Theoretical solution for the lift force of “ecranoplan” moving near rigid surface

This paper develops a theoretical solution for the problem of determining thin wing's lift force while moving near flat surface (a screen). The solution is determined under the assumption of fluid being ideal and incompressible. The Chaplygin–Zhukovsky hypothesis of rear-edge-limited solution is taken into consideration. The solution of a problem is reduced to the Fredholm equation that is solved numerically. The generalization of the Zhukovski solution was obtained, which provides the lift force dependence on the altitude of the flight. The behavior of the lift force is very peculiar: it increases on decreasing altitude above the rigid surface. The screen effect becomes essential on moving wing altitude being smaller than the wing's length. The effect was detected experimentally before and gave birth to construction of a special flying vehicle named “ecranoplan”. It is shown in the paper that the lift force could increase several orders of magnitude. This effect could be used in developing flying vehicles of high loading capacity, which could be used in the territories of smooth surface: savannas, steppes, deserts, lakes, swamps, etc. The effect could be used for developing vehicles for operation on other planets having not very dense atmosphere and relatively smooth surface (like Mars). Flights in such an atmosphere are energy consuming, while using the effect of lift force increase near the surface could be very effective.     

Deployable space structure control using adaptive predictive controller with notch filter

The present study addresses the adaptive predictive controller with adaptive notch filter for the tip position control of a deployable space structure model. An adaptive notch filter is designed to estimate multiple bending mode frequencies of the deployable manipulator and to minimize the effect of bending vibration. The results show that the adaptive predictive controller with adaptive notch filter is quite effective controlling the tip position of a deployable space structure under poor modeling information.     

Equivalent mechanical model for liquid sloshing during draining

For a spacecraft draining liquid fuel during a continuous thruster maneuver, a brief equivalent method is proposed to model the time-varying properties of liquid sloshing for dynamics and control design. The sloshing liquid during draining is equivalent to a set of mechanical model with variable parameters. The model parameters for sample filling ratios are determined by an efficient finite element method according to equivalent principles, while the parameters for other filling ratios are obtained by piecewise linear interpolation. Using the proposed model, forces and torques acted on a Cassini shaped tank by the inside liquid during draining are investigated undergoing several typical motions. Verifications and comparative studies are done with Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations, which confirm the accuracy of the brief model while the sloshing amplitude is small and the flow rate is low.     

Io Volcano Observer (IVO): Budget travel to the outer Solar System

The IVO mission would make multiple close encounters with Io while orbiting Jupiter in an inclined elliptical orbit. The payload includes narrow-angle and wide-angle cameras (NAC and WAC), dual fluxgate magnetometers (FGM), a thermal mapper (ThM), dual ion and neutral mass spectrometers (INMS), and dual plasma ion analyzers (PIA). The mission is designed to answer key outstanding questions about Io, especially the nature of the intense active volcanism and internal processes that drive the volcanism. IVO can collect and return 20 Gb of compressed science data per Io encounter, 100 times the total Io data return from the 8yr Galileo tour.     

Analysis of dynamic behaviour of inflatable booms in zigzag and modified zigzag folding patterns

The deployment behaviour of inflatable booms with zigzag and modified zigzag folding patterns is experimentally and theoretically investigated in this paper with the aim to deploy the booms as the actuator for future deployable large-scale membrane structures. Regarding the experimental approach, the stable deployment of a modified zigzag folding pattern is demonstrated, and the relation between stable and unstable deployment behaviour is considered in relation to air pressure and flow rate. In terms of the theoretical approach, the folding process and deployment behaviour are simulated using commercially available software (PAM-CRACH and PAM-SAFE). To create folding lines from the zero stress condition in the case of analytical inflatable boom models, the stress distribution and the shapes of the folding lines are considered for the initial self-deployment behaviour and deployment behaviour using the uniform pressure method. From the folding experiments and the results of folding analyses and UPM, the deployment behaviour of inflatable boom models in zigzag and modified zigzag folding patterns is compared by using the finite point-set method. For the sequential deployment behaviour, which is difficult to replicate, the uniform pressure method is used for the calculations, and the relation between inlet air flow and stable deployment behaviour is discussed through comparison of the experimental and analytical results.     

Manned missions to Mars: Minimizing risks of failure

Some major risks-of-failure issues for the future manned missions to Mars are discussed, with an objective to address criteria for making such missions possible, successful, safe and cost-effective. The following astronautical and instrumentation-and-equipment-reliability related aspects of the missions are considered: redundancies and backup strategies; costs; assessed probability of failure as a suitable reliability criterion for the instrumentation (equipment); probabilistic assessment of the likelihood of the mission success and safety. It is concluded that parametric risk modeling is a must for a risk-driven decision-making process.     

Design and performance test of spacecraft test and operation software

Main test processor (MTP) software is the key element of Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) for spacecraft test and operation used in the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for years without innovation. With the increasing demand for a more efficient and agile MTP software, the new MTP software was developed. It adopts layered and plug-in based software architecture, whose core runtime server provides message queue management, share memory management and process management services and forms the framework for a configurable and open architecture system. To investigate the MTP software's performance, the test case of network response time, test sequence management capability and data-processing capability was introduced in detail. Test results show that the MTP software is common and has higher performance than the legacy one.     

A ballistic limit equation for hypervelocity impacts on composite honeycomb sandwich panel satellite structures

During a recent experimental test campaign performed in the framework of ESA Contract 16721, the ballistic performance of multiple satellite-representative Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP)/Aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel structural configurations (GOCE, Radarsat-2, Herschel/Planck, BeppoSax) was investigated using the two-stage light-gas guns at EMI. The experimental results were used to develop and validate a new empirical Ballistic Limit Equation (BLE), which was derived from an existing Whipple-shield BLE. This new BLE provided a good level of accuracy in predicting the ballistic performance of stand-alone sandwich panel structures. Additionally, the equation is capable of predicting the ballistic limit of a thin Al plate located at a standoff behind the sandwich panel structure. This thin plate is the representative of internal satellite systems, e.g. an Al electronic box cover, a wall of a metallic vessel, etc. Good agreement was achieved with both the experimental test campaign results and additional test data from the literature for the vast majority of set-ups investigated. For some experiments, the ballistic limit was conservatively predicted, a result attributed to shortcomings in correctly accounting for the presence of high surface density multi-layer insulation on the outer facesheet. Four existing BLEs commonly applied for application with stand-alone sandwich panels were reviewed using the new impact test data. It was found that a number of these common approaches provided non-conservative predictions for sandwich panels with CFRP facesheets.