Low latitude nighttime ionospheric vertical E × B drifts at African region

The nighttime vertical E × B drifts velocities of the F2-region were inferred from the hourly hmF2 values obtained from ionosonde data over an African equatorial station, Ilorin (8.50^oN, 4.68^oE; dip lat. 2.95^o) during period of low solar activity. For each season, the plasma drift Vz is characterized by an evening upward enhancement, then by a downward reversal at 1900 LT till around 0000 LT, except for June solstice. This was explained using the Rayleigh–Taylor (R-T) instability mechanism. The occasional drift differences in Vz obtained by inferred and direct measurement over Ilorin and Jicamarca, respectively are reflective of the importance of chemistry and divergent transport system due to both the E region electric and magnetic fields instead of simple motions. The pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) magnitude is higher during the equinoctial months than the solsticial months over Jicamarca, highest during December solstice and the equinoctial months over Ilorin, suggesting the dominance of higher E × B fountain during equinoxes at both stations. The lowest PRE magnitude was in June solstice. The appearance of post-noon peak in NmF2 around 1700 LT is highest during the equinoctial months and lowest during the solsticial period. A general sharp drop in NmF2 around 1800 LT is distinct immediately after sunset, lowest during June solstice and highest in March equinox. Our result suggests that between 0930 and 2100 LT, the general theory that vertical drifts obtained by digisonde measurements only match the E × B drift if the F layer is higher than 300 km is reliable, but does not hold for the nighttime period of 2200–0600 LT under condition of solar minima. Hence, the condition may not be sufficient for the representation of vertical plasma drift at nighttime during solar minima. This assertion may still be tentative, as more equatorial stations needed to be studied for better confirmation.     

无人机低空小捷径飞行研究CSCD

针对无人机低空小捷径飞行要求,分析了无人机飞行航路偏差,计算了飞行安全可靠度,对无人机安控策略进行了设计,确保了小捷径航路飞行要求。     

椭圆轨道非线性相对运动模型的周期解与应用

在长期的航天器编队飞行中传统的基于线性相对运动模型设计编队保持轨道的方法会引起较多的燃料消耗.首先采用摄动法解析地求得了考虑二阶非线性项时椭圆轨道相对运动模型的周期性条件和周期解;然后以此周期解为参考轨道设计了基于Lyapunov稳定的PD保持控制律.仿真结果表明:基于椭圆轨道非线性相对运动模型的周期解较基于椭圆轨道线性相对运动模型的周期解,精度明显提高;以前者为参考轨道的保持控制与以后者为参考轨道的保持控制相比,燃耗明显降低.     

地球静止轨道卫星硅太阳电池在轨特性分析

空间辐照效应的影响,使太阳电池输出功率随其在轨时间的推移而逐渐衰减。文章以2颗在轨的地球静止轨道卫星为研究对象,对某类我国自主研发的硅太阳电池的在轨输出功率衰减率进行了分析。并针对所获得的相关遥测参数,通过数值统计与数学分析的方法,采用确定的计算公式得出太阳电池阵的总输出电流,用以表征其输出功率。文章提出了一种曲线平移...     

星载SAR椭圆轨道全零多普勒导引方法研究

多普勒中心频率在星载合成孔径雷达（SAR）成像中,直接影响方位向的模糊度及图像的定位精度。全零多普勒导引方法通过调整偏航角和俯仰角,使多普勒中心频率为零,但现有方法都导致残余多普勒中心频率较大。文章利用椭圆轨道下多普勒中心频率的表达式,将多普勒中心频率分为仅与俯仰角相关部分,以及与俯仰角和偏航角都相关的部分,令两部分分...     

静止轨道卫星在轨温度参数变化规律研究

分析了静止轨道在轨三轴稳定卫星各面上温度参数的变化规律,并通过理论计算得到卫星各面上光强的变化曲线,研究了温度参数变化与对应面上光强的关系,建立了温度参数与光线的线性模型,结果表明模型与实际数据能较好地吻合,对温度参数的预测以及故障的判断具有一定的参考价值.     

