Study of highly perturbed spacecraft formation dynamics via approximation

This paper explores methods for approximating and analyzing the dynamics of highly perturbed spacecraft formations with an emphasis on computationally efficient approaches. This facilitates on-board computation or rapid preliminary mission design analysis. Perturbed formation dynamics are often approximated as linear time-varying (LTV) systems, for which Floquet theory can be used to analyze the degree of system instability. Furthermore, the angular momentum of the relative orbital state can be computed with the approximate dynamics to provide additional insight. A general methodology is developed first and then applied to the problem of unstable formation dynamics in asteroid orbits. Here the dominant perturbative effects due to low-order gravitational harmonics and solar radiation pressure are modeled. Numerical simulations validate the approach and illustrate the approximation accuracy achieved.     

Solar sails for perturbation relief: Application to asteroids

A major cause of spacecraft orbital variation comes from natural perturbations, which, in close proximity of a body, are dominated by its non-spherical nature. For small bodies, such as asteroids, these effects can be considerable, given their uneven (and uncertain) mass distribution. Solar sail technology is proposed to reduce or eliminate the net secular effects of the irregular gravity field on the orbit. Initially, a sensitivity analysis will be carried out on the system which will show high sensitivity to changes in initial conditions. This presents a challenge for optimisation methods which require an initial guess of the solution. As such, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed as the preferred optimisation method as this requires no initial guess from the user. A multi-objective optimisation is performed which aims to achieve a periodic orbit whilst also minimising the effort required by the sail to do so. Given the system sensitivity, the control law for one orbit is not necessarily applicable for any subsequent orbit. Therefore, a new method of updating the control law for subsequent orbits is presented, based on linearisation and use of a Control Transition Matrix (CTM). The techniques will later find application in a multiple asteroid rendezvous mission with a solar sail as the primary propulsion system.     

Convex optimization of asteroid landing trajectories driven by solar radiation pressure

High-area/mass ratio landers driven by Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) have potential applications for future asteroid landing missions. This paper develops a new convex optimization-based method for planning trajectories driven by SRP. A Minimum Landing Error (MLE) control problem is formulated to enable planning SRP-controlled trajectories with different flight times. It is transformed into Second Order Cone Programming (SOCP) successfully by a series of different convexification technologies. A trust region constraint and a modified MLE objective function are used to guarantee the convergence performance of the optimization algorithm. Thereafter, the SRP-driven trajectory optimal control problem is converted equivalently into a sequence of convex optimal control problems that can be solved effectively. A set of numerical simulation results has verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed optimization method.     

The distributions of positions of Minimal Orbit Intersection Distances among Near Earth Asteroids

This paper presents the distributions of the positions of the Minimal Orbit Intersection Distances (MOID) among three subgroups of the Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). This includes 683 Atens, 4185 Apollos and 3538 Amors which makes over 15 millions combinations of the pairs of orbits. The results which are obtained in this analysis show very interesting distributions of positions of the MOIDs and circumstances of close approaches of the asteroids and emphasize influence of different orbital elements on these distributions.     

Development of simultaneous imaging polarimeter for asteroids

We are currently developing a polarimeter to study surface physical properties of asteroids. To enhance polarimetric accuracy and observational efficiency, we newly devised the polarimeter whose measurements can provide the two Stokes parameters Q and U, simultaneously. The test-observations of the prototype polarimeter have been carried out in December 2003 and January 2004, mounted on the 101 cm telescope at Bisei Astronomical Observatory, Okayama, Japan. In the observations, unpolarized and polarized standard stars were observed to measure an instrumental polarization and its uncertainty. As a result, an instrumental polarization of 5.06 ± 0.18% has been measured.     

