The X/X/KA-band deep space transponder for the BepiColombo mission to mercury

This paper reports the main characteristics of the deep space transponder (DST) equipment that has been designed, developed and tested by Thales Alenia Space—Italy (TAS-I) for the European Space Agency (ESA) BepiColombo mission to Mercury.     

MESSENGER at Mercury: Early orbital operations

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, launched in August 2004 under NASA's Discovery Program, was inserted into orbit about the planet Mercury in March 2011. MESSENGER's three flybys of Mercury in 2008–2009 marked the first spacecraft visits to the innermost planet since the Mariner 10 flybys in 1974–1975. The unprecedented orbital operations are yielding new insights into the nature and evolution of Mercury. The scientific questions that frame the MESSENGER mission led to the mission measurement objectives to be achieved by the seven payload instruments and the radio science experiment. Interweaving the full set of required orbital observations in a manner that maximizes the opportunity to satisfy all mission objectives and yet meet stringent spacecraft pointing and thermal constraints was a complex optimization problem that was solved with a software tool that simulates science observations and tracks progress toward meeting each objective. The final orbital observation plan, the outcome of that optimization process, meets all mission objectives. MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System is acquiring a global monochromatic image mosaic at better than 90% coverage and at least 250 m average resolution, a global color image mosaic at better than 90% coverage and at least 1 km average resolution, and global stereo imaging at better than 80% coverage and at least 250 m average resolution. Higher-resolution images are also being acquired of targeted areas. The elemental remote sensing instruments, including the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer and the X-Ray Spectrometer, are being operated nearly continuously and will establish the average surface abundances of most major elements. The Visible and Infrared Spectrograph channel of MESSENGER's Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer is acquiring a global map of spectral reflectance from 300 to 1450 nm wavelength at a range of incidence and emission angles. Targeted areas have been selected for spectral coverage into the ultraviolet with the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS). MESSENGER's Mercury Laser Altimeter is acquiring topographic profiles when the slant range to Mercury's surface is less than 1800 km, encompassing latitudes from 20°S to the north pole. Topography over the remainder of the southern hemisphere will be derived from stereo imaging, radio occultations, and limb profiles. MESSENGER's radio science experiment is determining Mercury's gravity field from Doppler signals acquired during frequent downlinks. MESSENGER's Magnetometer is measuring the vector magnetic field both within Mercury's magnetosphere and in Mercury's solar wind environment at an instrument sampling rate of up to 20 samples/s. The UVVS is determining the three-dimensional, time-dependent distribution of Mercury's exospheric neutral and ionic species via their emission lines. During each spacecraft orbit, the Energetic Particle Spectrometer measures energetic electrons and ions, and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer measures the energies and mass per charge of thermal plasma components, both within Mercury's magnetosphere and in Mercury's solar-wind environment. The primary mission observation sequence will continue for one Earth year, until March 2012. An extended mission, currently under discussion with NASA, would add a second year of orbital observations targeting a set of focused follow-on questions that build on observations to date and take advantage of the more active Sun expected during 2012–2013. MESSENGER's total primary mission cost, projected at $446 M in real-year dollars, is comparable to that of Mariner 10 after adjustment for inflation.     

Potential cost reductions for three STS/Spacelab mission modes

Based on the results of studies carried out by ESA several possibilities are discussed to achieve mission cost reductions for large Spacelab instrument facilities as compared to their flight on several 7-day duration Spacelab missions. As an example three scientific telescope facilities are selected (LIRTS, EXSPOS, GRIST) which are defined to a Phase A level.Three new mission modes are considered:

• —Shuttle attached Spacelab mission mode with extended flight duration (up to 30 days) for which the application of planned capability extensions and new elements of the STS/Spacelab (e.g. Short Spacelab Pallets, Power Extension Package) are investigated.

• —Shuttle deployed mission mode, for which the telescope, accommodated on a Spacelab pallet, is docked to the Power Module, a new element of the Space Transportation System under study by NASA.

• —Free-flying mission mode, for which Shuttle launched dedicated missions of the facilities are considered, assuming varying degrees of autonomy with respect to supporting services of the Shuttle.