二元亚燃冲压发动机高空模拟扩压器气动设计

根据某型二元亚燃冲压发动机连管试验对高空舱内环境压力的要求,考虑高空台现有的抽气能力,充分利用冲压发动机排出燃气的能量,以提高模拟高度、节约能源、扩大高空台工作范围为目的,使用商业数值计算软件设计了一种高空模拟扩压器,并确定了最优的扩压器结构形式、结构参数和引射间距。     

Feasibility of performing space surveillance tasks with a proposed space-based optical architecture

Under ESA contract an industrial consortium including Aboa Space Research Oy (ASRO), the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB), and the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR), proposed the observation concept, developed a suitable sensor architecture, and assessed the performance of a space-based optical (SBO) telescope in 2005. The goal of the SBO study was to analyse how the existing knowledge gap in the space debris population in the millimetre and centimetre regime may be closed by means of a passive optical instrument. The SBO instrument was requested to provide statistical information on the space debris population in terms of number of objects and size distribution. The SBO instrument was considered to be a cost-efficient with 20 cm aperture and 6° field-of-view and having flexible integration requirements. It should be possible to integrate the SBO instrument easily as a secondary payload on satellites launched into low-Earth orbits (LEO), or into geostationary orbit (GEO). Thus the selected mission concept only allowed for fix-mounted telescopes, and the pointing direction could be requested freely. Since 2007 ESA focuses space surveillance and tracking activities in the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) preparatory program. Ground-based radars and optical telescopes are studied for the build-up and maintenance of a catalogue of objects. In this paper we analyse how the proposed SBO architecture could contribute to the space surveillance tasks survey and tracking. We assume that the SBO instrumentation is placed into a circular sun-synchronous orbit at 800 km altitude. We discuss the observation conditions of objects at higher altitude, and select an orbit close to the terminator plane. A pointing of the sensor orthogonal to the orbital plane with optimal elevation slightly in positive direction (0° and +5°) is found optimal for accessing the entire GEO regime within one day, implying a very good coverage of controlled objects in GEO, too. Simulations using ESA’s Program for Radar and Optical Observation Forecasting (PROOF) in the version 2005 and a GEO reference population extracted from DISCOS revealed that the proposed pointing scenario provides low phase angles together with low angular velocities of the objects crossing the field-of-view. Radiometric simulations show that the optimal exposure time is 1–2 s, and that spherical objects in GEO with a diameter of below 1 m can be detected. The GEO population can be covered under proper illumination nearly completely, but seasonal drops of the coverage are possible. Subsequent observations of objects are on average at least every 1.5 days, not exceeding 3 days at maximum. A single observation arc spans 3° to 5° on average. Using a simulation environment that connects PROOF to AIUB’s program system CelMech we verify the consistency of the initial orbit determination for five selected test objects on subsequent days as a function of realistic astrometric noise levels. The initial orbit determination is possible. We define requirements for a correlator process essential for catalogue build-up and maintenance. Each single observation should provide an astrometric accuracy of at least 1”–1.5” so that the initially determined orbits are consistent within a few hundred kilometres for the semi-major axis, 0.01 for the eccentricity, and 0.1° for the inclination.     

CubeSail: A low cost CubeSat based solar sail demonstration mission

CubeSail is a nano-solar sail mission based on the 3U CubeSat standard, which is currently being designed and built at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey. CubeSail will have a total mass of around 3 kg and will deploy a 5 × 5 m sail in low Earth orbit. The primary aim of the mission is to demonstrate the concept of solar sailing and end-of-life de-orbiting using the sail membrane as a drag-sail. The spacecraft will have a compact 3-axis stabilised attitude control system, which uses three magnetic torquers aligned with the spacecraft principle axis as well as a novel two-dimensional translation stage separating the spacecraft bus from the sail. CubeSail’s deployment mechanism consists of four novel booms and four-quadrant sail membranes. The proposed booms are made from tape-spring blades and will deploy the sail membrane from a 2U CubeSat standard structure. This paper presents a systems level overview of the CubeSat mission, focusing on the mission orbit and de-orbiting, in addition to the deployment, attitude control and the satellite bus.     

Dynamic orbit propagation in a gravitational field of an inhomogeneous attractive body using the Lagrange coefficients

The analytical methods have nearly been replaced by the numerical methods due to their higher accuracy and accessibility of computation facilities. The semi-analytical Lagrange method of orbit propagation using f and g series is a competitive alternative to the numerical integration technique if the Lagrange coefficients are derived in a full gravitational field. In this paper, a generalization of the Lagrange method of orbit propagation is introduced. In other words, we introduce a complete form of the Lagrange coefficients in all force fields developed in the spherical harmonics for example full gravitational field of the Earth. The method is numerically compared with the numerical integration technique. In order to show the numerical performance of the method, it has been implemented for orbit propagation of a GPS-like MEO and CHAMP-like LEO satellites. Discrepancy at centimeter level for CHAMP-like and sub-millimeter accuracy for GPS-like satellites shows relatively high performance of the developed algorithm. Compared to integration method, the proposed Lagrange method is nearly faster by a factor two for small Nmax and four for large Nmax.