The risks and impacts of space weather: Policy recommendations and initiatives

Space weather affects global technological systems and societies. Space weather, or the dynamic conditions on the Sun and in the space environment and their impacts on technological systems, can produce coronal mass ejections, solar energetic particles, and geomagnetic disturbances. These space weather events can cause extreme currents in the electric grid, widespread blackouts, and phone and internet communication failures both in space and within the Earth's atmosphere. Severe space weather can damage satellites used for global positioning, communications, and weather forecasting. It also creates a risk of radiation exposure to astronauts and commercial airline crews and passengers. Accurate forecast knowledge of the space weather threat and timing of events is critical to planning and preparation to minimize socioeconomic impacts. This paper reviews the scope of the space weather threat on the global community today. It describes current international and US public policy initiatives to mitigate risk to infrastructure, public safety, and human life. It examines recent international reports and US federal disaster reduction plans to meet these challenges and provides recommendations to increase public awareness and implement public policies to prepare, prevent, and recover from possible catastrophic failures of commercial and government infrastructures caused by a major space weather event.     

目标捕获后航天器组合体的角动量转移与抑振规划

针对失稳目标捕获后航天器组合体的位姿调整与稳定问题,提出一种组合体角动量转移与振动抑制复合规划方法。首先建立了同时考虑了空间机械臂、目标卫星太阳翼、服务卫星太阳翼等柔性构件的航天器组合体动力学模型。然后提出角动量转移优化方法,规划机械臂最终构型,保证组合体相对稳定后的角速度最小;基于粒子群算法设计了机械臂最优抑振轨迹规划方法,抑制角动量转移过程中的机械臂和太阳翼的柔性振动。最后通过数值仿真验证了规划方法的有效性。仿真结果表明,该方法能够有效实现组合体的角动量转移,并显著降低组合体的柔性振动,具有工程实用性。     

Ra: future policy directions and a strategic framework for solar research and applications

The authors and 50 other students from around the world participated in the International Space University's (ISU) 1996 Summer Session Solar Probe Design Project. The main product of this was a 349-page text on the future of solar exploration and applications entitled Ra: The Sun for Science and Humanity. This article condenses and highlights the policy directions, organizational initiatives and strategic framework presented in that work. In particular, these include the proposed creation of a working group on international solar exploration and applications to act as a forum for mission planning, and a model for facilitating interagency/international exchanges regarding solar missions.     

太阳帆航天器姿态控制技术综述

太阳帆作为一种无工质消耗的新型航天器推进技术,逐渐受到国内外航天界的广泛关注。文章首先综述了太阳帆航天器控制技术的发展现状,重点分析了太阳帆航天器姿态控制技术的特点和难点;其次,按照执行机构的不同,分别介绍了近年来国内外航天领域提出的多种太阳帆航天器姿态控制方案,针对各个方案的优缺点加以分析;最后,对该领域未来的发展前景进行了展望。     

利用等离子体通道实现空间太阳能无线能量传输

空间太阳能电站是高效利用太阳能的有效途径,受到了国际的广泛关注。空间无线能量传输技术是空间太阳能电站的关键技术之一。文章首先分析了微波与激光无线能量传输技术的问题,根据空间太阳能传输的具体需求进一步提出基于等离子体通道的无线能量传输技术,并对基于此项技术的空间太阳能传输系统进行了论证,完善并发展了空间太阳能传输模型。基于等离子体通道的无线能量传输技术为多个领域的能量补给提供了新颖的技术途径,是具有广阔应用前景的战略选择。     

A new paradigm for international cooperation in space exploration

In announcing a new Vision for the US space program, President George Bush committed the USA to “a long-term human and robotic program to explore the solar system”, via a return to the Moon, leading to exploration of Mars and other destinations. He also stated that other nations would be invited to join the vision. Many other nations have, or are developing, ‘exploration visions’ of their own. The potential for international cooperation therefore exists, both at the vision and program/project levels. This paper, based on Working Group discussions as part of an AIAA space cooperation workshop,¹ presents an approach for maximizing the return on all global investments in space exploration. It proposes an international coordination mechanism through which all these various national activities could be integrated into an inherently global enterprise for space exploration, a ‘virtual program of programs’. Within the context of the coordination, individual activities would utilize the full range of cooperative mechanisms for implementation. A significant benefit of this mode of conducting cooperation is that it would not require the negotiation of complex overarching international agreements as a precondition for initiating international activity.     

深空探测器小天体交会段自主导航方法研究

针对深空探测任务中,与小行星交会段的自主导航问题,首先建立探测器在交会段的轨道动力学模型,并提出了2种导航观测方案:1)利用目标天体图像作为观测量;2)利用目标天体视线方向和目标天体夹角作为观测量.然后结合动力学模型和观测模型推导了2种导航方法的滤波算法公式.最后通过蒙特卡罗数值仿真分析方法,估算了2种导航方法的误差值,结果表明误差值在可接受精度范围内,验证了2种自主导航方法是可行的.     

