空间系绳系统安全性研究综述

Comprehensive review of the safety of the space tether system

系绳技术在空间探测与航天技术领域相较于现有空间技术具有很大优势,随着空间系绳技术的快速发展,其安全性越来越得到关注。首先从理论研究及空间试验两方面对系绳系统安全性的研究现状进行了总结,分析了空间试验的失败原因。其次,详细描述了影响系绳系统安全性的几个因素——空间环境、系绳材料、编制结构、涂层材料及释放机构的设计。最后提出了提升系绳系统安全性的方法,并对系绳系统安全性的研究热点及发展趋势进行了预测。

The paper is aimed at offering a comprehensive review of the safety of the space tether system. For the said purpose,we have first of all summarized the research advances of the safety of the space tether system from the point of the theoretical research and the space experiments,with an analysis of some likely-to-be failure-resulting causes of such experiments. After that,we have made a description of some factors that may influence the safety of the space tether technology in detail,such as the space environment,the tether material,the braid structure,the coated tether material and the design of the tether deployment system. In a complicated and complex space-exploration environment,space debris,solar radiation and the atomic oxygen are three major factors that may affect the safety of the space tether system. The current space environment,consisting of man-made debris and micrometeoroids,tends to impose great risks to the space tether system. Tether tends always to bring about severe risks for the space explorers due to the collisions of debris. Seeing the actual dangerous risks involved,we would like to introduce a few kinds of tether materials to meet the actual necessities. And,as a matter of fact,different materials are endowed with different properties;therefore,proper selection of tether materials depends on the actual demands of the actual space exploration missions. The braid structure of the tether has also had a great impact on its safety.For example,the double-strand tether,hoytether and the composite structure tether shall be described in a detailed way in this paper. More complicated braid structure shall be endowed with greater and stronger survivability,yet they may also demand higher expensive and time-consuming preparation process. For example,some studies indicate that,atomic oxygen tends to erode most organic materials so far used for the space costumes making.Therefore,in order to reduce the harm of atomic oxygen erosion,the commonest method is to cover the tether with coating substances. In this connection,we would like to introduce the multiple atomic oxygen resistant coating substances and propose several critical demands the coating materials ought to come up to meet for the orbit flight. Such critical demands may include low weight penalty,high flexibility,abrasion resistance,UV radiation tolerance,and high-grade durability in the circumstances of the highthermal cycling. What is more,great attention has also to be paid to the space tether deployment,which is composed of spool core,canister,brake and tether cutter. Thus,so far,we have illustrated the corresponding functions of each component,with the problems deserving attention well discussed in the deployment design.In conclusion,we have also proposed some ways to improve the safety of the space tether system, predicting some research hotspots on the safety of space tether system and the trend for future development in the area.