Rotation and Shape of High Altitude Reflectors Controlled from the Ground

Passive, inverted-dish shaped communications mirrors made of a thin wire mesh may be maintained in a stationary position above most of the atmosphere by the pressure of reflected radiation beamed at the mirror from the ground. We show that by beaming at the mirror an appropriate mixture of linearly and circularly polarized radiation, and by inducing small periodic variations of the plane of polarization, one can monitor and sufficiently control wire orientation in the mirror, which allows one to reduce mirror weight and/or set the mirror in rotation. Mirror rotation in turn can modify mirror shape, open up flaps, and allow synchronized messages to be sent to prechosen locations.     

Electronically steerable plasma mirror based radar-concept andcharacteristics

An alternative to using a phased array to steer a radar beam is to electronically control the orientation of an inertialess broadband microwave reflector. Recent experiments have demonstrated that a planar plasma mirror immersed in a magnetic field can be formed with electron densities high enough to reflect X-band microwave beams. A plasma mirror performs like a metal mirror, but it is inertialess. Compared to high performance phased array systems, a plasma mirror based radar system is much simpler and is therefore more affordable. Electronic steering of microwave beams using a plasma mirror permits the use of wide instantaneous bandwidth waveforms. Potential areas of application for a plasma mirror based antenna system include ship self-defense, high-resolution radar imaging, target identification, electronic countermeasures, high data rate communications, spread spectrum links and remote sensing. As a reflector, the plasma mirror exhibits extremely low loss and the reflectivity is very nearly 100%. Since a perfectly reflecting object cannot radiate, the noise temperature contribution of the plasma mirror to the antenna temperature is likely to be small. The plasma sheet can be steered in elevation by tilting the magnetic field, and steering in azimuth may be accomplished by designating cathode initiation sites. Switching times between successive mirror orientations may be less than 20 μs     

Broadband integrated digital information exchange networks foravionics applications

This paper presents the design concept for Broadband Integrated Digital Avionics Information Exchange Networks (B-IDAIENs) for future aircraft applications. The use of B-IDAIENs can improve communication efficiency, flexibility, and capacity compared with using present avionics data buses. To implement B-IDAIENs the supporting techniques, such as wavelength-division multiplexing/wavelength-division multiple access and optical Benes network, are considered. Related optical components are also discussed. It is expected that the proposed B-IDAIENs can efficiently provide real-time video and voice communications, high/low speed data transmissions, parallel communications, and other time-critical services such as urgent signals from warning receivers     

Electrodeless ultraviolet communications system

The Laser Communications Laboratory (LCL) of the Wright Laboratory Avionics Directorate is heavily involved in designing optical communications systems covering the full optical spectrum to meet our current and future military communications requirements. This paper summarizes the in-house designed and built solar blind ultraviolet communications system used in the LCL to investigate non-line-of-sight data and voice links. It also summarizes some of the previous DoD work accomplished to exploit free space communications via ultraviolet radiation. In addition, safety factors peculiar to ultraviolet radiation in a closed cockpit environment are addressed. An evaluation of the current electrodeless ultraviolet communications system and a synopsis of planned future projects to improve the system are included in the paper     

Space-system timekeeping in the presence of solar flares

It has become increasingly clear that the enhanced space radiation environment associated with solar activity can play havoc with satellite systems. An important special case of this problem concerns precise timekeeping among orbiting communications satellites, where the loss of synchronization can mean the loss of communications. Here, we discuss one satellite system's solution to this problem, where radiation-sensitive spacecraft crystal oscillators are "slaved" to radiation-insensitive spacecraft atomic clocks.     

