国外火星飞机及火星风洞研究

在简述火星与地球大气飞行环境差异的基础上,分析研究了火星飞机主要布局特征和动力推进问题;阐述了国外开展火星飞机研究发展的地面模拟设备--火星风洞的情况,意在跟踪国外新技术走向,为国内航空航天未来发展提供参考.     

X-Rays From Mars

X-rays from Mars were first detected in July 2001 with the satellite Chandra. The main source of this radiation was fluorescent scattering of solar X-rays in its upper atmosphere. In addition, the presence of an extended X-ray halo was indicated, probably resulting from charge exchange interactions between highly charged heavy ions in the solar wind and neutrals in the Martian exosphere. The statistical significance of the X-ray halo, however, was very low. In November 2003, Mars was observed again in X-rays, this time with the satellite XMM-Newton. This observation, characterized by a considerably higher sensitivity, confirmed the presence of the X-ray halo and proved that charge exchange is indeed the origin of the emission. This was the first definite detection of charge exchange induced X-ray emission from the exosphere of another planet. Previously, this kind of emission had been detected from comets (which are largely exospheres) and from the terrestrial exosphere. Because charge exchange interactions between atmospheric constituents and solar wind ions are considered as an important nonthermal escape mechanism, probably responsible for a significant loss of the Martian atmosphere, X-ray observations may lead to a better understanding of the present state of the Martian atmosphere and its evolution. X-ray images of the Martian exosphere in specific emission lines exhibited a highly anisotropic morphology, varying with individual ions and ionization states. With its capability to trace the X-ray emission out to at least 8 Mars radii, XMM-Newton can explore exospheric regions far beyond those that have been observationally explored to date. Thus, X-ray observations provide a novel method for studying processes in the Martian exosphere on a global scale.     

Mars Crustal Magnetism

Mars lacks a detectable magnetic field of global scale, but boasts a rich spectrum of magnetic fields at smaller spatial scales attributed to the spatial variation of remanent magnetism in the crust. On average the Mars crust is 10 times more intensely magnetized than that of the Earth. It appears likely that the Mars crust acquired its remanence in the first few hundred million years of evolution when an active dynamo sustained an intense global field. An early dynamo era, ending in the Noachian, or earliest period of Mars chronology, would likely be driven by thermal convection in an early, hot, fluid core. If crustal remanence was acquired later in Mars history, a dynamo driven by chemical convection associated with the solidification of an inner core is likely. Thermal evolution models cannot yet distinguish between these two possibilities. The magnetic record contains a wealth of information on the thermal evolution of Mars and the Mars dynamo, but we have just begun to decipher its message.     

Mars Express and MARSIS

Space Science Reviews - The Mars Express mission to be launched in 2003 will provide high resolution measurements of the Martian atmosphere and ionosphere. The neutral density, temperature, and...     

Mars Global Surveyor Observations of Solar Wind Magnetic Field Draping Around Mars

We examine the magnetic field in the martian magnetosheath due to solar wind draping. Mars Global Surveyor provided 3-D vector magnetic field measurements at a large range of altitudes, local times, and solar zenith angles as the spacecraft orbit evolved. We choose orbits with very clean signatures of draping to establish the nominal morphology of the magnetic field lines at local times of near-subsolar and near-terminator. Next, using a compilation of data from Mars Global Surveyor, we determine the average magnetic field morphology in the martian magnetosheath due to the solar wind interaction. The topology of the field is as expected from previous observations and predictions. The magnetic field magnitude peaks at low altitude and noon magnetic local time and decreases away from that point. The magnetic field has an inclination from the local horizontal of 5.6° on average in the dayside magnetosheath and 12.5° on the nightside. The inclination angle is closest to zero at noon magnetic local time and low altitude. It increases both upward and to later local times. The magnetic field in the induced magnetotail flares out from the Mars—Sun direction by 21°. Finally, we compare the observations to gasdynamic model predictions and find that the shocked solar wind flow in the martian magnetosheath can be treated as a gasdynamic flow with the magnetic pileup boundary as the inner boundary to the flow.     

