The flyby anomaly: A case for strong gravitomagnetism?

In the last two decades an anomalous variation in the asymptotic velocity of spacecraft performing a flyby manoeuvre around Earth has been discovered through careful Doppler tracking and orbital analysis. No viable hypothesis for a conventional explanation of this effect has been proposed and its origin remains unexplained. In this paper we discuss a strong transversal component of the gravitomagnetic field as a possible source of the flyby anomaly. We show that the perturbations induced by such a field could fit the anomalies both in sign and order of magnitude. But, although the secular contributions to the Gravity Probe B experimental results and the Lense–Thirring effect in geodynamics satellites can be made null, the detailed orbital evolution is easily in conflict with such an enhanced gravitomagnetic effect.     

Impact analysis of the transponder time delay on radio-tracking observables

Accurate tracking of probes is one of the key points of space exploration. Range and Doppler techniques are the most commonly used. In this paper we analyze the impact of the transponder delay, $i.e$. the processing time between reception and re-emission of a two-way tracking link at the satellite, on tracking observables and on spacecraft orbits. We show that this term, only partially accounted for in the standard formulation of computed space observables, can actually be relevant for future missions with high nominal tracking accuracies or for the re-processing of old missions. We present several applications of our formulation to Earth flybys, the NASA GRAIL and the ESA BepiColombo missions.     

Cometary ephemerides for spacecraft flyby missions

For spacecraft without on-board navigation capability, their ability to fly close to target comets is limited primarily by the comet's ephemeris uncertainty. Factors contributing to cometary ephemeris uncertainties include measurement errors, star catalog errors, and offsets between the comet's center of mass and its observed center of light. The situation is further complicated by nongravitational forces acting upon a comet's nucleus and the paucity of observers currently making astrometric observations of comets. For comet Halley, the nongravitational forces affecting this comet's motion are consistent with the rocket effect of an outgassing water ice nucleus; the nucleus is apparently rotating in a direct sense about a stable spin axis. Accurate comet Halley ephemerides for close spacecraft flybys will require continued efforts to refine the existing nongravitational force model. In addition, the various flyby missions to comet Halley will require a well organized network of astrometric observers. These observers must rapidly reduce their observations in early 1986, thus allowing continuous updates to the comet's ephemeris just prior to the spacecraft flybys in March 1986.     

Practical method to identify orbital anomaly as spacecraft breakup in the geostationary region

Identifying spacecraft breakup events is an essential issue for better understanding of the current orbital debris environment. This paper proposes an observation planning approach to identify an orbital anomaly, which appears as a significant discontinuity in archived orbital history, as a spacecraft breakup. The proposed approach is applicable to orbital anomalies in the geostationary region. The proposed approach selects a spacecraft that experienced an orbital anomaly, and then predicts trajectories of possible fragments of the spacecraft at an observation epoch. This paper theoretically demonstrates that observation planning for the possible fragments can be conducted. To do this, long-term behaviors of the possible fragments are evaluated. It is concluded that intersections of their trajectories will converge into several corresponding regions in the celestial sphere even if the breakup epoch is not specified and it has uncertainty of the order of several weeks.     

Selenodetic experiments of SELENE: Relay subsatellite,differential VLBI,and laser altimeter

Since 1960s, the gravitational potential of the Moon has been extensively studied from Doppler tracking data between a ground station and spacecraft orbiting in front of the Moon (e. g., Lorell and Sjogren, 1968; Bills and Ferrari, 1980; Konopliv et al., 1993; Lemoine et al., 1997). Because direct radio communication is interrupted while spacecraft is orbiting behind the Moon, however, the coverage of tracking data has been limited mostly to the nearside of the Moon so far. In order to compensate for such lack of tracking data, we propose satellite-to-satellite Doppler measurement by using a relay subsatellite in Japanese mission to the Moon in 2003. A complete coverage of Doppler tracking from an orbiter at sufficiently low altitude will significantly improve lunar gravity model and will contribute for future geophysical study of interior and tectonics on the Moon. Further, we propose differential VLBI experiment between the subsatellite and a propulsion module landed on the surface of the Moon. The differential VLBI is about 10 times more accurate than conventional Doppler measurement for long-wavelength gravity field. Besides, differential VLBI is sensitive to the displacement perpendicular to the line of sight. Thus the VLBI experiment provides precise estimates of the lunar gravity potential at low degree. The last proposal for selenodetic experiments is a laser altimeter. Global topography model has been already developed from the analysis of Clementine LIDAR data (Zuber et al., 1994), but it is suggested that the model includes appreciable anisotropy between NS and E-W directions due to highly eccentric orbit of Clementine spacecraft (Bills and Lemoine, 1995). The laser altimeter experiment from an orbiter in nearly circular orbit will provide a new reference for the isotropic lunar topography model.     

