Impact of GPS antenna phase center variations on precise orbits of the GOCE satellite

The first European Space Agency Earth explorer core mission GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) has been launched on March 17, 2009. The 12-channel dual-frequency Global Positioning System receiver delivers 1 Hz data and provides the basis for precise orbit determination (POD) on the few cm-level for such a very low orbiting satellite (254.9 km). As a member of the European GOCE Gravity Consortium, which is responsible for the GOCE High-level Processing Facility (HPF), the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) provides the Precise Science Orbit (PSO) product for the GOCE satellite. The mission requirement for 1-dimensional POD accuracy is 2 cm. The use of in-flight determined antenna phase center variations (PCVs) is necessary to meet this requirement. The PCVs are determined from 154 days of data and the magnitude is up to 3-4 cm. The impact of the PCVs on the orbit determination is significant. The cross-track direction benefits most of the PCVs. The improvement is clearly seen in the orbit overlap analysis and in the validation with independent Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) measurements. It is the first time that SLR could validate the cross-track component of a LEO orbit.     

Modeling and identification of an electro-mechanical system: The LISA grabbing positioning and release mechanism case

In the frame of space missions, mechanisms often constitute critical systems whose functionality and performance need to be tested on ground before the mission launch. The LISA scientific space mission will detect gravitational waves by measuring the relative displacement of pairs of free-floating test masses set into geodesic motion onboard of three spacecrafts. Inside each satellite, the injection of the test masses from the caged configuration into the geodesic trajectory will be performed by the grabbing positioning and release mechanism. To provide a successful injection, the test masses must be dynamically released with a minimal residual velocity against adhesion with the holding device. A parameter that determines the test mass residual velocity is the quickness of the retraction of the holding device. The need arises then to characterize the dynamic response of the release mechanism in order to predict its behaviour in the in-flight conditions. Once a validated model of the mechanism is available, the compliance of the system to the tight requirement on the maximum allowed residual velocity of the test mass may be verified. Starting from an electro-mechanical model of the mechanism dynamics, this paper presents the results of the experimental identification of its relevant parameters.     

Ionospheric path delay models for spaceborne GPS receivers flying in formation with large baselines

GPS relative navigation filters could benefit notably from an accurate modeling of the ionospheric delays, especially over large baselines (>100 km) where double difference delays can be higher than several carrier wavelengths. This paper analyzes the capability of ionospheric path delay models proposed for spaceborne GPS receivers in predicting both zero-difference and double difference ionospheric delays. We specifically refer to relatively simple ionospheric models, which are suitable for real-time filtering schemes. Specifically, two ionospheric delay models are evaluated, one assuming an isotropic electron density and the other considering the effect on the electron density of the Sun aspect angle. The prediction capability of these models is investigated by comparing predicted ionospheric delays with measured ones on real flight data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission, in which two satellites fly separated of more than 200 km. Results demonstrate that both models exhibit a correlation in the excess of 80% between predicted and measured double-difference ionospheric delays. Despite its higher simplicity, the isotropic model performs better than the model including the Sun effect, being able to predict double differenced delays with accuracy smaller than the carrier wavelength in most cases. The model is thus fit for supporting integer ambiguity fixing in real-time filters for relative navigation over large baselines. Concerning zero-difference ionospheric delays, results demonstrate that delays predicted by the isotropic model are highly correlated (around 90%) with those estimated using GPS measurements. However, the difference between predicted and measured delays has a root mean square error in the excess of 30 cm. Thus, the zero-difference ionospheric delays model is not likely to be an alternative to methods exploiting carrier-phase observables for cancelling out the ionosphere contribution in single-frequency absolute navigation filters.     

航天器双主动交会策略研究

从理论上分析了共面近地圆轨道上的航天器的远程双主动交会的问题.根据轨道动力学基本原理,导出各种情况下特征速度的解析解,为航天器变轨时的燃料消耗分析提供了依据.进一步探讨了航天器轨道转移过程中的时间策略,以保证在不同轨道上运行的航天器在同一时刻、同一空间位置交会.上述理论分析的仿真计算结果表明,双主动交会总特征速度和过程耗时都低于主被动交会情形,单星的燃料消耗大大降低,对大范围快速变轨,优势更加明显.     

