Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument (MIMI) on the Cassini Mission to Saturn/Titan

The magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) is a neutral and charged particle detection system on the Cassini orbiter spacecraft designed to perform both global imaging and in-situ measurements to study the overall configuration and dynamics of Saturn’s magnetosphere and its interactions with the solar wind, Saturn’s atmosphere, Titan, and the icy satellites. The processes responsible for Saturn’s aurora will be investigated; a search will be performed for substorms at Saturn; and the origins of magnetospheric hot plasmas will be determined. Further, the Jovian magnetosphere and Io torus will be imaged during Jupiter flyby. The investigative approach is twofold. (1) Perform remote sensing of the magnetospheric energetic (E > 7 keV) ion plasmas by detecting and imaging charge-exchange neutrals, created when magnetospheric ions capture electrons from ambient neutral gas. Such escaping neutrals were detected by the Voyager l spacecraft outside Saturn’s magnetosphere and can be used like photons to form images of the emitting regions, as has been demonstrated at Earth. (2) Determine through in-situ measurements the 3-D particle distribution functions including ion composition and charge states (E > 3 keV/e). The combination of in-situ measurements with global images, together with analysis and interpretation techniques that include direct “forward modeling’’ and deconvolution by tomography, is expected to yield a global assessment of magnetospheric structure and dynamics, including (a) magnetospheric ring currents and hot plasma populations, (b) magnetic field distortions, (c) electric field configuration, (d) particle injection boundaries associated with magnetic storms and substorms, and (e) the connection of the magnetosphere to ionospheric altitudes. Titan and its torus will stand out in energetic neutral images throughout the Cassini orbit, and thus serve as a continuous remote probe of ion flux variations near 20R _S (e.g., magnetopause crossings and substorm plasma injections). The Titan exosphere and its cometary interaction with magnetospheric plasmas will be imaged in detail on each flyby. The three principal sensors of MIMI consists of an ion and neutral camera (INCA), a charge–energy–mass-spectrometer (CHEMS) essentially identical to our instrument flown on the ISTP/Geotail spacecraft, and the low energy magnetospheric measurements system (LEMMS), an advanced design of one of our sensors flown on the Galileo spacecraft. The INCA head is a large geometry factor (G ∼ 2.4 cm² sr) foil time-of-flight (TOF) camera that separately registers the incident direction of either energetic neutral atoms (ENA) or ion species (≥5^∘ full width half maximum) over the range 7 keV/nuc < E < 3 MeV/nuc. CHEMS uses electrostatic deflection, TOF, and energy measurement to determine ion energy, charge state, mass, and 3-D anisotropy in the range 3 ≤ E ≤ 220 keV/e with good (∼0.05 cm² sr) sensitivity. LEMMS is a two-ended telescope that measures ions in the range 0.03 ≤ E ≤ 18 MeV and electrons 0.015 ≤ E≤ 0.884 MeV in the forward direction (G ∼ 0.02 cm² sr), while high energy electrons (0.1–5 MeV) and ions (1.6–160 MeV) are measured from the back direction (G ∼ 0.4 cm² sr). The latter are relevant to inner magnetosphere studies of diffusion processes and satellite microsignatures as well as cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND). Our analyses of Voyager energetic neutral particle and Lyman-α measurements show that INCA will provide statistically significant global magnetospheric images from a distance of ∼60 R _S every 2–3 h (every ∼10 min from ∼20 R _S). Moreover, during Titan flybys, INCA will provide images of the interaction of the Titan exosphere with the Saturn magnetosphere every 1.5 min. Time resolution for charged particle measurements can be < 0.1 s, which is more than adequate for microsignature studies. Data obtained during Venus-2 flyby and Earth swingby in June and August 1999, respectively, and Jupiter flyby in December 2000 to January 2001 show that the instrument is performing well, has made important and heretofore unobtainable measurements in interplanetary space at Jupiter, and will likely obtain high-quality data throughout each orbit of the Cassini mission at Saturn. Sample data from each of the three sensors during the August 18 Earth swingby are shown, including the first ENA image of part of the ring current obtained by an instrument specifically designed for this purpose. Similarily, measurements in cis-Jovian space include the first detailed charge state determination of Iogenic ions and several ENA images of that planet’s magnetosphere.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Comet Geology with Deep Impact Remote Sensing

The Deep Impact mission will provide the highest resolution images yet of a comet nucleus. Our knowledge of the makeup and structure of cometary nuclei, and the processes shaping their surfaces, is extremely limited, thus use of the Deep Impact data to show the geological context of the cratering experiment is crucial. This article briefly discusses some of the geological issues of cometary nuclei.     

Nonlinear dynamic modeling of a helicopter planetary gear train for carrier plate crack fault diagnosis

Planetary gear train plays a significant role in a helicopter operation and its health is of great importance for the flight safety of the helicopter. This paper investigates the effects of a planet carrier plate crack on the dynamic characteristics of a planetary gear train, and thus finds an effec-tive method to diagnose crack fault. A dynamic model is developed to analyze the torsional vibra-tion of a planetary gear train with a cracked planet carrier plate. The model takes into consideration nonlinear factors such as the time-varying meshing stiffness, gear backlash and viscous damping. Investigation of the deformation of the cracked carrier plate under static stress is performed in order to simulate the dynamic effects of the planet carrier crack on the angular displacement of car-rier posts. Validation shows good accuracy of the developed dynamic model in predicting dynamic characteristics of a planetary gear train. Fault features extracted from predictions of the model reveal the correspondence between vibration characteristic and the conditions (length and position) of a planet carrier crack clearly.     

