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For the drag and heat flux reduction of hypersonic blunt body, a novel combinational spike-aerodisk and channel concept has been proposed. The high pressure air behind the bow shock flows into the channel at the head of the aerodisk, and then sprays out through the lateral jet in the middle of the spike. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the shear stress transport (SST) k - ω turbulence model have been employed to simulate the flow field. The numerical results reveal that compared with the spike-aerodisk, with the application of the channel, the lateral jet pushes the separated shock wave away from the spike. The range of the recirculation zone between the shear layer and the spike is increased, and the intensity of the reattached shock wave is significantly weakened, so the drag and heat flux reduction properties of the combinational configuration are significantly improved. The influences of the channel convergent half angle and lateral jet location on the flow field, drag and heat flux reduction properties are investigated thoroughly. When the channel convergent half angle is appropriate and the location of the lateral jet is close to the middle of the spike, the drag and heat flux reduction effect becomes better. Besides, with the increase of the Mach number and the decrease of the flying height, the drag and heat flux reduction performance become more significant. In the research range, the combinational configuration in which the convergent half angle is 60° and the lateral jet is located in the middle of the spike has a better overall effect of drag and heat flux reduction, and the effect reaches the best when the Mach number is 6 and the flying height is 20 km. Compared with the spike-aerodisk, the total drag coefficient of the configuration is reduced by 12.95%, and the peak value of Stanton number along the blunt body surface is reduced by 35.19%. • A novel combinational spike-aerodisk and channel concept was numerically investigated. • The combinational concept has better performance in both drag and heat flux reduction. • Effects of channel convergent half angle and lateral jet location on drag and heat flux reduction were studied. • Variation laws of drag and heat flux reduction under different Mach numbers and flight altitudes were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shock drag and aeroheating are major problems faced by hypersonic vehicles. This study proposes a novel three-dimensional model combining spike-aerodisk with a bleed air channel featuring multiple lateral nozzles for drag and aeroheating reduction. The high-temperature and high-pressure air at the stagnation point of the aerodisk is introduced into the channel and ejected laterally through multiple nozzles to modify the flow field structure and reduce drag and aeroheating. In contrast to previous research employing a two-dimensional axisymmetric assumption, our innovation considers the structure of the exit nozzles and the spacing between nozzles. Due to multiple lateral nozzles, the connection thickness between nozzles can lead to asymmetric flow phenomena. Three-dimensional flow field simulation has been employed with the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model. The effects of the convergence half-angle of the channel inlet, the divergent angle of the nozzle, and the nozzle position on modifying the characteristics of the flow field are studied. Increasing the convergence half-angle of the channel inlet can further push away the reattachment shock, but when it exceeds 60°, the drag reduction performance degrades. Reducing the divergent angle of the nozzle and increasing the number of nozzles can reduce the drag coefficient and the peak value of the Stanton number. However, when the divergent angle is reduced to 10°, the performance of reducing drag and aeroheating is weakened. In the range of research parameters, when the convergence half-angle is 60°, the divergent angle is 15°, and the nozzles are located in the middle of the spike, compared with the plain spike-aerodisk model, the drag coefficient and peak Stanton number of the combined model are further reduced by 17.8 % and 34.8 %, respectively. Our findings confirm that a multi-nozzle can effectively reduce drag and aeroheating while the channel structure is viable in practice. • A new model of lateral jet without gas source is studied by 3-D numerical simulation. • The gas for the lateral jet is coupled with the outside flow. • A distribution form of multiple lateral nozzles is proposed. • A realistic 3-D simulation is conducted, enhancing its practical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation applied the invariant manifold technique to study the halo orbits around the libration points in circular restricted three-body problem. Two dominant (leading) directions were considered as dominant motions for the construction of spatial halo orbits, the third direction motion being the slave (following) motion. The dominant motions correspond to four-dimensional invariant manifolds in the phase space. The invariant nonlinear asymptotic relations (i.e. INARs) between the two dominant motions and the slave motion were established, enabling a transformation from the 3-DOF problem into a 2-DOF problem. Application of the INARs are also discussed. Such invariant nonlinear relations in polynomial expansion form could be used as: (I) approximate analytical solutions; (II) topological constraints to obtain more exact numerical solutions with differential correction. General findings in the current research revealed that the nonlinear asymptotic relations among the directions provided an alternative point of view to explore the overall dynamics of halo orbits around