a functional spacecraft component, or can compromise spacecraft functionality, even to the point of mission loss or loss of life. To minimize the damage threat from the meteoroid/orbital debris environment, it is often necessary to install protective shielding around critical spacecraft systems. If a system cannot be shielded, operational constraints may need to be imposed to reduce the damage threat. This paper presents an overview of the research and development activities performed since the late 1950s with an aim of increasing the level of protection afforded satellites and spacecraft operating in the M/OD environment and ultimately mitigating the mechanical and structural effects of an M/OD impact.