The ionosphere and the Latin America VLF Network Mexico (LAVNet-Mex) station

In order to detect and study the ionospheric response to solar flares (transient high energy solar radiation), we have constructed a radio receiver station at Mexico City, which is part of the “Latin American Very low frequency Network” (LAVNet-Mex). This station extends to the northern hemisphere the so called “South American VLF Network”.     

Development of in-situ Space Debris Detector

Due to high relative velocities, collisions of spacecraft in orbit with Space Debris (SD) or Micrometeoroids (MM) can lead to payload degradation, anomalies as well as failures in spacecraft operation, or even loss of mission. Flux models and impact risk assessment tools, such as MASTER (Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference) or ORDEM (Orbital Debris Engineering Model), and ESABASE2 or BUMPER II are used to analyse mission risk associated with these hazards. Validation of flux models is based on measured data. Currently, as most of the SD and MM objects are too small (millimeter down to micron sized) for ground-based observations (e.g. radar, optical), the only available data for model validation is based upon retrieved hardware investigations e.g. Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), Hubble Space Telescope (HST), European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA). Since existing data sets are insufficient, further in-situ experimental investigation of the SD and MM populations are required. This paper provides an overview and assessment of existing and planned SD and MM impact detectors. The detection area of the described detectors is too small to adequately provide the missing data sets. Therefore an innovative detection concept is proposed that utilises existing spacecraft components for detection purposes. In general, solar panels of a spacecraft provide a large area that can be utilised for in-situ impact detection. By using this method on several spacecraft in different orbits the detection area can be increased significantly and allow the detection of SD and MM objects with diameters as low as 100 μm. The design of the detector is based on damage equations from HST and EURECA solar panels. An extensive investigation of those panels was performed by ESA and is summarized within this paper. Furthermore, an estimate of the expected sensitivity of the patented detector concept as well as examples for its implementation into large and small spacecraft are presented.     

Asteroid and comet hazard: Identification problem of observed space objects with the parental bodies

This article focuses on the genetic identification of observed small cosmic bodies with alleged parental bodies; namely, comets, asteroids and meteoroid swarms. There is a problem of the upper D-value limit as a measure of proximity between the orbits of the bodies in the five-dimensional phase space (Southworth and Hawkins, 1963). In the study of genetic relationships of the comet and meteor complexes, the D value is usually taken as equal to 0.2 for all meteor showers. However, the upper D limit should be investigated for each meteoroid complex. For example, such investigation was performed for the Taurid meteor complex (Porub?an et al., 2006). In this paper, the upper D-criterion limit value was investigated for the Perseid meteor shower. The 1862 III Swift–Tuttle comet is its parental comet.     

高速冲液脉冲放电制备纳米硅球

通过Ansys对单脉冲放电过程进行温度分布仿真时发现,当脉宽很小时,汽化体积所占比例很高,即材料利用率较高,但是产率较低;而加大脉宽时,产率较高,但是汽化比例较低。为综合两者的优势,利用大脉宽加工,使放电通道移动。仿真结果表明,相对于放电通道静止,其在材料利用率和产率上都有了大幅度提高。当在加工中引入高速冲液时,实验表明其能促使放电通道发生漂移,收集产物后称量、计算,其产率达到了1g/h。     

基于比例阀控制的液压附件部件综合试验台的设计

针对某飞机液压系统对液压附件、部件的测试要求,设计了多支路液压系统综合试验台,实现了对飞机液压系统中作动器的动作时间、次数和速度等参数测试,对液压缸、阀、集成块等附件在不同压力、流量和温度等条件下的性能测试。该设计主要采用比例阀控制压力和流量,多级过滤器进行油源净化,PLC和继电器实现测控、电位计进行压力和流量调节,数显表直接显示压力、流量和温度、时间等参数。通过实际测试验证,试验台工作稳定、安全可靠、调整方便、显示直观、振动噪音小、不泄露,满足了某型号飞机液压附件部件测试的要求。     

