TUBIN is a microsatellite mission tasked with the demonstration of microbolometer technology for the detection of high-temperature events. To this end, the spacecraft employs a set of two microbolometers sensitive in the thermal range of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as a complementary CMOS-based imager for the visible spectrum. Additionally, the mission serves to demonstrate the upgraded capabilities

In this paper, the unstart boundary of the strut-equipped variable geometry combustor was experimentally verified at the Mach 2 condition. Limited by the flow field structure at a low Mach number, the working boundary of the supersonic combustor had certain requirements on the fuel equivalent ratio and combustor expansion ratio. By simulation analyses and static regulations, the optimization of flow

This study proposes a novel, safe, and stable-by-design model predictive control (MPC) framework for multistage autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D) with a tumbling target, considering several practical challenges (e.g., control saturation, velocity constraints, and collision avoidance) in dock-enabling conditions. In the first stage, global near-optimal and deterministic convergent strategies

We develop and apply a deep learning-based computer vision pipeline to automatically identify crew members in archival photographic imagery taken on-board the International Space Station. Our approach is able to quickly tag thousands of images from public and private photo repositories without human supervision with high degrees of accuracy, including photographs where crew faces are partially obscured

Orbit determination of spacecraft in orbit has been mostly dependent on either GNSS satellite signals or ground station telemetry. Both methods present their limitations, however: GNSS signals can only be used effectively in earth orbit, and ground-based orbit determination presents an inherent latency that increases with the Earth-spacecraft distance. For spacecraft flying formations, an alternative

Sky Lake is a visionary environmental design that uses the natural geological cavities and excavated landscapes (from mining and large-scale 3D printing) on the Moon to provide enhanced living conditions for long-term Lunar inhabitants including scientists, construction workers, tourists, and leisure industry staff. Utilizing the ability of water to protect from radiation Sky Lake creates a layer of

While the short-term impact of collisions on missions is relatively negligible, economic models predict that in one century, space debris will be a major drag on the industry’s development. However, this challenge might also become a business opportunity, with the combined effect of the New Space and renewed legal regulations. The Recycler is a project of geostationary satellite able to harvest components

Granular materials include fuels, foods, feedstocks, and raw materials, and they are frequently created in drilling, exploration, and comminution. However, despite this ubiquity, they can be much more difficult to transport than other materials. Screw conveyors can be used, as can bailing, gas-blowing, and vibro-conveyors, but all have issues related to some combination of complexity, inclination,

The lunar lander developed by Russia for the first near polar mission Luna – 25 is equipped with a compact and multifunctional robotic arm (Lunar Manipulator Complex, LMC) designed for contact operations with the lunar regolith. The robotic arm shall excavate the lunar regolith down to tens of centimeters, collect regolith samples and deliver them to a laser ionization mass spectrometer for the elemental

Rapid bone loss exposed to spaceflight is one of the highest risk factors for astronauts which can increase the occurrence of fracture risk and lead to serious health problems, but the therapeutic effects of the current countermeasures still have certain limitations and deficiencies. This study aims to find novel potential drugs for the prevention of the bone loss caused by microgravity. Therefore

Semantic segmentation of Martian terrain is crucial for the route planning and autonomous navigation of rovers on Mars. However, existing methods are restricted to structured or semi-structured scenes, performing poorly on Mars that is a completely unstructured environment. Therefore, we propose a novel hybrid attention semantic segmentation (HASS) network, which contains a global intra-class attention

In this paper, the platelet heat exchanger in the thermal propulsion system of micro satellite with liquefied gas as propellant was designed, the complete gasification and stabilization scheme of propellant was proposed. The unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT) characteristics between the heat exchanger and gaseous propellant were analyzed, and the cumulative data of error estimation in the numerical

Reliable energy sources are needed in order to keep a Lunar Base on the run, and solar energy is one of the most attractive options. There are two ways to achieve it – to bring necessary solar panels from the Earth or find a way to produce them in-situ on the Moon from local resources. We propose the monograin layer (MGL) solar cell technology, that could be used for the in-situ production of solar

We present new developments to a discrete element model designed to simulate hypervelocity impacts between on-orbit satellites and space debris. The advantage of the discrete element-based simulation method is its ability to accurately model fragmentation which always accompanies a hypervelocity impact event. As previous work showed the model's ability to accurately simulate hypervelocity impact fragmentation

