An ice flower observation instrument for obtaining images of water ice in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon

Abstract

The invention discloses an ice flower observation instrument for obtaining images of water ice in a permanent shadow region of the moon, belonging to the field of aerospace and space exploration technology. The invention discloses an ice flower observation instrument for obtaining images of water ice in a permanent shadow region of the moon. The scheme can achieve, when obtaining images of water ice in a permanent shadow region of the moon, obtaining photos of ice flowers formed by condensation of moon water ice after volatilization by using a microscopic photography method under the action of a microscope lens, so that only a very small amount of moon water ice needs to be extracted and condensed to be observed, which helps to improve the mission success rate when the water content of the moon is low, and is more energy-efficient. Extraction can also be achieved by directly contacting and heating the water-containing moon soil in a deep low temperature and high vacuum environment of the moon, which has a simple working principle, a small size, flexible mounting, and greatly reduced complexity of engineering implementation, which is conducive to reducing risks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aerospace and space exploration technology, and more specifically, to an ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in a permanent shadow area of ​​the moon. Background Art

[0002] Due to the low angle of sunlight in the lunar polar regions, there are areas at the bottom of large impact craters that never see sunlight (i.e., permanent shadow areas), so the temperature can be kept below 110K all year round, allowing water ice to be stably present under the vacuum conditions of the moon. Judging from the global migration of water molecules on the moon and the capture mechanism of polar cold traps, water ice will first adhere to the lunar soil surface in the polar permanent shadow areas, which has been confirmed by previous lunar orbital remote sensing detection data. However, orbital remote sensing methods are limited by the long detection distance, poor spatial resolution, and low signal-to-noise ratio. The detection data obtained are average results over a wide range of space, and cannot provide water distribution information for the exploitation and utilization of water resources at the spatial scale of mining.

[0003] In order to further detect the local spatial distribution and abundance of lunar water ice, the existing technology, both at home and abroad, generally uses scientific analysis instruments such as mass spectrometers and spectrometers to detect water molecules in the lunar polar regions. However, these instruments use different principles to specifically detect water molecules. The principles are complex and the detection data need to be processed by professional scientific researchers. The results obtained are usually spectra or mass spectra, which are not easy for the public to understand. Therefore, it is not conducive to the popularization of the detection results to the public.

[0004] In the prior art, in order to facilitate popular science propaganda to the public, NASA designed a device called "Water-Droplet-Demonstrator" (WDD) in the LAVA subsystem, but its goal is to condense water vapor into liquid water droplets, and water cannot exist in liquid form under the vacuum conditions on the moon. Therefore, it is necessary to first create an atmospheric environment inside the condensation component to allow liquid water to exist, and an additional pressure-resistant sealed shell is required to maintain air pressure and prevent leakage, which greatly increases the complexity of the entire device; on the other hand, the amount of water required to obtain water droplets of a scale that can be observed by ordinary cameras is about hundreds of milligrams, and considering that the water content of the lunar soil given by the detection data is generally low, in order to ensure that enough water is obtained, the mass of the collected lunar soil needs to reach at least a few grams, which puts forward high requirements on the acquisition of lunar soil and the corresponding heating and extraction equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] 1. Technical problems to be solved

[0006] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an ice flower observer for obtaining images of water ice in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon. It can solve the problems that the results of lunar water ice detection instruments such as spectrometers and mass spectrometers are not intuitive and are not conducive to popular science publicity, and the WDD device developed by NASA needs to maintain the atmospheric environment internally and needs to extract water from a large amount of lunar soil. The present invention provides an ice flower observer which is compact in size, flexible in mounting, can work in a vacuum environment, and can realize lunar water ice image acquisition by extracting only a small amount of water.

[0007] 2. Technical solution

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0009] An ice flower observation instrument for obtaining images of water ice in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon comprises an outer shell, a microscopic observation unit is arranged between the inner walls of the outer shell, an electrical interface is installed at the upper end of the microscopic observation unit, a water vapor condensation unit is arranged at the lower end of the outer shell, a heating extraction unit is installed at the lower end of the water vapor condensation unit, and a connecting bolt is arranged at the outer end of the outer shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the shell, the water vapor condensation unit and the heating extraction unit are all threadedly connected by connecting bolts.

