Acta Astronautica最新文献

Research in innovative mesh wheel with bionic wheel surfaces and lugs for superior lunar rover performance

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.062

Liangliang Zhao, Rui Zhang, Yupei Du, Guifen Zhou, Lige Wen, Hua Zhang

{"title":"Research in innovative mesh wheel with bionic wheel surfaces and lugs for superior lunar rover performance","authors":"Liangliang Zhao, Rui Zhang, Yupei Du, Guifen Zhou, Lige Wen, Hua Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.062","url":null,"abstract":"As lunar exploration progressed, unmanned lunar rovers encountered harsher and more variable working environments, increasingly complex operating conditions, and greater exploration range requirements. Existing unmanned lunar mesh wheels could not meet the demands of future lunar missions, which required higher traction performance, greater reliability, and lower power consumption. In this study, inspired by the functional characteristics of ostrich toes, we designed a bionic wheel and a comparison wheel. By interchanging the wheel surfaces and lugs (grousers), four types of mesh wheels (Wheels 1–4) were developed and tested. Various loads and slip ratios were applied to investigate how the surface shape of the mesh wheel and the shape of its lugs influenced traction performance and enhanced overall traction. The test results indicated that Wheel 1 outperformed the other wheels in terms of traction performance under the specified conditions and demonstrated greater energy efficiency at lower slip ratios. This led the compacted particles beneath the bionic wheel surface to generate a lateral forward reaction force, thereby propelling the wheel. This caused the compacted particles beneath the bionic wheel surface to generate a lateral forward reaction force, thereby propelling the wheel forward. The bionic lugs operated on a similar principle; however, their contribution to traction was less significant than that of the bionic wheel surface. The innovative design of the wheel surface and lugs effectively addressed the limitations of existing lunar mesh wheel structures.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142925310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Development of a compact solar array drive assembly based on ultrasonic motor for deep space micro-nano satellites

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.061

Xiaoniu Li, Xinjian Li, Lingfeng Tang, Zheng Yang, Lin Yang

{"title":"Development of a compact solar array drive assembly based on ultrasonic motor for deep space micro-nano satellites","authors":"Xiaoniu Li, Xinjian Li, Lingfeng Tang, Zheng Yang, Lin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.061","url":null,"abstract":"With the diversification and multifunctionality of space missions, micro-nano satellites need to carry more payloads in deep space orbits with harsh lighting conditions. Traditional built-in batteries and fixed deployable solar wings offer limited energy, making it difficult to meet these demands. Although solar wing drive mechanisms powered by stepper motors and harmonic reducers improve power output, their large size, weight, and complexity render them unsuitable for micro-nano satellites. This paper presents a solar array drive assembly driven by an ultrasonic motor, designed for micro-nano satellites operating in the halo orbit at the Lagrange L2 point of the Earth-Moon system. This design addresses the need for miniaturization and lightweight construction while enhancing energy supply. Key components, including the yaw axis pointing mechanism, solar panel assembly, angular displacement detection, energy transmission system, and ultrasonic motor, are optimized for size and weight reduction. To identify the optimal energy-saving drive method, a dynamic model of the SADA system is established, and a novel low-power driving method for the ultrasonic motor-driven solar wing is proposed. A prototype with a volume of less than 0.5U and a mass under 0.2 kg was fabricated. Experimental results show that the output torque of the ultrasonic motor exceeds 0.0581 N m, with the number of driving signal cycles <ce:italic>n</ce:italic> positively correlated with the total rotation angle <ce:italic>θ</ce:italic> of the solar wing. When <ce:italic>n</ce:italic> = 1000 and the interval time <ce:italic>T</ce:italic><ce:inf loc=\"post\"><ce:italic>m</ce:italic></ce:inf> = 1.35 h, the mechanism achieves its lowest energy consumption cost, allowing the solar wing to operate at 12.1° per day, saving over 23.8 % of energy compared to continuous drive methods.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142925311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Characterization of a Phase Change Propellant Management Device

