Energetic ion emission for active spacecraft control

Future space missions aiming at the accurate measurement of cold plasmas and DC to very low frequency electric fields will require that the potential of their conductive surfaces be actively controlled to be near the ambient plasma potential. In the near-Earth space these spacecraft are usually solar-cell powered; consequently, parts of their surface are most of the time exposed to solar photons. Outside the plasmasphere, a positive surface potential due the dominance of surface-emitted photoelectrons over ambient plasma electrons is to be expected. Photo- and ambient electrons largely determine the potential and positive values between a few Volts up to 100 V have been observed. Active ion emission is the obvious solution of this problem. A liquid metal ion emitter and a saddle field ion emitter are nearing the stage of flight unit fabrication. We will attempt to clamp the spacecraft potential to values close to the plasma potential. We present first results from vacuum chamber tests and describe the emission behaviour and characteristics of emitters producing, respectively, In⁺ and N₂⁺ beams with an energy of ≥ 5 keV.     

The detection of energetic cometary and solar particles by the EPONA instrument on the Giotto mission

EPONA is an energetic particle detector system incorporating totally depleted silicon surface barrier layer detectors. Active and passive background shielding will be employed and, by applying various techniques, particles of different species, including electrons, protons, alpha particles and pick-up ions of cometary origin may be detected over a wide spectrum of energies extending from the tens of KeV into the MeV range.

The instrument can operate in two modes namely (a) in a cruise phase or storage mode and (b) in a real time mode. During the real time mode, observations at high spatial (octosectoring) and temporal (0.5s) resolution in the cometary environment permit studies to be made of accelerated particles at the bow shock and/or in the tail of the comet. In conjunction with magnetic field measurements on board Giotto, observations of energetic electrons and their anisotropies can determine whether the magnetic field lines in the cometary tail are open or closed. Further, the absorption of low energy solar particles in the cometary atmosphere can be measured and such data would provide an integral value of the pertaining gas and dust distribution. Solar particle background measurements during encounter may also be used to correct the measurements of other spacecraft borne instruments potentially vulnerable to such radiation.

Solar particle flux measurements, obtained during the cruise phase will, when combined with simultaneous observations made by other spacecraft at different heliographic longitudes, provide information concerning solar particle propagation in the corona and in interplanetary space.     

辅助平面法评定平面对平面倾斜度误差的数学模型

提出一种评定平面对平面倾斜度误差的新算法。该算法是通过确定辅助测量平面，在不含原理误差的条件下，快速、准确地确定符合其定义的倾斜度误差值。     

符合CCSDS标准的RS(255,223)码译码器的FPGA实现及其性能测试

RS（Reed-Solomon)码是差错控制领域中一种性能优异的非二进制分组循环码，由于它具有很强的随机错误和突发错误的纠错能力，被CCSDS，NASA，ESA等空间组织接受，广泛应用于深空探测中．本文采用改进的Berlekamp算法，用FPGA实现了符合CCSDS标准的RS(255，223)码译码器；介绍了该译码器的实现流程、性能测试方法和基于PCI总线接口的测试平台；给出了测试结果，并且对理论上RS(255，223)译码器的误码性能与实际测试的误码率结果进行了比较和分析．验证结果证明该译码器能工作在400Mbps以上的码率，使用FPGA资源180000门，译码效果与理论上译码效果一致．     

The characteristics of sharp (small-scale) boundaries of solar wind plasma and magnetic field structures

We investigate properties of large (>20%) and sharp (<10 min) solar wind ion flux changes using INTERBALL-1 and WIND plasma and magnetic field measurements from 1996 to 1999. These ion flux changes are the boundaries of small-scale and middle-scale solar wind structures. We describe the behavior of the solar wind velocity, temperature and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during these sudden flux changes. Many of the largest ion flux changes occur during periods when the solar wind velocity is nearly constant, so these are mainly plasma density changes. The IMF magnitude and direction changes at these events can be either large or small. For about 55% of the ion flux changes, the sum of the thermal and magnetic pressure are in balance across the boundary. In many of the other cases, the thermal pressure change is significantly more than the magnetic pressure change. We also attempted to classify the types of discontinuities observed.     

Spacecraft survivability in the natural debris environment near the stable Earth-Moon Lagrange points

The theoretical analysis of the motion of natural space debris near the stable Earth-Moon Lagrange Points, $L_4$ and $L_5$, is presented with a focus on the potential debris risks to spacecraft operating near these points. Specifically, the research formulates a debris propagation model using four-body dynamics, then applies candidate probabilistic survivability models to a notional spacecraft operating at the $L_4$ and $L_5$ Lagrange points to quantify the collision risks to the spacecraft from natural debris particles. Of the survivability models implemented, the natural debris collision risks to spacecraft survivability are found to be incredibly low, but mitigation strategies to reduce the risk further are identified in this study. Overall, research into stable Lagrange point natural debris propagation improves understanding of the collision risks posed by the naturally occurring Kordylewski clouds and enhances operational planning for Lagrange point space missions.     

Problems with the concept of the inflationary universe

The picture of an exponentially increasing, “inflationary” phase of the early universe (Guth 1981; Linde 1982; Albrecht and Steinhardt 1982) may point the way to an understanding of our present universe without reference to extremely specific initial conditions. The model rests, however, on several assumptions which deserve critical examination.     

Dayside reconnection during IMF northward: A possible foreshock effect

The northward and southward orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is usually considered as providing the external boundary conditions in the solar wind interaction with the Earth's magnetopause but it is the magnetic field in the magnetosheath that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. In this paper, we consider the possibility that the wave activity in the foreshock region may affect the magnetic field orientation in the magnetosheath with time scales that might be geomagnetically effective. If magnetosheath magnetic field becomes disturbed on plasma streamlines which are connected to the quasi-parallel bow shock and foreshock, the magnetic field orientation on the inner magnetosheath may differ significantly from the undisturbed IMF. We present a model of dayside reconnection which may occur when the IMF northward and illustrate its effects on the erosion of the magnetopause.     

编队飞行卫星群构型保持及初始化

导出了基于相对轨道要素的编队飞行卫星群轨道相对运动控制的轨道机动方程；提出了编队飞行卫星群轨道相对运动控制的轨道机动控制策略，利用不同方向的脉冲控制相对运动的轨道参数，包括轨道平面内机动和轨道平面外机动控制。根据相对轨道要素的变轨机动控制，进行编队飞行卫星群构型的初始化。这样的构型初始化可以视作一次特殊的变轨机动控制，很容易实现编队飞行构型的初始化机动。     

Solar UV irradiance variation during cycles 22 and 23

The Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) has been measuring solar UV irradiances since October 1991, a period which includes the decline of solar cycle 22 followed by the rise of cycle 23. Daily solar measurements include scans over the wavelength range 115–410 nm at 1.1 nm resolution. As expected, the measured time series of UV irradiances exhibit strong periodicities in solar cycle and solar rotation. For all wavelengths, the UV irradiance time series are similar to that of the Mg II core-to-wing ratio. During solar cycle 22, the irradiance of the strong Ly- line varied by more than a factor of two. The peak-to-peak irradiance variation declined with increasing wavelength, reaching 10% just below the Al edge at 208 nm. Between the Al edge and 250 nm the variation was 6–7%. Above 250 nm, the variation declines further until none is observed above 290 nm. Preliminary results for the first portion of cycle 23 indicate that the far UV below the Al edge is rising at about the same rate as the Mg II index while the irradiances in the Ly- emission line and for wavelengths longer than the Al edge are rising more slowly — even after accounting for the lower level of activity of cycle 23.