Improved kHz-SLR tracking techniques and orbit quality analysis for LEO missions

Satellite gravity field missions such as CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE are designed as low Earth orbiting spacecraft (LEO) with orbit heights of about 250–500 km. The challenging mission objectives require a very precise knowledge of the satellite orbit position in space. For these missions precise orbit information is typically provided by GPS satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST) observations supported by satellite laser ranging (SLR).     

磁等离子体推力器工作机理与应用前景研究

研究了发动机能量输入、工质电离、等离子体加速及能量转换过程及机理,同时分析了磁等离子体推力器在空间推进任务中的应用前景.研究表明磁等离子体推力器主要利用电磁力加速和磁喷管的能量转换作用来实现加速,这种方式在大功率条件下,能够获得大推力、高功率和较长工作时间,在大功率轨道航天器和深空任务中有广阔的应用前景.     

航天器相对导航与控制技术的典型任务

在空间交会对接、在轨服务、近距离目标监视以及航天器编队飞行任务中,通常需要通过相对导航与控制技术对相互邻近的航天器进行控制.回顾了该领域典型的空间任务,特别关注任务、相对导航与控制方法、相对测量设备、推进系统等主要特征,并总结了该项技术的发展趋势.     

深远空连续推进动力与施图林格解的解析

针对太阳系远深距离的探测将是人类下一阶段深空探测活动的主要目标。这一目标的实现依赖于探测器连续推进动力技术的突破。从描述连续常值推力下太空飞行的施图林格解出发,对其中反映的深远空飞行任务有效载荷比、任务时间、飞行距离等关键参数与发动机性能之间的关系进行了深入分析。给出了在特定任务时长、特定飞行距离要求下发动机比冲、功率需要满足的条件及其对有效载荷比、最终飞行速度等指标的影响。此外,基于二体轨道动力学对太阳系行星探测的大椭圆转移轨道和转移能量进行了推导,并对连续推力的太阳帆任务方案涉及的关键技术指标做了理论性的计算。这些结论是对深空探测连续推力方案基础理论的归纳,可以为我国未来开展深远空探测活动提供重要的启发和指导。     

载人火星和小行星探测任务初步分析

载人火星和小行星探测是未来深空探测的重要发展方向,以美国为代表的航天强国正在积极开展相关方案论证和技术攻关。由于任务规模庞大,受制于目前以化学推进为主的运输系统能力限制,要进行火星、小行星探测,必须发展重型运载火箭、轨道转移级等运载工具。从载人火星、小行星探测任务规划的角度出发,对总体任务进行了初步分析,提出了初步的系统方案。     

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO GEOSPACE DOUBLE STAR PROGRAM

The Geospace Double Star Exploration Project (DSP) contains two small satel lites operating in the near-earth equatorial and polar regions respectively. The tasks of DSP are: (1) to provide high-resolution field, particle and wave mea surements in several important near-earth active regions which have not been covered by existing ISTP missions, such as the near-earth plasma sheet and its boundary layer, the ring current, the radiation belts, the dayside magnetopause boundary layer, and the polar region; (2) to investigate he trigger mechanisms of magnetic storms, magnetospheric substorms, and magnetospheric particle storms, as well as the responses of geospace storms to solar activities and in terplanetary disturbances; (3) to set up the models describing the spatial and temporal variations of the near-earth space environment.To complete the mission, there are eight instruments on board the equatorial satellite and the polar satellite, respectively. The orbit of the equatorial satellite is proposed with a perigee at 550km and an apogee at 60 000km, and the inclination is about 28.5°; while the orbit of the polar satellite with a perigee at 700 km and an apogee at 40 000 km, as well as an inclination about 90°. The equatorial and polar satellites are planed to be launched into orbits in June 2003 and December 2003 respectively to take coordinating measurements with Cluster Ⅱ and other missions.     