International cooperation - how to proceed

As part of a project exploring ways that international cooperation can maximize the benefits of space activities in the new political climate of the 1990s, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has been organizing expert workshops on the subject. The latest of these, held in December 1994, focused on five areas: global space systems services; human and robotic exploration; space transportation; solar power to Earth; and international peacekeeping. It is only in the last few years that recommendations on the latter topic could realistically have been put forward and, as a prelude to our presentation of the Executive Summary of the report produced by AIAA, two of the 60-plus participants drawn from 15 countries, Robert Fuhrmann and Jürgen Wild, discuss the implications of this new found openness over international security and analyse the background to its genesis.     

Towards a European vision for space exploration: Recommendations of the Space Advisory Group of the European Commission

As a result of increasing public and political interest in ‘space’ (i.e. solar system) exploration at the global scale, the Space Advisory Group of the European Commission has evaluated the situation in Europe with regard to its potential to participate in this ambitious global enterprise. Aspects of science, technology, environment and safety, society, spin-offs and international cooperation were all considered. The group concluded that Europe possesses sufficient key technologies and scientific expertise to play a major role in international space exploration and has recommended that the EU take a central role to ensure the success of future European space exploration, not only to give a clear political signal for the way forward but also to ensure an appropriate financial framework. In this way Europe would embrace the spirit of the European Space Policy and contribute to the knowledge-based society by investing significantly in space-based science and technology, thereby playing a strong role in international space exploration.     

在轨操控机器人拓邻域搜索三维路径规划

针对空间在轨操控机器人在桁架式空间站执行操控任务时,需要在桁架间自由穿行且时刻与空间站保持接触的任务特性,提出基于拓邻域搜索蚁群算法的三维全局路径规划方法.该方法首先建立桁架式空间站的三维栅格模型;充分考虑机器人穿行时的包络约束和操控时的接触约束,在路径规划和轨迹搜索前对被操控对象的三维栅格模型进行预处理和修正,缩减路...     

空间太阳能阵列光照的建模仿真及优化

针对空间救援飞行器在无控模式下,固定的太阳能阵列可能受到光线照射面积不足的问题,提出采用建模仿真及优化阵列布局的方法来提高任意光照角度下的受光面积。通过建立参数化驱动的空间飞行器外形几何模型、任意角度下的光线投射模型和考虑自身结构阴影遮挡的光照模型,研究空间任意光照角度下太阳能阵列接收光线照射的有效面积,并得到最低受光面积。基于建立的光照模型,采用遗传算法,对影响太阳能阵列布局的关键参数进行优化。可视化仿真结果校验了模型的有效性,优化结果显示算法收敛且获得了最优结果,满足空间无控飞行任务要求。     

The space station and Mars

This article presents a plan for reconfiguring the US-international Space Station, which could be used to undertake exploration of Mars. The author believes that there is an urgent need to give a unified purpose to the US Shuttle, Space Station and space science activities, and that planning for an international Mars sample return mission along the lines outlined here could start the US space programme moving again within budgetary requirements.     

空间太阳电池阵的发展现状及趋势

从四方面分析了空间太阳电池阵的发展现状,包括体装式、带桨展开式、单板展开式、多板展开式、柔性多模块多维展开式等总体构型的发展历程,常用太阳电池片如硅电池片、砷化镓电池片、柔性薄膜电池片的材料与性能的发展现状,刚性基板结构、半刚性基板结构、柔性基板结构的发展与应用及五种展开机构的特点与空间应用分析,论述了空间太阳电池阵发展的制约因素,指出了聚光型柔性太阳电池阵是未来空间太阳电池阵发展的趋势,旨在促进空间太阳电池阵向着大尺寸、大功率、模块化、低成本和轻质量的方向发展,以适应大功率航天器的发展需求。     

