Robot-aided remote inspection experiment on STS-85

The results are presented for the robot-aided spacecraft inspection experiments using a flaw detection algorithm called multi-images overcast (MIO), which were conducted as an extension of NASDA's Manipulator Flight Demonstration mission installed on space shuttle mission STS-85. These experiments are the first step towards research and development of the Orbital Maintenance System to support space systems by inspecting satellites, deorbiting useless satellites, and repairing satellites in orbit to utilize space systems effectively and reliably.     

Navstar Global Positioning System: Progress Report

All three segments of the GPS, space, control, and user equipment, are now in production. Extensive testing during Phase I and II of the program has proven that the GPS provides a quantum improvement over the capabilities of existing navigational systems and significant mission enhancement in a broad range of military operations. Production of the Block II satellites is progressing on schedule, but the space shuttle accident will delay completion of the full constellation by about two years. The Control Segment is fully operational and will transition to Space Command in 1987. The user equipment will enter production and undergo further testing during the LRIP period to ensure that service operational effectiveness and suitability requirements are met before commencing full-rate production. The GPS should be fully operational in the early 1990's and will provide a powerful force enhancer for all the military services for many years to come.     

Design and application of solar sailing: A review on key technologies

Solar sail technology has been proposed and developed for space explorations with advantages of low launch cost, no-propellant consumption, and continuous thrust, which has great potentials in earth polar detection, interstellar explorations and etc. The development of solar sail has made significant progress in structural design, manufacturing, materials, orbit transfer, and stability control in the past few decades, which makes meaningful contributions to astronomy, physics, and aerospace science. Technological breakthroughs of Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) propulsion and interstellar transfer have been achieved in current solar sail missions. However, there are still many challenges and problems need to be solved. This paper attempts to summarize the research schemes and potential applications of solar sailing in space missions from the viewpoint of key technologies, so as to provide an overall perspective for researchers in this field. Analyses of the key technologies of solar sailing system design are provided. Finally, challenges and prospective development of solar sailing are discussed.     

全球卫星导航星座网络协议体系与运行模式

针对全球卫星导航星座网络建设初期或论证阶段所涉及的网络体系结构、协议体系及相关组网等技术问题,开展了基于导航星座星间链路构建空间信息网络的技术研究,分别提出了由子网、接入网、骨干网等节点及其相互之间星间、星地无线链路构成的分层网络系统结构,设计了兼容遥控、遥测、测量与网络交互支持等业务的基于IP over CCSDS(基于空间数据系统咨询委员会标准的空间链路承载互联网协议业务)的协议体系,给出了全系统基本通信业务运行模式等。与传统高轨卫星通信系统相比,该星座网络具有高覆盖、低时延、随遇接入等优点,可实现星座导航性能与中低轨及地面用户通信性能的全方位提升,相关结果对我国全球卫星导航星座网络技术研究具有一定的参考意义。     

天基快速响应体系的虚拟演示系统

为了实时监测天基快速响应体系的工作过程,开发实现了一套基于 OSG平台的虚拟演示系统。首先,对组成天基快速响应体系的天基平台、轨道运载器和有效载荷进行三维可视化建模,并设计了定制在轨服务任务和管理天基平台的图形交互接口；其次,基于典型的轨道转移模型,介绍了执行任务的天基平台选定方法和流程；最后,通过典型的信息保障任务,展示了基于 OSG的天基快速响应体系的虚拟演示系统。     

Electronics for a Low-Cost Orbiting Vehicle

Efficient use of booster development programs by accommodation of secondary payloads, together with maximum utilization of off-theshelf equipment, developed and space proven on other programs, makes it possible to place scientific experiments into earth orbit at comparatively low cost. A low-cost vehicle designated the OV2-1, developed for the Office of Aerospace Research, is described in some detail, starting with mission requirements, and covering each electronic subsystem, the electronic checkout equipment, and testing.     

Logistics Transportation for Space Station Support

Logistics support of a long duration space station will dictate a high degree of space flight activity to rotate personnel and transport supplies and equipment. Systems characteristics and mission requirements for space station logistics have been analyzed within the context of a broad spectrum of space missions. Preliminary concepts for a space shuttle system (space transportation) have been developed. This system can support not only a space station program, but a wide variety of space missions for both NASA and the DOD.     