单个航天器对Walker星座中多卫星的近距离接近

通过设计航天器轨道,可使航天器发射入轨后无需机动即实现对Walker星座中非共轨的多颗卫星的快速、近距离接近.给出了该轨道的搜索方法以及基于星座特性的代换法,并给出了仿真示例.      

An underestimated onboard generated recoil force contributing to the Pioneer anomaly

The Pioneer anomaly, an unexpected acceleration of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft of ∼8.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ ms⁻² directed towards the inner Solar System, has been of great interest for the physics community during the past decade: considered explanations range from new physical concepts to conventional mechanism. It is shown that non-isotropic outgassing of the complete spacecraft structure is comparable in magnitude and direction to the effect and should be considered as a significant contribution to the anomalous acceleration. Although gas leaks from e.g. the propulsion system and propulsive mass loss mechanism have been discarded as possible explanations for the anomaly, the arguments used against such mechanisms do not apply to global outgassing from the spacecraft.     

对一种月球与火星探测多程微波测量链路定轨定位的数值模拟初步分析

轨道器精密定轨与着陆器的精确定位在深空探测任务中具有非常重要的科学意义。对一种月球与火星探测多程微波测量链路的定轨定位能力进行了初步仿真分析,推导了这种多程微波测量链路的测量模型,分析了该模型的优势。模拟仿真分析结果表明,此测量跟踪模式的数据具有提升轨道精度的潜在能力,并且同时求得着陆器的位置。定量分析表明,在考虑坐标系转换误差,重力场误差,行星历表误差以及星上转发误差的情况下,模拟1 mm/s的噪声,对于月球探测器来说,轨道器的定轨精度可达几米,着陆器的定位精度有望达到分米量级;对于火星探测器来说,轨道器的定轨精度可达到数10 m,着陆器的定位精度可达到几米。     

利用"火星快车"三程多普勒跟踪数据限定局部洛伦兹不变性

目前航天器的三程多普勒跟踪技术已经在深空探测的控制与导航领域起到了重要作用。利用包含了对局部洛伦兹不变性(LLI)以及局部位置不变性(LPI)原理有破坏的三程多普勒跟踪理论,研究分析了"火星快车"(MEX)三程多普勒跟踪数据的残差。这些多普勒观测于2009年8月7日和8日进行,利用了欧洲航天局(ESA)在澳大利亚新诺舍(New Norcia)的上行站和三个分别在中国上海、昆明以及乌鲁木齐的下行站。我们发现,这些观测结果给出的LLI上限在10-2的量级。但由于各观测站本身对频率测量的精度有限,这些数据并不适合于检验LPI。     

Overview of TDRSS

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) System (TDRSS) for operational tracking and communications support of low Earth-orbiting satellites. TDRSS currently consists of five geosynchronous spacecraft and the White Sands Complex (WSC) at White Sands, New Mexico. The Bilateration Ranging Transponder (BRT) System (BRTS) supports range and Doppler measurements for each TDRS using standard user tracking services. These measurements are used to generate well-determined ephemerides for the TDRSs. TDRSS provides S-band and Ku-band services through the single access (SA) antennas and S-band services through the S-band multiple access (SMA) phased array. TDRSS is capable of supporting coherent range and two-way Doppler tracking as well as noncoherent one-way return-link and one-way forward-link Doppler tracking of user spacecraft. Accurate one-way return-link tracking, which can use SMA, the most available TDRSS resource, requires a stable oscillator onboard the user spacecraft as the source of frequency. Two-way and one-way return-link tracking measurements are used for ground orbit determination for navigation and precise positioning; one-way forward-link tracking is used for autonomous onboard navigation with achievable accuracies better than those of the Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise Positioning System (PPS). This overview will discuss the various tracking and navigation capabilities of TDRSS, as well as many of the operational and research applications that have been conducted for missions such as Landsat-4, Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon (T/P), Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), and Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE).     

