Large and sharp changes of solar wind dynamic pressure and disturbances of the magnetospheric magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit caused by these variations

The large and sharp changes of solar wind dynamic pressure, found from the INTERBALL-1 satellite and WIND spacecraft data, are compared with simultaneous magnetic field disturbances in the magnetosphere measured by geosynchronous GOES-8, GOES-9, and GOES-10 satellites. For this purpose, about 200 events in the solar wind, associated with sharp changes of the dynamic pressure, were selected from the INTERBALL-1 satellite data obtained during 1996–1999. The large and sharp changes of the solar wind dynamic pressure were shown to result in rapid variations of the magnetic field strength in the outer magnetosphere, the increase (drop) of the solar wind dynamic pressure always lead to an increase (drop) of the geosynchronous magnetic field magnitude. The value of the geomagnetic field variation strongly depends on the local time of the observation point, reaching a maximum value near the noon meridian. It is shown that the direction of the B _z component of the interplanetary magnetic field has virtually no effect on the geomagnetic field variation because of a sharp jump of pressure. The time shift between an event in the solar wind and its response in the magnetosphere at a geosynchronous orbit essentially depends on the inclination of the front of a solar wind disturbance to the Sun-Earth line.     

LARES successfully launched in orbit: Satellite and mission description

On February 13th 2012, the LARES satellite of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) was launched into orbit with the qualification flight of the new VEGA launcher of the European Space Agency (ESA). The payload was released very accurately in the nominal orbit. The name LARES means LAser RElativity Satellite and summarises the objective of the mission and some characteristics of the satellite. It is, in fact, a mission designed to test Einstein's General Relativity Theory (specifically ‘frame-dragging' and Lense-Thirring effect). The satellite is passive and covered with optical retroreflectors that send back laser pulses to the emitting ground station. This allows accurate positioning of the satellite, which is important for measuring the very small deviations from Galilei–Newton's laws. In 2008, ASI selected the prime industrial contractor for the LARES system with a heavy involvement of the universities in all phases of the programme, from the design to the construction and testing of the satellite and separation system. The data exploitation phase started immediately after the launch under a new contract between ASI and those universities. Tracking of the satellite is provided by the International Laser Ranging Service. Due to its particular design, LARES is the orbiting object with the highest known mean density in the solar system. In this paper, it is shown that this peculiarity makes it the best proof particle ever manufactured. Design aspects, mission objectives and preliminary data analysis will be also presented.     

From Earth's orbit to the outer planets and beyond: Psychological issues in space

Current planning for the first interplanetary expedition to Mars envisions a crew of 6 or 7 people and a mission duration of around 2.5 years. However, this time frame is much less than that expected on expeditions to the outer solar system, where total mission durations of 10 years or more are likely. Although future technological breakthroughs in propulsion systems and space vehicle construction may speed up transit times, for now we must realistically consider the psychological impact of missions lasting for one or more decades.Available information largely deals with on-orbit missions. In research that involved Mir and ISS missions lasting up to 7 months, our group and others have studied the effects of psychological and interpersonal issues on crewmembers and on the crew-ground relationship. We also studied the positive effects of being in space. However, human expeditions to the outer planets and beyond will introduce a number of new psychological and interpersonal stressors that have not been experienced before. There will be unprecedented levels of isolation and monotony, real-time communication with the Earth will not be possible, the crew will have to work autonomously, there will be great dependence on computers and other technical resources located on board, and the Earth will become an insignificant dot in space or will even disappear from view entirely.Strategies for dealing with psychological issues involving missions to the outer solar system and beyond will be considered and discussed, including those related to new technologies being considered for interstellar missions, such as traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light, putting crewmembers in suspended animation, or creating giant self-contained generation ships of colonists who will not return to Earth.     