激光等离子体航天推进

 本文综述了用脉冲激光等离子体发生器为航天推进动力的可能方案。由外燃式推力器起飞,磁流体风扇升空,等离子体火箭加速。发射同样的有效载荷入轨,起飞重量只及目前航天飞机的1/20,携带燃料只需目前的1/40。先进的航天飞机将加速太阳能站和整个国民经济的发展。     

微型航天器与空间非合作目标交会制导方法

星载设备能力有限的微型航天器在与空间非合作目标交会任务开始前,存放在空间轨道平台内,为了使其完成此项任务,需要设计制导方法。本文首先根据希尔（C-W）方程,设计了初制导律,然后在视线坐标系内建立了微型航天器与非合作目标间的相对运动方程,并设计了空间交会自寻的末制导律。交会任务开始时,为节省微型航天器的燃料,轨道平台根据初制导律以一定速度及释放角度释放微型航天器,微型航天器进入交会轨道,在初制导的作用下,经过若干个过渡轨道周期后接近空间非合作目标,并为末制导提供良好的交班条件,当末制导导引设备捕获并跟踪目标后可通过自寻的末制导最终完成与空间非合作目标交会任务。     

Spartan 201 white light coronagraph experiment

A white light coronagraph was launched into orbit aboard the space shuttle OV 103 (Discovery) on 7 April 1993. This device was one of two instruments included in the SPARTAN 201-1 payload, a completely autonomous sub-satellite deployed from the shuttle for a period of about 47 hours. The WLC system is an externally occulted coronagraph system which incorporates a rotating half-wave plate polarimeter, and the image data is used to infer the brightness, the polarized brightness and the degree of polarization of the white light emission from the solar corona. These data are in turn used to infer estimates of the K- and F-coronal brightnesses and density distributions. We shall present preliminary results of the electron density estimate in the coronal streamer and hole region and describe the methods employed.affiliated to USRA     

Space Flight Validation of Design and Engineering of the ZDPS-1A Pico-satellite

The ZDPS-1A pico-satellites are the first satellites in China within the 1-10 kg mass range that are successfully operated on orbit. Unlike common pico-satellites, they are designed to be "larger but stronger" with more powerful platforms and unique payloads so as to bear a better promise for real applications. Through their space flight mission, the functionality and performance of the two flight models are tested on orbit and validated to be mostly normal and in consistency with design and ground tests with only several inconforming occasions. Moreover, they have worked properly on orbit for one year so far, well exceeding their life expectancy of three months. Therefore, the space flight mission has reached all its goals, and verified that the design concept and the engineering process of the picosatellites are sufficient in allowing them the desired functionality and performance in, and the adaption to the launch procedure and the low-Earth orbit space environment. In the foreseeable future, the platform together with the design concept and the engineering process of the pico-satellites are expected to be applied to more complicated real space applications.     

中继卫星系统对用户航天器快速测定轨能力分析简

针对快速交会对接方案提出的航天器两圈实现变轨的可行性,使用太阳活动平静期的用户航天器四程测距数据,并结合中继卫星观测模型设计磁暴期航天器仿真测距数据,使用动力学定轨方法进行计算分析,论证了中继卫星系统对用户航天器的快速测定轨能力,解算出的航天器轨道根数精度为快速交会对接机精度分析提供了参考.     

Cubesat solar sail 3-axis stabilization using panel translation and magnetic torquing

A Cubesat mission with a deployable solar sail of 5 meter by 5 meter in a sun-synchronous low earth orbit is analyzed to demonstrate solar sailing using active attitude stabilization of the sail panel. The sail panel is kept parallel to the orbital plane to minimize aerodynamic drag and optimize the orbit inclination change caused by the solar pressure force normal to the sail surface. A practical control system is proposed, using a combination of small 2-dimensional translation of the sail panel and 3-axis magnetic torquing which is proved to have sufficient control authority over the gravity gradient and aerodynamic disturbance torques. Miniaturized CMOS cameras are used as sun and nadir vector attitude sensors and a robust Kalman filter is used to accurately estimate the inertially referenced body rates from only the sun vector measurements. It is shown through realistic simulation tests that the proposed control system, although inactive during eclipse, will be able to stabilize the sail panel to within ±2° in all attitude angles during the sunlit part of the orbit, when solar sailing is possible.     

