Frontiers in Space Technologies最新文献

{"title":"Additive Manufacturing of Large Structures Using Free-Flying Satellites","authors":"Declan Jonckers, O. Tauscher, Aditya Thakur, L. Maywald","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2022.879542","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2022.879542","url":null,"abstract":"In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) is being investigated as a method for producing larger, cheaper, and more capable spacecraft and space stations. One of the most promising manufacturing techniques is additive manufacturing (AM) due to its inherent flexibility and low waste. The feasibility of a free-flying small spacecraft to manufacture large structures using a robotic arm with an AM end effector has been examined. These large structures would aid the construction of a large space station or spacecraft. Using the Experimental Lab for Proximity Operations and Space Situational Awareness (ELISSA) at the Institute of Space Systems at TU Braunschweig, a process has been designed and tested which is capable of producing structures with arbitrary length. This process was demonstrated by manufacturing support free truss elements of unlimited length using a free-floating mobile robot. Avenues for further extending the process to produce structures of any size in 3D space are discussed.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129199000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acoustic Processing of Fluidic Samples for Planetary Exploration","authors":"S. Sherrit, M. Badescu, A. Noell, F. Kehl, M. Mora, N. Oborny, J. Creamer, P. Willis","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2022.752335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2022.752335","url":null,"abstract":"The search for life on other planetary bodies is driven by our quest to determine if Earth is unique with respect to harboring life. In order to answer this question, instrumentation with suitable sensitivity is required to measure biosignatures. In addition to accurate measurements by in-situ instruments, specialized sample acquisition and sample handling hardware is required to maximize the scientific information obtained from an acquired sample. This paper discusses a class of compact sample processing instrumentation using solid-state mechanisms that use acoustic waves to process samples prior to delivery to the instrument. Some of the acoustic sample processes that can be used to aid in preparation of liquid and liquid/solid mixtures include: mixing, milling, cavitating, lysing, heating, streaming, stirring, lofting, concentrating, segregating, and filtering. We will review these acoustic processes and show how they are generated using electromechanical systems. In addition to processing, these transduction systems could also use acoustics to interrogate physical properties such as the state of the sample, the acoustic velocity, and its attenuation. In order to generate these processes and sensing capabilities at these frequencies, a transduction mechanism is required to produce stress waves from electrical signals and vice versa. One commonly used technique is to use piezoelectric transducers that generate a stress that is linearly proportional to the voltage across the transducer and a voltage that is proportional to the stress on a transducer’s face. A variety of transducer modes are available to excite the sample, including thickness, transverse, radial, and shear extensional, and these can be used to build composite resonance structures including ultrasonic horns, tuning forks, bimorph, and unimorph benders to increase stress generated in the sample. We discuss how to model the acoustic interactions with the sample and the sample chamber in order to produce the required stress waves and illustrate the use of network models of piezoelectric transducers to accomplish this modeling. We demonstrate how to build up these models using Mason’s equivalent circuit for a piezoelectric and network models for acoustic layers in a design. Finally, to illustrate this acoustic processing ability, we will discuss a few systems that we have developed for sample handling systems for other planetary bodies like Mars and ocean worlds Enceladus and Europa.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125176036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing Multi-Arm Robotics for In-Space Assembly","authors":"K. McBryan","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2022.702614","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2022.702614","url":null,"abstract":"Robotic In-space assembly (ISA) is the next step to building larger and more permanent structures in orbit. Determining the best robot for ISA is difficult as it will not only depend on the structure being assembled but on how it is assembled. This analysis shows how changing some key design parameters can influence different robotic systems for ISA. This study focuses on the construction of a 20 m linear truss structure but also expands to a 10 and 50 m truss. Two categories of robots are included in this study: a stationary robot and a mobile robot which crawls along the structure. Both the stationary and crawling robotic systems utilize two planar dexterous manipulators to assemble individual truss pieces into a linear truss. In the case of the stationary robotic system a single long positioning leg is used to move the two dexterous arms into position. The crawling robotic system uses two planar manipulators to crawl along the truss. A systems level analysis is presented which details how the forces from the robotic systems drive the mass of the truss and also how the size of the truss segments drive the requirements of the robotic system. This analysis shows how changing some key design parameters can influence each of the different robotic systems and the truss design itself. The estimated masses of the robotic systems and the truss and the assembly time are presented. There are trade-offs to every robot design and understanding those trade-offs is essential to building a system that is not only efficient but also cost-effective.