Role of sample return and sample science in low cost missions

Sample return is an essential component of solar system exploration. Samples provide a unique data set that is critical for understanding formation and evolution of our solar system. This uniqueness is based on the scale of observations, precision of measurements, the ability to modify experiments as logic and technology dictate, and the ability to use instruments free of the constraints on mass, power, reliability, and data rate of flight instruments. Advances in analytical capabilities in recent years enable fundamental measurements to be made on extremely small samples, greatly reducing mass constraints on robotic sample return spacecraft. Sample studies provide irreplaceable ground truth for remotely-sensed data on planetary surfaces and fit within a variety of architectures for human exploration of the solar system.     

System design of the Hayabusa 2—Asteroid sample return mission to 1999 JU3

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is currently developing the second asteroid sample return mission, designated as Hayabusa 2. Following the successful return of Hayabusa from the asteroid “Itokawa”, Hayabusa 2 is designed as a round-trip mission to the asteroid “1999 JU3”. The 1999 JU3 is a C-type asteroid, which is believed to contain organic matter and hydrated minerals. Thus, it is expected that successful sample collection will provide additional knowledge on the origin and evolution of the planets and, in particular, the origin of water and organic matter. The current mission scenario will enable the spacecraft to reach 1999 JU3 in the middle of 2018 and perform an asteroid proximity operation for 1.5 years. Three touch downs for sampling and one 2-m-class crater generation by means of a high-speed impact operation are planned during the asteroid proximity operation. The samples are to be brought back to the Earth by a re-entry capsule. The present paper describes the system design of Hayabusa 2, some key technical challenges of the mission, and the development status.     

实施大学新生教育模块化工程的实践与探索

大学新生入学教育是高校思想政治工作者研究和思考的重要课题,通过对大学新生进行校史校风、法制校纪、理想信念、专业学习、人格心理与生活、初级职业规划和职业指导等六个模块的教育,帮助大学生尽快完成从中学到大学的角色转变,尽快适应大学生活,最终实现培养具有创新精神和实践能力的高级专门人才的目标。     

Desert RATS 2011: Human and robotic exploration of near-Earth asteroids

The Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) 2011 field test involved the planning and execution of a series of exploration scenarios under operational conditions similar to those expected during a human exploration mission to a near-Earth asteroid (NEA). The focus was on understanding the operations tempo during simulated NEA exploration and the implications of communications latency and limited data bandwidth. Anchoring technologies and sampling techniques were not evaluated due to the immaturity of those technologies and the inability to meaningfully test them at D-RATS. Reduced gravity analogs and simulations are being used to fully evaluate Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) and extravehicular (EVA) operations and interactions in near-weightlessness at a NEA as part of NASA's integrated analogs program. Hypotheses were tested by planning and performing a series of 1-day simulated exploration excursions comparing test conditions all of which involved a single Deep Space Habitat (DSH) and either 0, 1, or 2 SEVs; 3 or 4 crewmembers; 1 of 2 different communications bandwidths; and a 50-second each-way communications latency between the field site and Houston. Excursions were executed at the Black Point Lava Flow test site with a remote Mission Control Center and Science Support Room at Johnson Space Center (JSC) being operated with 50-second each-way communication latency to the field. Crews were composed of astronauts and professional field geologists. Teams of Mission Operations and Science experts also supported the mission simulations each day. Data were collected separately from the Crew, Mission Operations, and Science teams to assess the test conditions from multiple perspectives. For the operations tested, data indicates practically significant benefits may be realized by including at least one SEV and by including 4 versus 3 crewmembers in the NEA exploration architecture as measured by increased scientific data quality, EVA exploration time, capability assessment ratings, and consensus acceptability ratings provided by Crew, Mission Operations, and Science teams. A combination of text and voice was used to effectively communicate over the communications latency, and increased communication bandwidth yielded a small but practically significant improvement in overall acceptability as rated by the Science team, although the impact of bandwidth on scientific strategic planning and public outreach was not assessed. No effect of increased bandwidth was observed with respect to Crew or Mission Operations team ratings of overall acceptability.     

Private space exploration: A new way for starting a spacefaring society?

Since the beginning space was an exclusive domain of public organizations, the role of privates is becoming more and more important, and not only in commercial activities. However, the main international treaties dealing with this subject are still based on the assumption that space activities are mostly reserved to states. In the last decade the idea that the role of privates could include the management of space infrastructures and launch vehicles gained support and now private launch services are a reality. An even wider role of privates is now advocated and private exploration and exploitation missions are discussed. This requires that space activity in general can generate an attractive return and those business models are identified.     