Radar observations of Mars

Radar observations in the past were used to investigate the astronomical properties of the planet and its reflectivity in radar frequencies. Because of the difficulties in signal detection and processing due to the low level of return signal, the data were published only in the form of Doppler spectrograms. In view of the increasing interest in Mars and the practicability of missions to Mars this paper uses the published data to evaluate the angular behavior of the radar backscattering characteristics of Mars; a required information for the design of radar equipment of spacecrafts. In addition, results of past observations are summarized, analyzed and discussed in terms of a general interpretation of the Martian surface. It is found that the generally accepted suggestion that Mars is a relatively smooth planet, smoother than the Moon, is confirmed by most of the results, but not all observations agree with this hypothesis. A surface model of relief and composition based on radar information in conjunction with other observations is reviewed. The processing methods of radar return signals are compared for a better understanding of the handling of the Doppler spectrogram, a form which is most widely used for the presentation of processed data.An extensive bibliography of available papers and reports relevant to radar observations and the surface and lower atmosphere of Mars is included. The literature is concerned mainly with post-Mariner IV experiment, the mission which changed considerably many conceptions of Mars.     

目标:火星极区美国"凤凰"号火星着陆探测器

8月4日,美国"凤凰"号火星着陆探测器从卡纳维拉尔角肯尼迪航天中心发射升空,开始了它历时近10个月的飞向火星的旅程。在火星北极地区着陆后,"凤凰"号将通过挖掘并分析火星极区土壤样本以确定当地环境是否适合生物生存。     

Planned Products of the Mars Structure Service for the InSight Mission to Mars

Space Science Reviews - The InSight lander will deliver geophysical instruments to Mars in 2018, including seismometers installed directly on the surface (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure,...     

Mars navigation system utilizes GPS

Tasks envisioned for future generation Mars rovers - sample collection, area survey, resource mining, habitat construction, etc. - will require greatly enhanced navigational capabilities over those possessed by the Mars Sojourner rover. Many of these tasks will involve cooperative efforts by multiple rovers and other agents, adding further requirements both for accuracy and commonality between users. This paper presents a new navigation system a "Self-Calibrating Pseudolite Array" (SCPA) that can provide centimeter-level, drift-free localization to multiple rovers within a local area by utilizing GPS-based transceivers deployed in a ground-based array. Such a system of localized beacons can replace or augment a system based on orbiting satellite transmitters, and is capable of fully autonomous operations and calibration. This paper describes the prototype SCPA developed at Stanford to demonstrate these capabilities and then presents results from a set of field trials performed at NASA Ames Research Center. These experiments, which utilize the K9 Mars rover research platform, validate both the navigation and self-calibration capabilities of the system. By carrying an on-board GPS transceiver, K9 was successfully able to calibrate the system using no a priori position information and localized the pseudolite beacons to under 5 cm RMS.     

First Mars outpost power systems

Research into potential power systems for the First Mars Outpost (FMO) was performed. The author examined a representative mission architecture which was developed by NASA to determine power system requirements. Power system options including nuclear, isotope, photovoltaic (PV), chemical heat engine, and regenerative fuel cell (RFC) concepts were identified for potential Mars surface applications. A top-level characterization study was conducted to determine power system mass and area for each application. It is seen that PV systems are generally not suited for Mars surface applications due to the large surface area required and higher mass than a closed Brayton cycle SP100 reactor system. A reactor is currently being considered by NASA Lewis Research Center to provide power for base architectures including an ISRU (in situ resource utilization). An oxygen/methane powered heat engine would provide 40 kWe of emergency power for the habitat. A dynamic isotope power system (DIPS) is the current choice for a long-duration pressurized rover due to the excessive size of a PV/RFC system and higher mass of a heat engine system. DIPS has advantages for other low power systems due to its neatly immediate availability and flexibility (night or day power; no recharging required)     

Solar cell selection for Mars

The surface of Mars is an environment significantly different from both the surface of the Earth and from orbit. Solar cell performance is the major constraint on the landing site latitude, on science operations, and on how long during each day and during which Mars seasons a spacecraft can operate. This article examines what we know about the environment of Mars and how it affects the selection of solar cells for Mars surface operation     

The plasma Environment of Mars

Space Science Reviews -     

火星探测需要"勇气"与"机遇"

人类在40多年火星探测中,经历了无数次失败.但为了进一步探测这颗红色星球的奥秘,美国于今年6、7月又分别发射了"勇气"号和"机遇"号探测器,这两个探测器上安装了许多用于科研的测试仪器和设备,并采用了许多关键技术     