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.035

Samuel T. Hart, E. Glenn Lightsey, Álvaro Romero-Calvo

{"title":"Characterization of a Phase Change Propellant Management Device","authors":"Samuel T. Hart, E. Glenn Lightsey, Álvaro Romero-Calvo","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.035","url":null,"abstract":"CubeSat propulsion imposes unique propellant management issues. The requisite form factor often necessitates conformal tank geometries and high-density two-phase propellants. Fluid management in these saturated propellant systems cannot generally be accomplished using conventional capillary devices, and current state-of-the-art alternatives are comparatively large. Recently, approaches based on thermal phase change have been proposed. In these phase change propellant management devices (PMDs), the propellant is vaporized in one portion of the tank through the application of heat and condensed in cooler portions due to increased pressure. Experimental results presented here show that ullage bubbles can be repositioned in a thermally insulative nylon tank using less than 5 W of input power. Test data and models indicate that the thermal conductivity of the tank has a significant effect on the efficiency of a phase change PMD when the heat source makes direct contact with the wall. The position of the heater is also shown to have a major impact on performance. Appropriate heater positioning could allow phase change PMDs to be used in tanks constructed of any material in microgravity.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142925286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Multidisciplinary design and metamodel assisted optimization for a telecommunication satellite with large-size payload

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-31 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.042

Renhe Shi, Xinhui Tai, Teng Long, Nianhui Ye, Fuxiang Dong

{"title":"Multidisciplinary design and metamodel assisted optimization for a telecommunication satellite with large-size payload","authors":"Renhe Shi, Xinhui Tai, Teng Long, Nianhui Ye, Fuxiang Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.042","url":null,"abstract":"With the increasing demands for high-speed data transmission and global communication, GEO telecommunication satellites with large-size antenna payload have attracted much attention nowadays. To address the challenge of effective system design, this paper proposes a metamodel assisted multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) framework for a Large-size Payload Telecommunication Satellite (LSP-TS). In the framework, the LSP-TS MDO problem is formulated to minimize the total system mass subject to several practical engineering constraints. Considering the interconnected relationship between the large-size payload and the satellite platform, the analysis models of satellite geometry configuration, power, attitude control, structure, GEO station-keeping, orbital transfer, and mass disciplines are established. To reduce the computational cost, an adaptive Kriging method using Pareto fitness-based sampling (AKM-PFS) is proposed as the optimizer integrated with the satellite MDO framework. In this approach, the Kriging metamodels of LSP-TS system are constructed and adaptively refined for optimization via exploring the Pareto frontier of objective and constraints, which leads the search to the feasible optimized satellite system design efficiently. After optimization, the total system mass is reduced by 318.53 kg (8.87 %) compared with the initial solution where all constraints being satisfied. Moreover, the optimization solution of the proposed AKM-PFS is further discussed to illustrate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed method.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142929277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Reconstruction of in-orbit breakup events over the long term

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-31 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.053

Andrea Muciaccia, Matteo Romano, Mirko Trisolini, Camilla Colombo

引用次数: 0

One-axis magnetic attitude control for short-term high-accuracy pointing

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-25 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.047

Anna Drobysheva, Stepan Tkachev, Dmitry Roldugin

引用次数: 0

Dynamic modeling and attitude maneuver control on SO(3) for spacecraft with large flexible appendages

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.025

Lei Zhang, Hui Ren, TengFei Yuan, Wei Fan

{"title":"Dynamic modeling and attitude maneuver control on SO(3) for spacecraft with large flexible appendages","authors":"Lei Zhang, Hui Ren, TengFei Yuan, Wei Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.025","url":null,"abstract":"The large inertia and high flexibility of large appendages in the flexible spacecraft pose significant challenges for dynamic modeling and achieving high-precision attitude control. This paper focuses on the attitude-tracking problem of spacecraft equipped with large flexible appendages and novel dynamic modeling and attitude maneuver control methods are developed. An accurate high-order dynamic model is established using the referenced nodal coordinate formulation and an associated model reduction technique is proposed to obtain a low-order model that can capture geometric nonlinearity due to large deformations. A high-precision attitude maneuver controller for flexible spacecraft is designed in SO(3) space by introducing model-based flexible compensation terms, which can be conveniently integrated into traditional attitude control algorithms such as PD and sliding mode controllers. A linear modal observer is designed to reduce difficulty during implementation. Two common flexible spacecraft systems are investigated to demonstrate the performance of the proposed modeling and attitude control approaches. Results indicate that accurate modeling of flexible appendages not only affects their dynamic characteristics but also significantly influences the overall attitude dynamics of the spacecraft. The proposed control approach can significantly improve control accuracy and achieve high-precision attitude tracking even in the presence of large deformations.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"125 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142874790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Removal efficiency for size-sorted particles of lunar regolith simulant using an electrodynamic dust shield 利用电动防尘罩清除月球碎屑模拟物中大小不同的颗粒的效率