A lunar L2-Farside exploration and science mission concept with the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and a teleoperated lander/rover

A novel concept is presented in this paper for a human mission to the lunar L2 (Lagrange) point that would be a proving ground for future exploration missions to deep space while also overseeing scientifically important investigations. In an L2 halo orbit above the lunar farside, the astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Vehicle would travel 15% farther from Earth than did the Apollo astronauts and spend almost three times longer in deep space. Such a mission would serve as a first step beyond low Earth orbit and prove out operational spaceflight capabilities such as life support, communication, high speed re-entry, and radiation protection prior to more difficult human exploration missions. On this proposed mission, the crew would teleoperate landers/rovers on the unexplored lunar farside, which would obtain samples from the geologically interesting farside and deploy a low radio frequency telescope. Sampling the South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the oldest impact basins in the solar system, is a key science objective of the 2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Observations at low radio frequencies to track the effects of the Universe’s first stars/galaxies on the intergalactic medium are a priority of the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Such telerobotic oversight would also demonstrate capability for human and robotic cooperation on future, more complex deep space missions such as exploring Mars.     

Science Missions Using CubeSats

As the role of missions and experiments carried out in outer space becomes more and more essential in our understanding of many earthly problems, such as resource management, environmental problems, and disaster management, as well as space science questions, thanks to their lower cost and faster development process CubeSats can benefit humanity and therefore, young scientists and engineers have been motivated to research and develop new CubeSat missions. Not very long after their inception, CubeSats have evolved to become accepted platforms for scientific and commercial applications. The last couple of years showed that they are a feasible tool for conducting scientific experiments, not only in the Earth orbit but also in the interplanetary space. For many countries, a CubeSat mission could prompt the community and young teams around the world to build the national capacity to launch and operate national space missions. This paper presents an overview of the key scientific and engineering gateways opened up to the younger scientific community by the advent and adaptation of new technology into CubeSat missions. The role of cooperation and the opportunities for capacity-building and education are also explored. Thus, the present article also aims to provide useful recommendations to scientists, early-career researchers, engineers, students, and anyone who intends to explore the potential and opportunities offered by CubeSats and CubeSats-based missions.      

Space debris mitigation strategies and practices in geosynchronous transfer orbits

Missions to geosynchronous orbits remain one of the most important elements of space launch traffic, accounting for 40% of all missions to Earth orbit and beyond during the four-year period 2000–2003. The vast majority of these missions leave one or more objects in geosynchronous transfer orbits (GTOs), contributing on a short-term or long-term basis to the space debris population. National and international space debris mitigation guidelines seek to curtail the accumulation of debris in orbits which penetrate the regions of low Earth orbit and of geosynchronous orbit. The orbital lifetime of objects in GTO can be greatly influenced by the initial values of perigee, inclination, and right ascension of the orbital plane, leading to orbital lifetimes of from less than one month to more than 100 years. An examination of the characteristic GTOs employed by launch vehicles from around the world has been conducted. The consequences of using perigees above 300 km and super-synchronous apogees, typically above 40,000 km, have been identified. In addition, the differences in orbital behavior of launch vehicle stages and mission-related debris in GTOs have been investigated. Greater coordination and cooperation between space launch service providers and spacecraft designers and owners could significantly improve overall compliance with guidelines to mitigate the accumulation of debris in Earth orbit.     

Jitter reduction of a reaction wheel by management of angular momentum using magnetic torquers in nano- and micro-satellites

Nowadays, nano- and micro-satellites, which are smaller than conventional large satellites, provide access to space to many satellite developers, and they are attracting interest as an application of space development because development is possible over shorter time period at a lower cost. In most of these nano- and micro-satellite missions, the satellites generally must meet strict attitude requirements for obtaining scientific data under strict constraints of power consumption, space, and weight. In many satellite missions, the jitter of a reaction wheel degrades the performance of the mission detectors and attitude sensors; therefore, jitter should be controlled or isolated to reduce its effect on sensor devices. In conventional standard-sized satellites, tip-tilt mirrors (TTMs) and isolators are used for controlling or isolating the vibrations from reaction wheels; however, it is difficult to use these devices for nano- and micro-satellite missions under the strict power, space, and mass constraints. In this research, the jitter of reaction wheels is reduced by using accurate sensors, small reaction wheels, and slow rotation frequency reaction wheel instead of TTMs and isolators. The objective of a reaction wheel in many satellite missions is the management of the satellite’s angular momentum, which increases because of attitude disturbances. If the magnitude of the disturbance is reduced in orbit or on the ground, the magnitude of the angular momentum that the reaction wheels gain from attitude disturbances in orbit becomes smaller; therefore, satellites can stabilize their attitude using only smaller reaction wheels or slow rotation speed, which cause relatively smaller vibration. In nano- and micro-satellite missions, the dominant attitude disturbance is a magnetic torque, which can be cancelled by using magnetic actuators. With the magnetic compensation, the satellite reduces the angular momentum that the reaction wheels gain, and therefore, satellites do not require large reaction wheels and higher rotation speed, which cause jitter. As a result, the satellite can reduce the effect of jitter without using conventional isolators and TTMs. Hence, the satellites can achieve precise attitude control under low power, space, and mass constraints using this proposed method. Through the example of an astronomical observation mission using nano- and micro-satellites, it is demonstrated that the jitter reduction using small reaction wheels is feasible in nano- and micro-satellites.     

