Dynamics and control of spacecraft hovering using the geomagnetic Lorentz force

To achieve hovering, a spacecraft thrusts continuously to induce an equilibrium state at a desired position. Due to the constraints on the quantity of propellant onboard, long-time hovering around low-Earth orbits (LEO) is hardly achievable using traditional chemical propulsion. The Lorentz force, acting on an electrostatically charged spacecraft as it moves through a planetary magnetic field, provides a new propellantless method for orbital maneuvers. This paper investigates the feasibility of using the induced Lorentz force as an auxiliary means of propulsion for spacecraft hovering. Assuming that the Earth’s magnetic field is a dipole that rotates with the Earth, a dynamical model that characterizes the relative motion of Lorentz spacecraft is derived to analyze the required open-loop control acceleration for hovering. Based on this dynamical model, we first present the hovering configurations that could achieve propellantless hovering and the corresponding required specific charge of a Lorentz spacecraft. For other configurations, optimal open-loop control laws that minimize the control energy consumption are designed. Likewise, the optimal trajectories of required specific charge and control acceleration are both presented. The effect of orbital inclination on the expenditure of control energy is also analyzed. Further, we also develop a closed-loop control approach for propellantless hovering. Numerical results prove the validity of proposed control methods for hovering and show that hovering around low-Earth orbits would be achievable if the required specific charge of a Lorentz spacecraft becomes feasible in the future. Typically, hovering radially several kilometers above a target in LEO requires specific charges on the order of 0.1 C/kg.     

Influence of lunar topography on simulated surface temperature

The surface temperature of the Moon is one of the essential parameters for the lunar exploration, especially to evaluate the Moon thermophysical features. The distribution of the temperature is heavily influenced by the Moon topography, which, however, is rarely studied in the state-of-art surface temperature models. Therefore, this paper takes the Moon topography into account to improve the surface temperature model, Racca model. The main parameters, such as slopes along the longitude and latitude directions, are estimated with the topography data from Chang’E-1 satellite and the Horn algorithm. Then the effective solar illumination model is then constructed with the slopes and the relative position to the subsolar point. Finally, the temperature distribution over the Moon surface is obtained with the effective illumination model and the improved Racca model. The results indicate that the distribution of the temperature is very sensitive to the fluctuation of the Moon surface. The change of the surface temperature is up to 150 K in some places compared to the result without considering the topography. In addition, the variation of the surface temperature increases with the distance from the subsolar point and the elevation, along both latitude and longitude directions. Furthermore, the simulated surface temperature coincides well with the brightness temperature in 37 GHz observed by the microwave sounder onboard Chang’E-2 satellite. The corresponded emissivity map not only eliminates the influence of the topography, but also hints the inherent properties of the lunar regolith just below the surface. Last but not the least, the distribution of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) in the lunar pole area is also evaluated with the simulated surface temperature result.     

The Radio Plasma Imager investigation on the IMAGE spacecraft

Radio plasma imaging uses total reflection of electromagnetic waves from plasmas whose plasma frequencies equal the radio sounding frequency and whose electron density gradients are parallel to the wave normals. The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) has two orthogonal 500-m long dipole antennas in the spin plane for near omni-directional transmission. The third antenna is a 20-m dipole along the spin axis. Echoes from the magnetopause, plasmasphere and cusp will be received with the three orthogonal antennas, allowing the determination of their angle-of-arrival. Thus it will be possible to create image fragments of the reflecting density structures. The instrument can execute a large variety of programmable measuring options at frequencies between 3 kHz and 3 MHz. Tuning of the transmit antennas provides optimum power transfer from the 10 W transmitter to the antennas. The instrument can operate in three active sounding modes: (1) remote sounding to probe magnetospheric boundaries, (2) local (relaxation) sounding to probe the local plasma frequency and scalar magnetic field, and (3) whistler stimulation sounding. In addition, there is a passive mode to record natural emissions, and to determine the local electron density, the scalar magnetic field, and temperature by using a thermal noise spectroscopy technique.     

