The space station and Mars

This article presents a plan for reconfiguring the US-international Space Station, which could be used to undertake exploration of Mars. The author believes that there is an urgent need to give a unified purpose to the US Shuttle, Space Station and space science activities, and that planning for an international Mars sample return mission along the lines outlined here could start the US space programme moving again within budgetary requirements.     

Biomedical problems of EVA support during manned space flight to Mars

Current projects of manned missions to Mars are aimed to their realization in the second-third decades of this century. The purpose of this paper is to determine and review the main biomedical problems, that require a first and foremost decision for safety support of extravehicular activity (EVA) carried out by crewmembers of the Mars expedition. To a number of such problems the authors of the paper attribute a creation of adequate EVA equipment intended, first, for assembly of interplanetary spacecraft on the Earth orbit, performance of maintenance operations and scientific researches on the external surface of spacecraft during interplanetary flight and, secondly, for work on the Mars surface. New generation of space suits with low weight, high mobility and acceptable risk of decompression sickness must be as a central component of EVA equipment. The program for preparation to a Mars expedition also has to include special investigations in order to design the means and methods for a reliable protection of crew against space radiation, to elaborate the approach to medical monitoring and primary medical care during autonomous space mission, to maintain good health condition of crewmembers during EVA under the Mars gravity (0.38 g) after super long-term flight in weightlessness.     

Meditations on the new space vision: the Moon as a stepping stone to Mars

The Vision for Space Exploration invokes activities on the Moon in preparation for exploration of Mars and also directs International Space Station (ISS) research toward the same goal. Lunar missions will emphasize development of capability and concomitant reduction of risk for future exploration of Mars. Earlier papers identified three critical issues related to the so-called NASA Mars Design Reference Mission (MDRM) to be addressed in the lunar context: (a) safety, health, and performance of the human crew; (b) various modalities of mission operations ranging surface activities to logistics, planning, and navigation; and (c) reliability and maintainability of systems in the planetary environment. In simple terms, lunar expeditions build a résumé that demonstrates the ability to design, construct, and operate an enterprise such as the MDRM with an expectation of mission success. We can evolve from Apollo-like missions to ones that resemble the complexity and duration of the MDRM. Investment in lunar resource utilization technologies falls naturally into the Vision. NASA must construct an exit strategy from the Moon in the third decade. With a mandate for continuing exploration, it cannot assume responsibility for long-term operation of lunar assets. Therefore, NASA must enter into a partnership with some other entity--governmental, international, or commercial--that can responsibly carry on lunar development past the exploration phase.     

Cooperation and dialogical modeling for designing a safe Human space exploration mission to Mars

This paper proposes an approach for a complex and innovative project requiring international contributions from different communities of knowledge and expertise. Designing a safe and reliable architecture for a manned mission to Mars or the Asteroids necessitates strong cooperation during the early stages of design to prevent and reduce risks for the astronauts at each step of the mission. The stake during design is to deal with the contradictions, antagonisms and paradoxes of the involved partners for the definition and modeling of a shared project of reference. As we see in our research which analyses the cognitive and social aspects of technological risks in major accidents, in such a project, the complexity of the global organization (during design and use) and the integration of a wide and varie d range of sciences and innovative technologies is likely to increase systemic risks as follows: human and cultural mistakes, potential defaults, failures and accidents. We identify as the main danger antiquated centralized models of organization and the operational limits of interdisciplinarity in the sciences. Beyond this, we can see that we need to take carefully into account human cooperation and the quality of relations between heterogeneous partners. Designing an open, self-learning and reliable exploration system able to self-adapt in dangerous and unforeseen situations implies a collective networked intelligence led by a safe process that organizes interaction between the actors and the aims of the project. Our work, supported by the CNES (French Space Agency), proposes an innovative approach to the coordination of a complex project.     

基于阳光泵浦激光技术的空间光通信研究综述

对基于太阳光泵浦激光技术的空间光通信研究进行了综述。介绍了太阳光泵浦激光技术在空间光通信领域的研究进展,总结了不同类型太阳光泵浦激光技术在系统设计中存在的优缺点。对于太阳光泵浦激光技术,较高能量转换效率潜力是其空间应用的重要优势,详述了太阳光泵浦激光技术中主要的能量转换环节及其影响因素等问题。为提高空间“太阳光-激光”转换效率,提出了一种太阳光泵浦光纤激光技术的设计方法,论述了其研究进展、应用前景及目前存在的问题。最后,结合该设计方法的仿真结果及效能预期提出未来重点研究的几个方向,如高效率太阳光会聚至光纤、多稀土离子掺杂增益光纤等。     

The European space exploration programme: current status of ESA's plans for Moon and Mars exploration

After a large consultation with the scientific and industrial communities in Europe, the Aurora Space Exploration Programme was unanimously approved at the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at ministerial level in Edinburgh in 2001. This marked the start of the programme's preparation phase that was due to finish by the end of 2004. Aurora features technology development robotic and crewed rehearsal missions aimed at preparing a human mission to Mars by 2033. Due to the evolving context, both international and European, ESA has undertaken a review of the goals and approach of its exploration programme. While maintaining the main robotic missions that had been conceived during Aurora, the European Space Exploration Programme that is currently being proposed to the Aurora participating states and other ESA Member States has a reviewed approach and will feature a greater synergy with other ESA programmes. The paper will present the process that led to the revision of ESA's plans in the field of exploration and will give the current status of the programme.     