交会对接光学成像敏感器中合作目标的分析与设计

交会对接技术是实现太空梭、太空平台和空间运输系统的装配、回收、补给、维修、太空人交换及营救等在轨服务的先决条件,交会对接光学成像敏感器是两航天器交会对接近距离平移靠拢段唯一能够提供六自由度相对导航信息的敏感器,由安装于追踪飞行器上的相机和安装于目标飞行器上的合作目标组成,采用角反射器作为合作目标标志,完成两飞行器间的相对位姿的解算.对其需求分析、设计方案、回光能量测试等进行了讨论,该方案已在神舟十一号载人飞船、天舟一号货运飞船与天宫二号的交会对接任务中成功验证,后续针对空间站及光学舱任务进行适应性修改.     

CELSS transportation analysis

Regenerative life support systems based on the use of biological material have been considered for inclusion in manned spacecraft since the early days of the United States space program. These biological life support systems are currently being developed by NASA in the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) program. Because of the progress being achieved in the CELSS program, it is time to determine which space missions may profit from use of the developing technology. This paper presents the results of a study that was conducted to estimate where potential transportation cost savings could be anticipated by using CELSS technology for selected future manned space missions.

Six representative missions were selected for study from those included in NASA planning studies. The selected missions ranged from a low Earth orbit mission to those associated with asteroids and a Mars sortie. The crew sizes considered varied from four persons to five thousand. Other study parameters included mission duration and life support closure percentages, with the latter ranging from complete resupply of consumable life support materials to 97% closure of the life support system. The paper presents the analytical study approach and describes the missions and systems considered, together with the benefits derived from CELSS when applicable.     

Development of countermeasures for medical problems encountered in space flight.

By the turn of this century, long-duration space missions, either in low Earth orbit or for got early planetary missions, will become commonplace. From the physiological standpoint, exposure to the weightless environment results in changes in body function, some of which are adaptive in nature and some of which can be life threatening. Important issues such as environmental health, radiation protection, physical deconditioning, and bone and muscle loss are of concern to life scientists and mission designers. Physical conditioning techniques such as exercise are not sufficient to protect future space travellers. A review of past experience with piloted missions has shown that gradual breakdown in bone and muscle tissue, together with fluid losses, despite a vigorous exercise regimen can ultimately lead to increased evidence of renal stones, musculoskeletal injuries, and bone fractures. Biological effects of radiation can, over long periods of time increase the risk of cancer development. Today, a vigorous program of study on the means to provide a complex exercise regimen to the antigravity muscles and skeleton is under study. Additional evaluation of artificial gravity as a mechanism to counteract bone and muscle deconditioning and cardiovascular asthenia is under study. New radiation methods are being developed. This paper will deal with the results of these studies.     

日地L1点探测任务设计与结果分析

日地L1点是太阳观测任务的理想观测点,对于中国后续太阳观测任务具有重要意义,因此在嫦娥五号的拓展任务阶段设计并实施了中国首次日地L1点探测任务,通过在轨飞行验证了日地L1点转移轨道、环绕轨道设计的正确性,对日地L1点的测控链路环境、太阳辐照环境、三体动力学环境、空间辐射环境等飞行环境进行了探测和验证。轨道飞行和各项环境探测的结果与设计模型的预示结果之间比对一致性较好,通过在轨飞行数据验证了设计模型的正确性。各项试验获得了预期的技术成果,进一步丰富了嫦娥五号任务的成果产出,对中国后续深空探测任务和产品的设计具有重要借鉴意义。     

