Asymmetries in Mars' Exosphere

Observations and simulations show that Mars' atmosphere has large seasonal variations. Total atmospheric density can have an order of magnitude latitudinal variation at exobase heights. By numerical simulations we show that these latitude variations in exobase parameters induce asymmetries in the hydrogen exosphere that propagate to large distances from the planet. We show that these asymmetries in the exosphere produce asymmetries in the fluxes of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) and soft X-rays produced by charge exchange between the solar wind and exospheric hydrogen. This could be an explanation for asymmetries that have been observed in ENA and X-ray fluxes at Mars.     

High energy-density propulsion—reducing the risk to humans in planetary exploration

The potential benefits to humankind of space exploration are tremendous. Space is not only the final frontier but is also the next marketplace. The orbital space above Earth offers tremendous opportunities for both strategic assets and commercial development. The critical obstacle retarding the use of the space around the Earth is the lack of low cost access to orbit. Further out, the next giant leap for mankind will be the human exploration of Mars. Almost certainly within the next 30 years, a human crew will brave the isolation, the radiation, and the lack of gravity to walk on and explore the Red planet. Both of these missions will change the outlook and perspective of every human being on the planet. However, these missions are expensive and extremely difficult. Chemical propulsion has demonstrated an inability to achieve orbit cheaply and is a very high-risk option to accomplish the Mars mission. An alternative solution is to develop a high performance propulsion system. Nuclear propulsion has the potential to be such a system. The question will be whether humanity is willing to take on the challenge.     

火星探测用降落伞研制试验简介

文章主要介绍了美国火星探测用降落伞研制过程以及在研制过程中的一些主要试验，并同时指出了试验中的一些特点。     

一种组合自适应模糊控制方法及其在月球探测车上的应用

自适应模糊控制是解决不确知非线性系统问题的一种有效手段。文中以月球探测车的驱动控制为背景,针对这类非线性MIMO系统,提出一种组合自适应模糊控制方法,用于系统模型不能准确获知的情形。在本方法中,控制律由3部分组成:监督控制项、跟踪控制项和补偿控制项。在控制律的设计中,通过自适应项来同时补偿模糊逻辑系统的逼近误差以及外部干扰的影响,且无需假设模糊逻辑系统最小逼近误差的上确界已知。基于Lyapunov方法,证明了闭环系统是全局稳定的,系统输出误差渐近收敛。将该方法应用于月球探测车的驱动控制中,仿真结果表明了方法的有效性。     

崎岖地形中关节式月球车姿态估计数值求解方法

 以被动关节式地形自适应月球车为研究对象,融合关节机器人D-H坐标建模方法构建了月球车悬架运动学模型和以侧倾、俯仰和偏转角表示姿态的欧拉角方式建立了车轮到世界坐标系的悬架完整表达模型。利用悬架完整表达模型,用带有迭代因子的连续迭代和离散迭代数值求解方法,建立了光滑和离散崎岖地形姿态估计算法。最后以8轮扭杆双摇杆摇臂月球车原理样机为例来验证此模型求解方法。仿真结果验证了所建立的基于数值方法的崎岖地形被动关节式月球车姿态估计模型的正确性,其求解模型精度能够满足仿真要求。     

Global Response of Martian Plasma Environment to an Interplanetary Structure: From Ena and Plasma Observations at Mars

As a part of the global plasma environment study of Mars and its response to the solar wind, we have analyzed a peculiar case of the subsolar energetic neutral atom (ENA) jet observed on June 7, 2004 by the Neutral Particle Detector (NPD) on board the Mars Express satellite. The “subsolar ENA jet” is generated by the interaction between the solar wind and the Martian exosphere, and is one of the most intense sources of ENA flux observed in the vicinity of Mars. On June 7, 2004 (orbit 485 of Mars Express), the NPD observed a very intense subsolar ENA jet, which then abruptly decreased within ∼10 sec followed by quasi-periodic (∼1 min) flux variations. Simultaneously, the plasma sensors detected a solar wind structure, which was most likely an interplanetary shock surface. The abrupt decrease of the ENA flux and the quasi-periodic flux variations can be understood in the framework of the global response of the Martian plasma obstacle to the interplanetary shock. The generation region of the subsolar ENA jet was pushed towards the planet by the interplanetary shock; and therefore, Mars Express went out of the ENA jet region. Associated global vibrations of the Martian plasma obstacle may have been the cause of the quasi-periodic flux variations of the ENA flux at the spacecraft location.     

A dimension reduced INS/VNS integrated navigation method for planetary rovers

Inertial navigation system/visual navigation system (INS/VNS) integrated navigation is a commonly used autonomous navigation method for planetary rovers. Since visual measurements are related to the previous and current state vectors (position and attitude) of planetary rovers, the performance of the Kalman filter (KF) will be challenged by the time-correlation problem. A state augmentation method, which augments the previous state value to the state vector, is commonly used when dealing with this problem. However, the augmenting of state dimensions will result in an increase in computation load. In this paper, a state dimension reduced INS/VNS integrated nav-igation method based on coordinates of feature points is presented that utilizes the information obtained through INS/VNS integrated navigation at a previous moment to overcome the time rel-evance problem and reduce the dimensions of the state vector. Equations of extended Kalman filter (EKF) are used to demonstrate the equivalence of calculated results between the proposed method and traditional state augmented methods. Results of simulation and experimentation indicate that this method has less computational load but similar accuracy when compared with traditional methods.     

一种新型轮爪式车轮设计与性能仿真

针对当前行星探测车车轮的缺点和不足,结合行星表面的复杂环境,设计了一种新型轮爪式行星探测车车轮,其主要创新点在于车轮的轮爪.对新型车轮进行了受力分析,推导出车轮平稳运动的条件,为设计者提供了一定的理论依据.用Pro/ENGINEER软件建立了探测车的三维模型,并用ADAMS(Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems)软件对行星车进行了运动学和动力学仿真.仿真结果表明新型车轮具有较强的越障能力,可以翻越高度超过车轮半径1.4倍的台阶,也可以跨越宽度超过车轮直径的壕沟,能够适应各种地形环境,基本克服了当前行星探测车车轮存在的缺点和不足.      

梯形齿车轮月面牵引性能的离散元分析

采用离散元法分析梯形齿车轮在月面软土地形的通过性,提出不规则形状颗粒群系统的离散元建模技术,建立车轮牵引性能参数的细观表达式.基于模拟月壤的直剪实验数据,通过反复调试获得最佳土单元模型参数.轮-土作用的离散元分析结果表明:车轮在月壤地形的牵引性能与滑转率和轮齿结构有关,增加滑转率可获得更高的挂钩牵引力,但同时车轮所需的驱动转矩提高;增加轮齿高度可获得更大的土壤推力,但行驶阻力也相应增大;轮齿数量对车轮牵引性能影响较小,但影响车轮在行驶中的平顺性.