Proposal on the aerodynamic braking device elaboration based on foam materials for small spacecraft

Aeronautical and Space-Rocket Engineering


Аuthors

Moscatin'ev I. V.*, Sysoev V. K.**, Firsyuk S. O.***, Yudin A. D.****

Lavochkin Research and Production Association, NPO Lavochkin, 24, Leningradskay str., Khimki, Moscow region, 141400, Russia

*e-mail: miv@laspace.ru
**e-mail: SysoevVK@laspace.ru
***e-mail: iskramai@gmail.com
****e-mail: yudin@lasapace.ru

Abstract

For more than 60 years of space activity, more than 6 thousand launches have resulted in the appearance of about 56,000 objects in orbit, out of which about 26,000 can be tracked from Earth. According to the Main Information and Analytical Center of the automated warning System about dangerous situations, about 3,000 objects listed in the catalog are active satellites, and the remaining objects represent space debris. In recent decades, the problem of near-Earth space pollution by technogenic objects is being worsen in connection with the space activities expansion, i.e., the tendency to the spacecraft miniaturization and launching of numerous small spacecraft groupings instead of a single large spacecraft. As of now, methods for space debris cleaning-off are being actively developed, as well as measures preventing in prospect the possibility of contamination itself.

As of passive techniques for nano-satellites withdrawal from low near-Earth orbits, the most realizable are the method of aerodynamic braking by the inflatable devices and braking devices from foam polymer materials of a foamed plastic type. The inflatable braking device possesses the following disadvantages:

– a high probability of both internal (during disclosing) and external damage (micrometeriorites, space debris particles, solar UV radiation), which will lead to rapid loss of gas composition and the shell shape deformation;

– the loss of shape will be occurring while interaction with atmosphere and, as a consequence, braking probability reduction.

Polymer material coating by foam for a braking device creating has the following disadvantages:

– the foam coating formation is of a high polymerization rate, thus, the coating spherical shape obtaining in vacuum is rather difficult to control;

– there is no proof that the foam coating will retain its structure in a vacuum;

– technical device for the foam creating is more complex than the inflatable mechanism.

Our proposal supposes foam feeding into an elastic thin-film tank of a rubber ball type. The walls of this ball will perform two functions: expand under the impact of the foam to the large sizes and, on the other hand, will limit the foam material escape into space. To realize the said method, , the activities on numerical modeling and model experiments on disclosing and filling the braking shell with the foam materials under conditions close to the operation on low near-Earth orbits are required besides developing a special polymer foam for operation under vacuum conditions.

Keywords:

space debris, near-Earth space, small spacecraft, deorbiting, polymer foams

References

  1. Makarov Yu.N. Nanoindustriya, 2019, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 6-14. DOI: 10.22184/1993-8578.2019.12.1.6.14

  2. Rukovodyashchie printsipy Komiteta po ispol’zovaniyu kosmicheskogo prostranstva v mirnykh tselyakh po preduprezhdeniyu obrazovaniya kosmicheskogo musora. Izdanie Organizatsii Ob"edinennykh Natsii. URL: http:// www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/conventions/ space_debris.shtml

  3. ESA. Requirements on Space Debris Mitigation for Agency Projects. ESA/ADMIN/IPOL(2008)2. Paris. April 2008.

  4. NASA. Process for Limiting Orbital Debris. NASA Technical Standard. NASA-STD-8719.14A (with Change 1). 2011.

  5. Izdeliya kosmicheskoi tekhniki. Obshchie trebovaniya k kosmicheskim sredstvam po ogranicheniyu tekhnogennogo zasoreniya okolozemnogo kosmicheskogo prostranstva. GOST R 52925-2008 (Space technology items. General requirements for mitigation of near-earth space debris population, State Standard 52925-2008), Moscow, Standartinform, 2008, 8 p.

  6. Yudintsev V.V. Rotating space debris objects net capture dynamics. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2018, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 37-48.

  7. Aslanov V.S., Yudintsev V.V. Docking with space debris employing the unfolding flexible beam-strap. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2018, vol. 25, no 2, pp. 16-24.

  8. Karchaev Kh.Zh., Pichkhadze K.M., Sysoev V.K. et al. Polet. Obshcherossiiskii. nauchno-tekhnicheskii zhurnal, 2019, no. 4, pp. 19-28.

  9. Yalçın B.C., Martinez C., Delisle M.H. et al. ET-Class: An Energy Transfer-Based Classification of Space Debris Removal Methods and Missions. Frontiers in Space Technologies, 2022, vol. 3. Article 792944. DOI: 10.3389/ frspt.2022.792944

  10. Mit’kin A.S., Moskatin’ev I.V., Sysoev V.K. et al. Patent RU 2703818 C1, 22.10.2019.

  11. Kul’kov V.M., Yoon S.W., Firsyuk S.O. A small spacecraft motion control method employing inflatable braking units for deceleration while orbital flight prior to the atmospheric entry. Aerospace MAI Journal, 2020, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 23-36. DOI: 10.34759/vst-2020-3-23-36

  12. Kompaneets A. Krasivyi metod ochistki okolozemnogo prostranstva ot kosmicheskogo musora, 2010. URL: http://acepla.net/index.php/the-news/45-tech/577-a-giant- gold-balloon

  13. Atmosfera Zemli verkhnyaya. Model’ plotnosti dlya ballisticheskogo obespecheniya poletov iskusstvennykh sputnikov Zemli. GOST R 25645.166-2004 (Earth upper atmosphere. Density model for ballistic support of flights of artificial earth satellites, State Standard 25645.166-2004), Moscow, Standarty, 2004, 28 p.

  14. Plenka polietilenftolatnaya metallizirovannaya. TU 6-49- 04719662-119-93.

  15. Ivankov A.A., Pichkhadze K.M., Finchenko V.S. Teplovye protsessy v tekhnike, 2009, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 204–207.

  16. Klyushnikov V.Yu. Vozdushno-kosmicheskaya sfera, 2021, no. 4, pp. 32-43. DOI: 10.30981/2587-7992-2021-104-4-32-43

  17. Pergola P., Ruggiero A., Andrenucci M., Summerer L. Low-thrust Missions for Expanding Foam Space Debris Removal. 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference (11–15 September 2011; Wiesbaden, Germany). IEPC- 2011-126.

  18. Andrenucci M., Pergola P., Ruggiero A. et al. Active Removal of Space Debris – Expanding foam application for active debris removal. European Space Agency, Advanced Concepts Team. Ariadna Final Report 10-4611, 2011.

  19. Penopoliuretany vspenivanie. Spravochnik khimika 21, https://www.chem21.info/info/792928/

  20. Napylyaemyi penopoliuretan. Otraslevoi portal rossiiskikh PPU podryadchikov. URL: https://pmppu.ru/napylyaemyy-penopoliuretan/

  21. McManus S.P., Wessling F.C., Matthews J.T. et al. Production of Polyurethane Foams in Space: Gravitational and Vacuum Effects on Foam Formation. Polymer Research in Microgravity. ACS Symposium series, 2001, vol. 793. Chapter 6, pp. 78-96. DOI:10.1021/bk-2001-0793.ch006

  22. Lee S.T., Park C.B., Ramesh N.S. Polymeric Foams: Science and Technology. Boca Raton, CRC Press, 2006, 220 p. DOI: 10.1201/9781420004625

mai.ru — informational site of MAI

Copyright © 1994-2024 by MAI