The connection between space weather and Single Event Upsets in polar low earth orbit satellites

Space weather is driven and modulated by the activity in the Sun. Space weather events have the potential to inflict critical damage to space systems. Nowadays, space assets are essential in our basic needs, such as communications, cell phone networks, navigation systems, television and internet. Hence, understanding space weather dynamics and its effects on spacecraft is crucial for satellites engineers and satellite operators, in order to prevent and mitigate its impacts.In the last decade our Sun has erupted several times causing dozens of space weather events. Some of these led to satellite malfunctions and outages lasting from mere hours, up to days and weeks. This research is focused on two different space weather events, March 7–8, 2012, and September 6–10, 2017, that occurred during the last ten years and caused satellite anomalies that are related to an increase in the single event upsets rate. Single event upset is a bit flip in a memory device due to high energy particle interaction with the device sensitive volume. During these two periods, Eros B, a low Earth orbiting polar satellite detected an increased rate of single event upsets on two of its processing computers when the high energy proton flux was elevated. On both occasions X-class flares were detected, and the increased single event upsets count rate in Eros B took place only after the 100 MeV protons flux was three orders of magnitude above the background levels. In this research, Israeli satellite anomalies that were detected are first demonstrated.     

Water Loss from Young Planets

Good progress has been made in the past few years to better understand the XUV evolution trend of Sun-like stars, the capture and dissipation of hydrogen dominant envelopes of planetary embryos and protoplanets, and water loss from young planets around M dwarfs. This chapter reviews these recent developments. Observations of exoplanets and theoretical works in the near future will significantly advance our understanding of one of the fundamental physical processes shaping the evolution of solar system terrestrial planets.     

Future of Venus Research and Exploration

Despite the tremendous progress that has been made since the publication of the Venus II book in 1997, many fundamental questions remain concerning Venus’ history, evolution and current geologic and atmospheric processes. The international science community has taken several approaches to prioritizing these questions, either through formal processes like the Planetary Decadal Survey in the United States and the Cosmic Vision in Europe, or informally through science definition teams utilized by Japan, Russia, and India. These questions are left to future investigators to address through a broad range of research approaches that include Earth-based observations, laboratory and modeling studies that are based on existing data, and new space flight missions. Many of the highest priority questions for Venus can be answered with new measurements acquired by orbiting or in situ missions that use current technologies, and several plausible implementation concepts have been studied and proposed for flight. However, observations needed to address some science questions pose substantial technological challenges, for example, long term survival on the surface of Venus and missions that require surface or controlled aerial mobility. Missions enabled by investments in these technologies will open the door to completely new ways of exploring Venus to provide unique insights into Venus’s past and the processes at work today.     

Paths not taken – The Gossamer roadmap’s other options

Highly efficient low-thrust propulsion is increasingly applied beyond commercial use, also in mainstream and flagship science missions, in combination with gravity assist propulsion. Another recent development is the growth of small spacecraft solutions, not in size but in numbers and individual capabilities.Just over ten years ago, the DLR-ESTEC Gossamer Roadmap to Solar Sailing was set up to guide technology developments towards a propellant-less and highly efficient class of spacecraft for solar system exploration and applications missions: small spacecraft solar sails designed for carefree handling and equipped with carried application modules.Soon, in three dedicated Gossamer Roadmap Science Working Groups it initiated studies of missions uniquely feasible with solar sails such as Displaced L₁ (DL1) space weather advance warning and monitoring, Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) delivery to very high inclination heliocentric orbit, and multiple Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) rendezvous (MNR). Together, they demonstrate the capability of near-term solar sails to achieve at least in the inner solar system almost any kind of heliocentric orbit within 10 years, from the Earth-co-orbital to the extremely inclined, eccentric and even retrograde. Noted as part of the MNR study, sail-propelled head-on retrograde kinetic impactors (RKI) go to this extreme to achieve the highest possible specific kinetic energy for the deflection of hazardous asteroids.At DLR, the experience gained in the development of deployable membrane structures leading up to the successful ground deployment test of a (20 m)², i.e., 20 m by 20 m square solar sail at DLR Cologne in 1999 was revitalized and directed towards a 3-step small spacecraft development line from as-soon-as-possible sail deployment demonstration (Gossamer-1) via in-flight evaluation of sail attitude control actuators (Gossamer-2) to an envisaged proving-the-principle flight in the Earth-Moon system (Gossamer-3). First, it turned the concept of solar sail deployment on its head by introducing four separable Boom Sail Deployment Units (BSDU) to be discarded after deployment, enabling lightweight 3-axis stabilized sailcraft. By 2015, this effort culminated in the ground-qualified technology of the DLR Gossamer-1 deployment demonstrator Engineering Qualification Model (EQM). For mission types using separable payloads, such as SPO, MNR and RKI, design concepts can be derived from the BSDU characteristic of DLR Gossamer solar sail technology which share elements with the separation systems of asteroid nanolanders like MASCOT. These nano-spacecraft are an ideal match for solar sails in micro-spacecraft format whose launch configurations are compatible with ESPA and ASAP secondary payload platforms.Like any roadmap, this one contained much more than the planned route from departure to destination and the much shorter distance actually travelled. It is full of lanes, narrow and wide, detours and shortcuts, options and decision branches. Some became the path taken on which we previously reported. More were explored along the originally planned path or as new sidings in search of better options when circumstance changed and the project had to take another turn. But none were dead ends, they just faced the inevitable changes when roadmaps face realities and they were no longer part of the road ahead. To us, they were valuable lessons learned or options up our sleeves. But for future sailors they may be on their road ahead.     

Small spacecraft formation using potential functions

A group of small spacecraft able to change its orbital formation through using the potential function is discussed. Spacecraft shapes, sizes, and maneuvering capabilities in general are not identical. All objects are assumed to maneuver under discrete thruster effects. A hyperbolic form of attractive potential function is then used to reduce the control intervention by using the natural orbital motion for approaching goal configuration. A superquadric repulsive potential with 3D rigid object representation is then used to have more accurate mutual sensing between objects. As spacecraft start away from their goals, the original parabolic attractive potential becomes inefficient as the continuous control force increases with distance linearly. The hyperbolic attractive potential offers good representation of the control force independent of the distance to goal, ensuring global stability as well.     

J.A. Pierce: pioneer award winner, 1961

A biography of John Alvin Pierce is given, starting with his early interest in radio. Pierce received his amateur license and operated a spark transmitter at the age of twelve. His amateur activities led to work at the Cruft Laboratory of Harvard University under the supervision of Professor H.R. Mimno. This association with the Cruft Laboratory has continued to the present day with few interruptions. Pierce's work with different groups and in various areas is sketched, focusing on his work with Loran