Heading control strategy assessment for coaxial compound helicopters

The coaxial compound helicopter has two possible strategies for heading control: collective differential and rudder deflection. A flight dynamics model is developed to assess the effect of different heading control strategies. This includes the trim characteristics, steady flight performance,controllability, and manoeuvrability. The trim study demonstrates that heading control strategies are less influential on trim results, and the steady flight performance is also not significantly affected by the heading control strategy adopted. The controllability analysis shows although heading bandwidth and phase delay results at various speeds with different heading control strategies are all satisfied, the control derivative of the collective differential decreases as speed increases, and its heading aggressive agility is degraded into Level 3 in high-speed flight. In addition, using collective differential would lead to severe heading-rolling coupling as forward speed increases. On the contrary, the control derivative and aggressive agility of the rudder deflection is improved with forward speed, and there is no evidence of heading-rolling coupling. Finally, the transient turn MissionTask-Element(MTE) is utilized to investigate the heading manoeuvre characteristics in different heading control strategies, which indicates that the collective differential would add the amplitude of control input and the power consumption during this MTE.     

发动机维修业务将创造售后市场增长纪录

<正>据《航空周刊》预测,未来十年全球民用航空售后服务市场将以3%的复合增长率增长,市值将创下8623亿美元的新纪录,而其中预计将有近3000亿美元花费在发动机MRO服务上,主要贡献者将是成熟的窄体飞机发动机。根据《航空周刊》2019机队与维修市场预测,未来十年全球民用飞机机队数量将以2.8%的复合增长率增长,在此推动     

Backstepping sliding-mode control of stratospheric airships using disturbance-observer

In the presence of unknown disturbances and model parameter uncertainties, this paper develop a nonlinear backstepping sliding-mode controller (BSMC) for trajectory tracking control of a stratospheric airship using a disturbance-observer (DO). Compared with the conventional sliding mode surface (SMS) constructed by a linear combination of the errors, the new SMS manifold is selected as the last back-step error to improve independence of the adjustment of the controller gains. Furthermore, a nonlinear disturbance-observer is designed to process unknown disturbance inputs and improve the BSMC performances. The closed-loop system of trajectory tracking control plant is proved to be globally asymptotically stable by using Lyapunov theory. By comparing with traditional backstepping control and SMC design, the results obtained demonstrate the capacity of the airship to execute a realistic trajectory tracking mission, even in the presence of unknown disturbances, and aerodynamic coefficient uncertainties.     

2020年窄体飞机发动机维修市场预测

随着新一代发动机及衍生型投入脚步放缓,如波音737MAX停飞后又停产,其选配的Leap-1B发动机的交付情况也有待考量,同时预计将会影响一系列发动机的售后维修市场。由于新一代发动机投入运营的步伐放慢,成熟型号的发动机服役时间一再延长,所以这些成熟型发动机MRO需求仍在增加。例如,近年来CFM国际公司的Leap发动机(CFM56的衍生型),以及普惠公司的PW1000G齿轮传动涡喷发动机(GTF)陆续出现各种技术问题。但CFM56和V2500等成熟机型的维修需求并未减少。     

Contingency target assessment,trajectory design,and analysis for NASA’s NEA scout solar sail mission

The presented study examines contingency target selection and trajectory design for NASA’s Near-Earth Asteroid Scout mission under the assumption of a missed lunar gravity assist. Two previously considered asteroids are selected as potential targets for the given scenario based on favorable orbital characteristics for launch dates ranging from June 27, 2020 through July 26, 2020. Initially, a simplified circular restricted 3-body problem + ideal solar sail model is utilized to survey trajectory options for a month-long launch window. Selected solutions from this data set are then converged in an N-body ephemeris + non-ideal sail model. Results suggest that NEA Scout can still perform asteroid rendezvous mission under the missed lunar gravity assist scenario with new targets, 2019 GF1, 2018 PK21, and 2007 UN12, based on the target launch dates. Further target assessment is carried out for 165 days beyond the current June 27, 2020 launch date.     