Cosmic Rays at High Heliolatitudes

The Ulysses spacecraft has been the first to orbit the Sun over its poles and to explore the heliosphere at these high heliolatitudes. It has now completed two fast latitude scans, one at solar minimum and one at solar maximum. Since its launch in October 1990, this mission has led to several surprising discoveries concerning energetic particles, cosmic rays, Jovian electrons, the solar wind, the heliospheric magnetic field and the global features of the heliosphere. This review addresses mainly the propagation and modulation of cosmic rays and other charged particles, from both an observational and theoretical point of view, with emphasis on what has been learned from exploring the inner heliosphere to high heliolatitudes. This is done for solar minimum and maximum conditions. The review is concluded with a summary of the main scientific discoveries and insights gained so far from the Ulysses mission.     

Near term approach to data relay for satellites under test

The increasing need for a continuous communications link with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spacecraft during test missions in low Earth orbit (LEG) has resulted in greater interest in geosynchronous data relay services. This may be a more economical alternative to building additional remote tracking stations for the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN), and avoids tying up operational assets for a test mission. A low-cost near-term approach for such a space-based data relay system would utilize two existing Defense Satellite Communication System III spacecraft, two existing ground terminals, and a small, standardized terminal using autonomous antenna pointing for the space vehicle under test. Such a system design is presented     

The high latitude heliospheric magnetic field

As the Ulysses spacecraft approaches its first pass under the south pole of the sun, it is an appropriate time to review our current knowledge and predictions regarding the three dimensional behaviour of the heliospheric magnetic field, in particular at high heliographic latitudes. Optical techniques for measuring the photospheric magnetic field and observations of coronal brightness structures provide indications of the behaviour of the source of the heliospheric field in the corona. As the coronal fields are carried out into the heliosphere by the solar wind, from Parker's model we would expect that the spiral field observed in the equatorial plane should gradually unwind with latitude leading to open, approximately radial, field lines over the polar regions. Predictions of departures from, and models extending this simple picture are discussed. Both the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft have spent brief periods in the regions above the maximum latitude of the heliospheric current sheet-relevant results from these missions are reviewed as well as results from the early stages of the out-of-ecliptic phase of the Ulysses mission. The configuration of the coronal magnetic field exhibits a strong dependence on the phase of the solar activity cycle. While the forthcoming Ulysses polar passes take place near to solar minimum, the different conditions which might be encountered on a second orbit of the sun at solar maximum are described.     

我国空间站运行的测控通信工作模式初探

在分析我国载人空间站在轨运行的任务特点和对测控通信提出的新要求的基础上,对测控通信工作模式进行了探讨。针对任务中心,采用分布式模式进行任务的组织和实施,建立常态化工作体系;针对测控通信资源的使用,对资源进行简化、优化,发挥天、地基各自优势,并实现天地基资源统一调度;针对在轨故障诊断和应急处置,提出了“天地联合,以地为主”的载人航天故障诊断模式和实现途径;针对空间站遥操作需求,提出了一套工作模式和实施流程;针对测控通信长期执行任务的可靠性,提出了任务中心容灾备份工作模式和通信路由的备份模式。以期为后续任务工作模式设计提供参考。     

Low cost satellite ground control facility design

A design approach common to the areas of satellite operations command and control, tracking, subsystem analysis, system planning and scheduling, orbit determination and maintenance, and data routing and control is discussed. Specific satellite mission applications and operations are isolated from the remainder of the design to allow application to a broad variety of satellite systems. Discussions of specific satellite missions are limited to the context of understanding the general magnitude and scope of what a ground control facility is required to support. By isolating the common satellite operational functions, a low cost generic approach that allows for phased implementation of system changes with minimal impact to on-orbit assets and mission performance is developed. The goals of this approach are to provide the capability for growth, maintainability, and operability of the satellite system. A brief discussion of satellite systems followed by the introduction of the general function of any satellite control facility sets the stage for the overall design approach. The factors that define the design along with the key design features are presented, with a discussion of each product available in each functional area     

Overview of the image science objectives and mission phases

The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission uses a suite of imaging instruments to investigate the global response of the magnetosphere to changing solar wind conditions. Detailed science questions that fall under this broad objective include plasma processes that occur on the dayside, flanks, and nightside of the magnetosphere. The IMAGE orbit has been carefully designed to optimize the investigation of these plasma processes as the orbit precesses through the magnetospheric regions. We discuss here the phasing of the IMAGE orbit during the two-year prime mission and the relationship between the orbit characteristics and the critical science objectives of the mission.