Stepping stones toward global space exploration

Several nations are currently engaging in or planning for robotic and human space exploration programs that target the Moon, Mars and near-Earth asteroids. These ambitious plans to build new space infrastructures, transport systems and space probes will require international cooperation if they are to be sustainable and affordable. Partnerships must involve not only established space powers, but also emerging space nations and developing countries; the participation of these new space actors will provide a bottom-up support structure that will aid program continuity, generate more active members in the space community, and increase public awareness of space activities in both developed and developing countries. The integration of many stakeholders into a global space exploration program represents a crucial element securing political and programmatic stability. How can the evolving space community learn to cooperate on a truly international level while engaging emerging space nations and developing countries in a meaningful way? We propose a stepping stone approach toward a global space exploration program, featuring three major elements: (1) an international Earth-based field research program preparing for planetary exploration, (2) enhanced exploitation of the International Space Station (ISS) enabling exploration and (3) a worldwide CubeSat program supporting exploration. An international Earth-based field research program can serve as a truly global exploration testbed that allows both established and new space actors to gain valuable experience by working together to prepare for future planetary exploration missions. Securing greater exploitation of the ISS is a logical step during its prolonged lifetime; ISS experiments, partnerships and legal frameworks are valuable foundations for exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Cooperation involving small, low-cost missions could be a major stride toward exciting and meaningful participation from emerging space nations and developing countries. For each of these three proposed stepping stones, recommendations for coordination mechanisms are presented.     

Outer space,Geneva and the Conference on Disarmament: Future directions

Global dependence on the space sector is increasing rapidly. However, the growing challenges outer space poses to international security have not, as yet, been effectively addressed in the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) or in other multilateral fora. This paper briefly reviews the current state of affairs of international security and outer space and explores the challenges the international community faces in building international agreements for improved space security and global stability. It examines some of the hurdles that are faced in tackling space security issues are and provides some thinking on ways to overcome them. The paper concludes that there is a potential role for the disarmament community and the CD in particular. As potential conflicts in outer space emerge, having invested bodies and communities such as the CD and a strong cadre of disarmament diplomats and NGOs to act as an informed hub on space and disarmament issues is essential.     

Space life and biomedical sciences in support of the global exploration roadmap and societal development

The human exploration of space is pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible. The space industry is preparing for the New Space era, the momentum for which will emanate from the commercial human spaceflight sector, and will be buttressed by international solar system exploration endeavours. With many distinctive technical challenges to be overcome, human spaceflight requires that numerous biological and physical systems be examined under exceptional circumstances for progress to be made. To effectively tackle such an undertaking significant intra- and international coordination and collaboration is required. Space life and biomedical science research and development (R & D) will support the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) by enabling humans to ‘endure’ the extreme activity that is long duration human spaceflight. In so doing the field will discover solutions to some of our most difficult human health issues, and as a consequence benefit society as a whole. This space-specific R&D will drive a significant amount of terrestrial biomedical research and as a result the international community will not only gain benefits in the form of improved healthcare in space and on Earth, but also through the growth of its science base and industry.     

Membrane-based space energy collector: A conceptual study

In this work the shape characteristics of a parabolic structure that consists of an initially flat circular membrane subject to solar radiation pressure in the space environment are examined. This problem arises in the analysis of space systems such as solar power collectors and solar sails. This paper presents parametric studies aimed at determining the power concentration capacity of a non-ideally reflecting flat circular membrane as a function of its radius size and thickness. The shape of the deformed membrane is close to parabolic. Both numerical simulations and analytical study show that the thin membrane subject solely to solar radiation pressure can concentrate the sunlight power several hundred times.     

聚光式空间太阳能电源系统

介绍了聚光式太阳能电源系统的分类、原理及国外的研究与应用进展,分析了反射式与折射式空间太阳能聚光系统的优点与不足,指出了高精度太阳指向控制、耐环境薄膜材料、薄膜太阳电池、高密度热流热控等技术难点及需要解决的关键技术,对我国开展空间太阳能聚光系统技术研究提出了建议。     

太阳系边际探测飞行任务规划

针对太阳系边际探测任务,开展了星际多目标飞越的任务规划,采用小推力混合优化设计方法完成了基于借力飞行及电推进技术的行星际转移轨道联合优化设计,对比研究了面向日球层鼻尖和尾部探测的星际多目标探测飞行方案。研究表明,探测器在2024-2025年发射,可飞抵日球层鼻尖区域,在2027-2030年发射可飞抵日球层尾部区域,并可在2049年1月1日前飞离日心100 AU,实现太阳系边际空间的科学探测。其中日球层鼻尖探测任务探测器飞抵100 AU的位置位于鼻尖中心区域,可与旅行者1号、2号探测器形成有效互补。文章所用任务规划方法,可为太阳系边际探测的自主任务规划技术提供基础,相关研究成果能够为未来中国首次太阳系边际探测任务的实施提供有价值的参考。     

IKAROS太阳帆的关键技术分析与启示

分析了国外太阳帆的发展现状,重点论述了世界上首次成功飞行的太阳帆——太阳辐射驱动星际风筝航天器（IKAROS）的总体设计、材料设计、空间展开和姿态控制等关键技术,以及中国开展太阳帆和空间大型展开结构的总体设计、空间展开、姿态控制、空间环境适应性等关键技术,提出了系统开展以太阳帆为代表的大型轻质展开结构研制与应用的建议。