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134295274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soft Frequency Reuse Based Spectrum Sharing Scheme in the Integrated Satellite and Terrestrial Network","authors":"Mingchuan Yang, G. Xue, Bin Xie, Yingzhe Dou","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2022.783343","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2022.783343","url":null,"abstract":"The integrated satellite and terrestrial network has become one of the frontier technologies of the next generation mobile communication system. The satellite network is used as an extension and supplement of the ground network to achieve seamless coverage of wireless mobile communications. The spectrum sharing of the integrated satellite and terrestrial network is realized from the perspective of spectrum planning, considering the number of co-frequency terminals and the distance between the terminal and the center of the satellite beam. The existing spectrum sharing schemes use the concept of geographic isolation, which will limit the available bandwidth of the terrestrial network. Therefore, the concept of time domain isolation is proposed, and a soft frequency reuse based spectrum sharing scheme in the integrated satellite and terrestrial network is designed. The allocation of time slots increases the degree of spectrum isolation and improves the signal to interference ratio of the network. In addition, due to the increase in the utilization rate of the satellite spectrum, the capacity of the satellite system is improved.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"214 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122825882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ET-Class: An Energy Transfer-Based Classification of Space Debris Removal Methods and Missions","authors":"B. Yalçın, Carol L. Martinez, Maxime Hubert Delisle, Gonzalo Rodriguez, James Q. Zheng, M. Olivares-Méndez","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2022.792944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2022.792944","url":null,"abstract":"Space debris is positioned as a fatal problem for current and future space missions. Many effective space debris removal methods have been proposed in the past decade, and several techniques have been either tested on the ground or in parabolic flight experiments. Nevertheless, no uncooperative debris has been removed from any orbit until this moment. Therefore, to expand this research field and progressing the development of space debris removal technologies, this paper reviews and compares the existing technologies with past, present, and future methods and missions. Moreover, since one of the critical problems when designing space debris removal solutions is how to transfer the energy between the chaser/de-orbiting kit and target during the first interaction, this paper proposes a novel classification approach, named ET-Class (Energy Transfer Class). This classification approach provides an energy-based perspective to the space debris phenomenon by classifying how existing methods dissipate or store energy during the first contact.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128287663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microfluidics and Macrofluidics in Space: ISS-Proven Fluidic Transport and Handling Concepts","authors":"Job Nijhuis, Svenja Schmidt, N. Tran, V. Hessel","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2021.779696","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.779696","url":null,"abstract":"Fluid transport and handling in extraterrestrial conditions, i.e. microgravity, require significantly different system engineering than here on Earth. On Earth, a notable part of fluid processing units inherently relies on buoyancy to transport and handle fluids. In space, however, buoyancy effects are negligible due to the strong diminishment of gravity, resulting in the domination of surface tension forces. Surface tension forces are also dominating micro-scale processes in gravity, making microfluidics a promising technology for fluidic transport and handling in microgravity. Recently, three different microfluidics-suitable fluid behavior phenomena have been studied on the ISS that might further facilitate the manipulation of fluids in space: capillary-driven flow, thermocapillary Marangoni forces, and electrolytic gas evolution-driven flow. Furthermore, attention is drawn for strategies to eliminate unwanted bubbles from liquid bodies in space, as they can damage sensitive equipment: Mesh-screen capillarity and open wedge channels have been identified as promising approaches. Finally, the relevance of fluid handling in space is illustrated with everyday activities during space missions, such as drinking, plant watering, and gathering biometric data.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132728656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) for a Future Europa Lander Mission","authors":"W. Brinckerhoff, P. Willis, A. Ricco, D. Kaplan, R. Danell, A. Grubisic, M. Mora, J. Creamer, A. Noell, J. Stern, C. Szopa, C. Freissinet, F. Kehl, Konstantin O. Zamuruyev, Conner Castle, J. Spring, Tomas Drevinskas, M. Badescu, M. S. Ferreira Santos, E. Jaramillo, F. V. van Amerom, Xiang Li, Marco Castillo, J. Eigenbrode, B. Theiling, R. Quinn, F. Stalport, A. Buch, K. Zacny","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2021.760927","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.760927","url":null,"abstract":"The Europan Molecular Indicators of Life Investigation (EMILI) is an instrument concept being developed for the Europa Lander mission currently under study. EMILI will meet and exceed the scientific and technical/resource requirements of the organic composition analyzer identified as a core instrument on the Lander. EMILI tightly couples two complementary analytical techniques, based on 1) liquid extraction and processing with capillary electrophoresis and 2) thermal and chemical extraction with gas chromatography, to robustly detect, structurally characterize, and quantify the broadest range of organics and other Europan chemicals over widely-varying concentrations. Dual processing and analysis paths enable EMILI to perform a thorough characterization of potential molecular biosignatures and contextual compounds in collected surface samples. Here we present a summary of the requirements, design, and development status of EMILI with projected scientific opportunities on the Europa Lander as well as on other potential life detection missions seeking potential molecular biosignatures in situ.