| 1. |
- Bruhn, Fredrik, 1976-
(författare)
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Miniaturized Multifunctional System Architecture for Satellites and Robotics
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt)abstract
- This thesis describes and evaluates the design of nanospacecraft based on advanced multifunctional microsystems building blocks. These systems bring substantial improvements of the performance of nanosatellites and enable new space exploration, e.g. interplanetary science missions using minute space probes. Microsystems, or microelectromechanical systems, allows for extreme miniaturization using heritage from IC industry. Reducing mass and volume of spacecraft gives large savings in terms of launch costs.Definition and categorization of system and module level features in multifunctional microsystems are used to derive a spacecraft optimization algorithm which is compatible with commonly used concurrent engineering methods.The miniaturization of modules enables modular spacecraft architectures comprising powerful multifunctional microsystems, which are applicable to satellites between 10 and 1000’s of kg.This kind of complete spacecraft architecture has been developed for the NanoSpace-1 technology demonstrator satellite. The spacecraft bus uses multifunctional design to enable distributed intelligence and autonomy, graceful degradation, functional surfaces, and distributed power systems. The increase in performance of the new spacecraft architecture as compared with conventional nanosatellites is orders of magnitudes in terms of power storage, scientific payload mass ratio, pointing stabilization, and long time space operation.This high-performance system-of-microsystems architecture has been successfully employed on two space robotic concepts: a miniaturized submersible vehicle for Jupiter’s Moon Europa and a miniaturized spherical robot. The submersible is enabled by miniaturization of electronics into 3-dimensional, vertically integrated multi-chip-modules together with new interconnection methods. These technologies enabled the submersible vehicle tube-shaped design within 20 cm length and 5 cm diameter. The spherical rover was developed for long range and networked science investigations of interplanetary bodies. The rover weighs 3.5 kg and is shown to endure direct reentry on Mars, which increases the ratio between the landed mobile payload mass and the initial mass in Mars orbit by a factor of 18.
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| 2. |
- Köhler, Johan, 1971-
(författare)
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Bringing Silicon Microsystems to Space
- 2001
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt)abstract
- The incorporation of extremely compact multifunctional microsystems is a highly profitable long-term approach in spacecraft design. These systems bring substantial launch-cost reductions, and enable exciting space exploration and science missions.Silicon microsystems technology is an adequate choice for the multifunctional microsystem development. However, the development of basic microsystems technology cannot be financed within application-specific space missions. Rather, the microsystems technology should be matured through fundamental research.Silicon microsystems technology was used to develop a cold gas microthruster system suitable for minute movements of spacecraft (low Δv). In a hybrid integration, the system unit contains three silicon microsystem parts with four individual thrusters in total, together with external control electronics. The total mass is 0.35 kg.Further integration will result in a mass of 0.08 kg. Complete system integration means that all package and interconnection levels are integrated into the silicon microsystem units. Several vital issues must be addressed, e.g. the reliable bonding of silicon wafers, the microfabrication process compatibility, and the manufacture process sequence. A graphical tool is introduced for process sequence evaluation.Wafer bonding is used as fabrication process, assembly tool, and packaging technique. The quality and reliability of the bonded interfaces must be assessed in order to secure the operation of the microsystems in space. Therefore, statistical methods for burst test evaluation have been developed.Weibull fracture probability functions have been derived in order to interpret the bond quality. In addition, rank-sum tests on spot series and analysis of variance are performed for bond quality diagnostics. The dependence on annealing temperature and surface-activation are presented, together with diagnosed degradation of insufficiently annealed bonds due to different spaceflight environments (thermal cycling, vibration, γ-irradiation).
