Decision program on asteroid threat mitigation

The Association of Space Explorers Committee on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and its Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation have prepared a decision program to aid the international community in organizing a coordinated response to asteroid impact threats. The program is described in the ASE's report, Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response, which will be considered by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in its 2009 sessions. The findings and recommendations of this report are presented here as well as some of the major implications of the complex decision-making involved in developing a coordinated international response to the challenge of protecting the Earth from NEO impacts.     

Advances in the Researches of the Middle and Upper Atmosphere in China in 2012–2014

In this report we summarize the research results by Chinese scientists in 2012–2014. The focuses are placed on the researches of the middle and upper atmosphere, specifically the researches related to ground-based observation capability development, dynamical processes, the property of circulation and chemistry-climate coupling of the middle atmospheric layers.     

带末端攻击角约束连续有限时间稳定制导律

针对制导武器末端攻击角约束与末端弹道尽可能平直的要求,应用有限时间控制方法,设计了具有末端攻击角约束的连续有限时间稳定制导律,使闭环制导系统在有限时间内视线角速度收敛到零和视线角收敛到期望值。通过非线性控制系统的有限时间稳定齐次性理论对该制导律进行了分析,证明了闭环制导系统的视线角速度和视线角全局有限时间稳定特性,并基于有限时间Lyapunov稳定性理论给出了闭环制导系统有限停息时间的表达式。在实例应用仿真中,比较了该制导律与最优制导律的制导性能,检验了该制导律在不同作战任务下的制导效果。仿真结果证实了该制导律的有效性和鲁棒性。     

A transient bulk flow model with circular whirl motion for rotordynamic coefficients of annular seals

Bulk flow model with perturbation simplification has been used to calculate rotordynamic coefficients in annular seals which have significant influences on the dynamic behavior of rotors in turbomachinery. In this work, a transient bulk flow model with arbitrary rotor motion is developed, and the boundary conditions and friction factor in the model are calibrated with steady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The numerical solution scheme is developed based on the finite element method to obtain the transient reaction force in the seal clearance. With a periodic circular rotor orbit, the transient forces at multiple whirling frequencies are used to evaluate the rotordynamic coefficients. The leakage flowrate of CFD analysis has good agreement with experimental results and the calibrated parameters in bulk flow model are dependent on operating conditions. Although CFD calibration improves the accuracy of the perturbed bulk flow model, the direct damping is overestimated and the cross-coupled damping is underestimated. Compared with the perturbed model, the predictions of the transient bulk flow model are more agreeable with the experiment.     

Numerical simulation of broken pin effects on the flow field and cooling performance of a double-wall cooling configuration

In this paper, the flow characteristics of the double wall structure are presented and the effect of the broken pin size on the cooling performance and flow field of the double wall configuration is investigated. A periodic plate model with seven units is adopted, and there are an impingement hole and a film hole in each unit. Under five blowing ratios, six different sizes of the broken pin are compared, and the double wall configuration without broken pins is taken as the baseline. The results show that if the broken pins height is too small, the cooling effectiveness usually cannot be improved. With the presence of broken pins with a height of more than 0.4, the effectiveness is improved due to the enhancement of reattachment and recirculation of coolant. With the increase of the broken pin height, the cooling effectiveness increases. However, the increase of the diameter does not always improve the cooling performance, since the limiting effect of the wall jet. In this study, Case 6 with the largest broken pin always has the best cooling performance, but also the largest flow resistance. In Case 6 temperature is reduced by almost 15 K compared to the baseline, and more areas have relatively higher cooling effectiveness.     