NEEMO 15: Evaluation of human exploration systems for near-Earth asteroids

The NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 15 mission was focused on evaluating techniques for exploring near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). It began with a University of Delaware autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systematically mapping the coral reef for hundreds of meters surrounding the Aquarius habitat. This activity is akin to the type of “far-field survey” approach that may be used by a robotic precursor in advance of a human mission to a NEA. Data from the far-field survey were then examined by the NEEMO science team and follow-up exploration traverses were planned, which used Deepworker single-person submersibles. Science traverses at NEEMO 15 were planned according to a prioritized list of objectives developed by the science team. These objectives were based on review and discussion of previous related marine science research, including previous marine science saturation missions conducted at the Aquarius habitat. AUV data were used to select several areas of scientific interest. The Deepworker science traverses were then executed at these areas of interest during 4 days of the NEEMO 15 mission and provided higher resolution data such as coral species distribution and mortality. These traverses are analogous to the “near-field survey” approach that is expected to be performed by a Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) during a human mission to a NEA before extravehicular activities (EVAs) are conducted. In addition to the science objectives that were pursued, the NEEMO 15 traverses provided an opportunity to test newly developed software and techniques. Sample collection and instrument deployment on the NEA surface by EVA crew would follow the “near-field survey” in a human NEA mission. Sample collection was not necessary for the purposes of the NEEMO science objectives; however, the engineering and operations objectives during NEEMO 15 were to evaluate different combinations of vehicles, crew members, tools, and equipment that could be used to perform these science objectives on a NEA. Specifically, the productivity and acceptability of simulated NEA exploration activities were systematically quantified and compared when operating with different combinations of crew sizes and exploration systems including MMSEVs, EVA jet packs, and EVA translation devices. Data from NEEMO 15 will be used in conjunction with data from software simulations, parametric analysis, other analog field tests, anchoring models, and integrated testing at Johnson Space Center to inform the evolving architectures and exploration systems being developed by the Human Spaceflight Architecture Team.     

A simplified approach to uncertainty quantification for orbits in impulsive deflection scenarios

For the majority of near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) impact scenarios, optimal deflection strategies use a massive impactor or a nuclear explosive, either of which produce an impulsive change to the orbit of the object. However, uncertainties regarding the object composition and the efficiency of the deflection event lead to a non-negligible uncertainty in the deflection delta-velocity. Propagating this uncertainty through the resulting orbit will create a positional uncertainty envelope at the original impact epoch. We calculate a simplified analytic evolution for impulsively deflected NEAs and perform a full propagation of uncertainties that is nonlinear in the deflection delta-velocity vector. This provides an understanding of both the optimal deflection velocities needed for a given scenario, as well as the resulting positional uncertainty and corresponding residual impact probability. Confidence of a successful deflection attempt as a function of launch opportunities is also discussed for a specific case.     

Human exploration of near earth asteroids: Mission analysis for chemical and electric propulsion

This paper presents a mission analysis comparison of human missions to asteroids using two distinct architectures. The objective is to determine if either architecture can reduce launch mass with respect to the other, while not sacrificing other performance metrics such as mission duration. One architecture relies on chemical propulsion, the traditional workhorse of space exploration. The second combines chemical and electric propulsion into a hybrid architecture that attempts to utilize the strengths of each, namely the short flight times of chemical propulsion and the propellant efficiency of electric propulsion. The architectures are thoroughly detailed, and accessibility of the known asteroid population is determined for both. The most accessible asteroids are discussed in detail. Aspects such as mission abort scenarios and vehicle reusability are also discussed. Ultimately, it is determined that launch mass can be greatly reduced with the hybrid architecture, without a notable increase in mission duration. This demonstrates that significant performance improvements can be introduced to the next step of human space exploration with realistic electric propulsion system capabilities. This leads to immediate cost savings for human exploration and simultaneously opens a path of technology development that leads to technologies enabling access to even further destinations in the future.     

面向小行星微重力环境探测的自恢复直立弹跳机器人设计

针对小行星微重力环境,提出了一种具有蛋形外壳,利用弹簧蓄力的并联腿弹跳机器人。该机器人无论以何种姿态落地,均可在重力矩作用下恢复直立姿态。这一设计相对于需要额外主动装置恢复直立的先前方案,节省了恢复直立所需的能耗,在结构上更为简单可靠。文中阐述了完整的机构设计方案,及相应的结构参数优化计算方法。通过的样机实验,设计方法的有效性得到验证。