libration points with general rules. The effectiveness of the proposed method was also verified by numerical simulations. • Invariant nonlinear asymptotic relations (INARs) between dominant and slave motions are obtained. • The 3D system is reduced into a 2D system by INARs. • Analytical solutions for halo orbits are obtained by INARs. • INARs are used as topological constraints to obtain halo orbit with differential correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Contact dynamic models for active debris capturing using a net are presented and analyzed using numerical simulations. The contact dynamics are based on two methods: the penalty-based method and the impulse-based method. Both methods apply contact detection algorithms based on the Axis-Aligned Bounding Box. The impulse-based method is, for the first time, being used in a net capturing scenario. Strengths and weaknesses of both models are compared and discussed. Moreover, the results from numerical simulations of target capturing are presented and analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the contact dynamic models. It is found that the average difference of bullet trajectories obtained by two models can be restricted within 6% when it compares with the dimension of the net. Highlights • The impulse-based method is proposed for contact dynamics modeling of a net capturing scenario. • The impulse-based method is compared with the penalty-based method using numerical simulations. • The impulse-based method is found suitable by avoiding penetration and a stiff equation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an onboard autonomous mission re-planning system for Multi-Satellites System (MSS) to perform onboard re-planing in disruptive situations. The proposed re-planning system can deal with different potential emergency situations. This paper uses Multi-Objective Hybrid Dynamic Mutation Genetic Algorithm (MO-HDM GA) combined with re-planning techniques as the core algorithm. The Cyclically Re-planning Method (CRM) and the Near Real-time Re-planning Method (NRRM) are developed to meet different mission requirements. Simulations results show that both methods can provide feasible re-planning sequences under unforeseen situations. The comparisons illustrate that using the CRM is average 20 % faster than the NRRM on computation time. However, by using the NRRM more raw data can be observed and transmitted than using the CRM within the same period. The usability of this onboard re-planning system is not limited to multi-satellite system. Other mission planning and re-planning problems related to autonomous multiple vehicles with similar demands are also applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure detection, isolation, and recovery is an essential requirement of any space mission design. Several spacecraft components, especially sensors, are prone to performance deviation due to intrinsic physical effects. For that reason, innovative approaches for the treatment of faults in onboard sensors are necessary. This work introduces the concept of agent-based fault detection and recovery for sensors used in satellite attitude determination and control. Its focuses on the implementation of an algorithm for addressing linear drift bias in gyroscopes. The algorithm was implemented using an agent-based architecture that can be integrated into the satellite's onboard software. Numerical simulations were carried out to show the effectiveness of this scheme in satellite's operations. The proposed algorithm showed a reduction of up to 50% in the stabilization time for the detumbling maneuver, and also an improvement in the pointing accuracy of up to 20% when it was applied in precise payload pointing procedures. The relevance of this contribution is its added value for optimizing the launch and early operation of small satellite missions, as well as, an enabler for innovative satellite functions, for instance, optical downlink communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic solar array (PVSA) systems are the most widely used method for spacecraft power generation. However, in many satellite missions, the optimum orientation of the PVSA system is not always compatible with that of the payload orientation. Many methods, have been examined in the past to overcome this problem. Up to date, the most widely used active method for large costly satellites is the Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM). The SADM serves as the interface between the satellite body and the PVSA subsystem, enabling the decoupling of their spatial orientation. Nonetheless, there exists a research and development gap for such systems regarding low cost micro-satellites. During the literature study of this paper, individual orbital parameters of various micro-satellites have been extracted and compared to the rotational freedom of the corresponding SADMs used. The findings demonstrated that the implemented SADMs are over designed. It is therefore concluded that these components are not tailored made for each spacecraft mission individually, but rather, exhibit a generic design to full fill a majority of mission profiles and requirements. Motivated by the above analysis, the cardinal objective of the current research is to develop a low cost mechanism that will be precisely tailored for the use of a low Earth orbit (LEO) micro-satellite platform orbiting in altitudes of 500 − 1000 km . The design of the mechanism may vary from the existing miniaturized SADMs. For example, the preliminary analysis of the current research suggests, that the conventional use of the slip ring system as the electronic transfer unit can be replaced by a seMI Orientation Unit (MIOU). Systems engineering tools for concept generation and selection