三体系统中引力拖车的偏置非开普勒轨道研究

为了研究太阳-小行星-引力拖车三体系统中引力拖车的轨道运动问题,采用柱坐标系下的Hill方程描述了三体系统中引力拖车的运动情况,应用平均化方法消除周期项的影响,得到平均偏置非开普勒轨道的表达式,并研究了轨道稳定性与引力拖车最大有效拉力等问题.研究表明:三体系统中,在小行星飞行方向（或反方向）上存在偏置非开普勒轨道;与二...     

Verb Semantics Affects the Interpretation of Spatial Prepositions

Abstract

Spatial prepositions, more specifically projective prepositions, such as in front of or behind can be interpreted in different ways. Their interpretation depends on the spatial perspective taken as the basis for determining the reference frame's orientation. In 3 series of placement experiments with German speakers, we examined whether the interpretation of projective prepositions in a motion context is affected by the verb used in a spatial instruction. Results suggest that verb semantics is a factor accounting for previously observed seemingly social-situational differences in the interpretation of projective prepositions. Specifically, the findings indicate that, relative to a car as reference object, the semantic aspect of motion interruption associated with some verbs leads to a higher proportion of deictic interpretations determined by the direction from which one is approaching the car. This verb effect on the interpretation of spatial prepositions can be explained by an activation of the temporal dimension through stop-implying verbs, which is integrated into the spatial situation model of the perceived dynamic scene making the deictic frame of reference more compatible. The experimental evidence also shows that verb semantics can account for previously unexplained cross-linguistic differences, and is related to patterns concerning the prepositional inventory of languages.     

Experimental investigation of influence of strake wings on self-induced roll motion at high angles of attack

The modern high performance air vehicles are required to have extreme maneuverability,which includes the ability of controlled maneuvers at high angle of attack. However, the nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamic phenomena, such as flow separation, vortices interaction, and vortices breaking down, will occur during the flight at high angle of attack, which could induce the uncommanded motions for the air vehicles. For the high maneuverable and agile air missile, the nonlinear roll motions would occur at the high angle of attack. The present work is focused on the selfinduced nonlinear roll motion for a missile configuration and discusses the influence of the strake wings on the roll motion according to the results from free-to-roll test and PIV measurement using the models assembled with different strake wings at a = 60°. The free-to-roll results show that the model with whole strake wings(baseline), the model assembled with three strake wings(Case A)and the model assembled with two opposite strake wings(Case C) experience the spinning, while the model assembled with two adjacent strake wings(Case B), the model assembled with one strake wing(Case D) and the model with no strake wing(Case E) trim or slightly vibrate at a certain "×"rolling angle, which mean that the rolling stability can be improved by dismantling certain strake wings. The flow field results from PIV measurement show that the leeward asymmetric vortices are induced by the windward strake wings. The vortices would interact the strake wings and induce crossflow on the downstream fins to degrade the rolling stability of the model. This could be the main reason for the self-induced roll motion of the model at a = 60°.     

太阳同步轨道卫星交点地方时漂移估算方法研究

根据我国第一代极轨气象卫星“风云一号”C(FY-1C)星轨道实际观测值，分析了太阳_同步轨道卫星轨道漂移的一般规律，提出了一种简便有效的卫星交点地方时漂移估算方法，并用FY-1C星实际的交点地方时漂移量，对该方法进行了分析和改进。     

起落架四点布局无人机地面运动研究

以国内某四轮无人机为研究对象,在考虑摩擦力、侧向力和角速率等各种因素的情况下,全面分析研究了四轮无人机地面滑跑时的运动特点和受力情况,建立了六自由度刚体飞行器地面运动的动力学方程和运动学方程。在此基础上,对全量非线性模型进行了起飞、着陆时地面运动的仿真,该仿真结果表明了系统模型的正确性。     

GEO卫星全电推进技术研究及启示

介绍了国外地球静止轨道(GEO)通信卫星典型平台波音卫星系统-702SP(BSS-702SP)的全电推进技术;分析了全电推进平台的优势,包括有效载荷承载率高、整星质量小和发射成本低;从电推进系统、变轨策略和有效载荷运输能力方面介绍了当前的技术水平;给出了发展全电推进通信卫星的几点启示,即加速发展电推进技术和全电推进姿态轨道控制技术,以及辐射防护和长期变轨期间的运行管理技术。