Deorbiter CubeSat mission design

This paper presents the mission design for a CubeSat-based active debris removal approach intended for transferring sizable debris objects from low-Earth orbit to a deorbit altitude of 100 km. The mission consists of a mothership spacecraft that carries and deploys several debris-removing nanosatellites, called Deorbiter CubeSats. Each Deorbiter is designed based on the utilization of an eight-unit CubeSat form factor and commercially-available components with significant flight heritage. The mothership spacecraft delivers Deorbiter CubeSats to the vicinity of a predetermined target debris, through performing a long-range rendezvous maneuver. Through a formation flying maneuver, the mothership then performs in-situ measurements of debris shape and orbital state. Upon release from the mothership, each Deorbiter CubeSat proceeds to performing a rendezvous and attachment maneuver with a debris object. Once attached to the debris, the CubeSat performs a detumbling maneuver, by which the residual angular momentum of the CubeSat-debris system is dumped using Deorbiter’s onboard reaction wheels. After stabilizing the attitude motion of the combined Deorbiter-debris system, the CubeSat proceeds to performing a deorbiting maneuver, i.e., reducing system’s altitude so much so that the bodies disintegrate and burn up due to atmospheric drag, typically at around 100 km above the Earth surface. The attitude and orbital maneuvers that are planned for the mission are described, both for the mothership and Deorbiter CubeSat. The performance of each spacecraft during their operations is investigated, using the actual performance specifications of the onboard components. The viability of the proposed debris removal approach is discussed in light of the results.     

Obscured Activity: AGN, Quasars, Starbursts and ULIGs Observed by the Infrared Space Observatory

Some of the most ‘active’ galaxies in the Universe are obscured by large quantities of dust and emit a substantial fraction of their bolometric luminosity in the infrared. Observations of these infrared luminous galaxies with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) have provided a relatively unabsorbed view to the sources fuelling this active emission. The improved sensitivity, spatial resolution and spectroscopic capability of ISO over its predecessor Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) of enabled significant advances in the understanding of the infrared properties of active galaxies. ISO surveyed a wide range of active galaxies which, in the context of this review, includes those powered by intense bursts of star formation as well as those containing a dominant active galactic nucleus (AGN). Mid-infrared imaging resolved for the first time the dust enshrouded nuclei in many nearby galaxies, while a new era in infrared spectroscopy was opened by probing a wealth of atomic, ionic and molecular lines as well as broad band features in the mid- and far-infrared. This was particularly useful, since it resulted in the understanding of the power production, excitation and fuelling mechanisms in the nuclei of active galaxies including the intriguing but so far elusive ultraluminous infrared galaxies. Detailed studies of various classes of AGN and quasars greatly improved our understanding of the unification scenario. Far-infrared imaging and photometry revealed the presence of a new very cold dust component in galaxies and furthered our knowledge of the far-infrared properties of faint starbursts, ULIGs and quasars. We summarise almost nine years of key results based on ISO data spanning the full range of luminosity and type of active galaxies.     

Astrophysics in 2006

The fastest pulsar and the slowest nova; the oldest galaxies and the youngest stars; the weirdest life forms and the commonest dwarfs; the highest energy particles and the lowest energy photons. These were some of the extremes of Astrophysics 2006. We attempt also to bring you updates on things of which there is currently only one (habitable planets, the Sun, and the Universe) and others of which there are always many, like meteors and molecules, black holes and binaries.     

基于特征模型的挠性悬臂板控制

针对航天器上太阳帆板这种悬臂外伸薄板结构的挠性附件 ,存在环境扰动下所引起的振动 ,本文采用压电智能结构作为执行器对悬臂板进行主动振动控制。基于板系统的特征建模 ,并结合自适应控制对挠性板的主动控制进行了研究。通过仿真研究结果与应变律反馈控制比较 ,表明该方法的有效性     

Study of the variability of blazars gamma-ray emission

The γ-ray emission of blazar jets shows a pronounced variability and this feature provides limits to the size and to the speed of the emitting region. We study the γ-ray variability of bright blazars using data from the first 18 months of activity of the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. From the daily light-curves of the blazars characterized by a remarkable activity, we firstly determine the minimum variability time-scale, giving an upper limit for the size of the emitting region of the sources, assumed to be spheroidal blobs in relativistic motion. These regions must be smaller than ∼10⁻³ parsec. Another interesting time-scale is the duration of the outbursts. We conclude that they cannot correspond to radiation produced by a single blob moving relativistically along the jet, but they are either the signature of emission from a standing shock extracting energy from a modulated jet, or the superposition of a number of flares occurring on a shorter time-scale. We also derive lower limits on the bulk Lorentz factor needed to make the emitting region transparent for gamma-rays interacting through photon–photon collisions.     