Reduction of costs have been considered on the levels of single mission cost and total programme cost. Fundamentally the charges for the instrument can be reduced by constraining the mass/volume factors with respect to the Shuttle capability. However, the instrument as part of a payload is only viable if an acceptable resource sharing including observation time can be achieved. Any single instrument will require several mission opportunities or one mission which achieves a similar or longer total observation programme.Based on an identification of instrument modifications of the Phase A baseline designs to favour cost reductions and on a derivation of technical requirements, constraints and finally budgetary cost comparisons an attempt is made to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the different mission modes.The favoured option for GRIST is a 2–3 weeks sortie mission followed after refurbishment by a longer Power Module docked mission. For LIRTS and EXSPOS the free-flying pallet modes are very attractive in terms of the longer durations achieved and in terms of cost per unit operating time.     

MESSENGER's use of solar sailing for cost and risk reduction

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission used six planetary gravity assists in order to enable capture into orbit about Mercury. A key element of MESSENGER's successful trajectory was achieving the proper gravity assist from each planetary flyby. The criticality of the MESSENGER gravity assists levied tight accuracy requirements on the planetary-flyby targeting. Major errors could have precluded Mercury orbit insertion or required modifications to the trajectory that increased mission complexity, cost, and risk by requiring additional Mercury flybys and extending mission duration. Throughout the mission, MESSENGER modified its strategy for achieving accurate planetary flybys. By using solar sailing, the MESSENGER team was able to eliminate all of the flyby approach maneuvers without sacrificing flyby accuracy, thereby saving mission ΔV margin. The elimination of these approach maneuvers also markedly reduced mission risk, as these approach maneuvers were nominally planned during a time of heightened sensitivity to errors and precluded unique flyby science opportunities. The paradigm shift used by MESSENGER may be useful for other interplanetary missions, particularly if their trajectories require gravity assists in the inner solar system.     

Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon

Chandrayaan-1 is the first Indian planetary exploration mission that will perform remote sensing observation of the Moon to further our understanding about its origin and evolution. Hyper-spectral studies in the 0.4– region using three different imaging spectrometers, coupled with a low energy X-ray spectrometer, a sub-keV atom analyzer, a 3D terrain mapping camera and a laser ranging instrument will provide data on mineralogical and chemical composition and topography of the lunar surface at high spatial resolution. A low energy gamma ray spectrometer and a miniature imaging radar will investigate volatile transport on lunar surface and possible presence of water ice in the polar region. A radiation dose monitor will provide an estimation of energetic particle flux en route to the Moon as well as in lunar orbit. An impact probe carrying a mass spectrometer will also be a part of the spacecraft. The 1 ton class spacecraft will be launched by using a variant of flight proven indigenous Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL). The spacecraft will be finally placed in a 100 km circular polar orbit around the Moon with a planned mission life of two years.     

PRISMA—A formation flying project in implementation phase

The PRISMA project for autonomous formation flying and rendezvous has passed its critical design review in February–March 2007. The project comprises two satellites which are an in-orbit testbed for Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) algorithms and sensors for advanced formation flying and rendezvous. Several experiments involving GNC algorithms, sensors and thrusters will be performed during a 10 month mission with launch planned for the second half of 2009.The project is run by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) in close cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Additionally, the project also will demonstrate flight worthiness of two novel motor technologies: one that uses environmentally clean and non-hazardous propellant, and one that consists of a microthruster system based on MEMS technology.The project will demonstrate autonomous formation flying and rendezvous based on several sensors—GPS, RF-based and vision based—with different objectives and in different combinations. The GPS-based onboard navigation system, contributed by DLR, offers relative orbit information in real-time in decimetre range. The RF-based navigation instrument intended for DARWIN, under CNES development, will be tested for the first time on PRISMA, both for instrument performance, but also in closed loop as main sensor for formation flying. Several rendezvous and proximity manoeuvre experiments will be demonstrated using only vision based sensor information coming from the modified star camera provided by DTU. Semi-autonomous operations ranging from 200 km to 1 m separation between the satellites will be demonstrated.With the project now in the verification phase particular attention is given to the specific formation flying and rendezvous functionality on instrument, GNC-software and system level.     