[0011] Furthermore, the microscopic observation unit includes a CMOS camera and a microscope lens. The CMOS camera is installed between the inner walls of the shell. The electrical interface is located at the upper end of the CMOS camera, and the microscope lens is installed at the lower end of the CMOS camera.

[0012] Furthermore, the water vapor condensation unit includes an observation window, a built-in condensation substrate, an aerogel insulation pad, an external condensation substrate and connecting ribs. The lower end of the outer shell is provided with a built-in condensation substrate, and an observation window is fixedly connected between the inner walls of the built-in condensation substrate. The observation window is made of transparent material. Aerogel insulation pads are provided at both upper and lower ends of the built-in condensation substrate. An external condensation substrate is provided on the outside of the heating and extraction unit, and a plurality of evenly distributed connecting ribs are fixedly connected between the built-in condensation substrate and the external condensation substrate.

[0013] Furthermore, a resistance heating wire is embedded in the upper end of the built-in condensing substrate, and heat pipes are embedded in the outer ends of the built-in condensing substrate, the external condensing substrate and the connecting ribs.

[0014] Furthermore, the heating extraction unit includes LED lamp beads, a water vapor diffusion cavity, a resistance heating net and a support seat, the support seat is located at the lower end of the aerogel insulation pad, the upper end of the support seat is provided with a water vapor diffusion cavity, LED lamp beads are installed on the inner wall of the water vapor diffusion cavity, a resistance heating net is installed between the inner walls of the water vapor diffusion cavity, and the resistance heating net is located on the lower side of the LED lamp beads.

[0015] Furthermore, the built-in condensation substrate is located on the upper side of the water vapor diffusion cavity, and the external condensation substrate is 5 mm higher than the lower edge of the water vapor diffusion cavity.

[0016] Furthermore, the water vapor diffusion cavity and the built-in condensation substrate together form a cylindrical cavity with one end closed and the other end open.

[0017] 3. Beneficial effects

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0019] (1) When the present invention is used in the field of lunar water ice detection, compared with complex scientific instruments such as spectrometers and mass spectrometers, it has a new function of being able to obtain intuitive images of lunar water ice, making the results obtained by the present invention intuitive and easy to understand, which is conducive to popularizing the results of lunar exploration to the public.

[0020] (2) Compared with the WDD device developed by NASA, the present invention can be used directly in the deep low temperature and high vacuum environment of the moon, and the device of the present invention can achieve extraction by directly contacting with the water-containing lunar soil and heating it. It has a simple working principle, a small size, flexible mounting, and greatly reduced complexity of engineering implementation, which is conducive to reducing risks.

[0021] (3) The present invention uses a microphotographic method to obtain photos of ice flowers formed by the condensation of lunar water ice after evaporation, and the optical diffraction limit resolution of the microscope lens is less than 1 μm. Only a very small amount of lunar water ice needs to be extracted and condensed to be observed, which helps to improve the mission success rate when the water content of the moon is low and is more energy-efficient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the overall cross section of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the microscopic observation unit of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the water vapor condensation unit of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heating extraction unit of the present invention.

[0027] Description of the numbers in the figure:

[0028] 1 electrical interface, 2 housing, 3 microscopic observation unit, 31 CMOS camera, 32 microscope lens, 4 connecting bolts, 5 water vapor condensation unit, 51 observation window, 52 built-in condensation substrate, 521 resistance heating wire, 522 heat pipe, 53 aerogel insulation pad, 54 external condensation substrate, 55 connecting ribs, 6 heating extraction unit, 61 LED lamp beads, 62 water vapor diffusion cavity, 63 resistance heating network, 64 support base. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will combine the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work based on the embodiments of the present invention belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "top / bottom" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "provided with", "mounted / connected", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] Embodiment 1:

[0033] See also Figure 1-5, an ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon, comprising a shell 2, a microscopic observation unit 3 is arranged between the inner walls of the shell 2, an electrical interface 1 is installed on the upper end of the microscopic observation unit 3, a water vapor condensation unit 5 is arranged at the lower end of the shell 2, a heating extraction unit 6 is installed at the lower end of the water vapor condensation unit 5, and a connecting bolt 4 is arranged at the outer end of the shell 2. When the device is in operation, the ice flower observation instrument is connected to its carrying platform through the mechanical interface at the uppermost end of the shell 2, and then the power supply, signal and other circuits of the ice flower observation instrument are connected to the carrying platform under the action of the electrical interface 1, and the shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6 are connected together through the connection of the connecting bolt 4 to complete the assembly of the overall device.

[0034] See also Figure 1-2 The outer shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6 are all threadedly connected by the connecting bolts 4. When assembling and connecting the outer shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6, the staff can place the outer shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6 on the same axial plane, and then insert the connecting bolts 4 between the outer shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6, and lock and fix them with nuts.

[0035] See also Figure 1-3 The microscopic observation unit 3 includes a CMOS camera 31 and a microscope lens 32. The CMOS camera 31 is installed between the inner walls of the outer shell 2. The electrical interface 1 is located at the upper end of the CMOS camera 31, and the microscope lens 32 is installed at the lower end of the CMOS camera 31. When the microscopic observation unit 3 observes ice flowers, the microscopic observation unit 3 uses the microscope lens 32 to perform microscopic imaging of the ice flowers condensed on the lower surface of the observation window 51, and the CMOS camera 31 captures the image for recording.

[0036] See also Figure 1 and Figure 4The water vapor condensation unit 5 includes an observation window 51, a built-in condensation substrate 52, an aerogel insulation pad 53, an external condensation substrate 54 and a connecting rib 55. The lower end of the shell 2 is provided with a built-in condensation substrate 52, and the observation window 51 is fixedly connected between the inner walls of the built-in condensation substrate 52. The observation window 51 is made of transparent material. Aerogel insulation pads 53 are provided at both the upper and lower ends of the built-in condensation substrate 52. An external condensation substrate 54 is provided on the outside of the heating and extraction unit 6. A plurality of evenly distributed connecting ribs 55 are fixedly connected between the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the external condensation substrate 54. By setting the observation window 51 to be a transparent material and setting it in the center of the built-in condensation substrate 52, light can be transmitted from the observation window 51 through the built-in condensation substrate 52. The built-in condensation substrate 52 is located above the water vapor diffusion cavity 62, and the upper end of the cylindrical cavity of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 can be closed. By setting the aerogel insulation pad 53 on the upper and lower sides of the built-in condensation substrate 52, a heat insulation effect can be achieved between the built-in condensation substrate 52 and other structures of the ice flower observation instrument.

[0037] See also Figure 4 A resistance heating wire 521 is embedded in the upper end of the built-in condensation substrate 52, and heat pipes 522 are embedded in the outer ends of the built-in condensation substrate 52, the external condensation substrate 54 and the connecting ribs 55. By embedding the heat pipes 522 in the built-in condensation substrate 52, the external condensation substrate 54 and the outer ends of the connecting ribs 55, heat can be quickly conducted between the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the external condensation substrate 54, so that the heat of the observation window 51 can be quickly extracted, and by embedding the resistance heating wire 521 in the upper end of the built-in condensation substrate 52, the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the observation window 51 can be heated and defrosted.

