Routing the asteroid surface vehicle with detailed mechanics

The motion of a surface vehicle on/above an irregular object is inv.estigated for a potential interest in the insitu explorations to asteroids of the solar system. A global valid numeric method, including detailed gravity and geo- morphology, is developed to mimic the behaviors of the test particles governed by the orbital equations and surface cou- pling effects. A general discussion on the surface mechanical environment of a specified asteroid, 1620 Geographos, is presented to make a global evaluation of the surface vehicle＇s working conditions. We show the connections between the natural trajectories near the ground and differential features of the asteroid surface, which describes both the good and bad of typical terrains from the viewpoint of vehicles＇ dynamic performances. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to take a further look at the trajectories of particles initializing near the surface. The simulations reveal consistent conclusions with the analysis, i.e., the open- field flat ground and slightly concave basins/valleys are the best choices for the vehicles＇ dynamical security. The dependence of decending trajectories on the releasing height is studied as an application; the results show that the pole direction （where the centrifugal force is zero） is the most stable direction in which the shift of a natural trajectory will be well limited after landing. We present this work as an example for pre-analysis that provides guidance to engineering design of the exploration site and routing the surface vehicles.

A survey on orbital dynamics and navigation of asteroid missions

Asteroid exploration is currently one of the most concerned topics among international space agencies. Or- bital dynamics and navigation are obviously crucial for asteroid exploration. This paper aims to give a brief review on the dynamics, control and navigation of asteroid reconnaissance orbits, including the heliocentric transfer orbit and near as- teroid orbit. The developments in optimization techniques of the transfer segment are discussed in detail. We surveyed global researches in this field and made comments on several important progresses. The final section proposed a prospec- tive of future studies with emphasis on the key techniques of these issues in the asteroid exploration missions.

Sensitivity analysis for a type of statically stable sailcrafts

Two types of sensitivities are proposed for stat- ically stable sailcrafts. One type is the sensitivities of solar-radiation-pressure force with respect to position of the center of mass, and the other type is the sensitivities of solar-radiation-pressure force with respect to attitude. The two types of sensitivities represent how the solar-radiation- pressure force changes with the position of mass center and the attitude. Sailcrafts with larger sensitivities undergo larger error of the solar-radiation-pressure force, leading to larger orbit error, as demonstrated by simulation. Then as a case study, detailed formulas are derived to calculate the sensi- tivities for sailcrafts with four triangular sails. According to these formulas, in order to reduce both types of sensitivities, the angle between opposed sails should not be too large, and the center of mass should be as close to the axis of symmetry of the four sails as possible and as far away from the center of pressure of the sailcraft as possible.

Motion planning for redundant prismatic-jointed manipulators in the free-floating mode

This paper investigates the motion planning of redundant free-floating manipulators with seven prismatic joints. On the earth, prismatic-jointed manipulators could only position their end-effectors in a desired way. However, in space, the end-effectors of free-floating manipulators can achieve both the desired orientation and desired position due to the dynamical coupling between manipulator and satellite movement, which is formally expressed by linear and angular momentum conservation laws. In this study, a tractable algorithm particle swarm optimization combined with differential evolution （PSODE） is provided to deal with the motion planning of redundant free-floating prismatic-jointed manipulators, which could avoid the pseudo inverse of the Jacobian matrix. The polynomial functions, as argument in sine functions are used to specify the joint paths. The co- efficients of the polynomials are optimized to achieve the desired end-effector orientation and position, and simulta- neously minimize the unit-mass-kinetic energy using the redundancy. Relevant simulations prove that this method pro- vides satisfactory smooth paths for redundant free-floating prismatic-jointed manipulators. This study could help to recognize the advantages of redundant prismatic-jointed space manipulators.