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| 3. |
- Lund, Jens, 1971-
(författare)
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Antiparticle identification studies for the PAMELA satellite experiment
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt)abstract
- The PAMELA satellite experiment will soon be launched and during its 3 year mission perform measurement of charged particle fluxes in the cosmic radiation. PAMELA is specifically designed to identify antiprotons and positrons in the vast background of other charged particles. These antiparticle measurements will be performed using: a permanent magnet spectrometer, a scintillator based time of flight system, an electromagnetic imaging calorimeter, a transition radiation detector and a scintillator triggered neutron detector. There is also a scintillator based anticoincidence system to reject spurious triggers from out of acceptance events (developed and built at KTH). These detectors will allow the background in the antiproton and positron measurements to be significantly reduced, and PAMELA will thus be able to perform high precision measurements with unprecedented statistics and over a wide energy range, far surpassing any previous experiment. To determine the antiparticle identification and background rejection capability of the experiment, studies have been performed using simulations and data collected at particle beams. These studies have focused on: the proton rejection in positron measurements (using the calorimeter), contamination by locally produced pions in antiproton measurements and estimations of the expected statistics due to the energy dependence (caused by e.g. the geomagnetic field and the magnetic field in the spectrometer) of the gathering power. This work significantly extends previous studies of the PAMELA performance in antiparticle identification.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bruhn, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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A Preliminary Design for a Spherical Inflatable Microrover for Planetary Exploration
- 2008
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Ingår i: Acta Astronautica. - 0094-5765. ; 63:5-6, s. 618-631
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Spherical Mobile Investigator for Planetary Surface (SMIPS) concept aims at making use of the latest developments within extreme miniaturization of space systems. The introduction of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMSs) and higher level Multifunctional Microsystems (MMSs) design solutions gives the robot high performance per weight unit. The untraditional spherical shape makes it easily maneuverable and thus provides a platform for scientific investigations of interplanetary bodies. Preliminary investigations of the SMIPS concept show several advantages over conventional robots and rovers in maneuverability, coverage, size, and mass. A locomotion proof-of-concept has been Studied together with a new distributed on-board data system configuration. This paper discusses theoretical robot analysis, an overall concept, possible science, enabling technologies, and how to perform scientific investigations. A preliminary design of an inflatable multifunctional shell is proposed.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Kero, Johan, 1978-
(författare)
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High-resolution meteor exploration with tristatic radar methods
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt)abstract
- Meteorer är ljusfenomen på natthimlen som i vardagligt tal kallas fallande stjärnor. Ljusstrimmorna alstras av meteoroider, små partiklar på banor genom solsystemet, som kolliderar med jordens atmosfär. Förutom ljus genererar meteoroider regioner av joniserat plasma, som är detekterbara med radar. Meteoriska huvudekon tycks komma från kompakta radarmål på ungefär 100 km höjd och rör sig genom atmosfären med de infallande meteoroidernas hastighet. Huvudekons signalstyrka förefaller oberoende av vinkeln mellan radarmålens rörelseriktning och riktningen från vilken radiovågorna infaller och sprids.Avhandlingen sammanfattar huvudekoobservationer från fyra 24-timmarsmätningar mellan 2002 och 2005 med det trestatiska 930 MHz EISCAT UHF-radarsystemet och en 6-timmarsmätning under 2003 med den monostatiska 224 MHz EISCAT VHF-radarn. Avhandlingen innehåller den första observationella bekräftelsen på att en meteoroid av sub-millimeterstorlek faller sönder i två distinkta fragment i atmosfären. Upptäckten är betydelsefull för studier av meteoroiders växelverkansprocesser med atmosfären och interplanetärt/interstellärt stofts materialegenskaper.EISCAT UHF-systemet består av tre vitt åtskilda mottagarstationer, vilket gör det till ett unikt mätinstrument för studier av meteoroiders egenskaper och hur radiovågor sprids från de radarmål som ger upphov till huvudekon. Avhandlingen presenterar en metod med vilken ett radarmåls position kan bestämmas om det detekteras simultant med de tre mottagarna. Metoden används till att med hög noggrannhet beräkna meteorers radartvärsnitt samt meteoroiders hastighet och atmosfärsinbromsning. De detekterade huvudekona genereras av meteoroider med i princip alla av mätgeometrin tillåtna rörelseriktningar i förhållande till radarstrålen, ända ut till 130° från radiovågornas spridningsriktning. Enskilda meteorers radartvärsnitt är likvärdiga inom mätnoggrannheten i de tre mottagarstationernas dataserier, men en svag trend antyder att radartvärsnittet minskar med ökande vinkel mellan meteoroidernas rörelseriktning och spridningsriktningen.En statistisk utvärdering av mättekniken visar att den uppmätta dopplerhastigheten stämmer överens med radarmålens flygtidshastighet. Detta innebär att dopplerhastigheterna är väntevärdesriktiga och opåverkade av bidrag från det spår av plasma som meteoroiderna lämnar efter sig. De uppmätta hastigheterna är 19-70 km/s, men bara ett fåtal detekterade meteoroider är långsammare än 30 km/s. Meteoroidmassorna är uppskattade till 10-9 – 10-5.5 kg genom jämförelser av observationerna med simuleringar av meteoroiders färd genom atmosfären i en numerisk ablationsmodell.