Precision orbit determination for TOPEX/Poseidon using TDRSS doppler tracking data

Precision orbit determination on the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter satellite is now being routinely achieved with sub-5cm radial and sub-15 cm total positioning accuracy using state-of-the-art modeling with precision tracking provided by a combination of: (a) global Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), or (b) the Global Positioning System (GPS) Constellation which provides pseudo-range and carrier phase observations. The geostationary Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) satellites are providing the operational tracking and communication support for this mission. The TDRSS Doppler data are of high precision (0.3 mm/s nominal noise levels). Unlike other satellite missions supported operationally by TDRSS, T/P has high quality independent tracking which enables absolute orbit accuracy assessments. In addition, the T/P satellite provides extensive geometry for positioning a satellite at geostationary altitude, and thus the TDRSS-T/P data provides an excellent means for determining the TDRS orbits. Arc lengths of 7 and 10 days with varying degrees of T/P spacecraft attitude complexity are studied. Sub-meter T/P total positioning error is achieved when using the TDRSS range-rate data, with radial orbit errors of 10.6 cm and 15.5 cm RMS for the two arcs studied. Current limitations in the TDRSS precision orbit determination capability include mismodeling of numerous TDRSS satellite-specific dynamic and electronic effects, and in the inadequate treatment of the propagation delay and bending arising from the wet troposphere and ionosphere.     

Long-wavelength lunar gravity field recovery from simulated orbit and inter-satellite tracking data

As has been demonstrated recently, inter-satellite Ka-band tracking data collected by the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) spacecraft have the potential to improve the resolution and accuracy of the lunar gravity field by several orders of magnitude compared to previous models. By means of a series of simulation studies, here we investigate the contribution of inter-satellite ranging for the recovery of the Moon’s gravitational features; the evaluation of results is made against findings from ground-based Doppler tracking. For this purpose we make use of classical dynamic orbit determination, supported by the analysis of satellite-to-satellite tracking observations. This study sheds particularly light on the influence of the angular distance between the two satellites, solar radiation modeling and the co-estimation of the lunar Love number k₂. The quality of the obtained results is assessed by gravity field power spectra, gravity anomalies and precision orbit determination. We expect our simulation results to be supportive for the processing of real GRAIL data.     

A mission concept for the low-cost large-scale exploration and characterisation of near earth objects

This paper presents the preliminary mission and science analysis of a new mission concept for the large scale, low-cost exploration of Near Earth Objects (NEOs). The concept is to enable close range observations of NEOs by performing close flybys of a series of NEOs at one of their nodal points, with pairs of small spacecraft flying in formation. The paper presents a preliminary assessment of accessible asteroids and multi-target tour trajectories from data available in the JPL small-body database.The main instruments on board each spacecraft are a camera and a LIDAR which together can be used for orbit determination, surface imaging, direct asteroid ranging and asteroid mass estimation via intersatellite ranging. The paper provides a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the measurable quantities during each flyby. In particular, the feasibility of a novel method of NEO mass estimation is assessed.     

Proposal of application of same beam VLBI measurements in precision orbit determination of lunar orbiter and return capsule and lunar gravity field simulation in Chang’E-3 mission

High accuracy differenced phase delay can be obtained by observing multiple point frequencies of two spacecraft using the same beam Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technology. Its contribution in lunar spacecraft precision orbit determination has been performed during the Japanese lunar exploration mission SELENE. In consideration that there will be an orbiter and a return capsule flying around the moon during the Chinese lunar exploration future mission Chang’E-3, the contributions of the same beam VLBI in spacecraft precision orbit determination and lunar gravity field solution have been investigated. Our results show that the accuracy of precision orbit determination can be improved more than one order of magnitude after including the same beam VLBI measurements. There are significant improvements in accuracy of low and medium degree coefficients of lunar gravity field model obtained from combination of two way range and Doppler and the same beam VLBI measurements than the one that only uses two way range and Doppler data, and the accuracy of precision orbit determination can reach meter level.     