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.026

Masato Adachi, Ryudai Nitano

{"title":"Removal efficiency for size-sorted particles of lunar regolith simulant using an electrodynamic dust shield","authors":"Masato Adachi, Ryudai Nitano","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.026","url":null,"abstract":"Mitigation of lunar regolith particles is one of the challenges for the success of future lunar exploration, and an electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) presents a promising solution. Although a wide range of investigations have been conducted on the cleaning of lunar regolith and its simulants using EDS, the effects of particle size on cleaning performance have not been experimentally investigated in depth. In this study, we conducted EDS cleaning experiments using simulant particles sorted into different size ranges, with the aid of force balance calculations that vary with particle size. The experimental and calculated results reveal a clear trend: the cleaning performance of simulant particles smaller than 25 μm and larger than 250 μm deteriorated owing to the adhesion force of small particles and the dielectrophoresis and gravitational forces of large particles, respectively. In addition, observations of particle motion using a high-speed camera confirmed the role of dielectrophoresis and Coulomb forces on regolith simulants of various sizes during cleaning. In the effects of the dielectrophoresis force on larger particles, the interactions of polarized particles were clearly visible, resulting in the creation of particle chains and the trapping of particles on the substrate surface of EDS.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142825353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Americium fuelled radioisotope stirling generator for lunar surface mobility systems 用于月球表面移动系统的镅燃料放射性同位素搅拌发电机

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.001

Ramy Mesalam, Paul C. Schmitz, Hannah M. Sargeant, Elizabeth R. Turnbull, Alessandra Barco, Scott Wilson, Jesse Stuck, Emily Jane Watkinson, Steven R. Oleson, Richard Ambrosi

{"title":"Americium fuelled radioisotope stirling generator for lunar surface mobility systems","authors":"Ramy Mesalam, Paul C. Schmitz, Hannah M. Sargeant, Elizabeth R. Turnbull, Alessandra Barco, Scott Wilson, Jesse Stuck, Emily Jane Watkinson, Steven R. Oleson, Richard Ambrosi","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) are an invaluable resource for the exploration of our Solar System. Providing both heat and electricity, spacecraft using RPS can operate where it is impractical to use solar arrays and/or battery systems because of either limited solar illumination or mission durations which make a standalone battery impractical. Dynamic Radioisotope Power System (DRPS) have been designed using the decay of Plutonium-238 (<ce:sup loc=\"post\">238</ce:sup>Pu) in the form of the General-Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) coupled with Stirling convertors, and Stirling-based generator technologies are being developed by NASA's RPS Program in an effort to realize high efficiency RPS. This paper describes the development of a new generator design based upon the European Large Heat Source (ELHS). The ELHS uses Americium-241 (<ce:sup loc=\"post\">241</ce:sup>Am) rather than <ce:sup loc=\"post\">238</ce:sup>Pu as the heat producing isotope. The ELHS dimensions and shapes were optimized for use with thermoelectric power conversion and are different compared to a Step-2 GPHS Module, which impact implementation into the DRPS generator design. This ELHS-DRPS design assumes that the ELHS would be coupled to the same Stirling convertors under development for existing GPHS-based DRPS designs. Trades are performed on the number of convertors, fin lengths, housing configuration and hot-end temperature. Finally, this ELHS-DRPS design is compared with the existing GPHS-DRPS generator design completed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, along with the advantages and disadvantages of using americium as a heat source for RPS.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Space situational awareness systems: Bridging traditional methods and artificial intelligence 空间态势感知系统：连接传统方法与人工智能

IF 3.5 2区物理与天体物理

Acta Astronautica Pub Date : 2024-12-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.11.025

Qianlei Jia, Jiaping Xiao, Lu Bai, Yuhang Zhang, Rangya Zhang, Mir Feroskhan

{"title":"Space situational awareness systems: Bridging traditional methods and artificial intelligence","authors":"Qianlei Jia, Jiaping Xiao, Lu Bai, Yuhang Zhang, Rangya Zhang, Mir Feroskhan","doi":"10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.11.025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.11.025","url":null,"abstract":"With the rapid increase of space activities and the accumulation of space debris, the existing space situational awareness systems (SSAS) is facing increasingly severe challenges. This paper analyzes traditional approaches and describes their limitations in dealing with complex space environments. To address these challenges, we explore the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in SSAS and its future development scenarios. This paper gives a detailed overview of the basic principles and applications of traditional SSAS, and highlights its limitations. We focus on the application of AI to orbit determination and orbit prediction, highlighting its potential to enhance system flexibility and adaptability. In addition, we present possible directions for the future development of AI technology in SSAS. By combining traditional methods with AI technologies, we can expect more efficient and intelligent systems that are able to adapt to complex space environments. Through this comprehensive perspective, this paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of SSAS and provide a valuable reference for future technological innovations and system upgrades.","PeriodicalId":44971,"journal":{"name":"Acta Astronautica","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0