have been used. In addition, simulation and mathematical modelling have been implemented on component and system level, to accurately predict the behaviour of the system under various modes of operation. The production and system testing of the prototype has taken place and it has verified that the development of such a system, will aid the power generation of the solar arrays, while having a positive impact on the cost reduction of such satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space missions have traditionally been controlled by operators from a mission control center. Given the increasing number of satellites for some space missions, generating a command list for multiple satellites can be time-consuming and inefficient. Developing multi-satellite, onboard mission scheduling & planning techniques is, therefore, a key research field for future space mission operations. In this paper, an improved Genetic Algorithm (GA) using a new mutation strategy is proposed as a mission scheduling algorithm. This new mutation strategy, called Hybrid Dynamic Mutation (HDM), combines the advantages of both dynamic mutation strategy and adaptive mutation strategy, overcoming weaknesses such as early convergence and long computing time, which helps standard GA to be more efficient and accurate in dealing with complex missions. HDM-GA shows excellent performance in solving both unconstrained and constrained test functions. The experiments of using HDM-GA to simulate a multi-satellite, mission scheduling problem demonstrates that both the computation time and success rate mission requirements can be met. The results of a comparative test between HDM-GA and three other mutation strategies also show that HDM has outstanding performance in terms of speed and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By slotting an inlet at the head of the aerodisk, a channel through the spike, and the lateral jet outlet at the middle of the spike, the blunt body with spike-aerodisk can further reduce its aeroheating and drag. In this paper, the numerical simulation method was used to analyze the flow field structure of this spike-aerodisk-channel, the effects of the spike length, the aerodisk diameter, and the channel diameter on the drag and aeroheating performance of this spike-aerodisk-channel configuration were studied. In general, the lateral jet introduced by the channel from the stagnation region of the aerodisk leads to the shear layer separation in advance, pushes the separation shock away from the spike, enlarges the recirculation zone near the blunt body, avoids the interaction between the separation shock and the reattachment shock, increases the distance from the reattachment shock to the surface of the blunt body. The reattachment shock strength of the blunt body is weakened. With increased spike length and channel diameter, drag and aeroheating reduction are improved. With the increase of the diameter of the aerodisk, the aeroheating performance is improved, but the drag reduction performance continues to decline. Compared with the plain spike-aerodisk, the spike-aerodisk-channel is generally conducive to further drag and aeroheating reduction. In the range of research parameters, considering the effect of drag and aeroheating reduction and the structural feasibility, the spike-aerodisk-channel has the best drag and aeroheating reduction performance when the spike length is twice the blunt-body diameter, the ratio of the aerodisk diameter to the blunt-body diameter is 0.3, and the ratio of the channel diameter to the blunt-body diameter is 0.075. Compared with the plain spike-aerodisk of the same size, the aeroheating reduction efficiency is increased by 37.9%, and the drag reduction efficiency is increased by 16.0%. • Drag and aeroheating reduction mechanism of the spike-aerodisk and channel concept under hypersonic conditions was investigated by the numerical simulation. • Three influence factors were analyzed and compared comprehensively. • Combined spike-aerodisk and channel concept is a promising drag and aeroheating reduction technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tethered-net is a promising method for space debris capturing. However, its deployment dynamics is complex because of the flexibility, and its dependency of the deployment parameters is insufficiently understood. To investigate the deployment dynamics of tethered-net, four critical deployment parameters, namely maximum net area, deployment time, traveling distance and effective period are identified in this paper, and the influence of initial deployment conditions on these four parameters is investigated. Besides, a comprehensive study on a model for the tethered-net based on absolute nodal coordinates formulation (ANCF) is provided. Simulations show that the results based on the ANCF modeling method present a good agreement with that based on the conventional mass–spring modeling method. Moreover, ANCF model is capable of describing the flexibility between two nodes on the net. However, it is more computationally expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous cluster operation such as cluster reconfiguration is one of the enabling technologies for fractionated spacecraft. By virtue of the multi-agent system theory, this paper presents an organizational architecture for fractionated spacecraft, which not only enables autonomous cluster operations but also facilitates its non-traditional attributes. Within this organizational architecture, a decentralized framework is proposed to solve cluster reconfiguration problems based on primal and dual decomposition, where subgradient methods are adopted to include reconfiguration cases with non-differentiable objectives. Two typical constraints are considered: final