Regolith-derived ferrosilicon as a potential feedstock material for wire-based additive manufacturing

Ferrosilicon is a primary metallic alloy produced during the reduction of metal oxides contained in lunar and Martian regolith by a variety of techniques. This study examines the usefulness of ferrosilicon as a candidate feedstock material for wire-based 3D printers designed for in-space manufacturing. Alloys of composition ranging from pure iron to 12?wt% Si were synthesized and their electrical and mechanical properties characterized. The melts were cast into rods for mechanical testing to determine ultimate strength and ductility. It was determined that the samples above 3?wt% Si were too brittle to be pulled into wire and ruptured at low strain values. The 3?wt% Si sample and iron had comparable mechanical properties relative to samples of higher silicon content but with differences in ductility and ultimate strength. Microstructure and compositional studies revealed the differences between the ductile and brittle samples as being the complete ferrite phase presence on the iron and low-Si content samples. This study establishes an upper limit on the Si content at 3?wt% in ferrosilicon materials to be used in wire feedstock in additive manufacturing for in-space applications.     

Upwards migration phenomenon on molten lunar regolith: New challenges and prospects for ISRU

As part of our research on the feasibility of producing commodities from lunar regolith by thermal-driven processes with minimal terrestrial precursors we need to characterize, reproduce, and understand thermophysical properties of the molten regolith still unforeseen under the lunar vacuum conditions at a scalable sample size. Two unanticipated phenomena, apparently caused by lunar melt’s surface tension under vacuum, have been revealed in our research work, vacuum void formation and upwards migration. In this paper we present our findings and thinkable explanation on the upwards migration phenomenon experimentally observed and consistently replicated as JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant melted at high vacuum. Upwards migration of molten lunar regolith will make future lunar ISRU’s melting processes both challenging as molten bulk material would migrate upwards along the container’s walls, and also promising on new opportunities for alternative ISRU’s sustainable processes as regolith’s upwards migration takes place in uniformed thin-film pattern. Among the potential ISRU’s processes that might use controlled thermal thin-film-based migration without the necessity of terrestrial precursors are production of feedstock for 3D printing, fractional separation of regolith’s component’s (O₂, metals, and alloys) via pyrolysis, film coating, purification of valuables solid crystals including silicon, and fabrication of key elements for microfluidic, and MEMS devices. Thermal upwards migration phenomenon on JSC-1A’s melt is formulated and explained by the authors as due to thermal Marangoni effect (also known as thermo-capillarity) in which temperature gradients within the melt’s bulk and along the crucible’s wall yield the surface tension large enough to supersede the gravitational force and yield the experimentally observed upwards thin-film migration. As far as the authors know, upwards thermal migration of molten JSC-1A (or other lunar simulant regolith) under vacuum has not been reported in the literature. A thermal mathematical model accounting for thermal Marangoni effect on molten JSC-1A agrees with what experimentally was observed, the formation of the meniscus on the melt-wall surface interface along with an incipient upwards migration in thin-film pattern along the crucible wall that, according to the model, experiences large temperature gradient, an important factor to trigger the thermal Marangoni effect along with the fact that surface tension of the molten lunar regolith material is temperature dependent.     

多资源约束下航天多项目调度的启发式算法

为解决当前航天多型号并举研制现状下的资源约束多项目调度问题,首先建立了一个数学模型,然后根据模型的特点提出了一种启发式算法。建立的模型同时考虑多项目的总工期和各个单项目的总工期,提出的算法在考虑活动资源可剥夺以及单个活动需要多个资源的情况下,能够合理优化多项目的资源分配,缩短多项目的总工期及各项目工期。通过实例验证该方法能够有效地求解多项目调度问题,具有一定的工程应用价值。     

大型卫星总体装配的测试及校准技术

针对大型卫星在总体装配生产过程中需要对其密封性能、仪器的安装精度、质量特性性能指标进行准确测试的要求,研制了单点、总漏率四极质谱和氦质谱测试系统及相应的标定装置,实现了大型卫星电推进系统密封性能的准确测试和实时比对校准;研制了基于三坐标转换机的大载荷质心、转动惯量集成质量特性测试系统和直接比对校准转子,单次安装测出所有轴向的质量特性参数;研制经纬仪、激光跟踪仪联合高精度角度和位置安装精度测量系统,研制基准转换器,实现测量坐标系的转化和测量精度的实时校准。完成了数个大型卫星总装过程的专业测试工作,保证了大型卫星的总装过程装配质量。     

动态信号分析仪的现场快速校准

首次提出使用几个经过实验室标定的标准特性单元,到实验现场对使用中的动态信号分析仪进行校准,并且采取一次校验一条曲线的办法代替以往的逐点检定,以实现快速校准的目的。介绍了现场快速校准的原理、方案,并对校准用的标准特性单元进行了详细的理论分析。     

空间微重力资源

本文简要地阐述了空间微重力资源对人类的深远影响;介绍了该领域的发展进程和研究方向;指出了我国在微重力工作方面的成绩和前景。     

航空航天仿真试验假人研制

介绍了国内航空仿真试验假人的功能要求和研制状况,将研制工作分为人体参数测量、机械结构、信号采集与处理和可靠性验证4个部分进行.重点阐述了仿真试验假人的骨架、关节和皮肤肌肉的材料选择及结构设计特点.传感测试能力可输出记录64路生理信号,整体性能接近美国军用假人ADAM的水平,为高危的载人航空航天装备动态性能试验测试提供了有效工具.     

