RU2510359C1 - Shuttle tractor for removal of space rubbish - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to space engineering. Shuttle tractor comprises airframe, instrumentation module with control system, engine, solar batteries, self-guidance head and garbage remote-control catcher. The latter comprises space finned harpoon, powder-charge engine, rope and casing, container with detachable cover, barrel, two-step pyro cartridge and drum with electric drive.

EFFECT: efficient catch of garbage and garbage path change.

1 cl, 7 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the construction of spacecraft and can be used in the development of spacecraft to solve the urgent task of combating space debris, including its large-sized objects - the upper stages of launch vehicles, spent spacecraft, which pose a great danger to individual spacecraft. In particular, there is a known case of a collision in 2009 of a decommissioned communications satellite "Cosmos-2251" with the American communications satellite Iridium.

Occasionally, emergencies regarding the International Space Station occur.

As of 2012, 16,000 objects flying over 10 centimeters and hundreds of millions of smaller pieces of garbage fly around the Earth.

Under these conditions, there is a need for urgent and large-scale work on the creation of spacecraft for cleaning space debris.

The well-known satellite is the CleanSpace One space debris cleaner, developed by Swiss scientists at the EPFL Polytechnic School in Lausanne and presented in the electronic popular science magazine “Membrane” (www.membrana.ru).

EPFL experts explain that CleanSpace One is a project to create a whole line of orbital cleaners, the dimensions and structural details of which will be adapted to capture and bring from orbit a variety of old devices.

The new satellite should intercept dead vehicles or large debris and bring them from near-Earth orbit, directing them to the ocean.

As a test goal, the developers intend to use one of the two picosatellites. The number one candidate is Swisscube. This is the first Swiss-made satellite, created just in the EPFL and launched into space in 2009. The second contender for forced removal from orbit is again the Swiss Tlsat, launched in 2010.

The Swiss intend to become pioneers in cleaning space near the Earth from space debris.

After putting into orbit CleanSpace One using ion engines will begin to change its parameters so as to neatly converge with a target flying slightly higher or lower.

Having approached the minimum distance, the garbage man must capture the inactive satellite or a fragment of the destroyed apparatus with the help of a manipulator. The structure of this universal capture will imitate some natural analogue - parts of a plant or animal, the Swiss report.

The capture moment is by far the most critical in the entire operation. After all, a satellite - the target is not only capable of maneuvering itself for docking, but some of these devices also rotate randomly.

The fundamental disadvantage of the CleanSpace One spacecraft is its equipping with a spacecraft capture device designed for direct contact between two spacecraft. This determines the complexity of the design of the capture device and the maneuvering process of the KA-tug when it approaches the KA-target.

In addition, the design of the device is designed to capture the KA-target with certain overall dimensions, which dramatically reduces the scope of the specific KA-tug. Reusable use of such a KA-tug is also unlikely.

The aim of the invention is to eliminate these disadvantages.

This goal is achieved by the fact that a reusable spacecraft tug for cleaning space debris (Fig. 1 - Fig. 3), consisting of a housing 1, an instrument compartment 2 with a control system 3, a propulsion system 4, solar panels 5, a homing head 6, is equipped several devices for the remote capture of space debris 7. A General view of the device for the remote capture of space debris is shown in Fig.4-Fig.7.

The basis of the capture device is a space harpoon 1, which together with the powder engine 2 is placed in a glass 3 mounted on a removable cover 4 of the container 5. Ignition of the powder engine 2 is carried out using a 2-bridge squib 6.

The space harpoon is equipped with plumage 7, made of spring-spring steel.

In the bottom of the space harpoon, a cable 8 is fixed, the main part of which is wound on a drum 9 installed inside the container 5.

A cable separation device 10 is mounted on the drum.

Outside the container, an electric drive of the drum 11 is mounted coaxially with the drum.

To protect the space harpoon from mechanical stress at all stages of the operation of the spacecraft-tugboat, a casing 12 is used.

KA-tug operates as follows.

At the first stage of the flight, using the propulsion system of the KA-tug 4 and homing 6, the KA-tug is brought closer to the KA-target, at the final stage of which the optimal orientation of the KA-tug relative to the KA-target is ensured, in which the longitudinal axis of the KA-tug becomes perpendicular to one of the faces of the KA-target body.

After reaching the optimal distance between the KA tug and the KA target, the control system of the KA tug 3 sends an electric signal to the 2-bridge squib of the space harpoon 6 installation, by means of which the powder engine 2 is activated, which accelerates the space harpoon 1 with tail 7 and cable 8 with great speed, its impact deepening into the body of the KA-target. During the flight of the space harpoon 1, the cable 8 is rewound from the drum 9.

At the 2nd stage of the flight, the electric drive of the drum 11 is activated, winding the cable 8 onto the drum 9 and simultaneously pulling the KA-target to the KA-tug up to their contact. The plumage 7 thus prevents the exit of the space harpoon 1 from the body 1 of the spacecraft tug. This completes the operation of capturing the KA-tug of the KA-target.

At the third stage, a ballistic maneuver is carried out to transfer the KA-tug-KA-target link to the KA-target flight path to the Earth or to the KA-target storage orbit.

At the final stage of the flight, using the propulsion system 4 of the KA-tug, the KA-target is separated from the KA-tug. In this case, the cable separation device 10 is triggered. After that, the KA-tug carries out a flight to capture the next KA-target. The total number of such spacecraft targets is determined by the fuel reserves of the spacecraft towing propulsion system and the number of space debris capture devices.

The technical result of the invention, based on the use of space debris capture devices, is the ability to remotely capture a spent spacecraft by a tugboat regardless of their geometrical shape and overall dimensions and the possibility of reusable use of a tugboat in flight, as well as its transfer to storage orbit on the path of entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The design of the spacecraft tug is based on the use of the existing elemental base, which ensures the minimum time and cost of its creation.

It seems advisable to use the spacecraft tug within the framework of international cooperation and on a commercial basis for solving urgent problems, including for cleaning the satellite orbital positions in geostationary orbit (GSO) from spent satellites, for example, connected ones, by transferring them to storage orbit, the height of which ~ 200 km more than GSO altitude. In this case, the option of removing several spent satellites in a single spacecraft tugboat call to the GSO can be considered.

Claims (1)

A reusable space vehicle-tug for cleaning space debris, comprising a housing, an instrument compartment with a control system, a propulsion system, solar panels, a homing head, several devices for remote capture of space debris, characterized in that the basis of each of the capture devices is a space harpoon, which together with plumage and a powder engine is placed in a glass mounted on a removable lid of the container, while the powder engine is in contact with a 2-bridge squib, and in Outer portion onnoy harpoon fixed rope, the main part of which is wound on a drum, mounted inside the container, the outside of which is mounted coaxially with the drum and the drum drive housing for protecting outer harpoon and feathers from mechanical damage in all stages of operation of the reusable spacecraft-tug.

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