2001 Mars Odyssey Mission Summary

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, now in orbit at Mars, will observe the Martian surface at infrared and visible wavelengths to determine surface mineralogy and morphology, acquire global gamma ray and neutron observations for a full Martian year, and study the Mars radiation environment from orbit. The science objectives of this mission are to: (1) globally map the elemental composition of the surface, (2) determine the abundance of hydrogen in the shallow subsurface, (3) acquire high spatial and spectral resolution images of the surface mineralogy, (4) provide information on the morphology of the surface, and (5) characterize the Martian near-space radiation environment as related to radiation-induced risk to human explorers. To accomplish these objectives, the 2001 Mars Odyssey science payload includes a Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), a multi-spectral Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), and a radiation detector, the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE). THEMIS and MARIE are mounted on the spacecraft with THEMIS pointed at nadir. GRS is a suite of three instruments: a Gamma Subsystem (GSS), a Neutron Spectrometer (NS) and a High-Energy Neutron Detector (HEND). The HEND and NS instruments are mounted on the spacecraft body while the GSS is on a 6-m boom. Some science data were collected during the cruise and aerobraking phases of the mission before the prime mission started. THEMIS acquired infrared and visible images of the Earth-Moon system and of the southern hemisphere of Mars. MARIE monitored the radiation environment during cruise. The GRS collected calibration data during cruise and aerobraking. Early GRS observations in Mars orbit indicated a hydrogen-rich layer in the upper meter of the subsurface in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, atmospheric densities, scale heights, temperatures, and pressures were observed by spacecraft accelerometers during aerobraking as the spacecraft skimmed the upper portions of the Martian atmosphere. This provided the first in-situ evidence of winter polar warming in the Mars upper atmosphere. The prime mission for 2001 Mars Odyssey began in February 2002 and will continue until August 2004. During this prime mission, the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft will also provide radio relays for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European landers in early 2004. Science data from 2001 Mars Odyssey instruments will be provided to the science community via NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS). The first PDS release of Odyssey data was in October 2002; subsequent releases occur every 3 months.     

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Emirates Mars InfraRed Spectrometer (EMIRS) Instrument

Space Science Reviews - Modern observatories have revealed the ubiquitous presence of magnetohydrodynamic waves in the solar corona. The propagating waves (in contrast to the standing waves) are...     

前仆后继的火星"探测者"正在揭开面纱的"维多利亚"火星陨石坑

在过去的21个月中,"机遇"号火星车在火星表面以非常缓慢的速度走完了约9千米的路程,最终于9月27日到达了火星上"维多利亚"陨石坑的边缘,开始执行整个耗资8亿美元的火星表面双火星车探索计划中最为复杂、危险,同时也是最有价值的任务.三个美国火星轨道器也将相继在火星上继续它们的探险历程.     

火星超压气球温度分布研究

 针对火星气球的温度特性开展研究,首先分析了火星大气的特殊热环境;归纳了影响火星气球温度特性的主要环境因素;设计了两种不同蒙皮辐射特性的原型超压气球;建立了计算火星气球稳态温度分布的模型,并做了合理的简化;选择了热、冷、任意时刻及特殊工况进行气球的蒙皮和内部气体温度计算.结果表明,通过改进蒙皮辐射特性的设计,可以满足火星气球在特定工况下飞行的温度要求.     

Lower and Upper Ionosphere of Mars

The ionosphere of Mars has been explored mostly with the radio occultation experiment onboard Mariners 6, 7, 9; Mars 2, 3, 4, 6; Viking 1, 2, and more recently on Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Express (MEX). In addition to the radio occultation experiment, MEX also carried Mars Advanced Radar for the Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) experiment which provided electron density profiles well above the main ionospheric peak. The atmosphere of Mars was measured directly by the neutral mass spectrometer onboard Viking 1 and 2 Landers. Later, an accelerometer and radio occultation experiment on MGS provided large data sets of atmospheric density at various locations in the upper and lower atmospheres of Mars, respectively. In this paper we review results of these upper and lower atmospheric/ionospheric measurements. Results of these measurements have been compared with theoretical models by several workers; therefore, we also review various atmospheric and ionospheric models of Mars.