Production characteristics of the “higher plants–soil-like substrate” system as an element of the bioregenerative life support system

The study addresses the possibility of long-duration operation of a higher plant conveyor, using a soil-like substrate (SLS) as the root zone. Chufa (Cyperus esculentus L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were used as study material. A chufa community consisting of 4 age groups and radish and lettuce communities consisting of 2 age groups were irrigated with a nutrient solution, which contained mineral elements extracted from the SLS. After each harvest, inedible biomass of the harvested plants and inedible biomasses of wheat and saltwort were added to the SLS. The amounts of the inedible biomasses of wheat and saltwort to be added to the SLS were determined based on the nitrogen content of the edible mass of harvested plants. CO₂ concentration in the growth chamber was maintained within the range of 1100–1700 ppm. The results of the study show that higher plants can be grown quite successfully using the proposed process of plant waste utilization in the SLS. The addition of chufa inedible biomass to the SLS resulted in species-specific inhibition of growth of both cultivated crops and microorganisms in the “higher plants – SLS” system. There were certain differences between the amounts of some mineral elements removed from the SLS with the harvested edible biomass and those added to it with the inedible biomasses of wheat and saltwort.     

一种软件测试过程的博弈模型

为分析软件测试的动态过程及其中诸影响因素之间的关系,运用博弈理论,提出了一种新的软件测试过程建模分析方法.建立了一种软件测试过程的博弈模型,并在此基础上对测试过程中的各方决策条件和博弈均衡条件进行了讨论,其结论有助于理论分析和解决\"测试策略选择\"和\"何时停止测试\"等问题.由于考虑了参与软件测试活动的各方利益和可能行为,此方法较之软件测试控制论更能够对软件测试过程中所出现的情况进行解释.本模型可为软件测试规程设计提供理论依据,增强软件测试过程的可管理性.      

Ada软件的动态测试技术研究

为改善软件质量,对Ａｄａ软件的动态测试技术进行了研究,并且就以下内容着重进行了讨论;Ａｄａ软件的分析与理解;Ａｄａ软件的动态测试原则与方法;Ａｄａ软件的动态测试工具ＡＳＤＴ。     

航天器控制系统高可信度地面测试技术

随着航天器复杂程度和指标要求的不断提高,高可信系统级地面测试越来越凸显其重要性.以工程应用为出发点,对航天器控制系统高可信地面测试涉及的相关理论和技术进行探讨.提出了测试可信度的定义,并以航天控制工程为背景分析了测试可信度的影响因素.在此基础上,系统介绍了柔性化原型测试、航天器控制系统指标专项测试、高可信动力学建模、高可信信号源技术等方面的初步研究成果.     

微波混频器测试技术研究

针对国内对微波器件筛选难的问题,进行微波混频器测试技术研究,描述了微波混频器的测试电路,给出微波混频器各参数的测试方法。目前,微波混频器已全面进入筛选测试阶段。     

卫星反作用飞轮总线化驱动及可重构性

通过研究卫星反作用飞轮的总线化伺服驱动及其系统重构问题,构建了可靠的无刷直流电动机功率驱动主回路,研制了可以采样三相绕组电流的磁感应式传感器及泵生电压自动抑制电路。对普通的M/T测速算法进行了改进,并仅以两组相互备份的六个位置传感器完成了数字转速测量和换相控制。规划了现场总线协议,设计了总线式的全数字化飞轮力矩/速度双模式伺服驱动器的知识产权内核及系统级专用芯片,构造了冗余型可重构控制器,提出了多种重构方案以及相应的实现算法。在现场可编程门阵列工艺中最终实现了飞轮的片上伺服系统;测试结果表明,该系统在整个四象限区域内均具有良好的动态和静态运行性能。     

Application of China–Brazil Earth resources satellite in China

The launch and successful operation of Chinese–Brazil Earth resources satellite (CBERS-1) in China has accelerated the application of space technology in China. These applications include agriculture, forestry, water conservation, land resources, city planning, environment protection and natural hazards monitoring and so on. The result of these applications provides a scientific basis for government decision making and has created great economic and social benefits in Chinese national economy construction. In this paper we present examples and provide auxiliary documentation of additional applications of the data from Earth resource monitoring.     

基于包应用标准的紫外极光成像仪通信控制系统的设计与实现

在中国传统航天器中,通信系统格式通常各不相同。随着载荷越来越复杂,通信系统的格式往往需要重建,而且由于缺乏灵活性,会产生许多限制。对于SMILE卫星中的紫外极光成像仪（UVI）工程任务, 为与国际对接,提高数据处理的效率,设计实现了基于遥控遥测包应用标准（PUS）的通信与控制系统,根据通信与控制系统的构成及工作原理,PUS业务的选择和实现,对通信功能进行设计,按照PUS标准完成遥测遥控功能,并基于PUS业务提出故障诊断和处理方法。通过对系统进行集成测试,结果表明电控箱通信与控制系统工作稳定,能够完成指令处理、科学数据接收存储、故障诊断以及多种数据包发送,满足任务需求。