Longitude-dependent effects of fragmentation events in the geosynchronous orbit regime

The effects of on-orbit fragmentation events on localized debris congestion in each of the longitude slots of the geosynchronous orbit (GEO) regime are evaluated by simulating explosions and collisions of uncontrolled rocket bodies in multiple orbit configurations, including libration about one or both of the gravitational wells located at 75°E and 105°W. Fragmentation distributions are generated with the NASA Standard Breakup Model, which samples fragment area-to-mass ratio and delta-velocity as a function of effective diameter. Simulation results indicate that the long-term severity and consequence of a GEO fragmentation event is strongly dependent upon parent body longitude at the epoch of fragmentation, which can spawn bi-annual “fragment storms” in high-risk longitude slots, driven by lower-energy fragments that have been captured and have started librating around the nearby gravitational well.     

On the one-body problem in the field of a tall cylinder in orbit

We describe the motion of a material point that is attracted by a tall, homogeneous cylinder. The cylinder moves on a circular orbit and points in the radial direction. The finite solution can be expanded in powers of two small parameters: the initial eccentricity of the orbital motion about the cylinder and the coupling parameter of the Coriolis force. Such expansions are given for the case of the indifferent longitudinal location. Solutions periodic in the polar angle are constructed. We do not find resonance effects or other large cumulative amplitude variations that might be due to the gravity-gradient and Coriolis force.     

卫星编队飞行相对轨道的摄动研究综述

卫星在编队飞行过程中总受到各种摄动力的作用，由于轨道摄动直接影响卫星的寿命，研究卫星编队飞行相对轨道的摄动问题具有重要的意义。本文综述了国内外有关编队飞行卫星相对轨道摄动问题的研究方法以及进展，最后针对目前相对轨道摄动的研究现状，指出了进一步的研究方向。     

载人飞船泄复压过程中轨道舱的噪声环境试验研究

为了考察航天员对载人飞船泄复压过程中轨道舱内噪声环境的适应性,在KM6水平舱进行了相应的模拟试验,对轨道舱中的噪声环境进行了试验测量与研究.试验结果及航天员的实际感受表明,泄复压过程中轨道舱内的噪声环境满足要求,产生的噪声对航天员不会造成伤害.     

空间推进系统在轨有关热控问题分析

文章基于空间推进系统热控的特点,针对长期在轨航天器推进系统热控面临的贮箱膜片热胀冷缩疲劳和机组阀门超温问题进行机理分析,归纳贮箱热控和发动机、推力器高温工况相应的解决措施及难点,结合某型号实际提出解决方案,并对改进后的效果进行分析预示,给出长期在轨航天器热控方案设计建议。     

白谱法在电离层扰动研究中的应用

将电离层扰动从其背景中分离出来一直是电离层扰动研究的核心与难点。文章综述白谱法在电离层扰动研究方面取得的进展,主要有：1）白谱法比常规电离层扰动提取方法能更好地描述磁暴期间电离层的扰动,利用白谱法构建的电离层天气单站指数 Js、全球指数 Jp 和区域指数Jr与 Dst 指数之间存在极好的关联性,可以直接利用 Dst 来对 Jp进行预报。2）白谱法同样适合研究强磁暴期间的电离层异常弱响应。对比研究发现,电离层在强磁暴条件下的弱响应不依赖于采用的扰动提取方法本身,并且该现象的出现与纬度、地方时及磁暴前期条件强烈相关。3）白谱法是研究地磁平静期由其他扰动源引起电离层扰动的有力工具。基于白谱法构建的Js分布图能够很好地反映台风过程中电离层扰动的空间特征。     

Plasma flow disturbances in the magnetospheric plasma sheet during substorm activations