Functional losses associated with spaceflight negatively influence astronaut health and mission success. Exercise combined with protein supplementation is a promising countermeasure. Blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise is an effective modality, but synergistic benefits when combined with protein supplementation are not clearly identified. The purposes of this investigation were to determine if blended

A series of spanwise concave channel models of isolators with different radii were investigated to reveal the mechanism of shock train/boundary layer interaction in the inward-turning inlet. Numerical simulations of the shock train flow under different incoming Mach numbers, incoming static pressures, and backpressure ratios were performed. The results show that the shock train leading edge exhibits

Stabilization of the Mack second mode is of great importance to control hypersonic boundary-layer transition, and the porous wall is one of the promising passive techniques. In this paper, the transition onset of a two-dimensional Mach 6 boundary layer over a flat plate with porous coating is predicted by the eN method based on the linear stability theory. The results show that the second mode instability

Abstract not available

A new antenna design lighter, and with fewer mechanical connections between the elements has emerged. This concept consists of deploying a polygonal ring using the flexion energy present in the flexible joints connecting two consecutive bars. Shaped reflective surfaces can selectively avoid radiating to certain areas of the globe. However, these consist of rigid frames and are not deployable. Studies

Herein, the concept of novel hypergolic pairs for the enhanced ignition performance of hypergolic propellants is proposed. The proposed hypergolic combinations comprised ionic liquid fuels, namely, 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium-thiocyanate (EMIM SCN) and 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium-thiocyanate (BMIM SCN), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with oxidizing additives. LiNO3 and NH4NO3 were used as oxidizing

As large-scale spacecraft like Hubble Space Telescope need in-orbit assembly, there is an increasing need for the in-orbit assembly automatically carried out by space robots. This paper proposes a potential in-orbit screw-driving strategy carried out by a dual-arm space robot. Unlike single-arm space robots, a dual-arm space robot can avoid the translation and rotation of the target during the screw-driving

Autonomous landing in complex and hazardous terrains is a critical stage of planetary in-situ exploration and sample-return missions. The design of the landing trajectory has to seek a balance between safety and fuel economy. Based on the theorems of convex trajectory and curvature guidance law, this paper proposes an obstacle avoidance guidance method with an adaptive curvature adjusting mechanism

Interstellar objects are a category of comets and asteroids that offer a unique scientific opportunity to answer fundamental scientific questions about the origin of solar system volatiles, the compositions of exo-solar systems, and the transfer rates of material between solar systems. However, they are also difficult to reach due to their high energy and the minimal lead time afforded by current detection

Efficient mixing and combustion in supersonic flow is critical for developing hypersonic airbreathing propulsion systems such as scramjet engines. The short residence time of a few milliseconds of inflow air in a scramjet combustor make it very difficult to achieve efficient and fast fuel/air mixing. In supersonic flow, the compressibility effect suppresses the development of planar free shear layers

The study was aimed at exploring informative value of nonlinear parameters of surface electromyogram (sEMG) to characterization of neuromuscular activity in respect with duration of space flight (SF) and stepping mode. The working hypothesis held that sEMG entropy, correlation dimension (CD), and Lyapunov's exponent, which characterize signals in terms of regularity and predictability, may inform on

Dust mitigation is one of the technical challenges to overcome for future lunar surface exploration. In our previous work, a new electron beam (e-beam) mitigation technology was introduced to remove dust particles from protected surfaces through an electrostatic mechanism developed based on a Patched Charge Model. This model shows that the emission and re-absorption of e-beam induced secondary electrons

Space debris is often uncooperative and unresponsive, necessitating the understanding of its motion for successful post-capture control in an active debris removal mission. To this end, the inertia tensor of the captured debris object must be estimated, which is particularly challenging when the connection between chaser and target is not rigid, such as when achieved through a tether. In this work

Monitoring space assets for safety and sustainability compliance requires active measurement of positional information, commonly done via optical remote sensing in which image-frame coordinates are extracted from a high-noise environment of stellar, atmospheric, and hardware features. This task has been traditionally approached by using a-priori models to differentiate potential Anthropogenic Space

The solutions originating at the Lagrangian points L1 and L2 of the restricted three-body problem are used in space flight dynamics to find useful station-keeping orbits as well as convenient low-energy transfers between planets and satellites of the Solar System. The circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) provides the simplest model where the Lagrangian points, as well as the related stable