Radio plasma imager simulations and measurements

The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) will be the first-of-its kind instrument designed to use radio wave sounding techniques to perform repetitive remote sensing measurements of electron number density (N _e) structures and the dynamics of the magnetosphere and plasmasphere. RPI will fly on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission to be launched early in the year 2000. The design of the RPI is based on recent advances in radio transmitter and receiver design and modern digital processing techniques perfected for ground-based ionospheric sounding over the last two decades. Free-space electromagnetic waves transmitted by the RPI located in the low-density magnetospheric cavity will be reflected at distant plasma cutoffs. The location and characteristics of the plasma at those remote reflection points can then be derived from measurements of the echo amplitude, phase, delay time, frequency, polarization, Doppler shift, and echo direction. The 500 m tip-to-tip X and Y (spin plane) antennas and 20 m Z axis antenna on RPI will be used to measures echoes coming from distances of several R _E. RPI will operate at frequencies between 3 kHz to 3 MHz and will provide quantitative N _e values from 10^–1 to 10⁵ cm^–3. Ray tracing calculations, combined with specific radio imager instrument characteristics, enables simulations of RPI measurements. These simulations have been performed throughout an IMAGE orbit and under different model magnetospheric conditions. They dramatically show that radio sounding can be used quite successfully to measure a wealth of magnetospheric phenomena such as magnetopause boundary motions and plasmapause dynamics. The radio imaging technique will provide a truly exciting opportunity to study global magnetospheric dynamics in a way that was never before possible.     

用神经网络法编程加工轮毂上特殊曲面的探讨

根据轮毂上曲面的特殊性,提出了采用神经网络方法进行编程,实现数控加工,以取代传统的加工方法的设想。     

基于性能可靠性约束的智能液压泵节能优化

考虑飞机飞行剖面的多变性,针对智能液压泵变压力变流量的特点,提出一种多模性能可靠性分析方法.推导2类工作模式的传递函数模型,分析智能泵性能的主要影响因素,基于累积损伤理论构建多阶段任务可靠性模型.以系统工作效率为目标函数,性能可靠性指标为约束条件,对智能泵作优化设计.最后用优化所得参数求系统在各阶段的性能可靠度,并与机载液压系统常用的恒压泵作节能对比.结果表明:提出的基于节能的智能泵性能可靠性分析方法符合系统实际工况要求,相比传统恒压泵系统,智能泵系统的平均效率可提高15.8%.     

基于物理光学假设的导体表面电流密度误差分析

用物理光学法计算理想导体雷达散射截面过程中,需要基于无限大切平面假设计算表面电流密度.只有对表面比较光滑的电大尺寸目标,该假设才近似满足,而在一般情况下由该方法求得的表面电流密度存在误差.将二维导体圆柱、方柱以及三角柱等构型在不同入射频率、极化下的物理光学表面电流密度与精确解或矩量法结果进行了对比.分析表明:横磁波照射时物理光学法除在顶点处有较大误差外,基本能够正确反映出表面电流密度分布情况.横电波情形下物理光学法难以如实反映照射面和阴影面电流的谐振变化,与入射方向平行的面上表面电流密度也有较大误差.     

H.264中多模式运动估计算法优化

针对H.264标准的多模式运动估计算法编码模式复杂、计算量大的不足,通过对H.264参考模型JM10中运动估计算法的分析,提出了一种利用时间、空间相关性的模式选择算法和结合一维绝对差值和(SAD,Sum of Absolute Difference)的高效匹配准则,将串行全搜索的运动估计算法改进为并行部分搜索的运动估计算法,把一维SAD和二维SAD匹配准则结合使用,从模式选择和编码速度两个方面对原算法进行优化.实验结果表明:与参考模型JM10的运动估计算法相比,提出的优化算法在恢复质量(用峰值信噪比表征)平均下降0.03 dB、码速率增加不超过1.5%的前提下,编码速率提高20%~30%,表明了该算法在恢复质量略有下降的情况下明显提高了编码速度.      

基于MLFMA的飞行器锯齿边板散射特性分析

为精确求解散射问题,采用混合场积分方程、多层快速多极子算法(MLFMA, Multilevel Fast Multipole Algorithm)和共轭梯度算法的迭代技术,并改进了多极子模式数.金属球双站雷达散射截面(RCS,Radar Cross Section)的算例表明,该方法在保证精度的前提下,降低了内存和计算时间;分析了锯齿边板的电磁散射特性,总结了锯齿边板相对于直边板在不同角域内的RCS减缩特性以及RCS减缩与入射频率变化之间的关系:随着入射频率的增高,RCS减缩效果迅速提高,且垂直极化减缩效果较水平极化减缩效果好.该结论可以用来提高飞行器的隐身性能.      

积冰对飞机纵向操稳特性的量化影响

提出了一种根据气象条件、飞机特征、飞行条件预测积冰对飞机飞行动力学特性影响的估算方法.采用热力学平衡分析方法完成了积冰增长过程的数学描述,利用逐步线性回归方法建立了结冰飞机的气动模型,计算得到了结冰飞机的气动参数,计算结果与试验结果吻合较好,表明这种方法具有一定的工程实用性.并在此基础上研究了不同部位积冰对飞机纵向操稳特性的影响,通过数值仿真计算得出,结冰飞机气动特性的急剧恶化会导致其纵向操稳特性显著降低,严重时会危及其飞行安全.