美国自由飞行太空机器人发展分析

近年,美国自由飞行太空机器人发展呈现出持续进步、领先其他国家初步实现工程应用的活跃发展态势.归纳总结了美国自由飞行太空机器人的主要发展现状、特点、发展方向和几点认识.主要结论包括:服务保障类率先实现工程应用,在轨制造与装配类即将在轨验证,全球首套共识性无人在轨操作标准制定完成;未来将向多机器人自主协同作业、操控非合作目...     

The ethics of treading on Neil Armstrong''s footprints

The Moon landings of the Apollo programme irrevocably changed the way we see ourselves. Most significantly, this was the first time that humans had set foot on a celestial body other than Earth. The program has left a number of sites on the Moon as well as on Earth. While the management of the sites and artefacts on Earth is fairly straightforward as they are subject to national heritage legislation, it is not so simple with the sites and artefacts on the lunar surface. Moreover, the sites on the Moon differ in one unique aspect from all other heritage sites on Earth: the absence of a lunar atmosphere of any note means that all foot- and track prints of the astronauts are preserved providing a total record of the pioneering phases of human exploration of the Moon. The nascent developments of space tourism, including proposals for lunar heritage tourism, however, threaten the preservation of these traces on the Moon. This paper discusses the terrestrial and in particular the extraterrestrial heritage of the Apollo programme. Set out are the management ethics that need to apply on the lunar surface if this unique heritage is to have a future.     

Magnetotactic bacteria on Earth and on Mars

Continued interest in the possibility of evidence for life in the ALH84001 Martian meteorite has focused on the magnetite crystals. This review is structured around three related questions: is the magnetite in ALH84001 of biological or non-biological origin, or a mixture of both? does magnetite on Earth provide insight to the plausibility of biogenic magnetite on Mars? could magnetotaxis have developed on Mars? There are credible arguments for both the biological and non-biological origin of the magnetite in ALH84001, and we suggest that more studies of ALH84001, extensive laboratory simulations of non-biological magnetite formation, as well as further studies of magnetotactic bacteria on Earth will be required to further address this question. Magnetite grains produced by bacteria could provide one of the few inorganic traces of past bacterial life on Mars that could be recovered from surface soils and sediments. If there was biogenic magnetite on Mars in sufficient abundance to leave fossil remains in the volcanic rocks of ALH84001, then it is likely that better-preserved magnetite will be found in sedimentary deposits on Mars. Deposits in ancient lakebeds could contain well-preserved chains of magnetite clearly indicating a biogenic origin.     

深度学习技术在空间激光通信中的应用

与射频通信相比,空间激光通信具有传输速率高、保密性能强、终端功耗低等优点,目前已成为当前通信领域的一个研究热点。同时,空间激光通信也面临着一些严峻的技术挑战,如大气湍流导致空间激光通信的信道情况十分复杂,复杂的信道会引发信号光强度起伏剧烈,信标光跟踪与瞄准困难,接收端的信号光场波前畸变严重等。为了提升空间激光通信在复杂信道环境中的性能,学者们将深度学习技术引入到空间激光通信系统中。多项研究表明,深度学习在空间激光通信的诸多方面表现出了优越的信息处理能力。对近年来深度学习技术在空间激光通信信号处理与检测,信标光捕获与跟踪以及波前畸变探测与校正等方面的应用做一全面梳理,并对用于空间激光通信的深度学习技术的前景进行展望。     

Space Tweetup – from a participant to a Mars Tweetup organizer and a new format of space communication

In September 2011, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Space Agency (DLR) organized the first European SpaceTweetup during the German Aerospace day. One of the authors was one of 60 participants at this SpaceTweetup in Cologne and experienced the concept of a Tweetup and the engagement of the participants from the inside view.     