Multi-mode optimal fuzzy active vibration control of composite beams laminated with photostrictive actuators

Firstly, a multi-field coupling finite element formulation of composited beam laminated with the photostrictive actuators is developed in this paper. Moreover, an optimal fuzzy active control algorithm is also proposed on the basis of the combination of optimal control and fuzzy one.This method opens a new avenue to resolve the contradiction between the linear system control method and nonlinear actuating characteristics of photostrictive actuators. The desired control for suppressing multi-modal vibration of photoelectric laminated beam is firstly obtained through optimal control and then the fuzzy control is used to approach the desired mechanical strain induced by photostrictive actuators. Thus, the multi-mode vibration control of beam is realized.In the design process of optimal fuzzy controller, the design of fuzzy control is independent of optimal control. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control method can effectively realize multi-modal vibration control of photoelectric laminated beams, and the control effect of optimal fuzzy control is better than that of optimal state feedback control.     

Application of improved active disturbance rejection control algorithm in tilt quad rotor

The Tilt Quad Rotor (TQR) has complex dynamics characteristics, especially in conversion mode. It is difficult to build the dynamic model of the TQR and the environmental factors have a great influence on it. To solve the problem of control in conversion mode of TQR, this paper carries out the design of the controller based on improved Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC). According to the characteristics of flight in conversion mode, Tracking Differentiator (TD) with explicit model is used to solve the problem of multiple integrals when the system is high-order system. Extended State Observer (ESO) with Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network is used to estimate and compensate for internal and external uncertainties, and the adaptive sliding mode control in Nonlinear State Error Feedback (NLSEF) is used to improve the response speed of the controller and reduce the parameters which should be tuned. Through the flight control simulation of the TQR, the validity and rationality of the control system are verified.     

密集杂波背景下的水下多目标跟踪方法

水下多目标跟踪是水声信号处理领域研究的热点和难点问题。高斯混合概率假设密度(Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density, GM-PHD)滤波器以其高效的计算效率为解决水下多目标跟踪问题提供了保证。然而,GM-PHD滤波器在跟踪目标时需要先验已知新生目标的强度,否则其性能会出现严重退化。针对该问题,提出一种滑动窗两步初始化高斯混合概率假设密度(sliding window two step initialization GM-PHD, SWTSI-GMPHD)滤波器。将提出的滑动窗两步初始化方法嵌入GM-PHD滤波器,利用滑动窗两步初始化方法估计新生目标强度,减少杂波干扰导致跟踪结果中出现的虚假目标。仿真实验表明,在杂波密集环境下,相较于其他跟踪方法,提出方法将跟踪精度提高69.84%,52.62%和41.05%。     

基于不确定性的飞行器分离可靠性建模与分析方法

为实现飞行器分离任务可靠性的定量分析和高效精确评估,研究了高超声速飞行器分离任务过程中各种不确定性因素对分离可靠性的影响,提出一种基于不确定性的飞行器分离可靠性建模与分析方法。面向高超声速飞行器分离任务需求,建立分离动力学仿真模型,综合考虑分离过程不确定性因素的影响,利用灵敏度分析方法识别主要不确定性因素,构建分离可靠性模型。针对此模型,提出一种改进主动学习Kriging(IAK)的分离可靠性分析方法,通过新的采样策略选取失效概率更大的采样点作为新增训练点,进行高效可靠性分析。实例结果表明,该方法能够准确描述不确定性因素对分离过程的影响,提升分离可靠性定量分析的精度和效率,为飞行器分离方案的精细化设计提供支撑。     

一种主动悬架式火星车稳定裕度优化控制策略

针对火星车在非结构化环境下行驶存在的稳定性不足而导致倾覆的风险,提出针对一种六轮主动悬架式火星车的稳定裕度优化控制方法。首先,考虑了火星车悬架机构调整过程中车轮与接触地面滑移和侧倾等运动关系,建立和完善了六轮主动悬架式火星车行驶的运动学模型。然后,以火星车夹角调整机构角度为变量,推导火星车在非结构环境下的稳定裕度模型。之后,使用内点法求解火星车稳定裕度的最优解,并获得期望的夹角调整机构关节角度。在此基础上,对夹角调整机构的关节角度进行规划和控制,实现火星车悬架机构构型的调整,从而提高火星车在非结构化环境下行驶的稳定裕度。最后,对火星车稳定裕度优化控制策略的有效性进行仿真验证,结果表明,所提出的控制方法可有效提高火星车在非结构化环境下行驶的稳定裕度。