Formation of Giant Planets– An Attempt in Matching Observational Constraints

We present models of giant planet formation, taking into account migration and disk viscous evolution. We show that migration can significantly reduce the formation timescale bringing it in good agreement with typical observed disk lifetimes. We then present a model that produces a planet whose current location, core mass and total mass are comparable with the one of Jupiter. For this model, we calculate the enrichments in volatiles and compare them with the one measured by the Galileo probe. We show that our models can reproduce both the measured atmosphere enrichments and the constraints derived by Guillot et al. (2004), if we assume the accretion of planetesimals with ices/rocks ratio equal to 4, and that a substantial amount of CO₂ was present in vapor phase in the solar nebula, in agreement with ISM measurements.     

The Orbital Forcing of Climate Changes on Mars

Solar variability influences the climate of a planet by radiatively forcing changes over a certain timescale; orbital variations of a planet, which yield similar solar forcing modulations, can be studied within the same scientific context. It is known for Earth that obliquity changes have played a critical role in pacing glacial and interglacial eras. For Mars, such orbital changes have been far greater and have generated extreme variations in insolation. Signatures associated with the presence of water ice reservoirs at various positions across the surface of Mars during periods of different orbital configurations have been identified. For this reason, it has been proposed that Mars is currently evolving between ice ages. The advent of climate tools has given a theoretical frame to the study of orbitally-induced climate changes on Mars. These models have provided an explanation to many puzzling observations, which when put together have permitted reconstruction of almost the entire history of Mars in the last 10 million years. This paper proposes to give an overview of the scientific work dedicated to this topic.     

Dynamics and Composition of Rings

Planetary rings are found around all four giant planets of our solar system. These collisional and highly flattened disks exhibit a whole wealth of physical processes involving dust grains up to meter-sized boulders. These processes, together with ring composition, can help understand better the formation and evolution of proto-satellite and proto-planetary disks in the early solar system. The present chapter reviews some fundamental aspects of ring dynamics and composition. The forthcoming exploration of the Saturn system by the Cassini mission will bring both high resolution and time-dependent information on Saturn’s rings.     

行星齿轮非线性振动系统参数稳定域的计算方法

研究了行星齿轮非线性传动系统参数稳定域计算的一般方法.该方法通过选取合理的失稳阀值,根据考查参数域内系统的运动状态选取合适的数值积分时间段,以循环套嵌的手段计算考查参数在各自范围内不同组合下的系统位移响应最大值,比较失稳阀值以判稳,参数稳定域的图形输出等5个步骤完成对行星轮系参数稳定域的计算.最后,以四自由度行星轮系纯扭转非线性振动模型为例,以行星轮输入转速、系统的齿侧间隙以及齿轮副的啮合阻尼系数为考查参数,分别计算得到了系统的单参数稳定域、双参数稳定域以及三参数稳定域,为行星轮系的设计取值提供了重要参考.      

国内外行星表面巡视器自主导航技术研究

作为航天技术发展的前沿和趋势,深空探测是人类历史上最为复杂的系统工程之一.星球巡视器是在星球表面移动作业的无人探测系统,能够对星球表面进行大面积、近距离和接触式的考察,是地外星球着陆探测作业的主要手段.星球巡视器导航技术是研究星球巡视器的关键技术之一,其导航自主性能直接影响星球探测计划能否顺利进行.本文首先概述了星球巡...     

封闭式行星轮系功率流判别的键合图法

为更简单清晰地对封闭式行星轮系的功率流情况进行判别,利用键合图能量守恒和功率流动的特点,将键合图理论应用于该类轮系的功率流分析中.以功率汇流型、回流型2种形式的封闭式行星轮系为例,根据轮系的传动关系,利用绝对速度法建立轮系的键合图模型,根据提出的功率流向判别依据对轮系进行功率流向判别,得到整个轮系及其转换机构的功率流情况,为轮系的效率计算提供了基础.该方法适用于其它复杂轮系的功率流判别中,比传统方法更具直观性、系统性.     

一种用于运动目标捕获的行星轮差动式欠驱动臂

为解决运动目标捕获过程中的碰撞问题,采用欠驱动自适应原理研制了具有碰撞能量吸收能力的机械臂。三自由度的机械臂由2个电机驱动:基关节由单个电机驱动;中关节和末关节由一个单输入双输出行星轮组完成动力分配。在机械臂捕获运动目标过程中,碰撞产生的部分冲击能量通过欠驱动行星轮组传递到末关节,转化为关节动能。依靠欠驱动机械系统完成对碰撞的响应,解决了控制系统因时延而无法快速对碰撞进行响应的难题。为完成对目标的抓取,基于阻抗控制提出了机械臂运动目标捕获控制算法。运动目标捕获实验验证了机械臂对碰撞的快速响应能力及运动目标捕获控制算法的可行性。