火星进入气体辐射加热研究进展

针对飞行器进入火星大气时气体辐射加热对防热设计带来不确定性，在简述火星探测和气体辐射研究的发展历程的基础上，对火星进入气体辐射加热研究的进展进行综述。首先，针对火星大气环境描述了气体辐射加热的概念和问题由来。其次，重点综述了近年来火星进入气体辐射加热基础模型的数值和试验研究进展，其中包括：热化学非平衡气体动力学、气体辐射特性和辐射传输的计算模型与方法等数值研究；地面测试设备、试验技术和模拟火星大气环境的气体辐射测量与验证等试验研究。再次，综述了流动辐射耦合和后体气体辐射加热等火星进入器设计方面开展的研究。最后，对未来火星进入气体辐射加热研究进行了展望，提出了研究建议。     

静电电磁脉冲辐射场诱发针-球电极结构放电试验

针对当前国内外诱发静电放电（ESD）研究较少的实际情况，为了解自然环境下静电放电辐射场诱发放电的基本特性，进一步分析诱发放电的特征规律，建立了大气条件下诱发放电试验系统。主要采取理论分析、试验验证的方式，对静电放电辐射场诱发针-球电极结构放电的基本规律进行摸索，初步得出了诱发放电的基本规律。研究结果表明：在外界条件一定的情况下，随着辐射场强的不断增大，放电重复频率不断增大；在辐射场强一定的情况下，随着高压源电压的不断增大，诱发放电重复频率不断增大；在外界环境条件一定的情况下，能够确定该条件下的诱发放电唯一阈值。这些试验规律的取得，为真空条件下的诱发放电特性研究提供了试验方法和理论依据，对开展航天器运行环境中的诱发放电研究和防护方法设计具有重要意义。     

Solar-photon sail hovering orbits about single and binary asteroids

Solar-photon sails can be useful for missions towards and about asteroids. Indeed, for the interplanetary transfer phase, missions to asteroids often require a large variation in inclination and solar-photon sails perform very well for such high energy missions. In the same way, solar-photon sails are also expected to perform well in the phase about the asteroid. This paper studies single and binary asteroids’ hovering regions by using a sailcraft. In order to consider a sailcraft with its own mass and shape, the mutual polyhedral method (usually used to study asteroid dynamics) is used; therefore, the sailcraft is designed by means of tetrahedra. The procedure to obtain the hovering regions about a single asteroid is presented and an accurate analysis of the control variables is carried out. Moreover, control torques required to maintain hovering orbits are obtained by considering the gravitational torques acting on the sailcraft due to the asteroid. In the end, the theory for hovering orbits is extended to binary-asteroid systems and applied to the binary system 1999 KW4.     

Sailing at the brink – The no-limits of near-/now-term-technology solar sails and SEP spacecraft in (multiple) NEO rendezvous

Near-Earth object (NEO) in-situ exploration can provide invaluable information for science, possible future deflection actions and resource utilisation. This is only possible with space missions which approach the asteroid from its vicinity, i.e. rendezvous. This paper explores the use of solar sailing as means of propulsion for NEO rendezvous missions. Given the current state of sail technology, we search for multiple rendezvous missions of up to ten years and characteristic acceleration of up to 0.10 mm/s². Using a tree-search technique and subsequent trajectory optimisation, we find numerous options of up to three NEO encounters in the launch window 2019–2027. In addition, we explore steerable and throttleable low-thrust (e.g. solar-electric) rendezvous to a particular group of NEOs, the Taurid swarm. We show that an acceleration of 0.23 mm/s² would suffice for a rendezvous in approximately 2000 days, while shorter transfers are available as the acceleration increases. Finally, we show low-thrust options (0.3 mm/s²) to the fictitious asteroid 2019 PDC, as part of an asteroid deflection exercise.     

Solar sail optimal control with solar irradiance fluctuations

The optimization of a solar sail-based orbital transfer amounts to searching for the control law that minimizes the flight time. In this context, the optimal trajectory is usually determined assuming constant solar properties. However, the total solar irradiance undergoes both long-term (solar cycles) and short-term variations, and recent analyses have shown that this may have an impact on solar sailing for missions requiring an accurate thrust modulation. In this regard, the paper discusses a strategy to overcome such an issue by suitably adjusting the thrust vector in order to track a reference, optimal, transfer trajectory. In particular, the sail propulsive acceleration magnitude is modified by means of a set of electrochromic material panels, which change their optical properties on application of a suitable electric voltage. The proposed control law is validated with a set of numerical simulations that involve a classical Earth-Mars, orbit-to-orbit, heliocentric transfer.