多普勒跟踪测量用于时空引力检验的尝试:(Ⅰ)理论建模

作为多普勒跟踪测量用于时空引力检验的尝试,在多普勒建模过程中加入了对于局部洛仑兹不变性(LLI)以及局部位置不变性(LPI)的检验参数。LLI/LPI是包括广义相对论在内的任何度规引力理论的基石。通过迭代求解多普勒建模过程中所需的光行时解,证明了只有在单程以及三程多普勒测量中可以检验LLI和LPI。鉴于该种测量手段无需额外载荷以及我国测控精度,可以尝试通过单/三程多普勒测量来检验LLI和LPI的科学目标。     

双站跟踪模式下“嫦娥4号”中继星定轨仿真分析

位于地月平动点的探测器因为较差的观测几何,需要地基USB/UXB与天文VLBI长时间的联合跟踪数据获取稳定精确的轨道。提出了利用中国深空网双站共视跟踪平动点探测器,获取双程、三程测距及VLBI测量数据,解算探测器精确轨道的模式。以"鹊桥"卫星为分析对象,首先评估中国深空网对"鹊桥"的跟踪能力。然后分析不同观测组合模式下的定轨计算精度。结果表明:双站共视约束下,深空站每天对"鹊桥"跟踪弧长大于5 h;使用长于6 h的双站跟踪数据进行定轨,系统差的解算更有利于轨道精度提升;跟踪时长超过2天时,必须在轨道解算的同时估计光压系数,并有望实现优于百米的轨道精度。     

Mapping the earth's magnetic and gravity fields from space: Current status and future prospects

Orbital potential field measurements are sensitive to regional variations in earth density and magnetization that occur over scales of a few hundred kilometers or greater. Global field models currently available are able to distinguish gravity variations of ±5 milligal over distances of ～1,000 km and magnetic variations of ±6 gamma over distances of ～300 km at the earth's surface. Regional variations in field strength have been detected in orbital measurements that are not apparent in higher resolution, low altitude surveys. NASA is presently studying a spacecraft mission known as GRAVSAT/MAGSAT, which would be the first satellite mission to perform a simultaneous survey of the earth's gravity and magnetic fields at low orbital altitudes. GRAVSAT/MAGSAT has been proposed for launch during the latter nineteen-eighties, and it would measure gravity field strength to an accuracy of 1 milligal and magnetic field strength to an accuracy of 2 gamma (scalar)/5 gamma (vector components) over a distance of roughly 100 km. Even greater improvements in the accuracy and spatial resolution of orbital surveys are anticipated during the nineteen-nineties with the development of potential field gradiometers and a tethered satellite system that can be deployed from the Space Shuttle to altitudes of 120 km above the earth's surface.     

On the effect of considering more realistic particle shape and mass parameters in MMOD risk assessments

One of the primary mission risks tracked in the development of all spacecraft is that due to micro-meteoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). Both types of particles, especially those larger than 0.1 mm in diameter, contain sufficient kinetic energy due to their combined mass and velocities to cause serious damage to crew members and spacecraft. The process used to assess MMOD risk consists of three elements: environment, damage prediction, and damage tolerance. Orbital debris risk assessments for the Orion vehicle, as well as the Shuttle, Space Station and other satellites use ballistic limit equations (BLEs) that have been developed using high speed impact test data and results from numerical simulations that have used spherical projectiles. However, spheres are not expected to be a common shape for orbital debris; rather, orbital debris fragments might be better represented by other regular or irregular solids. In this paper we examine the general construction of NASA’s current orbital debris (OD) model, explore the potential variations in orbital debris mass and shape that are possible when using particle characteristic length to define particle size (instead of assuming spherical particles), and, considering specifically the Orion vehicle, perform an orbital debris risk sensitivity study taking into account variations in particle mass and shape as noted above. While the results of the work performed for this study are preliminary, they do show that continuing to use aluminum spheres in spacecraft risk assessments could result in an over-design of its MMOD protection systems. In such a case, the spacecraft could be heavier than needed, could cost more than needed, and could cost more to put into orbit than needed. The results obtained in this study also show the need to incorporate effects of mass and shape in mission risk assessment prior to first flight of any spacecraft as well as the need to continue to develop/refine BLEs so that they more accurately reflect the shape and material density variations inherent to the actual debris environment.     

遗传算法在星座多星接近轨道优化中的应用

以三颗非共轨的Walker星座卫星为研究对象, 对航天器无需变轨与其接近的可能性进行研究. 将Lambert方法得到的航天器轨道作为初始轨道, 利用遗传算法对初始轨道进行优化. 对初始轨道在参考时刻位置和速度的改变量进行编码,形成对应的种群. 以航天器与星座卫星之间的最近距离为适应度函数, 通过种群的繁殖得到优化结果. 结合仿真算例, 分析了最小二乘算法和遗传算法在轨道优化中的优劣以及接近过程中轨道摄动的影响. 结果表明, 遗传算法适用于所提出的轨道改进问题. 研究结果可为单航天器无需变轨对星座多星接近问题提供理论依据.