Communication system architecture for planetary exploration

Future human missions to Mars will require effective communications supporting exploration activities and scientific field data collection. Constraints on cost, size, weight, and power consumption for all communications equipment make optimization of these systems very important. These information and communication systems connect people and systems together into coherent teams performing the difficult and hazardous tasks inherent in planetary exploration. The communication network supporting vehicle telemetry data, mission operations, and scientific collaboration must have excellent reliability and flexibility. We propose hybrid communication architectures consisting of space-based links, a surface-based deployable mid-range communications network and a cluster of short-range links to solve the problems of connectivity and bandwidth, while meeting the other constraints of weight and power. A network of orbiting satellites could cover much of the planet surface, but this space-based capability may not be optimal for cost or performance. Specifically, a minimal space-based capability can be augmented using mobile cellular repeaters deployable by robots and human EVA. This method results in an increase in the number of radio nodes, but the distances separating them is decreased. This results in a significant increase in bandwidth and decrease in radio power, and therefore, node size, complexity, and power consumption. This paper will discuss the results of field testing such hybrid radio systems for the support of scientific surveys. System analysis of design tradeoffs will yield insight into optimal solutions that will be compared to other approaches providing a method of effectively evaluating new candidate architectures     

Form-finding methods for deployable mesh reflector antennas

Deployable high-frequency mesh reflector antennas for future communications and obser- vations are required to obtain high gain and high directivity. In order to support these new missions, reflectors with high surface accuracy are widely required. The form-finding analysis of deployable mesh reflector antennas becomes more vital which aims to determine the initial surface profile formed by the equilibrium prestress distribution in cables to satisfy the surface accuracy requirement. In this paper, two form-finding methods for mesh reflector antennas, both of which include two steps, are pro- posed. The first step is to investigate the prestress design only for the cable net structure as the circum- ferential nodes connected to the supporting truss are assumed fixed. The second step is to optimize the prestress distribution of the boundary cables connected directly to the supporting truss considering the elastic deformation of the antenna structure. Some numerical examples are carried out and the simulation results demonstrate the proposed form-finding methods can warrant the deformed antenna reflector surface matches the one by design and the cable tension forces fall in a specified range.     

Deployment dynamics for flexible deployable primary mirror of space telescope with paraboloidal and laminated structure by using absolute node coordinate method

A nonlinear dynamic modeling method for primary mirror of Flower-like Deployable Space Telescope (F-DST) undergoing large deployment motion is proposed in this paper. To ensure pointing accuracy and attitude stability of the paraboloidal primary mirror, the mirror is discretized into equal thickness shell elements by considering shell curvature. And the material nonlinear constitutive relation of flexible mirror is acquired using Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF). Furthermore, the primary mirror of F-DST can be regarded as a clustered multi-body system, and its dynamic equations of elastic deformation and deployment motion are established by virtual work principle. Finally, the deployment motion of primary mirror by different driving conditions are simulated, the results show that the vibrations of mirrors that driven by elastic hinge device are more than that driven by servo motor. In addition, single sub-mirror deployment process will perturb the pointing accuracy of primary mirror, and the multiple sub-mirrors simultaneously deploying will seriously affect all the sub-mirrors surface accuracy because of the coupling effect. Thus, there are theoretical value and practical significance for the controlling surface accuracy and attitude accuracy of space telescope.     

Overview of Commercial Satellite Communications

The period from Arthur Clarke's 1945 prediction of geosynchronous satellite communications covering the entire planet until satellites were stationed over the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans was less than 25 years. In the following 15 year period, satellite communications has affected all of us. Most international calls are carried by satellite. Much of the television that we watch has been relayed, processed, or distributed by satellite. In fact, many of us who live in cabled cities can choose among 50 channels or more for viewing on a particular night, largely brought to us by satellite. Some morning papers, radio programs, and basic weather data appear coast to coast rapidly because of the satellite. Even while we sleep, computers in an increasing number of business offices are talking to each other by satellite. Virtually the whole world, from the busiest urban center to the most remote island, can be interconnected by satellite communications networks capable of providing economical and reliable transmission of communications signals, including voice, data, electronic mail, and video. The satellite's advantages of distance insensitivity, point-to-multipoint capability, and improved quality over long distances are unique. These facts have led Clarke to speculate on the future impact of satellite communications in The View from Serendip (1977): I submit . . . that the eventual impact of the communications satellite upon the whole human race will be at least as great as that of the telephone upon the so-called developed societies.     

