Innovative Escapement-Based Mechanism for Micro-Antenna Boom Deployment

This paper presents the prototype of a tubular boom antenna developed for the Polish BRITE-PL satellite by the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CBK PAN). What is unique about our work is that we developed an original type of the tubular boom antenna deployment mechanism that can be used widely as a basic solution for compact electrical antennas, booms deploying sensitive instruments, ultra-light planetary manipulators etc. The invented electromagnetic driving unit provides a dual complementary action - it adds extra energy to the driving spring, making the system more reliable, and at the same time it moderates the deployment speed acting as a kind of damper. That distinguishing feature predetermines the mechanism to be applied wherever the dynamic nature of a spring drive introducing dangerous vibrations and inducing severe local stress in the structure needs to be mitigated. Moreover, the paper reveals a product unique in Europe - a miniature beryllium bronze tubular boom free of geometry and strain defects, which is essential for stiffness and fatigue resistance. Both the deployment mechanism and the technology of tubular boom manufacturing are protected by patent rights

DRAGON - 8U Nanosatellite Orbital Deployer

The Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (SRC PAS) together with Astronika company have developed an Orbital Deployer called DRAGON for ejection of the Polish scientific nanosatellite BRITE-PL Heweliusz (Fig. 1). The device has three unique mechanisms including an adopted and scaled lock and release mechanism from the ESA Rosetta mission MUPUS instrument. This paper discusses major design restrictions of the deployer, unique design features, and lessons learned from development through testing

MUPUS insertion device for the Rosetta mission, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2007, nr 1

An original mechanical device designed to insert a penetrator into a cometary nucleus in an almost gravityfree environment is described. The device comprises a hammer and a power supply system that stores electrical energy in a capacitor. The accumulated energy is discharged through a coil forming a part of electromagnetic circuit that accelerates the hammer. The efficiency of converting the electrical energy to kinetic energy of the hammer is not very high (amounts to about 25%), but the system is very reliable. Additionally, the hammer energy can be chosen from four power settings, hence adjustment of the stroke’s strength to nucleus hard- ness is possible. The device passed many mechanical, func- tional, thermal and vibration tests and was improved from one model to another. The final, flight model was integrated with the lander Philae and started its space journey to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in March 2004

Initial results from the InSight mission on Mars

NASA’s InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission landed in Elysium Planitia on Mars on 26 November 2018. It aims to determine the interior structure, composition and thermal state of Mars, as well as constrain present-day seismicity and impact cratering rates. Such information is key to understanding the differentiation and subsequent thermal evolution of Mars, and thus the forces that shape the planet’s surface geology and volatile processes. Here we report an overview of the first ten months of geophysical observations by InSight. As of 30 September 2019, 174 seismic events have been recorded by the lander’s seismometer, including over 20 events of moment magnitude Mw = 3–4. The detections thus far are consistent with tectonic origins, with no impact-induced seismicity yet observed, and indi- cate a seismically active planet. An assessment of these detections suggests that the frequency of global seismic events below approximately Mw = 3 is similar to that of terrestrial intraplate seismic activity, but there are fewer larger quakes; no quakes exceeding Mw = 4 have been observed. The lander’s other instruments—two cameras, atmospheric pressure, temperature and wind sensors, a magnetometer and a radiometer—have yielded much more than the intended supporting data for seismometer noise characterization: magnetic field measurements indicate a local magnetic field that is ten-times stronger than orbital estimates and meteorological measurements reveal a more dynamic atmosphere than expected, hosting baroclinic and gravity waves and convective vortices. With the mission due to last for an entire Martian year or longer, these results will be built on by further measurements by the InSight lander

Critical regolith properties and their important implications for space exploration missions

Interaction with regolith is an essential and unpredictable factor in implementing space exploration missions, affecting their risks and costs. Those apply not only to scientific missions (such as Rosetta, InSight, European Large Logistic Lander, Artemis program missions, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services) but also those oriented towards industrial and large-scale utilization of celestial body resources for infrastructure development (ISRU, In-Situ Resource Utilization). The article presents a broad-view synthesis of selected issues related to the properties of regolith and their exemplary impact on space missions and projects in which Poland has participated in recent years

The Highland Terrain Hopper (HOPTER): Concept and use cases of a new locomotion system for the exploration of low gravity Solar System bodies

International audienceComprehensive understanding of the principles governing the geological activity of the Earth was obtained in continental and oceanic mountains. It is not expected that the principles governing the overall geologic activity and evolution of other planetary bodies such as Mars will be understood if exploration is limited to nearly flat terrains, either imposed by the used exploration platform capabilities, the risk of getting stuck, or by the time required to cross the border of a landing ellipse. Surface exploration of mountains is additionally to be coupled to two- or three-dimensional geophysical surveys to correlate the surface observations with deeper processes. On the small bodies where ultra-low gravity prevails, the weight of wheel-driven platforms is not sufficient to generate the friction at the contact with the ground that is required to trigger motion of the rover relative to the ground. Under such circumstances, hopping is one of the mobility solutions. We present a new locomotion system, the hopter platform, which is adapted to these challenges on Solar System bodies having a gravity field lower than on Earth. The hopter is a robust, versatile and highly manoeuvrable platform based on simple mechanical concepts that accurately jumps to distances of metres to tens of metres and more, depending on the gravity field of the studied body. Its low mass of 10 kg (including up to 3 kg of miniaturised payload), makes it possible to simultaneously launch several hopters to work as a fractionated explorer at a very competitive cost. After reviewing the payload that may be placed onboard hopters, we illustrate the scientific capabilities of hopters and hopter networks in performing basic geologic observations at distinct study sites in a variety of geological environments, obtaining data along steep geological cross sections, surveying geophysical anomalies in the subsurface, prospecting resources, monitoring micro-environments, meteorological events, and geodetic deformation, or characterizing dust activity on Mars, the Moon, and Phobos

Mupus – A Thermal and Mechanical Properties Probe for the Rosetta Lander Philae

MUPUS, the multi purpose sensor package onboard the Rosetta lander Philae, will measure the energy balance and the physical parameters in the near-surface layers – up to about 30 cm depth- of the nucleus of Rosetta’s target comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Moreover it will monitor changes in these parameters over time as the comet approaches the sun. Among the parameters studied are the density, the porosity, cohesion, the thermal diffusivity and conductivity, and temperature. The data should increase our knowledge of how comets work, and how the coma gases form. The data may also be used to constrain the microstructure of the nucleus material. Changes with time of physical properties will reveal timescales and possibly the nature of processes that modify the material close to the surface. Thereby, the data will indicate how pristine cometary matter sampled and analysed by other experiments on Philae really is