空间站轨道高度选择

SPACE STATION ORBIT ALTITUDE SELECTION

有许多因素影响空间站轨道高度的选择,包括:任务要求,辐射环境,微流星和空间垃圾,空间站构型,运载器能力,发射窗口以及空间站的补给要求等。从补给运输系统性能考虑,要求空间站的轨道高度低一些,但是从轨道维持出发,希望空间站轨道高度高一些。该文讨论了补给、轨道维持和太阳活动对轨道高度的影响,给出了空间站的最佳运行高度。文中还以载人飞船和航天飞机为运输系统进行了数值计算,得到的主要结论是空间站的最佳运行高度不是常数,而是随着太阳活动情况和补给频繁次数变化。在太阳活动高年期间,空间站轨道高度应提高。当空间站的补给次数增加时,空间站的最佳运行高度应该下降。

There are many factors which influence the selection of spacestation orbit,such as mission requirements,radiation environment,meteoroid/debris environment,configuration of space station,vehiclecapability,launch window and logistics demands of space station.The resupply delivery system performance for space station generally tendsto favor lower orbit altitude,but the orbit maintenance requires higher alti-tude.This paper describes the effects of resupply,orbit maintenance and solaractivity on the orbit altitude,and presents the optimum operation altitudesof space station.It's also calculated two numeral examples for mannedspacecraft delivery system and shuttle delivery system.The main conclusion is that the optimum orbit altitude of space station isnot constant.It varies with the solar activity,delivery system and trafficlevels.During period of high solar activity,the orbit altitude should be adjustedupward.As the traffic levels to space station are increased,the optimumoperation altitude should be lower.