The health risk of flight condition-triggered ocular injury and neurodegeneration has long been a concern. Spaceflight missions will likely expose the astronauts and experiment payloads to greater radiation levels compared to those encountered on the Earth. Knowledge about the susceptibility to adverse effects from low doses of radiation during space missions is very limited. Our present study aims

This paper presents the crucial method for the results found at Beijing Institute of Technology and China Academy of Space Technology in the 11th Global Trajectory Optimization Competition (GTOC-11). To build 12 solar-power stations placed in the “Dyson Ring” orbit around the Sun, GTOC-11 focuses on the flyby trajectory design, low-thrust trajectory optimization, and target assignment problem. The

Ramjet propulsion is commonly preferred to power supersonic and hypersonic vehicles for cruising faster than Mach 3. This is an elegant solution owing to the lean architecture which does not embody any rotating parts. Although the geometry of the engine is simple as compared to turbine based configurations, the flow physics through the engine duct is quite complex and the flow speeds modulate between

In recent years, convex optimization has been widely applied in aircraft trajectory optimization and guidance. For rocket vertical landing, the dynamics are highly nonlinear, which easily causes convergence issues in convex optimization. Moreover, for the existing convex optimization methods, it is difficult to implement landing guidance with a performance-limited engine in which the thrust cannot

The predetermined time attitude tracking control problem is addressed in this paper for rigid spacecraft subject to parameter uncertainty and external disturbance. A finite-time extended state observer is developed to tackle the influence generated by the parameter uncertainty and external disturbance. Then, a predetermined time controller based on the finite-time extended state observer is designed

Space tethered system has been widely investigated because of its extensive applications in space observation, debris removal, and space solar power station, etc. Yet, due to the system coupling nonlinearities, unknown disturbances, and on-board limited communication constraints, the deployment control of the spacecraft system is still challenging. In this paper, an adaptive integral sliding mode controller

The significance of the human-microbe relationship is amplified in long duration space exploration (LDSE), where isolated and confined microbial environments degenerate space habitat integrity, compromise planetary protection goals, and have largely unknown and potentially deleterious effects on astronaut health. While environmental surveillance is assumed to be a key component of future deep space

To settle the question of the nature of the interstellar object 1I/’Oumuamua requires in-situ observations via a spacecraft, as the object is already out of range of existing telescopes. Most previous proposals for reaching 1I/’Oumuamua using near-term technologies are based on the Solar Oberth Manoeuvre (SOM), as trajectories without the SOM are generally significantly inferior in terms of lower mission

Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) systems are commonly used as mesh reflectors for large aperture space antennas in aerospace applications since they provide affordability while guaranteeing at the same time a high gain and a high directivity. To improve the surface accuracy several methods have been studied, most of which measure the distance between the cable-net system that forms the reflector surface

Based on the need for switching the landing site in an emergency during the return flight of a crewed lunar exploration mission, an emergency transfer trajectory is designed and analysed. First, the problem of generating a single transfer trajectory for switching the landing site in an emergency is equivalently converted to solving a Lambert problem. Second, a calculation method based on homotopic

Many Earth observation missions, implementing space-based microwave sensing techniques for collecting Earth surface information, employ spinning sensors to cover large swaths of terrestrial areas, thus improving the rate at which global maps of those measured data are generated. These spacecraft (as Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) developed by NASA or Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR)

Shock wave/boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) is a common phenomenon occurring in the supersonic/hypersonic flow fields, and it can constrain the performance of the vehicle. In the current study, a combined control device of a micro vortex generator (MVG) and a secondary recirculation jet is numerically simulated by using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) coupled with

The closed Brayton cycle is an ideal energy conversion technology for high-power space nuclear power system (SNPS) because of its small volume, light weight, and stable operation. To increase the redundancy of the system, a SNPS with multi Brayton loops (SNPS-MBL) is adopted. Startup performance is an essential part of the off-design performance of SNPS-MBL. In this study, the thermal-hydraulic model

The combustion characteristics obtained from the coupling effect between swirl injection and a novel composite hybrid rocket fuel grain were investigated. The novel composite fuel grain was composed of a three-dimensional printed acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) helical substrate with an embedded paraffin-based fuel. Two swirl flow injectors with opposite injection directions were designed: one

In Situ Resource Utilization constitutes an enabling technology for future, long-term human space exploration. The potentiality of oxygen extraction from dry lunar regolith by means of carbothermal reduction is analyzed in this work. Focus is placed on the scarcely investigated temperature range 1273–1373 K, looking at the possibility to operate below the regolith melting point. The first aspect to