Landing on small bodies: From the Rosetta Lander to MASCOT and beyond

Recent planning for science and exploration missions has emphasized the high interest in the close investigation of small bodies in the Solar System. In particular in-situ observations of asteroids and comets play an important role in this field and will contribute substantially to our understanding of the formation and history of the Solar System.The first dedicated comet Lander is Philae, an element of ESA's Rosetta mission to comet 67/P Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta was launched in 2004. After more than 7 years of cruise (including three Earth and one Mars swing-by as well as two asteroid flybys) the spacecraft has gone into a deep space hibernation in June 2011. When approaching the target comet in early 2014, Rosetta will be re-activated. The cometary nucleus will be characterized remotely to prepare for Lander delivery, currently foreseen for November 2014.The Rosetta Lander was developed and manufactured, similar to a scientific instrument, by a consortium consisting of international partners. Project management is located at DLR in Cologne/Germany, with co-project managers at CNES (France) and ASI (Italy). The scientific lead is at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Science (Lindau, Germany) and the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (Paris).Mainly scientific institutes provided the subsystems, instruments and the complete, qualified lander system. Operations are performed in two dedicated centers, the Lander Control Center (LCC) at DLR-MUSC and the Science Operations and Navigation Center (SONC) at CNES. This concept was adopted to reduce overall cost of the project and is foreseen also to be applied for development and operations of future small bodies landers.A mission profiting from experience gained during Philae development and operations is MASCOT, a surface package for the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission. MASCOT is a small (∼10 kg) mobile device, delivered to the surface of asteroid 1999JU3. There it will operate for about 16 h. During this time a camera, a magnetometer, a thermal monitor and an IR analytical instrument will provide ground truth and thus will even be able to support the selection of possible sampling sites for the main spacecraft.MASCOT is a flexible design that can be adapted to a wide range of missions and possible target bodies. Also the payload is flexible to some extent (with an overall mass in the 3 kg range). For example, the surface package is part of the optional strawman payload for MarcoPolo-R, a European asteroid sample return mission, proposed for ESA Cosmic Vision M-class.     

Theory of longitude librations of mercury based on the ground radar observations

On the basis of the analytic theory of longitude libration of Mercury (in the elliptical orbit) and the data of determination of values of the angular velocity of Mercury rotation obtained using high-precision complex method of ground radar tracking, the amplitude, phase, and period of free libration and amplitudes of five fundamental harmonics (annual, semi-annual, third annual, …) of forced librations in longitude of the planet are determined.     

Launch and early operations of Herschel and Planck

On 14 May 2009 the European Space Agency launched 2 space observatories: Herschel (with a 3.5 m mirror it is the largest space telescope ever) will collect long-wavelength infrared radiation and will be the only space observatory to cover the spectral range from far-infrared to sub-millimetre wavelengths, and Planck will look back at the dawn of time, close to the Big Bang, and will examine the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation to a sensitivity, angular resolution and frequency range never achieved before. This paper will present the Flight Dynamics, mission analysis challenges and flight results from the first 3 months of these missions.Both satellites were launched on the same Ariane 5 and travelled to the L2 Lagrange point of the sun–earth system 1.5 million km from the earth in the opposite direction of the sun. There they were injected to a quasi-halo orbit (Herschel) with the dimension of typically 750,000 km×450,000 km, and a Lissajous orbit (Planck) of 300,000 km×300,000 km.In order to reach these Lissajous orbits it is mandatory to perform large trajectory correction manoeuvres during the first days of the mission. Herschel had its main manoeuvres on the first day. Planck had to be navigated on the first day and by a mid-course correction manoeuvre, the L2 orbit insertion manoeuvre was planned on day 50. If these slots were missed, fuel penalties would rapidly increase.This posed a heavy load on the operations teams because both spacecrafts have to be thoroughly checked out and put into the correct modes of their attitude control systems during the first hours after launch.The sequence of events will be presented and explained and the orbit determination results as well as the manoeuvre planning will be emphasised.     

激光驱动典型几何形状碎片运动建模研究

在以往的激光烧蚀驱动移除空间碎片研究中,均假设激光光束覆盖整个所关注的空间碎片。文章提出了焦斑式激光辐照下球体、圆柱体和立方体碎片反喷冲量和运动姿态的计算模型,研究了激光辐照在3种形状碎片不同位置处所产生的反喷冲量和姿态变化规律。结果表明:碎片运动规律与碎片几何形状和激光作用位置有关,当反喷冲量过质心时,碎片获得平动冲量;不过质心时,则会改变碎片的角速度或姿态。研究结果可为激光移除空间碎片研究提供理论参考。     

The PRISMA payload optomechanical design, a high performance instrument for a new hyperspectral mission

PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa) hyperspectral instrument is an advanced hyperspectral sensor including a panchromatic camera at medium resolution. The instrument is the focus of the new Earth observation mission that a consortium of Italian companies has started developing under contract of Italian Space Agency. Key features of the instrument are the very high requirement for signal-to-noise and the high quality of data that have to be provided. To meet these demanding figures the optical system has been based on a high transmittance optical system, including a single mirror telescope and two prism spectrometers based on an innovative concept to minimize number of optical elements, while high performance detectors have been chosen for the photon detection. To provide the required data quality for the entire mission lifetime an accurate calibration unit (radiometric and spectral) will be included in the instrument optomechanical assembly. The thermo-mechanical design of the instrument is based on innovative concepts, considering that the use of prism spectrometers implies a tight control of temperature variations to guarantee the stability of all instrument features once in orbit. The presented paper describes the concepts and design principle of the optomechanical assembly of the instrument, at the present status of development.     

Observations from over a decade of experience in developing faster, better, cheaper missions for the NASA small explorer program

The Small Explorer (SMEX) Project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has accumulated nearly a decade of experience building missions with the underlying philosophy of “Faster, Better, Cheaper” (FBC). Five satellites are now successfully operating on-orbit with only one serious instrument anomaly. Together this Project has accumulated 14.6 years of on-orbit experience without a spacecraft bus failure. Additionally, this project, under the Explorer Technology Infusion effort, has developed a protoflight version of a 21^st Century FBC spacecraft bus that has just completed environmental qualification and has been selected at the base spacecraft for NASA's Triana mission. Design and production of these six high performance spacecraft, in just ten years time, has provided a unique base of experience from which to draw lessons learned. This paper will discuss the fundamental practices that have been used by the SMEX Project in achieving this record of success.     

The neutron,gamma-ray,X-ray spectrometer (NGXS): A compact instrument for making combined measurements of neutrons,gamma-rays,and X-rays

The Neutron, Gamma ray, and X-ray Spectrometer (NGXS) is a compact instrument designed to detect neutrons, gamma-rays, and hard X-rays. The original goal of NGXS was to detect and characterize neutrons, gamma-rays, and X-rays from the Sun as part of the Solar Probe Plus mission in order to provide direct insight into particle acceleration, magnetic reconnection, and cross-field transport processes that take place near the Sun. Based on high-energy neutron detections from prompt solar flares, it is estimated that the NGXS would detect neutrons from 15 to 24 impulsive flares. The NGXS sensitivity to 2.2 MeV gamma rays would enable a detection of ∼50–60 impulsive flares. The NGXS is estimated to measure ∼120 counts/s for a GOES C1-type flare at 0.1 AU, which allows for a large dynamic range to detect both small and large flares.     

Effects of simulated space radiation on immunoassay components for life-detection experiments in planetary exploration missions

Abstract The Life Marker Chip (LMC) instrument is part of the proposed payload on the ESA ExoMars rover that is scheduled for launch in 2018. The LMC will use antibody-based assays to detect molecular signatures of life in samples obtained from the shallow subsurface of Mars. For the LMC antibodies, the ability to resist inactivation due to space particle radiation (both in transit and on the surface of Mars) will therefore be a prerequisite. The proton and neutron components of the mission radiation environment are those that are expected to have the dominant effect on the operation of the LMC. Modeling of the radiation environment for a mission to Mars led to the calculation of nominal mission fluences for proton and neutron radiation. Various combinations and multiples of these values were used to demonstrate the effects of radiation on antibody activity, primarily at the radiation levels envisaged for the ExoMars mission as well as at much higher levels. Five antibodies were freeze-dried in a variety of protective molecular matrices and were exposed to various radiation conditions generated at a cyclotron facility. After exposure, the antibodies' ability to bind to their respective antigens was assessed and found to be unaffected by ExoMars mission level radiation doses. These experiments indicated that the expected radiation environment of a Mars mission does not pose a significant risk to antibodies packaged in the form anticipated for the LMC instrument. Key Words: Life-detection instruments-Planetary habitability and biosignatures-Radiation-Mars-Life in extreme environments. Astrobiology 12, 718-729.     