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| 8. |
- Marklund, Göran T.
(författare)
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On high-altitude electric fields in the auroral downward current region and their coupling to ionospheric electric fields
- 2010
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - 0273-1177. ; 46:4, s. 440-448
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The downward field-aligned current region plays an active role in magnetosphere ionosphere coupling processes associated with aurora. A quasi-static electric field structure with a downward parallel electric field forms at altitudes between 800 km and 5000 km, accelerating ionospheric electrons upward, away from the auroral ionosphere. Other phenomena including energetic ion conics, electron solitary waves, low-frequency wave activity, and plasma density cavities occur in this region, which also acts as a source region for VLF saucers. Results are presented from high-altitude Cluster observations with particular emphasis on the characteristics and dynamics of quasi-static electric field structures. These, extending up to altitudes of at least 4-5 Earth radii, appear commonly as monopolar or bipolar electric fields. The former occur at sharp boundaries, such as the polar cap boundary whereas the bipolar fields occur at softer boundaries within the plasma sheet. The temporal evolution of quasi-static electric field structures, as captured by the pearls-on-a-string configuration of the Cluster spacecraft, indicates that the formation of electric field structures and of ionospheric plasma density cavities are closely coupled processes. A related feature of the downward current is a broadening of the current sheet with time, possibly related to the depletion process. Preliminary studies of the coupling of electric fields in the downward current region, show that small-scale structures are typically decoupled from the ionosphere, similar to what has been found for the upward current region. However, exceptions are also found where small-scale electric fields couple perfectly between the ionosphere and Cluster altitudes. Recent FAST results indicate that the degree of coupling differs between sheet-like and curved structures, and that it is typically partial. The electric field coupling further depends on the current-voltage relationship, which is highly non-linear in the downward current region, and still unrevealed, as to its specific form. (C) 2009 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Nguyen, Hugo, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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A heavily miniaturized submersible
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proceedings of ASTRA 2008. ; s. 1-9
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vision of exploring extraterrestrial water findings employing a remotely operated submersible, as proposed by JPL/NASA for the investigation of the possible ocean underneath the frozen crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa, is now taking a step further into fulfilment. The Ångström Space Technology Centre has developed a sophisticated vehicle concept based on microtechnology for most of the navigational systems and payload systems. This enables a high function density, and a compact vehicle with a diameter of 50 mm and length of 200 mm, i.e. an overall size allowing the vehicle to be deployed through a borehole like that typical for arctic drilling.Here, the system architecture of the vehicle complying with the requirements on manoeuvrability, operational functions, and mission objectives is presented. In short, the vehicle in the first version will operate in deep and narrow waters, and will be equipped with a camera, sonar imaging system, an electronic tongue for chemical sampling, and a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensor. Although the vehicle will be given certain autonomy in later versions, the first edition will rely on remote manual guidance. Commands for this, as well as power download, and data upload will be communicated through an optic fibre.The objective of this contribution is to present, for the first time, the status of the project including, briefly, the first results from miniaturized sonar, the vehicle bus design, and the design, realization and testing of the propulsion and attitude control systems differing in manoeuvrability, weight/volume, redundancy and efficiency.
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| 10. |
- Persson, Anders, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Micro- and nanostructured magnetic field sensor for space applications
- 2009
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Ingår i: 15th International Conference on Solid-State SensorsTransducers 2009 : Actuators and Microsystems. ; s. 1190-1193
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetometers are popular payloads on scientific space missions. Here, the design and fabrication process of a miniaturized magnetometer based on tunneling magnetoresistance is presented. The process is capable of making magnetic tunnel junctions in a wide size range, by employing both UV lithography and focused ion beam milling and deposition. Ga implantation in the ferromagnetic electrodes of the junction is studied in more detail. It was shown that Ga implantation may harm the magnetometer if the irradiation dose exceeds 1014 Ga+ cm-2.
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