Micromission spacecraft: a low-cost, high-capability platform for space science missions

The Ball Micromission Spacecraft (MSC) is a multi-purpose platform capable of supporting science missions at distances from the Sun ranging from 0.7 to 1.7 AU. In the baseline scenario, MSC is launched as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, to GTO using the Ariane 5 structure for auxiliary payloads (ASAP5). The maximum launch wet mass is 242 Kg and can include up to 45 Kg of payload depending on AV needs. The on-board propulsion system is used for maneuvering in the Earth-Moon system and injecting the spacecraft into its final orbit or trajectory. For Mars missions, MSC enables orbiting Mars for science payloads and/or communications and navigation assets, or for precision Mars fly-bys to drop up to six probes. The micromissions spacecraft bus can be used for science targets other than Mars, including the Moon, Earth, Venus, Earth-Sun Lagrange points, or other small bodies. This paper summarizes the current spacecraft concept and describes the multimission spacecraft bus implementation in more detail.     

High gain airborne antenna for satellite communications

The performance of an airborne phased-array antenna, which was developed and evaluated onboard a commercial aircraft using the Engineering Test Satellite V (ETS-V), is reported. The system requirements and the antenna configuration that satisfies them are described. The radiation pattern, gain and axial ratio, noise temperature and ratio of gain to noise temperature, and environmental characteristics are presented. The results obtained by the flight experiments demonstrate that the performance of the antenna is the same as that on the ground, so that the antenna is suitable for installation in an aircraft for satellite communications     

System aspects and transmission impairments of active phased arrays for satellite communications

The communications link and system aspects of active phased arrays that are used in multiple-beam satellite systems are assessed through measurements and analysis. Three link parameters are investigated and their effects on the overall carrier-to-interference ratio (CIR) are quantified. The first parameter is the intermodulation components that are generated at the nonlinear amplifier outputs and contribute to well-formed interference in the far-field radiation of the array. The second is the bit-error ratio (BER) degradation due to the multi-carrier operation of the active array. Measurement results are shown to demonstrate this effect. The third link parameter is the cochannel interference caused by frequency reuse in multiple-beam systems. The paper starts by reviewing early developments of phased arrays for multiple-beam satellite communications applications. A key component in these developments is the modular monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) beam-forming matrices that generate a number of simultaneous and independently digitally controlled beams     

一种用变焦镜测距的新方法

本文提出了一种使用变焦镜测量距离的新方法。用一种特别设计的非线性振动的变焦镜首先把三维物空间离散成一系列的球面层，然后把这些离散的球面层图像记录在视频摄像机上。本文引入了一种用于滤除图像中模糊成份的去模糊算法。通过控制变焦镜驱动波的振幅和直流成份，可获得不同的深度范围。调整变焦镜振动的周期，能得到不同深度的精确度。而且通过增加视频摄像机的帧频，有可能把这种测距技术用作一种实时测距的方法。     

Fused Silica Lightweight Mirror Blanks

The construction of lightweight mirrors requires materials with good welding properties that also are free from creeping effects. The described construction gives a good balance between weight reduction (50 to 60 percent) and rigidity. The ability of the mirror to withstand mechanical and thermal loads is proved by measurements of surface distortion under mechanical load, during radiation heating, heating through the support system, and temperature cycling. The impact and shear strength of the fused joints are examined by several tests.     

Novel orbit-attitude combination mode for solar power satellites to reduce mass and fuel

Solar power satellite receives great attention because it can release the energy crisis and environmental problems in the future. However, the launch and maintenance costs are tremendous due to the large system mass and large fuel consumption to counteract space perturbations. To reduce mass and fuel, a novel quasi-Sun-pointing attitude in Sun-frozen orbit is proposed. The Sun-frozen orbit has a nonzero eccentricity vector that always points towards the Sun. The quasi-Sun-pointing attitude is a periodic solution of the Sun-pointing attitude angle. Although about 3 % electricity must be given up because of the variation of Sun-pointing attitude angle, little control action is required to deal with the solar radiation pressure and gravity-gradient torque. The algorithm to obtain initial conditions is proposed. The influences of system parameters and structural flexibilities are studied. Simulation results reveal that the quasi-Sun-pointing attitude in Sun-frozen orbit dramatically reduce fuel consumption, the dry mass, and complexity of the control system. In addition, structural vibration is hardly induced by the gravity-gradient torque. Thus, the bending stiffness as well as the mass of the supporting structure can be reduced.     