configuration constraints representing coupling variables and collision avoidance constraints representing coupling constraints, both of which are non-convex. General schemes are proposed to convexify those constraints via the linearization and convex restriction technology. Then final configuration constraints are tackled by primal decomposition, while collision avoidance constraints by dual decomposition. To the end, multi-level primal and dual decompositions are employed to solve reconfiguration problems with both coupling variables and coupling constraints. For illustration an example of in-plane cluster reconfiguration is solved and compared with the centralized approach the solution is optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an update of the Delfi nanosatellite programme of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), with a focus on the recent in-orbit results of the second TU Delft satellite Delfi-n3Xt. In addition to the educational objective that has been reached with more than 80 students involved in the project, most of the technological objectives of Delfi-n3Xt have also been fulfilled with successful in-orbit demonstrations of payloads and platform. Among these demonstrations, four are highlighted in this paper, including a solid cool gas micropropulsion system, a new type of solar cell, a more robust Command and Data Handling Subsystem (CDHS), and a highly integrated Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS) that performs three-axis active control using reaction wheels. Through the development of Delfi-n3Xt, significant experiences and lessons have been learned, which motivated a further step towards DelFFi, the third Delfi CubeSat mission, to demonstrate autonomous formation flying using two CubeSats named Delta and Phi. A brief update of the DelFFi mission is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underactuated attitude control is supposed to be used on spacecraft when failure happens with onboard actuators. One main problem with existing underactuated attitude control designs is their limited capabilities against disturbances. In order to solve this problem, an approach based on the theory of H ∞ is proposed in this paper. Two propositions are derived from the H ∞ theory to improve the robustness of one popular underactuated attitude control design, which was presented by Tsiotras et al. It is proved mathematically that the controller satisfying these two propositions respectively can stabilize the underactuated attitude system locally or globally. The numerical simulations show that the improved controllers based on the H ∞ theory could provide higher pointing accuracy for small satellites against disturbances. This validates the effectiveness of the proposed H ∞ based approach to improve existing underactuated attitude control designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper attempts to characterize failure behaviour of small satellites through statistical analysis of actual in-orbit failures. A unique Small Satellite Anomalies Database comprising empirical failure data of 222 small satellites has been developed. A nonparametric analysis of the failure data has been implemented by means of a Kaplan–Meier estimation. An innovative modelling method, i.e. Bayesian theory in combination with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations, has been proposed to model the reliability of small satellites. An extensive parametric analysis using the Bayesian/MCMC method has been performed to fit a Weibull distribution to the data. The influence of several characteristics such as the design lifetime, mass, launch year, mission type and the type of satellite developers on the reliability has been analyzed. The results clearly show the infant mortality of small satellites. Compared with the classical maximum-likelihood estimation methods, the proposed Bayesian/MCMC method results in better fitting Weibull models and is especially suitable for reliability modelling where only very limited failures are observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The clearance in joints influences the dynamic stability and the performance of deployable space structures (DSS). A virtual experimental modal analysis (VEMA) method is proposed to deal with the effects of joint clearance and link flexibility on the dynamic characteristics of the DSS in this paper. The focus is on the finite element modeling of the clearance joint, VEMA and the modal parameters identification of the DSS. The finite element models (FEM) of the clearance joint and the deployable structure are established in ANSYS. The transient dynamic analysis is conducted to provide the time history data of excitation and response for the VEMA. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique is used to transform the data from time domain to frequency domain. The frequency response function is calculated to identify the modal parameters of the deployable structure. Experimental verification is provided to indicate the VEMA method is both a cost and time efficient approach to obtain the dynamic characteristics of the DSS. Finally, we analyze the effects of clearance size and gravity on the dynamic characteristics of the DSS. The analysis results indicate that the joint clearance and gravity strongly influence the dynamic characteristics of the DSS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a skip entry guidance algorithm that uses a numerical predictor–corrector and a patched corridor for low-lifting capsules returning from the Moon. The longitudinal and lateral channels are assumed to be decoupled. The bank angle magnitude profile is parameterized using piecewise linear segments with respect to a normalized energy. The shape of the bank-vs-energy