捕获目标后组合体航天器抗干扰自适应控制

针对空间机器人系统捕获非合作目标后由于质量特性参数和动量突变影响导致的组合体系统失稳问题,提出了一种基于系统动力学模型的抗干扰自适应控制方法。利用拉格朗日方法对系统进行动力学建模,通过冲击动力学建模分析得到了捕获目标后组合体系统的初始状态;基于系统动力学模型设计了线性反馈控制方法,考虑组合体质量特性参数不确定性以及外在干扰不确定性,对组合体系统动力学模型进行了不确定参数线性化,设计了参数自适应线性反馈控制方法;最后以平面三关节机械臂系统捕获旋转目标为例进行了仿真计算。组合体系统的运动状态量趋于期望值,速度级状态变量误差量级控制在10-4以下,位置级状态变量误差量级控制在10-3以下,说明该控制方法可以很好地保持捕获目标后组合体系统的稳定。     

空间绳系机器人抓捕非合作目标的质量特性参数辨识

针对空间绳系机器人抓捕非合作目标/空间垃圾后需要对其进行回收/拖曳的精确控制问题,提出了一种利用抓捕后保持阶段的振动特性辨识目标参数的方法。首先,根据质量特性参数辨识的需要,推导了系统的动力学模型。不同于以往将本体卫星和被抓捕目标简化为质点的动力学模型,本文针对任意的目标抓捕位置,在考虑重力梯度影响的基础上,利用拉格朗日法获得系统各广义坐标的动力学公式。然后,分析非合作目标和系绳在后抓捕保持阶段的姿态运动。最后,在非合作目标与本体卫星没有任何信息交互的情况下,利用后抓捕阶段目标卫星和系绳特有的振动,并使用具有鲁棒性可遗忘因子的递推最小二乘法,提出了包括转动惯量和质心到任意抓捕点距离在内的质量特性参数辨识算法。     

Failure mechanisms of bolted flanges in aero-engine casings subjected to impact loading

In this paper, a failure evaluation criterion was proposed for the bolted casing-flange structure under impact loading. Subsequently, ballistic tests with eighteen bolted casing-flange structure specimens were conducted to validate the failure evaluation criterion. Parameter studies were then carried out using the validated FE models. Both the experimental and numerical results demonstrated the accuracy of the failure evaluation criterion. The failure evaluation criterion provided a quick and easy way to determine the failure mode of the casing connection area by using the materials and dimensions of the structure. Based on the failure evaluation criterion, designing the structural failure mode of the bolted casing-flange structure to be between flange failure and bolt failure can improve the impact resistance of the connection area of the aero-engine casings. This investigation revealed that the impact failure is not the unique criterion in evaluating the containment of the casing connection area, structural failure should also be involved in the evaluation criteria.     

The evolution of globular clusters

Taking a wide range of the initial conditions, including spatial density distribution and mass function etc, the dynamical evolution of globular clusters in the Milky Way is investigated in detail by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Four dynamic mechanisms are considered: stellar evaporation, stellar evolution, tidal shocks due to both the disk and bulge, and dynamical friction. It is found that stellar evaporation dominates the evolution of low-mass clusters and all four are important for massive ones. For both the power-law and lognormal initial clusters mass functions, we can find the best-fit models which can match the present-day observations with their main features of the mass function almost unchanged after evolution of several Gyr. This implies that it is not possible to determine the initial mass function only based on the observed ones today. Moreover, the dispersion of the modelled mass functions mainly depends on the potential wells of host galaxies with the almost constant peaks, which is consistent with current observations.     

Meteoroid bombardment as a source of the lunar exosphere

The column densities of impact-produced metal atoms in the exosphere during the peaks of activity of the main meteor showers – Geminids, Quadrantids and Perseids – and during quiet periods are estimated. The Na supply rate is estimated to be 2 × 10⁴, 3 × 10³, 10⁴, and 2 × 10⁴ atoms cm⁻² s⁻¹ for sporadic meteoroids, Perseid, Geminid, and Quadrantid meteor showers, respectively. A low upper limit on Ca in the lunar exosphere is explained by the condensation of Ca into dust grains during expansion of the cooling impact-produced vapor cloud. The chemical composition of gas-phase species released to the lunar exosphere during meteoroid impacts has been estimated. Most impact-produced molecules that contain metals are destroyed by solar photons while on ballistic trajectories. Energies of Na, K, Ca, and Mg atoms produced via photolysis of the respective monoxides are estimated to be 0.4, 0.35, 0.6, and 0.45 eV, respectively. The relative content of impact-produced Na and K atoms is maximal at altitudes of about 1000–2000 km and during the main meteor showers, lunar eclipses, and passages of the Moon through the Earth’s magnetosphere.