Engineering test beds on the International Space Station

The International Space Station is a unique multi-faceted orbiting laboratory supporting research, development, test and evaluation of new innovative space and Earth-based applications. While NASA sponsored investigations on the ISS are focused largely on enabling future long duration human space exploration missions, Congress designated the US portion of the space station as a National Laboratory making its facilities available to other Federal agencies and private entities for non-exploration related ventures. RDT&E activities on the ISS encompass a number of technical areas including environmental control and life support, communications, materials science, guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, electrical power, and thermal control systems.     

Radiation belts in the region of the South-Atlantic magnetic anomaly

Conclusion The difference of the geomagnetic field from the field of the idealized dipole not only creates certain difficulties for studying the geomagnetically trapped radiation but also presents new possibilities for studying the processes which control the particle movement in the magnetosphere. It will be remembered that the fact that the geomagnetic field is not a dipole played a decisive role in the very beginning of the formation of our ideas about the nature of the intense fluxes of the penetrating radiation detected during the satellite flights.In fact, the longitude dependence of the lower boundary of the penetrating radiation in the region of low latitudes according to the properties of the geomagnetic field made it possible to conclude immediately that the detected radiation was caused by the geomagnetically trapped particles.As to the difficulties in the trapped radiation study caused by the existence of the anomalies, they, first of all, result in the original and, at the first glance, incomprehensible form of the particle intensity contours drawn in geographical coordinates for low altitudes. However, when turning to the McIlwain coordinate system, which is naturally connected with the real magnetic field, the seeming chaos in the radiation distribution disappears being unexpectedly replaced by harmony and order. But even in this coordinate system some ambiguities are observed connected with the distortion of the adiabatic invariants during the time comparable with the period of the particle drift around the earth.The thorough analysis of these effects in combination with the observations of the radiation at high altitudes may answer such a principle question as the question about the velocity of the movements of the mirror points.It should be noted that some information has been obtained to date on the movement of the electron-mirror points only and similar information about protons is absent.It is possible that new aspects of the use of the magnetic anomalies for studying the geomagnetosphere will appear in due time.     

基于原子事务组的备份方案的研究与设计

备份两大主流技术：镜像技术和快照技术。镜像技术能够高速有效地访问数据,快照技术能够以较小容量迅速地存储数据。存储对象作为这两种技术的基础,对数据的完整性和高可用性起着至关重要的作用。针对单盘和磁盘组作为存储对象的不足,阐述了原子事务组作为存储对象的备份方案,较好地解决了在大型的业务系统中数据的一致性和完整性。     

Geostationary tether satellite system and its application tocommunication systems

The geostationary tether satellite system expands the geostationary orbit resource from a one-dimensional arc into a two-dimensional disk. The tethered satellites, each several thousand kilometers apart and aligned along the local vertical, are stabilized at the altitude of the geosynchronous orbital speed. When this system is applied to communications systems, it is estimated that the number of satellites can be increased as much as thirteenfold and the communication capacity can be increased more than seventeenfold, compared with a conventional geostationary satellite orbit system     

Synthesis and test issues for future aircraft inertial systemsintegration

A survey is presented of the potential benefits, possible pitfalls, and anticipated testing needs of integrating inertial guidance systems with systems dependent on the availability of the electromagnetic spectrum. Commonly referred to as integrated communications, navigation, and identification avionics (ICNIA), these systems of the future offer the combined potential for superb positioning and secure communications. The general characteristics (if current development trends continue) of the next-generation inertial navigation systems (INS) are briefly presented, followed by key modular and conceptual issues in the synthesis of this INS with systems dependent on the EM spectrum. Modular issues as considered here are those related to detailed implementation and resulting efficiency. Conceptual issues are those related to overall military strategy and resulting effectiveness. An example of modular systems integration is given, and a few preparations which can be anticipated for the field testing of integrated systems are presented, followed by concluding comments