Reports to COSPAR from the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG)

In accordance with its charter, the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) reports to COSPAR, and a summary was given at the Beijing COSPAR 2006 Assembly on ILEWG activities conducted since the previous COSPAR 2004 assembly held in Paris. This included reports from the 6th and 7th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon, held respectively in Udaipur, India on 22–26 November 2004 (ICEUM6) and in Toronto, Canada on 18–23 September 2005 (ICEUM7). We give in this issue of Advances in Space Research the “lunar declarations” from these ICEUM conferences, as well as for the ICEUM8 conference held in Beijing immediately after the 2006 COSPAR Assembly. One year after the COSPAR Beijing assembly, the 9th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon (ICEUM9), was held in Sorrento, Italy on 18–23 September 2007. We report also in this issue the “Sorrento Lunar Declaration” in advance of the ILEWG formal report to be given at the COSPAR Assembly to be held in Montreal, Canada in July 2008.     

探空火箭定时定点入轨的一种制导控制规律

针对特定探测天体,给出了特殊用途的探空火箭与其实现空间交会的时刻与地点的计算方法.根据特定天体的运行轨道,发射前算出标称交会飞行轨道,装订在箭载计算机内.火箭发射后,利用箭载惯性导航系统确定自身当前的位置与速度,比对标称飞行轨道参数得出飞行偏差,通过控制火箭推力偏斜调整飞行轨道,使探空火箭在交会时刻到达交会点,并在交会时刻相对与惯性空间的速度为0.定义了研究所用的各种坐标系,建立了火箭飞行动力学方程.研究了标称飞行轨道最优交会点选取,交会时间与发射时间计算等问题.给出了发射后动力飞行段的制导控制规律,核心思想是将控制信号分解为时间控制、当地水平面上的海拔高度控制、南北控制与东西控制,通过设置偏置量减小关机后轨道摄动因素引起的漂移.利用计算机数值仿真验证了这种制导控制规律的可行性.     

Scheme design of the CHANG’E-5T1 extended mission

Flight schemes for the CHANG’E-5T1 extended mission are investigated in this paper. In the flight scheme and trajectory design, the remaining propellant of the CHANG’E-5T1 mission is utilized. The CHANG’E-5T1 mission is firstly introduced with feasible flight goals derived based on the terminal trajectory and satellite status. The flight schemes are designed to include a lunar return and the libration points in the Sun-Earth/Moon and Earth-Moon systems, with an emphasis on the Earth-Moon triangle libration point thus far unexplored. Secondly, three schemes are proposed for the CHANG’E-5T1 extended mission with different flight goals. The direct libration point orbit transfer and injection method is adopted to solve the issue in the transfer trajectory design. Furthermore, an innovative concept is proposed to transfer from the Earth-Moon collinear libration point to the triangle point using the Sun-Earth/Moon libration point. Finally, the merits and drawbacks of the three schemes are discussed in terms of flight time, control energy and frequency, flight distance, and goal value. As a result, the scheme including a lunar return and the Earth-Moon L2 libration point is selected for the CHANG’E-5T1 extended mission. A flight to the Earth-Moon libration point is achieved, replicating the achievement of the ARTEMIS mission.     

中国首次火星探测任务有效载荷地面综合测试系统设计

介绍了中国首次火星探测任务有效载荷分系统的试验矩阵,以及地面综合测试系统的技术要求。面向2个探测器、5种场景的测试任务需求,设计由接口适配、业务处理、数据管理组成的3层统一架构,实现了不同场景下测试系统的功能和外部接口适配;根据星上科学数据处理与传输机制,设计地面科学数据处理流程,满足了13类载荷科学数据判读需求;针对单星1 900维工程遥测、400条数据注入指令的高维特性,设计基于规则的数据判读软件,实现了载荷遥测数据及数据注入指令的自动化判读。任务执行结果表明该系统满足不同试验模式下有效载荷测试任务的需求,有效保障了载荷测试任务的顺利实施。     

Finite-time asteroid hovering via multiple-overlapping-horizon multiple-model predictive control

This paper investigates the asteroid hovering problem using the Multiple-Overlapping-Horizon Multiple-Model Predictive Control method. The effectiveness of the predictive controllers in satisfying control constraints and minimizing the required control effort is making Model Predictive Control a desirable control method for asteroid exploration missions which consist of the asteroid hovering phase. However, the computational burden of Model Predictive Control is an obstacle to employing the asteroid’s complex gravitational field model. As an alternative option, the Multiple Horizon Multiple-Model Predictive Control method has been introduced previously, which could provide a solution with the less computational burden with respect to the nonlinear Model Predictive Control. It was shown that it is not necessary to deduce the exact dynamics model to predict the system’s behavior during a long period using this approach. However, the calculated control acceleration was not smooth enough because of the crisp borders of consecutive horizons, which may cause an image motion and degrades the geometric accuracy of high-resolution images in asteroid hovering missions. In this paper, the Multiple-Overlapping-Horizon Multiple-Model Predictive Control method is introduced instead to solve the problem of controlling acceleration fluctuations by overlapping consecutive horizons. Numerical simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method, and its advantage is demonstrated accordingly for the asteroid hovering problem in achieving the hovering position and velocity.