Phasing with near rectilinear Halo orbits: Design and comparison

In the next future, space agencies are planning to return to the Moon. The objective is to assemble an orbiting space station, called Gateway, on a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit around the Moon as a base for future Moon and deep space missions. Within this framework, multiple side missions will be planned to sustain the Gateway (Artemis mission). The proposed work is thought in framework of the preliminary design of future cargo missions, in particular on the design of an efficient phasing trajectory, under the Circular Restricted Three body problem hypotheses, to bring a cargo vehicle from the end of the Earth-Moon transfer to the beginning of the proximity operations such as rendezvous and docking with the space station. The work aims covering the lack of literature in phasing trajectories with the NRHO by proposing three different strategies to connect the Earth-Moon transfer trajectory with the proximity operations. The three strategies are classified based on the choice of the parking orbits or the choice of the manifolds. Two strategies use butterfly and Halo orbits to park the vehicle before transferring to the target orbit. The third strategy, instead, uses manifolds to allow a direct phasing. In the paper, the three innovative strategies are designed and compare in a specific scenario.     

New concepts for the avoidance or utilisation of methane in life support systems

Due to high resupply costs, especially for long-duration stays in space habitats beyond low earth orbit, future manned space missions will require life support systems (LSS) with a high degree of regenerativity. Possible ways to overcome the waste of resources and to save on resupply mass are therefore of major interest for the development of next generation environmental control and life support systems.     

The fundamental physics explorer: An ESA technology reference study

ESA technology reference studies are used as a process to identify key technologies and technical challenges of potential future missions not yet in the science programme. This paper reports on the study of the Fundamental Physics Explorer (FPE), a re-usable platform targeted to small missions testing fundamental laws of physics in space. The study addresses three specific areas of interest: special and general relativity tests based on atomic clocks, experiments on the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), and studies of Bose–Einstein condensates under microgravity conditions. Starting from preliminary science objectives and payload requirements, three reference missions in the small/medium class range are discussed, based on a re-adaptation of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. A 700/3600 km elliptic orbit has been selected to conduct clock tests of special and general relativity, a 700 km circular orbit to perform experiments on the Weak Equivalence Principle and to study Bose–Einstein condensates, each mission being based on a three-axis stabilised spacecraft. It was determined that adaptation of LISA Pathfinder would be required in order to meet the demands of the FPE missions. Moreover it was established that specific payload and spacecraft technology development would be required to realise such a programme.     

Downsizing an orbital space robot: A dynamic system based evaluation

Small space robots have the potential to revolutionise space exploration by facilitating the on-orbit assembly of infrastructure, in shorter time scales, at reduced costs. Their commercial appeal will be further improved if such a system is also capable of performing on-orbit servicing missions, in line with the current drive to limit space debris and prolong the lifetime of satellites already in orbit. Whilst there have been a limited number of successful demonstrations of technologies capable of these on-orbit operations, the systems remain large and bespoke. The recent surge in small satellite technologies is changing the economics of space and in the near future, downsizing a space robot might become be a viable option with a host of benefits. This industry wide shift means some of the technologies for use with a downsized space robot, such as power and communication subsystems, now exist. However, there are still dynamic and control issues that need to be overcome before a downsized space robot can be capable of undertaking useful missions. This paper first outlines these issues, before analyzing the effect of downsizing a system on its operational capability. Therefore presenting the smallest controllable system such that the benefits of a small space robot can be achieved with current technologies. The sizing of the base spacecraft and manipulator are addressed here. The design presented consists of a 3 link, 6 degrees of freedom robotic manipulator mounted on a 12U form factor satellite. The feasibility of this 12U space robot was evaluated in simulation and the in-depth results presented here support the hypothesis that a small space robot is a viable solution for in-orbit operations.     

Space adapted cryogenics

The cooling requirements applicable to scientific and application payloads of space missions currently planned within the next decade are presented as well as the applicability of the various cryogenic techniques to these requirements. The severe constraints imposed by the spacecraft system, the launch vehicle and the space environment on the spaceborne cryogenic payload are commented. Infra-red astronomy is one of the most demanding candidates for space cryogenics and examples of relevant cooling systems currently under development or proposed for near future missions within ESA activities are described. The trend for long term applications is also commented.     

Quantum Science Satellite

Quantum Science Satellite is one of the first five space science missions, slated for launch in the framework of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Strategic Priority Research Program on space science. The project aims to establish a space platform with long-distance satellite and ground quantum channel, and carry out a series of tests about fundamental quantum principles and protocols in space-based large scale. The satellite will be launched at Jiuquan and on orbit for 2 years. The orbit will be circular and Sun-synchronous with an altitude of 600km. It crosses the descending node at 00:00LT. The satellite is under early prototype development currently.