We have considered variations in fields and particle fluxes in the near-Earth plasma sheet on the THEMIS-D satellite together with the auroral dynamics in the satellite-conjugate ionospheric part during two substorm activations on December 19, 2014 with K _p = 2. The satellite was at ~8.5R_E and MLT = 21.8 in the outer region of captured energetic particles with isotropic ion fluxes near the convection boundary of electrons with an energy of ~10 keV. During substorm activations, the satellite recorded energetic particle injections and magnetic field oscillations with a period of ~90 s. In the satellite-conjugate ionospheric part, the activations were preceded by wavelike disturbances of auroral brightness along the southern azimuthal arc. In the expansion phase of activations, large-scale vortex structures appeared in the structure of auroras. The sudden enhancements of auroral activity (brightening of arcs, auroral breakup, and appearance of NS forms) coincided with moments of local magnetic field dipolarization and an increase in the amplitude Pi2 of pulsations of the B_z component of the magnetic field on the satellite. Approximately 30–50 s before these moments, the magnetosphere was characterized by an increased rate of plasma flow in the radial direction, which initiated the formation of plasma vortices. The auroral activation delays relative to the times when plasma vortices appear in the magnetosphere decreased with decreasing latitude of the satellite projection. The plasma vortices in the magnetosphere are assumed to be responsible for the observed auroral vortex structures and the manifestation of the hybrid vortex instability (or shear flow ballooning instability) that develops in the equatorial magnetospheric plane in the presence of a shear plasma flow in the region of strong pressure gradients in the Earthward direction.     

航天器在轨泄漏声发射信号特征分析

载人航天器的防护要求不断增强, 在轨泄漏检测的重要性日益凸现。文章阐述了航天器在轨泄漏声发射检测的基本原理, 介绍了泄漏检测系统的基本组成及性能参数。通过泄漏声发射检测实验, 利用频谱分析法和特征参数分析法对不同孔径圆形漏孔泄漏产生的声发射信号进行研究, 得到了泄漏声发射信号的频谱和特征参数。实验结果表明, 机械泵运行产生的背景噪声信号主要分布在10 kHz以下, 而气体泄漏产生的是高频声发射信号, 且漏孔越小, 信号能量越小, 高频成分所占比例越大。该研究对于航天器在轨泄漏的检测及泄漏量评估等具有实际意义。     

Modal control of the planar motion of a long flexible beam in orbit

Attitude control techniques for the pointing and stabilization of very large, inherently flexible spacecraft systems are investigated. The attitude dynamics and control of a long, homogeneous flexible beam whose center of mass is assumed to follow a circular orbit is analyzed. In this study, first order effects of gravity-gradient are included, whereas external perturbations and related orbital station keeping maneuvers are neglected. A mathematical model which describes the system deflections within the orbital plane has been developed by treating the beam as having a maximum of three discretized mass particles connected by massless, elastic structural elements. The uncontrolled dynamics of this system are simulated and, in addition, the effects of the control devices are considered. The concept of distributed modal control, which provides a means for controlling a system mode independently of all other modes, is examined. The effect of varying the number of modes in the model as well as the number and location of the control devices are also considered.     

“天基红外系统”高轨卫星构型分析与启示

“天基红外系统”（SBIRS）是美国空军为取代“国防支援计划”（DSP）预警卫星而设计部署的后续新型导弹预警卫星系统,用于支持导弹预警、导弹防御和作战空间感知等领域,是美国战略战术作战与防御系统的重要组成部分,对国防军事领域具有关键支撑作用。文章根据公开资料,在对SBIRS GEO-3卫星的任务、技术指标和总体能力进行分析的基础上,对其构型设计与特点以及应用的新技术等进行分析和总结,以期为我国的高轨遥感卫星构型设计提供启示。     

航天器非地球轨道热环境模拟技术探讨

月球、火星探测器等非地球轨道航天器与地球轨道航天器对热控的要求有很大的不同,为验证热控设计的合理性,必须在地面做好充分的热环境模拟试验.国内绝大部分空间环模设备都是以模拟地球轨道航天器在轨环境为目的建设的,显然不能满足深空探测需要.文章针对航天器非地球轨道深空热环境模拟技术进行探讨.     