Responsibility,capability, and Active SETI: Policy,law, ethics,and communication with extraterrestrial intelligence

With recently growing interest in the Active Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), in which humankind would send intentional signals to extraterrestrial civilizations, there have been increased concerns about appropriate policy, as well as the role of space law and ethics in guiding such activities. Implicit in these discussions are notions of responsibility and capability that affect judgments about whether humans or other civilizations should initiate transmissions. Existing protocols that guide SETI research address transmissions from Earth, but there is debate over whether these guidelines should inform de novo transmissions as well. Relevant responsibilities to address include (1) looking out for the interests of humankind as a whole, (2) being truthful in interstellar messages, and (3) benefiting extraterrestrial civilizations. Our capabilities as a species and a civilization affect how well we can fulfill responsibilities, as seen when we consider whether we will be able to reach consensus about message contents (and whether that would be desirable), and whether we have the capacity to decode messages from beings that rely on different sensory modalities. The interplay of these responsibilities and capabilities suggests that humankind should place increased emphasis on Active SETI.     

单推力航天器交会对接轨迹规划及跟踪控制

针对单推力航天器交会对接问题，提出一种轨迹规划及跟踪算法。首先，考虑到追踪航天器只沿本体X轴安装推力器，且推力方向固定，为了实现从起始位置转移至期望位置并满足姿态要求，基于三维螺旋线设计两阶段转移轨迹，根据初末位置以及末端速度方向要求，求解螺旋线参数。该螺旋线可以保证在初末速度方向固定情况下，曲率积分最小。其次，为了降低轨迹跟踪难度并减小初始时刻的位置跟踪控制力，需要将转移轨迹初始速度与追踪星X轴重合。传统螺旋线无法满足该约束条件。本文对传统螺旋线进行改进，提出一种旋转螺旋线轨迹设计方法。通过引入姿态旋转矩阵，将螺旋线在三维空间旋转，在不改变曲线形状的前提下满足初末位置及速度方向要求。然后，为了跟踪转移轨迹以及跟踪期望推力方向，提出基于CLF（Control Lyapunov Function）的滑模控制策略，当追踪星X轴与期望推力方向夹角较大时，采用CLF，保证最优性；当姿态误差收敛至滑模面附近时，切换为滑模控制，以提升系统鲁棒性。最后，通过仿真验证旋转螺旋线相比于传统螺旋线的优势。     

Contamination of short GRBs by giant magnetar flares: Significance of downward revision in distance to SGR 1806–20

We highlight how the downward revision in the distance to the star cluster associated with SGR 1806–20 by Bibby et al. (2008) reconciles the apparent low contamination of BATSE short GRBs by intense flares from extragalactic magnetars without recourse to modifying the frequency of one such flare per 30 years per Milky Way galaxy. We also discuss the variety in progenitor initial masses of magnetars based upon cluster ages, ranging from ∼50 M_⊙ for SGR 1806–20 and AXP CXOU J164710.2–455216 in Westerlund 1 to ∼17 M_⊙ for SGR 1900+14 according to Davies et al. (2009) and presumably also 1E 1841–045 if it originated from one of the massive RSG clusters #2 or #3.     

Modeling Piecewise-Linear Systems by Topological Techniques

Flowgraph techniques are extended to systems with piecewise-linear characteristics by developing criteria for construction of an optimum model from related subregions in which linearity holds. This requires the synthesis of several known techniques and results in a wide range of useful applications including: 1) devices with nonlinear characteristics which may be considered as linear over certain subregions; 2) networks whose response to changes in applied signal frequency or magnitude may be approximated by piecewise-linear asymptotes; 3) systems processing two or more signals simultaneously with different transfer or immitance characteristics for each signal; 4) circuits approximated by different equivalent circuits depending on the numerical values of critical parameters. Representative examples will illustrate these and similar applications. Procedures are presented to provide a logical, orderly, and effective approach to construct a model, to determine figures of merit, and to optimize the model for a prescribed region of operation or for a desired range of parameters.