During the course of its evolution, our Sun and its protective magnetic bubble have plowed through dramatically different interstellar environments throughout the galaxy. The vast range of conditions of interstellar plasma, gas, dust and high-energy cosmic rays on this “solar journey” have helped shape the solar system that we live in. Today, our protective bubble, or Heliosphere, is likely about to

Abstract not available

This study focuses on the motion planning of a free-flying space robot system with non-conserved linear and angular momentums due to thrusts acting on its base. The system model is established at the kinematic level based on the momentum theorem, which takes into account the change in base mass. In particular, a motion planning strategy is proposed to perform trajectory tracking of the end effector

In this work, Team ASRL’s solution approach for the 11th Global Trajectory Optimization Competition (GTOC-11) is described. This problem tasked the competing teams with constructing a futuristic Dyson Ring utilizing materials acquired from the asteroid belt. In total, 10 motherships would depart from Earth in the year 2121 and visit as many asteroids as possible. After visiting each asteroid, a low-thrust

The method used and results found by the team “ASTL-NUAA” from NUAA for the problem of GTOC 11 are presented in the paper. The problem is mainly decomposed into three parts: multiple targets flyby sequence optimization for the Mother Ships, station-building database construction problem of asteroid transfer arcs, and station-building mission planning. Therefore, a three-step optimization framework

This paper presents an experimental study of the influence of viscous flows on the aerodynamic behaviour of waveriders. This investigation was carried out in the MARHy facility, under supersonic and rarefied flow conditions. Three supersonic and low density flow conditions were tested operating at Mach 2 and 4 with free stream pressures of 8 Pa and 2.67 Pa giving slip regime flows. Knudsen numbers

A novel concept of γ-ray remote sensing experiment onboard a Mars Rover is considered for studies of Martian shallow subsurface composition with a high spatial resolution. Only those photons produced in reactions of neutron inelastic scattering on nuclei of surface constituting elements are recorded by the proposed gamma-ray spectrometer, which use time tags of particles of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR)

To study the effects of Mach number, Reynolds number and deflection angle on the conical separation vortex generated by swept shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction , the experimental and numerical simulation methods are used. The Mach numbers are Ma =2.95 and Ma =4. The deflection angles are 12°, 15° and 18°. The incoming boundary layer thickness δ0.99 is 4.6 mm, 23 mm and 115 mm. The evolution

Biofilms are problematic on Earth due to their ability to both degrade the materials upon which they grow and promote infections. Remarkably, 65% of infections and 80% of chronic diseases on Earth are associated with biofilms. The impact of biofilms is even greater in space, as the crew's lives and mission success depend on nominal operation of mechanical systems which can be interrupted by material

In general, a recess in shear coaxial/swirl coaxial injectors positively affects the stable combustion and combustion efficiency. However, a recess in a liquid-centered gas-liquid swirl coaxial injector may cause spray oscillations, known as self-pulsation. In this study, the effects of the recess length on the spray dynamic characteristics and their mechanisms were investigated. Four liquid-centered

A test stand was designed to semi quantitively measure the adhesion of JSC-1/1A lunar simulant dust to materials proposed for use in the lunar surface environment. Sieved simulant <45 μm in diameter was uniformly deposited on sample surfaces. Dust adhesion was indicated as the centrifugal force created from rotation of the test stand to shed dust under high vacuum and UV exposure conditions The device

With the tendency of high-speed flight and economic cruise, combustion mode in a scramjet engine will transfer from diffusion combustion mode to premixed combustion mode because of the decrease of Damköhler Number in combustor. In order to study the fuel equivalence ratio conditions for the establishment of premixed combustion mode and corresponding combustion mechanism, series of direct-connected

There are always differences between the computer predicted temperatures of a spacecraft thermal model and the temperatures measured during the mandatory laboratory thermal tests. As a consequence, the model must be correlated before the spacecraft is launched to space, in order to identify the correct parameters that match the experimentally measured temperatures. A new technique is presented to identify

Vaporizing liquid microthruster is a relatively new concept for evaporation based propulsive system. The research interest in vaporizing liquid microthruster mainly comes from its simplicity and the use of green propellant: water. This paper presents the study of a highly compact additively manufactured vaporizing liquid microthruster of 38 × 22 × 8 mm in dimension. The heat transfer enhancement effect