[0038] See also Figure 1 and Figure 5 The heating and extraction unit 6 includes an LED lamp bead 61, a water vapor diffusion cavity 62, a resistance heating net 63 and a support seat 64. The support seat 64 is located at the lower end of the aerogel insulation pad 53. A water vapor diffusion cavity 62 is opened at the upper end of the support seat 64. LED lamp beads 61 are installed on the inner wall of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62. A resistance heating net 63 is installed between the inner walls of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62. The resistance heating net 63 is located on the lower side of the LED lamp bead 61. When the resistance heating net 63 is energized, the water-containing lunar soil in contact with the resistance heating net 63 can be heated. At the same time, the LED lamp bead 61 provides lighting for the observation window 51, which is convenient for the microscopic observation unit 3 to shoot and record the condensation of ice flowers.

[0039] See also Figure 4-5 The built-in condensation substrate 52 is located on the upper side of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 , and the external condensation substrate 54 is 5 mm higher than the lower edge of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 .

[0040] See also Figure 4-5The water vapor diffusion cavity 62 and the built-in condensation substrate 52 together form a cylindrical cavity with one end closed and the other end open.

[0041] When relevant technicians use this device, the first step is to connect the ice flower observation instrument as a whole to its carrying platform through the mechanical interface at the top of the shell 2, and then connect the power supply, signal and other circuits of the ice flower observation instrument to the carrying platform under the action of the electrical interface 1, and connect the shell 2, the water vapor condensation unit 5 and the heating extraction unit 6 together through the connection bolts 4, and then place the entire device on the lunar soil containing water ice, and the carrying platform provides a certain downward pressure to make the entire ice flower observation instrument stably contact with the water-containing lunar soil, and the parts of the ice flower observation instrument that are in direct contact with the water-containing lunar soil include the water vapor diffusion cavity 62, the resistance heating network 63, and the external condensation substrate 54, wherein the cylindrical cavity of the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 is inserted into the water-containing lunar soil. About 5mm, and at the same time, the resistance heating network 63 is immersed in the water-containing lunar soil, and the external condensation substrate 54 is pressed on the deep low-temperature water-containing lunar soil in the permanent shadow area, which can be as low as 20-40K. At this time, the water vapor diffusion cavity 62, the internal condensation substrate 52 and the water-containing lunar soil form a closed area. Then the external condensation substrate 54 contacts the deep low-temperature water-containing lunar soil, and quickly conducts heat through the heat pipe 522 inside it, so that the external condensation substrate 54 and the internal condensation substrate 52 are reduced to a low temperature close to the temperature of the water-containing lunar soil, and under the action of the aerogel insulation pad 53, the heat insulation effect is achieved with other parts of the ice flower observation instrument as a whole; the second step is to energize the resistance heating network 63, so as to heat the water-containing lunar soil in contact with the resistance heating network 63. The temperature of the lunar soil is raised to above 150K. At this time, the water ice in the lunar soil begins to evaporate rapidly and escape from the lunar soil, and is called gaseous free water molecules, which diffuse freely in the water vapor diffusion cavity 62. At this time, due to the heat insulation effect of the aerogel insulation pad 53, the heat of the resistance heating network 63 and the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 will not be transmitted to the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the observation window 51 surface that have dropped to low temperature. Subsequently, the water molecules extracted from the water-containing lunar soil continue to diffuse in the water vapor diffusion cavity 62 until they contact the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the observation window 51 at a deep low temperature, and then begin to condense and crystallize on the lower surface of the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the observation window 51 to form "artificial ice flowers"; in the third step, the LED lamp bead 61 starts to be powered on for illumination, and the microscope lens 32 is directed to the observation window The ice flowers condensed on the lower surface of 51 are focused, and the lens group of the microscope lens 32 consists of 4 groups of lenses, of which 3 groups of lenses use double-cemented spherical lenses and 1 group uses double convex spherical lenses. Then the CMOS camera 31 takes pictures and images, thereby obtaining the popular science image of the "artificial ice flowers" of lunar water ice; the fourth step, after completing an observation and taking pictures, in order to facilitate repeated use next time, first lift the ice flower observation instrument as a whole from the lunar surface, so that the ice flower observation instrument as a whole is out of contact with the lunar soil, and then start the resistance heating wire 521 inside the built-in condensation substrate 52, and raise the temperature of the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the observation window 51 to above 150K, so that the ice flowers condensed on the built-in condensation substrate 52 and the lower surface of the observation window 51 are heated and volatilized, thereby completing the defrosting effect.

