TY - GEN
T1 - Propellantless deorbiting of space debris by bare electrodynamic tethers
AU - Sanmartin, Juan R.
AU - Khan, Shaker B.
AU - Bombardelli, Claudio
AU - Lorenzini, Enrico C.
AU - Colombatti, Giacomo
AU - Zanutto, Denis
AU - Roussel, Jean Francois
AU - Sarrailh, Pierre
AU - Williams, John D.
AU - Metz, Garrett E.
AU - Thomas, James K.
AU - Carrasco, Jose A.
AU - De Quiros, Francisco Garcia
AU - Kroemer, Olaf
AU - Rosta, Roland
AU - Van Zoest, Tim
AU - Lasa, Joseba
AU - Marcos, Jesus
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - A 3-year Project started on November 1 2010, financed by the European Commision within the FP-7 Space Program, and aimed at developing an efficient de-orbit system that could be carried on board by future spacecraft launched into LEO, will be presented. The operational system will deploy a thin uninsulated tape-tether to collect electrons as a giant Langmuir probe, using no propellant/no power supply, and generating power on board. This project will involve free-fall tests, and laboratory hypervelocity-impact and tether-current tests, and design/Manufacturing of subsystems: interface elements, electric control and driving module, electron-ejecting plasma contactor, tether-deployment mechanism/end-mass, and tape samples. Preliminary results to be presented involve: i) devising criteria for sizing the three disparate tape dimensions, affecting mass, resistance, current-collection, magnetic self-field, and survivability against debris itself; ii) assessing the dynamical relevance of tether parameters in implementing control laws to limit oscillations in /off the orbital plane, where passive stability may be marginal; iii) deriving a law for bare-tape current from numerical simulations and chamber tests, taking into account ambient magnetic field, ion ram motion, and adiabatic electron trapping; iv) determining requirements on a year-dormant hollow cathode under long times/broad emission-range operation, and trading-off against use of electron thermal emission; v) determining requirements on magnetic components and power semiconductors for a control module that faces high voltage/power operation under mass/volume limitations; vi) assessing strategies to passively deploy a wide conductive tape that needs no retrieval, while avoiding jamming and ending at minimum libration; vii) evaluating the tape structure as regards conductive and dielectric materials, both lengthwise and in its cross-section, in particular to prevent arcing in triple-point junctions.
AB - A 3-year Project started on November 1 2010, financed by the European Commision within the FP-7 Space Program, and aimed at developing an efficient de-orbit system that could be carried on board by future spacecraft launched into LEO, will be presented. The operational system will deploy a thin uninsulated tape-tether to collect electrons as a giant Langmuir probe, using no propellant/no power supply, and generating power on board. This project will involve free-fall tests, and laboratory hypervelocity-impact and tether-current tests, and design/Manufacturing of subsystems: interface elements, electric control and driving module, electron-ejecting plasma contactor, tether-deployment mechanism/end-mass, and tape samples. Preliminary results to be presented involve: i) devising criteria for sizing the three disparate tape dimensions, affecting mass, resistance, current-collection, magnetic self-field, and survivability against debris itself; ii) assessing the dynamical relevance of tether parameters in implementing control laws to limit oscillations in /off the orbital plane, where passive stability may be marginal; iii) deriving a law for bare-tape current from numerical simulations and chamber tests, taking into account ambient magnetic field, ion ram motion, and adiabatic electron trapping; iv) determining requirements on a year-dormant hollow cathode under long times/broad emission-range operation, and trading-off against use of electron thermal emission; v) determining requirements on magnetic components and power semiconductors for a control module that faces high voltage/power operation under mass/volume limitations; vi) assessing strategies to passively deploy a wide conductive tape that needs no retrieval, while avoiding jamming and ending at minimum libration; vii) evaluating the tape structure as regards conductive and dielectric materials, both lengthwise and in its cross-section, in particular to prevent arcing in triple-point junctions.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84864109773
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84864109773
SN - 9781618398055
T3 - 62nd International Astronautical Congress 2011, IAC 2011
SP - 2239
EP - 2248
BT - 62nd International Astronautical Congress 2011, IAC 2011
T2 - 62nd International Astronautical Congress 2011, IAC 2011
Y2 - 3 October 2011 through 7 October 2011
ER -