Post mission life plan for FORMOSAT-2

This paper presents the enhancement in mission operations, the mission life state-of-health (SOH) trending analysis, and the post mission life plan of the FORMOSAT-2 (or FS2, Formosa satellite #2, was called ROCSAT-2, or RS2, Republic of China satellite #2, previously) during its five years mission life from 20 May 2004 to 20 May 2009. There are two payloads onboard FS2: a remote sensing instrument (RSI) with nadir ground sampling distance (GSD) of 2 m for panchromatic (PAN) and GSD of 8 m for multi-spectral (MS, 4 bands) as the primary payload, and an imager for sprite and upper atmospheric lightning (ISUAL) as the secondary payload. It was launched on 20 May 2004. The design life is 7 years while the mission life is 5 years. In other words, the end of mission life date of FS2 is 20 May 2009. Generally speaking, FS2 is still at very good condition in its SOH. Post mission life plan for FS2 consists of: the practice of orbit transfer for global coverage and better resolution, the development of gyroless attitude control, and the method for life extension. It is expected that the working life of FS2 can be extended 3–5 years.     

Europa Lander

A Europa Lander mission has been assigned high priority for the post-2005 time frame in NASA's Space Science Enterprise Strategic Plan. Europa is one of the most scientifically interesting objects in the solar system because of the strong possibility that a liquid water ocean exists underneath its ice-covered surface. The primary scientific goals of the proposed Europa Lander mission are to characterize the surface material from a recent outflow and look for evidence of pre-biotic and possibly biotic chemistry. The baseline mission concept involves landing a single spacecraft on the surface of Europa with the capability to acquire samples of material, perform detailed chemical analysis of the samples, and transmit the results to Earth. This paper provides a discussion of the benefits and status of the key spacecraft and instrument technologies needed to accomplish the science objectives. Also described are variations on the baseline concept including the addition of small auxiliary probes and an experimental ice penetration probe.     

Results of the parabolic flight tests of the rapunzel deployer

The tether assisted re-entry of small payloads is a highly interesting tool for space transportation especially for the return of small payloads from Space Station ISSA. The small tether mission Rapunzel was initiated in 1991 by the Institute of Astronautics, TU München and the Kayser-Threde Company, to design a low cost and feasible tether experiment for the verification of the tether assisted re-entry. Together with the Samara State Aerospace University, Russia, a mission concept on a Russian Resurs or Photon capsule was developed. Based on this mission a deployer has been designed, mainly based on technology of the textile industry, which insures high reliability at low cost. Recently a similar configuration is being discussed for the ESA-TSE mission.The main work during the recent time was the development and test of the breadboard model of the deployer system. After successfully completing initial ground tests with the deployer, further tests during the ESA Parabolic Flight campaign in November 1995 were conducted. After a short introduction of the overall mission scenario, the planned configuration in orbit, this paper will present the results of the microgravity test campaign onboard the KC-135 aircraft and compare them with the ground test. The deployer showed a good performance during all tests, including ejection of the end-mass, deployment, and braking. Problems that occurred during the tests will be discussed, and solutions for the detected flaws and the results of the redesign now in progress will be presented. These verifications have shown the feasibility of the concept and will lay the base for the planned development of the flight model of the deployer.     

Evolution of motion of two viscoelastic planets in the field of forces of their mutual attraction

Translational-rotational motion of two viscoelastic planets in a gravitational force field is studied. The planets are modeled by homogeneous isotropic viscoelastic bodies. In their natural undeformed state each of the planets represents a sphere. We investigate a specific case when the planet’s centers of mass move in a fixed plane, the axis of rotation for each planet being directed along the normal to this plane. An equation describing the evolution of a slow angular variable (perihelion longitude) is derived. The observed displacement of the perihelion of Mercury is compared with the results obtained in the considered model problem about motion of two viscoelastic planets. Quite important is the fact that the planet of smaller mass (Mercury) moves not in a central Newtonian field of forces, but rather in the gravitational field of a rotating viscoelastic planet (Sun).     

The metric camera experiment on the first spacelab flight

In the first Spacelab Mission which will take place in Sept. Oct. 1983 a Metric Camera will be flown as part of the Earth observation payload. The camera will be a modified high quality Aerial Survey Camera.The hardware development is finished and the instrument is already integrated into Spacelab.The application of Metric Cameras in Space, an area which is neglected up to now, can effectively contribute to an improved cartographic coverage of the Earth. The Metric Camera Experiment is a first step to fill this gap which can be realized by utilizing the extended capacities of the Space Transportation System.The paper outlines the scientific objectives of the experiment, describes in detail the camera system and deals with the operation and control philosophy during the mission.