[0042] Embodiment 2:

[0043] The overall mounting method of the ice flower observation instrument of the present scheme can be in various forms, and can be flexibly arranged according to actual needs. It can be mounted on the foot pad of the lander going to the moon to land, and can directly contact the lunar soil without any additional actions; it can also be mounted on the end of a robotic arm carried by the platform of the lander or rover, and the robotic arm can realize the location selection, touchdown and take-off on the lunar surface. The surface of the observation window 51 involved in the present invention can be in the form of flat glass, or it can adopt multiple functional interfaces such as smooth condensation interface and hydrophilic anti-frost interface. Several interfaces can also be combined and set within the shooting field of the microscope camera, so as to observe the effects of different functional interfaces on the condensation of water molecules and the crystallization of ice flowers.

[0044] The above is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention; but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto; any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention; any equivalent replacement or change based on the technical solution and improved concept of the present invention shall be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice flower observation instrument for obtaining images of water ice in the permanent shadow region of the moon, comprising a housing (2), characterized in that: A microscopic observation unit (3) is provided between the inner walls of the shell (2), an electrical interface (1) is installed at the upper end of the microscopic observation unit (3), a water vapor condensation unit (5) is provided at the lower end of the shell (2), a heating extraction unit (6) is installed at the lower end of the water vapor condensation unit (5), and a connecting bolt (4) is provided at the outer end of the shell (2); The water vapor condensation unit (5) comprises an observation window (51), an internal condensation substrate (52), an aerogel heat insulation pad (53), an external condensation substrate (54) and connecting ribs (55); the internal condensation substrate (52) is provided at the lower end of the housing (2); the observation window (51) is fixedly connected between the inner walls of the internal condensation substrate (52); the observation window (51) is made of a transparent material; the internal condensation substrate (52) is provided with aerogel heat insulation pads (53) at both upper and lower ends; the external condensation substrate (54) is provided at the outer side of the heating and extraction unit (6); a plurality of evenly distributed connecting ribs (55) are fixedly connected between the internal condensation substrate (52) and the external condensation substrate (54).

2. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (2), the water vapor condensation unit (5) and the heating extraction unit (6) are all threadedly connected via connecting bolts (4).

3. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microscopic observation unit (3) comprises a CMOS camera (31) and a microscope lens (32); the CMOS camera (31) is installed between the inner walls of the housing (2); the electrical interface (1) is located at the upper end of the CMOS camera (31); and the microscope lens (32) is installed at the lower end of the CMOS camera (31).

4. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 1, characterized in that: A resistance heating wire (521) is embedded in the upper end of the built-in condensing substrate (52), and heat pipes (522) are embedded in the outer ends of the built-in condensing substrate (52), the external condensing substrate (54) and the connecting ribs (55).

5. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating extraction unit (6) comprises an LED lamp bead (61), a water vapor diffusion cavity (62), a resistance heating net (63) and a support seat (64); the support seat (64) is located at the lower end of the aerogel thermal insulation pad (53); the upper end of the support seat (64) is provided with a water vapor diffusion cavity (62); the LED lamp bead (61) is installed on the inner wall of the water vapor diffusion cavity (62); the resistance heating net (63) is installed between the inner walls of the water vapor diffusion cavity (62); and the resistance heating net (63) is located at the lower side of the LED lamp bead (61).

6. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 5, characterized in that: The built-in condensation substrate (52) is located on the upper side of the water vapor diffusion cavity (62), and the external condensation substrate (54) is 5 mm higher than the lower edge of the water vapor diffusion cavity (62).

7. The ice flower observation instrument for obtaining water ice images in the permanent shadow area of ​​the moon according to claim 5, characterized in that: The water vapor diffusion cavity (62) and the built-in condensation substrate (52) together form a cylindrical cavity with one end closed and the other end open.

Images