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.     

EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR THE NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SPACE PLASMAS

The Cluster mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) will allow, for the first time three-dimensional measurements in key regions of the Earth's magnetosphere to be carried out. The European Numerical Simulation Network (ENSN) aims at providing a theoretical support to the mission. We describe the achievements of the ENSN during its first period of activity 1991–1994, during which the network was funded by the European Union. In particular, the ENSN has set up (i) thematic Working Groups on the prime scientific goals of the mission, (ii) a code development Working Group to develop numerical simulation codes specifically adapted to studying magnetospheric boundaries and the corresponding scale mixing, and (iii) software models of Cluster instruments to test in a numerical simulation what the set of four instruments will measure.     

Scientific Planning and Commanding of the Rosetta Payload

ESA’s Rosetta mission was launched in March 2004 and is on its way to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it is scheduled to arrive in summer 2014. It comprises a payload of 12 scientific instruments and a Lander. All instruments are provided by Principal Investigators, which are responsible for their operations. As for most ESA science missions, the ground segment of the mission consists of a Mission Operations Centre (MOC) and a Science Operations Centre (SOC). While the MOC is responsible for all spacecraft-related aspects and the final uplink of all command timelines to the spacecraft, the scientific operations of the instruments and the collection of the data and ingestion into the Planetary Science Archive are coordinated by the SOC. This paper focuses on the tasks of the SOC and in particular on the methodology and constraints to convert the scientific goals of the Rosetta mission to operational timelines.     

飞机空中加油任务剖面优化设计

介绍了某型飞机执行作战任务途中何时进行空中加油，并按照最大航程截击对飞机各个飞行任务段的飞行性能进行了计算，得出了最佳巡航速度，确定了最优的加油时机和加油量。计算过程中采用了遗传算法，考虑了爬升过程和巡航过程中飞机变质量的难点问题，提高了计算结果的可信度。     

载人飞船返回舱的烧蚀防热

载人飞船返回舱的烧蚀热防护技术研究和试验表明，碳化烧蚀材料是再入飞行器最有效的热防护层。对典型的碳化烧蚀体的热性能的预测分析模型和计算方法作了阐述。数值计算结果分别与电弧风洞试验和阿波罗的飞行验证试验作了比较，结果符合得很好。     

E10.7指数在软X射线谱段的修正应用

表征EUV辐射通量的E10.7指数在越来越多的研究和应用中被用来代替传统的F10.7指数.X射线对地球D层和E层的电离起着重要作用,但由于D层观测数据的不足和E层电离源的多样性,难以被用来考虑X射线对电离层的影响.火星电离层下层的电离源几乎是单一的软X射线,这为研究X射线对电离层的作用提供了可能性.通过研究火星电离层下层的峰值电子浓度对E10.7的依赖关系,发现即便经过必要的修正,这种关系对不同的观测时段并不具备一致性.通过理论推导和数据分析,得到了一种特别用于描述太阳软X射线辐射通量的新指数,即Xs指数,用来替代E10.7指数.Xs指数在描述火星电离层下层对太阳辐射的依赖关系时,不同的观测时段有很好的一致性,表明Xs指数在表征太阳软X射线辐射强度方面比E10.7指数更加合适.      

载人月球探测月面活动发展设想

载人月球探测是浩大的系统工程,组成复杂,关键技术多,研制周期长,经费投入高,任务风险大.月面活动是载人月球探测任务体现能力、保障安全、提升效益的重要组成部分,必须回答"为什么""去哪里""怎么干"等问题.本文从国内外月球探测历程出发,结合当今世界月球探测领域趋势与局势,从月球战略布局、月球科学内涵开展分析.针对月面驻留...     

基于DSPN的航天测控系统任务可靠性仿真建模

提出了基于确定与随机Petri网（deterministic and stochastic Petri nets,DSPN）的航天测控系统（tracking,telemetry and command,TT&C）任务可靠性定量分析方法,旨在对相关航天测控方案进行可靠性预计.通过对TT&C系统任务剖面进行时序弧段划分,考虑实际系统中测控单元阶段依赖、单元故障可修以及各单元参与任务起止时间不同等其他建模方法难以处理的复杂因素,建立了“单元层-系统逻辑层-阶段层”3层相互关联的TT&C系统任务可靠性DSPN模型.通过对模型仿真运行,实现了对给定测控方案下TT&C系统任务可靠性定量化评估.分析表明:仿真结果随着仿真次数增加逐渐收敛,与Markov解析方法求得的精确值对比误差控制在1%以内.      

美国加速任务试车技术在军用航空发动机上的应用

加速任务试车(AMT)是目前国外研究军用航空发动机耐久性的标准试验,是发动机寿命管理的重要方法。本文以美国F404-GE-402发动机、F110-GE-100发动机为例,介绍了AMT技术在发动机设计验证、部件改进、寿命管理、维修计划等方面的具体做法,对有效提高我国发动机型号研制的风险管理与控制能力和实现发动机的高可靠性具有重要的研究与借鉴价值。     

The Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator (GIADA) Experiment for the Rosetta Mission: Design, Performances and First Results

The Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator (GIADA) onboard the ROSETTA mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko is devoted to study the cometary dust environment. Thanks to the rendezvous configuration of the mission, GIADA will be plunged in the dust environment of the coma and will be able to explore dust flux evolution and grain dynamic properties with position and time. This will represent a unique opportunity to perform measurements on key parameters that no ground-based observation or fly-by mission is able to obtain and that no tail or coma model elaborated so far has been able to properly simulate. The coma and nucleus properties shall be, then, clarified with consequent improvement of models describing inner and outer coma evolution, but also of models about nucleus emission during different phases of its evolution. GIADA shall be capable to measure mass/size of single particles larger than about 15 μm together with momentum in the range 6.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ ÷ 4.0 × 10⁻⁴ kg m s⁻¹ for velocities up to about 300 m s⁻¹. For micron/submicron particles the cumulative mass shall be detected with sensitivity 10⁻¹⁰ g. These performances are suitable to provide a statistically relevant set of data about dust physical and dynamic properties in the dust environment expected for the target comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Pre-flight measurements and post-launch checkouts demonstrate that GIADA is behaving as expected according to the design specifications. The International GIADA Consortium (I, E, UK, F, D, USA).