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123413982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing Laser-Structured Antimicrobial Surfaces Under Space Conditions: The Design of the ISS Experiment BIOFILMS","authors":"Katharina Siems, D. Müller, L. Maertens, A. Ahmed, R. Van Houdt, R. Mancinelli, Sandra I. Baur, Kristina Brix, R. Kautenburger, N. Caplin, Jutta Krause, R. Demets, M. Vukich, Alessandra Tortora, C. Roesch, Gudrun Holland, M. Laue, F. Mücklich, R. Moeller","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2021.773244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.773244","url":null,"abstract":"Maintaining crew health and safety are essential goals for long-term human missions to space. Attaining these goals requires the development of methods and materials for sustaining the crew’s health and safety. Paramount is microbiological monitoring and contamination reduction. Microbial biofilms are of special concern, because they can cause damage to spaceflight equipment and are difficult to eliminate due to their increased resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants. The introduction of antimicrobial surfaces for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial purposes has shown a unique potential for reducing and preventing biofilm formation. This article describes the development process of ESA’s BIOFILMS experiment, that will evaluate biofilm formation on various antimicrobial surfaces under spaceflight conditions. These surfaces will be composed of different metals with and without specified surface texture modifications. Staphylococcus capitis subsp. capitis, Cupriavidus metallidurans and Acinetobacter radioresistens are biofilm forming organisms that have been chosen as model organisms. The BIOFILMS experiment will study the biofilm formation potential of these organisms in microgravity on the International Space Station on inert surfaces (stainless steel AISI 304) as well as antimicrobial active copper (Cu) based metals that have undergone specific surface modification by Ultrashort Pulsed Direct Laser Interference Patterning (USP-DLIP). Data collected in 1 x g has shown that these surface modifications enhance the antimicrobial activity of Cu based metals. In the scope of this, the interaction between the surfaces and bacteria, which is highly determined by topography and surface chemistry, will be investigated. The data generated will be indispensable for the future selection of antimicrobial materials in support of human- and robotic-associated activities in space exploration.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128585403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Micro-Bioreactors in Space: Case Study of a Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Bioreactor With a Non-Invasive Monitoring Method","authors":"T. Granata, B. Rattenbacher, G. John","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2021.773814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.773814","url":null,"abstract":"Bioreactors in space have applications from basic science to microbial factories. Monitoring bioreactors in microgravity has challenges with respect to fluidics, aeration, sensor size, sample volume and disturbance of medium and cultures. We present a case study of the development of small bioreactors and a non-invasive method to monitor dissolved oxygen, pH, and biomass of yeast cultures. Two different bioreactor configurations were tested for system volumes of 60 ml and 10.5 ml. For both configurations, the PreSens SFR vario, an optical sensor array, collected data autonomously. Oxygen and pH in the cultures were monitored using chemically doped spots, 7 mm in diameter, that were fixed to the bottom of sampling chambers. Spots emitted a fluorescent signal for DO and pH when reacted with oxygen molecules and hydrogen ions, respectively. Biomass was sensed using light reflectance at centered at 605 nm. The, optical array had three light detectors, one for each variable, that returned signals that were pre- and post-calibrated. For heterotrophic cultures requiring oxygen and respiring carbon dioxide, a hollow fiber filter, in-line with the optical array, oxygenated cells and remove carbon dioxide. This provided oxygen levels that were sufficient to maintain aerobic respiration for steady state conditions. Time series of yeast metabolism in the two bioreactors are compared and discussed. The bioreactor configurations can be easily be modified for autotrophic cultures such that carbon dioxide is enhanced and oxygen removed, which would be required for photosynthetic algal cultures.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133642601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and Validation of a Device for Mitigating Fluid Microgravity Effects in Biological Research in Canister Spaceflight Hardware","authors":"W. Nicholson, P. Fajardo-Cavazos, C. Turner, Taylor M. Currie, G. Gregory, T. Jurca, M. Weislogel","doi":"10.3389/frspt.2021.797518","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2021.797518","url":null,"abstract":"The major factor influencing the behavior of microbes growing in liquids in space is microgravity. We recently measured the transcriptomic response of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis to the microgravity environment inside the International Space Station (ISS) in spaceflight hardware called Biological Research in Canisters-Petri Dish Fixation Units (BRIC-PDFUs). In two separate experiments in the ISS, dubbed BRIC-21 and BRIC-23, we grew multiple replicates of the same B. subtilis strain in the same hardware, growth medium, and temperature with matching ground control samples (npj Micrograv. 5:1.2019, doi: 10.1038/s41526-018-0061-0). In both experiments we observed similar responses of the transcriptome to spaceflight. However, we also noted that the liquid cultures assumed a different configuration in microgravity (a toroidal shape) compared with the ground control samples (a flat disc shape), leading us to question whether the transcriptome differences we observed were a direct result of microgravity, or a secondary result of the different liquid geometries of the samples affecting, for example, oxygen availability. To mitigate the influence of microgravity on liquid geometry in BRIC canisters, we have designed an insert to replace the standard 60-mm Petri dish in BRIC-PDFU or BRIC-LED sample compartments. In this design, liquid cultures are expected to assume a more disk-like configuration regardless of gravity or its absence. We have: (i) constructed a prototype device by 3D printing; (ii) evaluated different starting materials, treatments, and coatings for their wettability (i.e., hydrophilicity) using contact angle measurements; (iii) confirmed that the device performs as designed by drop-tower testing and; (iv) performed material biocompatibility studies using liquid cultures of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Future microgravity testing of the device in the ISS is planned.","PeriodicalId":137674,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Space Technologies","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131777189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}