Enhancing the kinematic precise orbit determination of low earth orbiters using GPS receiver clock modelling

Clock error estimation has been the focus of a great deal of research because of the extensive usage of clocks in GPS positioning applications. The receiver clock error in the spacecraft orbit determination is commonly estimated on an epoch-by-epoch basis, along with the spacecraft’s position. However, due to the high correlation between the spacecraft orbit altitude and the receiver clock parameters, estimates of the radial component are degraded in the kinematic approach. Using clocks with high stability, the predictable behaviour of the receiver oscillator can be exploited to improve the positioning accuracy, especially for the radial component. This paper introduces two GPS receiver clock models to describe the deterministic and stochastic property of the receiver clock, both of which can improve the accuracy of kinematic orbit determination for spacecraft in low earth orbit. In particular, the clock parameters are estimated as time offset and frequency offset in the two-state model. The frequency drift is also estimated as an unknown parameter in the three-state model. Additionally, residual non-deterministic random errors such as frequency white noise, frequency random walk noise and frequency random run noise are modelled. Test results indicate that the positioning accuracy could be improved significantly using one day of GRACE flight data. In particular, the error of the radial component was reduced by over 40.0% in the real-time scenario.     

Early renal changes in 45 degrees HDT rats

Background: Both microgravity and simulated microgravity models, such as the 45HDT (45 degrees head-down tilt), cause a redistribution of body fluids indicating a possible adaptive process to the microgravity stressor. Understanding the physiological processes that occur in microgravity is a first step to developing countermeasures to stop its harmful effects, i.e., (edema, motion sickness) during long-term space flights. Hypothesis: Because of the kidneys' functional role in the regulation of fluid volume in the body, it plays a key role in the body's adaptation to microgravity. Methods: Rats were injected intramuscularly with a radioactive tracer and then lightly anesthetized in order to facilitate their placement in the 45HDT position. They were then placed in the 45HDT position using a specially designed ramp (45HDT group) or prone position (control group) for an experimental time period of 1 h. During this period, the 99mTc-DTPA (technetium-labeled diethylenepentaacetate, MW=492 amu, physical half-life of 6.02 h) radioactive tracer clearance rate was determined by measuring gamma counts per minute. The kidneys were then fixed and sectioned for electron microscopy. A point counting method was used to quantitate intracellular spaces of the kidney proximal tubules. Results: 45HDT animals show a significantly (p=0.0001) increased area in the interstitial space of the proximal tubules. Conclusions: There are significant changes in the kidneys during a 1 h exposure to a simulated microgravity environment that consist primarily of anatomical alterations in the kidney proximal tubules. The kidneys also appear to respond differently to the initial periods of head-down tilt.     

Funding for space - private finance for public space missions?

Private users of space capability are used to buying a service, not a spacecraft. The supplier builds, launches and operates the spacecraft and the users only pay for the service that they receive. Publicly funded users could benefit from the same approach. Transferring responsibility for the success of the mission to a true prime contractor who is best able to manage technical and programme risks can lead to significant reductions in costs and timescales, but demands changes in attitudes by governments, users, industry and space agencies.     

OLTARIS: On-line tool for the assessment of radiation in space

OLTARIS (On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation In Space) is a space radiation analysis tool available on the World Wide Web. It can be used to study the effects of space radiation for various spacecraft and mission scenarios involving humans and electronics. The transport is based on the HZETRN transport code and the input nuclear physics model is NUCFRG. This paper describes the tools behind the web interface and the types of inputs required to obtain results. Typical inputs are mission parameters and slab definitions or vehicle thickness distributions. Radiation environments can be chosen by the user. This paper describes these inputs as well as the output response functions including dose, dose equivalent, whole body effective dose equivalent, LET spectra and detector response models.     

The IMAGE High-Resolution Data Set

The entire IMAGE mission high resolution (level 0.5) data set is being archived in Universal Data Format (UDF). This data format is self-documenting, does not alter the incoming telemetry values, allows for easy access through a small number of generic software routines, and returns data in any physical unit for which an algorithm has been constructed. This paper discusses the UDF in general, the UDF as applied to IMAGE, the UDF interface software, and UDF-based display software.     

The perfect boring situation—Addressing the experience of monotony during crewed deep space missions through habitability design

In contemporary orbital missions, workloads are so high and varied that crew may rarely experience stretches of monotony. However, in historical long duration missions, occurrences of monotony were, indeed, reported anecdotally by crew. Of the effective countermeasures that appear to be at hand, many rely on visual or logistical proximity to the Earth, and are not feasible in the remote context of an extended deep space mission scenario. There, particularly in- and outbound cruising stages would be characterised by longer, comparably uneventful periods of low workload, coupled with confinement and unchanging vehicle surroundings.     

Toward a global space exploration program: A stepping stone approach

In response to the growing importance of space exploration in future planning, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Panel on Exploration (PEX) was chartered to provide independent scientific advice to support the development of exploration programs and to safeguard the potential scientific assets of solar system objects. In this report, PEX elaborates a stepwise approach to achieve a new level of space cooperation that can help develop world-wide capabilities in space science and exploration and support a transition that will lead to a global space exploration program. The proposed stepping stones are intended to transcend cross-cultural barriers, leading to the development of technical interfaces and shared legal frameworks and fostering coordination and cooperation on a broad front. Input for this report was drawn from expertise provided by COSPAR Associates within the international community and via the contacts they maintain in various scientific entities. The report provides a summary and synthesis of science roadmaps and recommendations for planetary exploration produced by many national and international working groups, aiming to encourage and exploit synergies among similar programs. While science and technology represent the core and, often, the drivers for space exploration, several other disciplines and their stakeholders (Earth science, space law, and others) should be more robustly interlinked and involved than they have been to date. The report argues that a shared vision is crucial to this linkage, and to providing a direction that enables new countries and stakeholders to join and engage in the overall space exploration effort. Building a basic space technology capacity within a wider range of countries, ensuring new actors in space act responsibly, and increasing public awareness and engagement are concrete steps that can provide a broader interest in space exploration, worldwide, and build a solid basis for program sustainability. By engaging developing countries and emerging space nations in an international space exploration program, it will be possible to create a critical bottom-up support structure to support program continuity in the development and execution of future global space exploration frameworks. With a focus on stepping stones, COSPAR can support a global space exploration program that stimulates scientists in current and emerging spacefaring nations, and that will invite those in developing countries to participate—pursuing research aimed at answering outstanding questions about the origins and evolution of our solar system and life on Earth (and possibly elsewhere). COSPAR, in cooperation with national and international science foundations and space-related organizations, will advocate this stepping stone approach to enhance future cooperative space exploration efforts.