中国志愿者王跃实验日志独家披露 “登陆”火星的心路历程

2011年2月2日这个世界总是有很多事情是因为巧合而赶到一起。今天是中国的除夕夜,也是我们打开EU50舱门的重要日子。大家都很激动——除了我。不晓得什么时候开始,当然我指的是进舱之后的变化了。很少,很少有能让我很激动很兴奋的事情了。即使今天是咱们中国人最重要的节日,似乎心情也只是淡淡的没有波澜。唯一有点儿好奇的是,EU50里面现在是个什么样子。答案是——塞满了。整个50立方米的登陆舱中塞满了物品,包括在厕所、床底、抽屉甚至地板下     

Orbital manoeuvres of free flying platforms for retrieval by space shuttle

In a typical future mission a free flying platform will be released to space by Space Shuttle. After performing its active mission, it will have to wait for a suitable later Shuttle flight for retrieval at its original orbital altitude. To allow for the orbital descent during the total mission time of typically several months, one or several orbit raise manoeuvres have to be performed with the platform's own propulsion system. In the paper, the velocity-requirements Δv for these orbital transfers, depending on Sun activity, rendezvous-altitude, ballistic coefficient and longest expected mission time are treated.The simplest manoeuvre, consisting of one initial ascent transfer and one descent transfer at the actual retrieval date, is shown to be not optimal. Up to 25% of Δv can be saved, if several orbit raising transfers in a certain sequence are applied. A straightforward analytical treatment is presented for the optimization, while a computer program with the CIRA-atmosphere model is used for actual mission planning.     

火星着陆器扶正展开动力学研究

火星着陆技术是实现对火星探测的关键技术。文章通过对四面体着陆器展开过程进行深入研究,提出了一种应用于四面体火星着陆器扶正展开的方法,并对该方法进行了详细的分析和计算;通过火星着陆器扶正展开动力学的分析,提出了扶正展开系统的动作策略,对实现扶正展开的姿态确认进行了分析和设计;基于Hamilton法建立了扶正展开着陆器的动力学模型,对多姿态下扶正展开执行器的动力学特性进行了分析,获得了扶正及展开过程中的力矩特性,从而可以对翻转动作进行定量的分析,实现翻转能量的最小化。该研究对于火星着陆器的设计具有参考意义。     

NASA宣布在月球和火星上发现水

NASA于9月24日宣布其科学家已在月球极区发现了水分子，并宣布在火星中纬度地区新形成的陨石坑内发现了水冰。这两项发现发表在次日出版的《科学》杂志上。     

火星表面辐射环境分析

火星表面没有全球性磁场保护,存在较强的辐射环境。文章基于Mars-GRAM模型和MCD模型的火星大气数据、“海盗号”（Viking Lander 1/2）及“探路者号”（Pathfinder）等测量得到的火星土壤数据、银河宇宙射线环境（CREME 96模型）以及太阳宇宙射线环境（1989年10月太阳事件）,采用基于GEANT4的粒子输运方法,分析得到了火星表面辐射环境;并与“好奇号”火星车辐射评价探测器（Radiation Assessment Detector,RAD）实测值进行了比较。结果显示：次级伽马光子和中子通量分析值与实测值偏差不超过50%,辐射剂量分析值与实测值偏差不超过5%。火星表面辐射环境可用于分析航天员在不同位置处遭遇的人体剂量,作为载人火星任务着陆点数据参考。     

The photochemical stability of carbonates on Mars

Carbonates, predominately MgCO3, have been spectroscopically identified at a level of 2-5% in martian dust. However, in spite of this observation, and a large number of climate studies that suggest 1 to several bars of CO2 should be sequestered in carbonate rocks, no outcrop-scale exposures of carbonate have been detected anywhere on Mars to date. To address one hypothesis for this long-standing puzzle, the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light on the stability of calcium carbonate in a simulated martian atmosphere was experimentally investigated. Using 13C-labeled calcite, we found no experimental evidence of the UV photodecomposition of calcium carbonate in a simulated martian atmosphere. Extrapolating the lower limit of detection of our experimental system to an upper limit of carbonate decomposition on Mars yields a quantum efficiency of 3.5 x 10(-8) molecules/photon over the wavelength interval of 190-390 nm and a maximum UV photodecomposition rate of 1.2 x 10(-13) kg m(-2) s(-1) from a calcite surface. The maximum loss of bulk calcite due to this process would be 2.5 nm year(-1) (Mars year). However, calcite is expected to be thermodynamically stable on the surface of Mars, and potential UV photodecomposition reaction mechanisms indicate that, though calcium carbonate may decompose under vacuum, it would be stable in a CO2 atmosphere. Given the expected stability of carbonate on Mars and our inability to detect carbonate decomposition, we conclude that it is unlikely that the apparent absence of extensive carbonate deposits on the martian surface is due to UV photodecomposition in the current environment.     

Feasibility of rocket propellant production on Mars

In situ production of rocket propellant to reduce landed mass requirements for Mars return missions has been investigated. The analysis has shown that a system which utilizes atmospheric carbon dioxide and soil moisture to produce liquid methane-oxygen propellant requires a landed mass which is less than half the mass of the ascent vehicle it produces.