Exploration life support technology challenges for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and future human missions

As NASA implements the U.S. Space Exploration Policy, life support systems must be provided for an expanding sequence of exploration missions. NASA has implemented effective life support for Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) and continues to develop advanced systems. This paper provides an overview of life support requirements, previously implemented systems, and new technologies being developed by the Exploration Life Support Project for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Outpost and future Mars missions. The two contrasting practical approaches to providing space life support are (1) open loop direct supply of atmosphere, water, and food, and (2) physicochemical regeneration of air and water with direct supply of food. Open loop direct supply of air and water is cost effective for short missions, but recycling oxygen and water saves costly launch mass on longer missions. Because of the short CEV mission durations, the CEV life support system will be open loop as in Apollo and Space Shuttle. New life support technologies for CEV that address identified shortcomings of existing systems are discussed. Because both ISS and Lunar Outpost have a planned 10-year operational life, the Lunar Outpost life support system should be regenerative like that for ISS and it could utilize technologies similar to ISS. The Lunar Outpost life support system, however, should be extensively redesigned to reduce mass, power, and volume, to improve reliability and incorporate lessons learned, and to take advantage of technology advances over the last 20 years. The Lunar Outpost design could also take advantage of partial gravity and lunar resources.     

Synergies of Earth science and space exploration

A more flexible policy basis from which to manage our planet in the 21st century is desirable. As one contribution, we note that synergies between space exploration and the preservation of our habitat exist, and that protecting life on Earth requires similar concepts and information as investigations of life beyond the Earth, including the expansion of human presence in space. Instrumentation and data handling to observe both planetary objects and planet Earth are based on similar techniques. Moreover, while planetary surface operations are conducted under different conditions, the technology to probe the surface and subsurface of both the Earth and other planets requires similar tools, such as radar, seismometers, and drilling devices. The Earth observation community has developed some exemplary tools and has featured successful international cooperation in data handling and sharing that could be equally well applied to robotic planetary exploration. Here we propose a network involving both communities that will enable the interchange of scientific insights and the development of new policies and management strategies. Those tools can provide a vital forum through which the management of this planet can be assisted, and in which a new bridge between the Earth-centric and space-centric communities can be built.     

火星探测转移轨道中途修正分析

中途修正分析是深空探测任务设计的关键步骤。首先讨论火星探测中途修正速度增量的求解方法,并由此对多次修正问题进行了Monte Carlo仿真分析。为满足不同的计算需求,针对速度增量的求解问题,给出了精确算法和快速算法两种思路,并对二者的解算精度进行了对比。以2018年某火星探测轨道为例,根据设定误差,计算得出了各次修正速度增量和残余误差随修正时间变化的数据曲线,进而对修正时机的选择问题进行了讨论,并对5次修正策略进行了仿真分析。实验表明,Monte Carlo仿真数据能够直观地反映多次修正的基本规律,讨论结果可以为修正策略的制定提供一种思路和数据参考。
     

火星着陆器降落相机参数设计

分析了降落相机的功能及其功能扩展的必要性、工作过程,并根据这些功能变化和工作过程的变化设计了火星降落相机的帧频、积分时间等参数。文章对降落相机的功能分析、扩展以及工作过程分析和部分参数设计对于中国降落相机的研制有着一定的借鉴和促进作用。     

基于我国VLBI网航天器定位归算仿真分析

结合我国VLBI观测网现状,通过仿真计算分析了观测时延噪声与系统差、预报轨道偏差和测距误差等对航天器定位归算的影响。结果表明,仅利用VLBI跟踪时附加飞行器地心距约束有利于压制定位点的弥散。 3站 VLBI跟踪的定位解是有偏估计,4站跟踪时要求所加约束的误差应与预报轨道偏差相当,若过大将起不到压制定位点弥散的良好效果,若过小则会在定位结果中引入系统偏差。时延与测距的观测噪声主要引起定位点序列的弥散。若观测量存在系统差则将引起定位结果的系统性偏差,而且定位点序列会发生渐近线性趋势跳变。同时,这也可以作为观测量是否存在系统差的判据。另外,若某时刻前后VLBI跟踪站存在3、4站变更,定位点序列有时发生趋势变化。分析结论对于我国后续探月和萤火计划等工程实践具有借鉴意义。     