极轨星座分布式数据报路由链路失效影响研究

针对极轨道星座网络,分析分布式数据报路由算法性能,给出单链路失效对可行最少跳数传输路径数量的影响,用以衡量该链路的重要程度.考虑到现有优先最短传输时延路径的分布式数据报路由算法会引起业务分布不均,重负载链路失效会造成严重性能下降甚至引起级联失效,提出基于逻辑距离的概率分布式数据报路由算法,保证数据报路由在最少跳数前提下...     

Three-frequency resonances in the problem of fast rotation of an asymmetric body in elliptical orbit

The paper presents a classification of resonance problems generated by the highest-degree term of the perturbing function in the problem of fast rotation of an asymmetric solid body in elliptic orbit in a central gravitational field. Explicit formulas are obtained for Hamiltonians of all Hamiltonian systems that deter-mine motions in the neighborhood of resonances. Basic resonance effects are described.     

The PROCESS experiment: an astrochemistry laboratory for solid and gaseous organic samples in low-earth orbit

The PROCESS (PRebiotic Organic ChEmistry on the Space Station) experiment was part of the EXPOSE-E payload outside the European Columbus module of the International Space Station from February 2008 to August 2009. During this interval, organic samples were exposed to space conditions to simulate their evolution in various astrophysical environments. The samples used represent organic species related to the evolution of organic matter on the small bodies of the Solar System (carbonaceous asteroids and comets), the photolysis of methane in the atmosphere of Titan, and the search for organic matter at the surface of Mars. This paper describes the hardware developed for this experiment as well as the results for the glycine solid-phase samples and the gas-phase samples that were used with regard to the atmosphere of Titan. Lessons learned from this experiment are also presented for future low-Earth orbit astrochemistry investigations.     

飞船在大气层外飞行段的主要参数对轨道的影响

飞船返回地球时再入速度很大,过大的过载和气动加热率尤其对载人飞船带来安全性问题。如果利用航天器在大气层外及其边缘处多次再入运动,可降低速度、耗散热量。文章主要分析了载人飞船在大气层外多次再入飞行时的各主要参数对飞船轨道和轨道终点的影响。在分析过程中,首先建立了飞船在大气层外飞行的数学模型,进而通过大量的数值仿真得到一条基准轨道,在此基础上分别改变轨道起始点参数（倾角、偏航角和飞行速度）的初始值,分析轨道的特性及轨道的终点误差。最后根据起始点参数值和对应的轨道终点误差值的关系,得到了飞船在大气层外飞行时的起始参数对飞行轨道及轨道终点影响的敏感度,从而为工程上轨道的设计提供一个有效的参考依据。     

The PROCESS experiment: amino and carboxylic acids under Mars-like surface UV radiation conditions in low-earth orbit

The search for organic molecules at the surface of Mars is a top priority of the next Mars exploration space missions: Mars Science Laboratory (NASA) and ExoMars (ESA). The detection of organic matter could provide information about the presence of a prebiotic chemistry or even biological activity on this planet. Therefore, a key step in interpretation of future data collected by these missions is to understand the preservation of organic matter in the martian environment. Several laboratory experiments have been devoted to quantifying and qualifying the evolution of organic molecules under simulated environmental conditions of Mars. However, these laboratory simulations are limited, and one major constraint is the reproduction of the UV spectrum that reaches the surface of Mars. As part of the PROCESS experiment of the European EXPOSE-E mission on board the International Space Station, a study was performed on the photodegradation of organics under filtered extraterrestrial solar electromagnetic radiation that mimics Mars-like surface UV radiation conditions. Glycine, serine, phthalic acid, phthalic acid in the presence of a mineral phase, and mellitic acid were exposed to these conditions for 1.5 years, and their evolution was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy after their retrieval. The results were compared with data from laboratory experiments. A 1.5-year exposure to Mars-like surface UV radiation conditions in space resulted in complete degradation of the organic compounds. Half-lives between 50 and 150?h for martian surface conditions were calculated from both laboratory and low-Earth orbit experiments. The results highlight that none of those organics are stable under low-Earth orbit solar UV radiation conditions.