profile is determined using a single piecewise-defined variable. The predicted longitudinal bias is nullified using a false position method. The adverse effects of aerodynamic and atmospheric uncertainties are mitigated using an on-board estimating strategy during the trajectory prediction. A patched corridor is devised to manage the lateral state based on analytical derivations and reasonable approximations. The sign of the bank angle is reversed when the boundary of the patched corridor is violated. Dispersed simulations are implemented in a three-degree-of-freedom dynamical context, and the results demonstrate the high performance of the proposed guidance algorithm under stressful testing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the CubeSats have a volume range from 1U to 3U, which limits their applications due to the difficulty of miniaturizing payloads. To facilitate the needs on a larger but low-cost satellite platform, the AOXiang (AOX) project has been developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU). The primary objectives of AOX project are four-folds: 1) To demonstrate the world first 12U CubeSat Star of AOXiang and 12U orbit deployer which uses an innovative electromagnetic unlocking technology. 2) To investigate the feasibility of using polarized sunlight for spacecraft attitude determination and navigation, and perform microgravity research using a miniaturized gravimeter. 3) To test a fault tolerant on-board computer using the System On the Programmable Chip (SOPC) technology, and 4) To gain the experience from developing the CubeSat and the subsystems. The CubeSat was launched in June 2016. Now, the mission has achieved all the goals. This paper provides the detail information of the AOX project, with a focus on the introduction of the subsystems of the 12U CubeSat, the orbit deployer and the payloads. The recent in-orbit results of the first NPU are also presented. In addition to the educational objective that has been reached with more than 50 young scholars and students participated in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dynamic variations in early selective attention to the color and direction of moving stimuli were explored during a 30 days period of head-down bed rest. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded at F5, F6, P5, P6 scalp locations in seven male subjects who attended to pairs of bicolored light emitting diodes that flashed sequentially to produce a perception of movement. Subjects were required to attend selectively to a critical feature of the moving target, e.g., color or direction. The tasks included: a no response task, a color selective response task, a moving direction selective response task, and a combined color–direction selective response task. Subjects were asked to perform these four tasks on: the 3rd day before bed rest; the 3rd, 15th and 30th day during the bed rest; and the 5th day after bed rest. Subjects responded quickly to the color than moving direction and combined color–direction response. And they had a longer reaction time during bed rest on the 15th and 30th day during bed rest after a relatively quicker response on the 3rd day. Using brain event-related potentials technique, we found that in the color selective response task, the mean amplitudes of P1 and N1 for target ERPs decreased in the 3rd day during bed rest and 5th day after bed rest in comparison with pre-bed rest, 15th day and 30th day during bed rest. In the combined color–direction selective response task, the P1 latencies for target ERPs on the 3rd and 30th day during bed rest were longer than on the 15th day during bed rest. As 3rd day during bed rest was in the acute adaptation period and 30th day during bed rest was in the relatively adaptation stage of head-down bed rest, the results help to clarify the effects of bed rest on different task loads and patterns of attention. It was suggested that subjects expended more time to give correct decision in the head-down tilt bed rest state. A difficulty in the recruitment of brain resources was found in feature selection task, but no variations were detected in the no response and direction selective response tasks. It is suggested that the negative shift in color selective response task on the 3rd day of bed rest are a result of fluid redistribution. And feature selection was more affected than motion selection in the head down bed rest. The variations in cognitive processing speed observed for the combined color–direction selective response task are suggested to reflect the interaction between top-down mechanisms and hierarchical physiological characteristics during 30 days head-down bed rest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: For a species to develop in nature basically two things are needed: an enabling technology and a “niche”. In spacecraft design the story is the same. Both a suitable technology and a niche application need to be there before a new generation of spacecraft can be developed. In the last century two technologies have emerged which had and still have a huge impact on the development of technical systems: Micro-Electronics (ME) and Micro-Systems Technology (MST). Many different terrestrial systems have changed dramatically since the introduction of ME and MST and many new systems have emerged. In the same period many nano-satellites have been built and launched and shown that they can perform in space. Still it is not clear what the specific role of these small satellites will be. Where will they go? What will they do? In this paper the authors will try to answer these questions and will refer to the OLFAR space born radio telescope as one of the niche applications for a nano-satellite swarm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]