一种星球探测六足轮腿机器人的设计与运动规划

针对星球探测,设计了一种具有高度对称性的六足轮腿机器人。为适应星球表面的复杂环境,该机器人具有不仅在机身水平面内中心对称而且关于机身水平面对称的结构,同时能够通过腿部构型的变化实现两种运动方式：轮行模式和足行模式。机器人的膝关节采用双平行四边形的传动机构,克服了现有足式机器人膝关节平行四边形机构传动的奇异问题,增加了膝关节的转动范围,实现了单腿关于机身水平面的对称运动。设计了一种基于指数坐标在SE （3）空间上规划的自适应步态,机器人可以利用该自适应步态在没有视觉传感器和局部地图的条件下,仅依靠足底力传感器和机身的惯性测量单元,实现自主连续稳定的行走。利用该机器人结构的高度对称性,提出了一种倾倒恢复策略以适应星球探测过程中的需求。以Adams和MATLAB为虚拟的仿真环境,对六足轮腿机器人的运动模式切换、自适应步态及倾倒恢复进行了仿真,验证了可行性。     

地火转移轨道误差分析与第1次中途修正计算

针对地火转移过程中出现的各种误差,基于地火转移轨道的误差传递矩阵分析误差发散的性质,在此基础上讨论如何选取轨道中途修正的时机,并基于该矩阵对地火转移轨道第一次中途轨道修正的速度增量进行估算。与微分修正方法的严格计算结果的比较表明,基于该方法定性研究地火转移轨道第1次中途修正速度增量变化和选取合适的轨道机动时机是可行的。使用蒙特卡洛数值模拟对上述方法和微分修正方法进行计算和比较,结果表明,第1次中途修正速度增量大小差异不超过1.2m/s,相对误差不超过6%。在轨道控制精度大约为1m/s的情况下使用该方法代替微分修正方法进行计算,可以节省大量的计算时间。     

Remote sensing detection of gold related alteration zones in Um Rus area, Central Eastern Desert of Egypt

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images covering the Um Rus area in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt were evaluated for mapping geologic structure, lithology, and gold-related alteration zones. The study area is covered by Pan-African basement rocks including gabbro and granodiorite intruded into a variable mixture of metavolcanics and metasediments. The first three principal component analyses (PCA1, PCA2, PCA3) in a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) of the visible through shortwave-infrared (VNIR + SWIR) ASTER bands enabled the discrimination between lithological units. The results show that ASTER band ratios ((2 + 4)/3, (5 + 7)/6, (7 + 9)/8) in RGB identifies the lithological units and discriminates the granodiorite very well from the adjacent rock units.The granodiorites are dissected by gold-bearing quartz veins surrounded by alteration zones. The microscopic examination of samples collected from the alteration zones shows sericitic and argillic alteration zones. The Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) and Spectral Information Divergence (SID) supervised classification methods were applied using the reference spectra of the USGS spectral library. The results show that these classification methods are capable of mapping the alteration zones as indicated by field verification work. The PALSAR image was enhanced for fracture mapping using the second moment co-occurrence filter. Overlying extracted faults and alteration zone classification images show that the N30E and N-S fractures represent potential zones for gold exploration. It is concluded that the proposed methods can be used as a powerful tool for ore deposit exploration.     

FX型相关处理方案及野值剔除算法

分析了甚长基线干涉测量等干涉测量技术中FX型相关处理方案存在的问题,提出了一种新的FX相关处理方案。该方案经过两次整数比特时延补偿将两站接收信号相对时延缩小到1 bit内,从而避免了相位卷绕现象的出现,同时省去了原方案中的小数比特时延补偿,接着对新方案的计算量和相关长度做了深入的分析;改进了一种野值剔除算法,使剔除过程不受相位随频率变化趋势的影响。蒙特卡洛仿真和“嫦娥二号”实测数据处理结果验证了改进的准确性和有效性。     

电推进在深空探测主推进中的应用及发展趋势

随着太阳能电池阵列电功率的不断增长,高比冲电推进在深空探测主推进任务中的应用成为现实,且有明显增加趋势。在我国实施两次月球探测任务之后,深空探测将成为我国航天领域的重要组成部分。从20世纪90年代末开始,美国、日本和欧洲相继发射了四个由电推进执行主推进的深空探测器-深空一号探测器、隼鸟号小行星探测器、智慧一号月球探测器和黎明号小行星探测器,极大地提升了深空进入能力,且获得了很多科学数据。本文分析深空探测主推进对电推进的需求,对电推进在深空探测主推进任务中的应用现状进行综述,分析关键技术和发展趋势,为我国深空探测推进技术发展提供参考。