Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userDesign of an optical-communication link with Mars
120
0
0.0
(
0
)
Added by
Alberto Carrasco-Casado
Publication date
2016
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
Authors
Alberto Carrasco-Casado
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
The possibility of using optical communications in free-space as an improvement of current RF communication systems was analyzed in this Project. The particular case of a link Mars-Earth was studied and a link based in the future NASAs MLCD project, which is currently being developed, was designed. For this, an orbit simulator was programmed, evaluating the transfer orbit, analyzing the losses that occur in the transmission channel, using several atmospheric models, selecting the most adequate elements for the transmitter and the receiver, calculating the Doppler effect during the mission, and performing a budget link for the different orbit positions. From these results, the maximum bitrate through the MLCD mission was evaluated for the different astronomical observatories chosen as optical ground stations.
rate research
Read More
In order for off-Earth top surface structures built from regolith to protect astronauts from radiation, they need to be several meters thick. Technical University Delft (TUD) proposes to excavate into the ground to create subsurface habitats. By excavating not only natural protection from radiation can be achieved but also thermal insulation because the temperature is more stable underground. At the same time through excavation valuable resources can be mined for through in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The idea is that a swarm of autonomous mobile robots excavate the ground in a sloped downwards spiral movement. The excavated regolith will be mixed with cement, which can be reproduced on Mars through ISRU, in order to create concrete. The concrete is 3D printed/sprayed on the excavated tunnel to reinforce it. As soon as the tunnels are reinforced, the material in-between the tunnels can be removed in order to create a larger cavity that can be used for inhabitation. Proposed approach relies on Design-to-Robotic-Production (D2RP) technology developed at TUD1 for on-Earth applications. The rhizomatic 3D printed structure is a structurally optimized porous shell structure with increased insulation properties. In order to regulate the indoor pressurised environment an inflatable structure is placed in the 3D printed cavity. This inflatable structure is made of materials, which can also be at some point reproduced on Mars through ISRU. Depending on location the habitat and the production system are powered by a system combining solar and kite power. The ultimate goal is to develop an autarkic D2RP system for building subsurface autarkic habitats on Mars from locally obtained materials.
Wind is the process that connects Mars climate system. Measurements of Mars atmospheric winds from orbit would dramatically advance our understanding of Mars and help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Multiple instrument candidates are in development and will be ready for flight in the next decade. We urge the Decadal Survey to make these measurements a priority for 2023-2032.
Here we review the current optical mechanical design of MagAO-X. The project is post-PDR and has finished the design phase. The design presented here is the baseline to which all the optics and mechanics have been fabricated. The optical/mechanical performance of this novel extreme AO design will be presented here for the first time. Some highlights of the design are: 1) a floating, but height stabilized, optical table; 2) a Woofer tweeter (2040 actuator BMC MEMS DM) design where the Woofer can be the current f/16 MagAO ASM or, more likely, fed by the facility f/11 static secondary to an ALPAO DM97 woofer; 3) 22 very compact optical mounts that have a novel locking clamp for additional thermal and vibrational stability; 4) A series of four pairs of super-polished off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors with a relatively wide FOV by matched OAP clocking; 5) an advanced very broadband (0.5-1.7micron) ADC design; 6) A Pyramid (PWFS), and post-coronagraphic LOWFS NCP wavefront sensor; 7) a vAPP coronagraph for starlight suppression. Currently all the OAPs have just been delivered, and all the rest of the optics are in the lab. Most of the major mechanical parts are in the lab or instrument, and alignment of the optics has occurred for some of the optics (like the PWFS) and most of the mounts. First light should be in 2019A.
The Planetary Systems Imager (PSI) is a proposed instrument for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) that provides an extreme adaptive optics (AO) correction to a multi-wavelength instrument suite optimized for high contrast science. PSIs broad range of capabilities, spanning imaging, polarimetry, integral field spectroscopy, and high resolution spectroscopy from 0.6-5 microns, with a potential channel at 10 microns, will enable breakthrough science in the areas of exoplanet formation and evolution. Here, we present a preliminary optical design and performance analysis toolset for the 2-5 microns component of the PSI AO system, which must deliver the wavefront quality necessary to support infrared high contrast science cases. PSI-AO is a two-stage system, with an initial deformable mirror and infrared wavefront sensor providing a common wavefront correction to all PSI science instruments followed by a dichroic that separates PSI-Red (2-5 microns) from PSI-Blue (0.5-1.8 microns). To meet the demands of visible-wavelength high contrast science, the PSI-Blue arm will include a second deformable mirror and a visible-wavelength wavefront sensor. In addition to an initial optical design of the PSI-Red AO system, we present a preliminary set of tools for an end-to-end AO simulation that in future work will be used to demonstrate the planet-to-star contrast ratios achievable with PSI-Red.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory designed and built Mars Odyssey Neutron Spectrometer (MONS) has been in excellent health operating from February 2002 to the present. MONS measures the neutron leakage albedo from galactic cosmic ray bombardment of Mars. These signals can indicate the presence of near-surface water deposits on Mars, and can also be used to study properties of the seasonal polar CO$_2$ ice caps. This work outlines a new analysis of the MONS data that results in new and extended time-series maps of MONS thermal and epithermal neutron data. The new data are compared to previous publications on the MONS instrument. We then present preliminary results studying the inter-annual variability in the polar regions of Mars based on 8 Mars-Years of MONS data from the new dataset.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
