Method for assembling a space telescope on orbit

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of space launch and assembly technology, and specifically provides an assembling method for an on-orbit space telescope. The method mainly comprises the following steps: splitting the space telescope into modules, reasonably selecting the size of a carrier rocket cargo package according to the size of each module, designing an astronaut cabin assembly plan and the number of astronauts' cabin exits according to the structural characteristics of the on-orbit assembled telescope module, and reducing the number of astronauts' cabin exits by combining on-station pre-assembly with cabin exit splicing, improving the on-orbit assembly efficiency, and having the advantages of high uplink efficiency and high utilization rate of carrier rocket cargo packages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of space transportation and assembly technology, and specifically provides an assembling method for an on-orbit space telescope with a caliber of 1 m based on a Chinese space station platform. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of on-orbit assembly and on-orbit manufacturing technologies, the development of a 10-meter-caliber space telescope using the "on-orbit assembly" technical route has become an international research hotspot. International aerospace research institutions represented by NASA have invested research resources in this field and proposed a development and deployment plan for small-aperture key technology verification payloads based on the International Space Station.

[0003] At present, relevant scientific research institutions in my country have proposed an overall design plan for the optical-mechanical structure of an on-orbit assembled space telescope with a caliber of 1m based on the Chinese space station platform. Compared with the launch of a "single-body" space telescope as a whole, the assembled space telescope has the characteristics of a large number of modules, a large number of assembly links and interfaces. In the process of designing the transportation and assembly plan, it is necessary not only to ensure the safety and reliability of transportation and assembly, but also to consider the cost of transportation (space utilization of the launch vehicle cargo package), on-orbit assembly efficiency and the number of times the vehicle can be transported out of the cabin. There are certain difficulties in the design of the uplink and assembly plan. The existing technology is to use space robots to assemble the telescope parts one by one outside the cabin, but the robot assembly efficiency is low and prone to errors, and the control of the robot is also very complicated.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a transportation plan and an on-orbit assembly method for an on-orbit assembled space telescope based on the Chinese space station platform in combination with the overall design plan, so as to provide a technical basis for the on-orbit deployment of an on-orbit assembled space telescope with a diameter of 1m. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an assembly method for an on-orbit space telescope with a caliber of 1m for a space station platform, which has the advantages of high module uplink efficiency, high utilization rate of carrier rocket cargo packages, high on-orbit assembly efficiency and fewer astronaut extravehicular times.

[0006] The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope provided by the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0007] S1. Disassemble the space telescope into modules, including pointing arm, adapter, central module, locking module, electrical box assembly, active optical assembly, secondary mirror module, sunshade and 4 sub-mirror modules;

[0008] S2. Load the modules into different bags according to their sizes and place the bags in the cargo hold;

[0009] S3. Carry the cargo hold to the space station, install the adapter on the pointing arm in the space station, fix the pointing arm on the EVA platform, and install the pointing arm on the payload hanging point through the space station mechanical arm after the first EVA.

[0010] S4. Install the locking module, the electrical box assembly, the active optical assembly, the secondary mirror module and the light shield in the designated position of the central module in sequence in the space station; arrange two sub-mirror modules on both sides of the secondary mirror module, and install the two sub-mirror modules on the central module, and fix the central module on the outbound platform;

[0011] After the second EVA, the central module was connected to the pointing arm through the space station's robotic arm;

[0012] S5. Fix the remaining two sub-mirror modules on the extravehicular platform. After the third extravehicular operation, install the remaining two sub-mirror modules on the central module through the space station robotic arm. Separate the pointing arm and the adapter, and bring the adapter back to the cabin for recovery. Control the sunshade to unfold for active optical debugging to complete the on-orbit assembly work.

[0013] Preferably, a central mirror is fixed to the upper end of the central module, the central mirror is in a ring shape, and four sub-mirror modules are assembled around the central mirror, and the four sub-mirror modules are all in a fan shape.

[0014] Preferably, the secondary mirror module includes a folding arm and a secondary mirror, the secondary mirror is connected to the top of the folding arm, the folding arm includes two sections, a rotating mechanism for driving the folding arm to rotate, and a locking mechanism for locking the folding arm to prevent it from rotating are provided between the two sections.

[0015] Preferably, the folding arm is in a folded state when assembled in the space station. After the central module is connected to the pointing arm during the second exit from the cabin, the rotating mechanism is controlled to unfold the folding arm, and then the folding arm is locked by the locking mechanism.

[0016] Preferably, the electrical box assembly, locking module and light shield are respectively loaded into two cargo packages with internal effective dimensions of 344mm×554mm×454mm.

[0017] Preferably, the secondary mirror module is loaded into a cargo package having an effective internal size of 344 mm×554 mm×844 mm.

[0018] Preferably, the pointing arm and adapter, the central module and the active optical assembly are respectively loaded into two cargo packages with an internal effective size of 704 mm × 554 mm × 454 mm, and each sub-mirror module is separately loaded into a cargo package with an internal effective size of 704 mm × 554 mm × 454 mm.

[0019] Preferably, the sunshade comprises an extension arm and a sunshade cloth, and the extension arm adopts a cable-rod extension structure that can realize one-dimensional movement, driving the sunshade cloth to unfold for shading.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The present invention adopts a modular decomposition carrier scheme, which reduces the requirements on the load capacity of the carrier rocket, has high uplink efficiency and high utilization rate of the carrier rocket cargo package; the present invention adopts a combination of on-site pre-assembly and extravehicular splicing, designs a reasonable extravehicular process, reduces the number of cargo extravehicular times, and improves the on-orbit assembly efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the optical-mechanical structure of an on-orbit assembled space telescope with an aperture of 1m provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of loading modules into a cargo bag according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of cargo bags in a cargo hold according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a secondary mirror module provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of an extravehicular envelope for assembling a space telescope on-orbit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the process of on-orbit assembly of a space telescope column and extravehicular splicing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals include:

[0029] Pointing arm 1, adapter 2, central module 3, locking module 4, electrical box assembly 5, active optical assembly 6;

[0030] Secondary mirror module 7, folding arm 71, secondary mirror 72, rotating mechanism 73, locking mechanism 74;

[0031] Sunshade 8, sub-mirror module 9, central mirror 10, cargo hold 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same modules are represented by the same reference numerals. In the case of the same reference numerals, their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the 1-meter-diameter on-orbit assembled space telescope system based on the space station platform is very complex and has a large number of modules. There are many constraints on the module uplink and on-orbit deployment. It mainly includes pointing arm 1, central module 3, electrical box assembly 5, active optical assembly 6, secondary mirror module 7, sunshade 8, primary mirror and other modules.

[0035] With respect to the above telescope system, an embodiment of the present invention provides an assembling method of an on-orbit space telescope, comprising the following steps:

[0036] S1. In order to make full use of the resources of the launch vehicle, ensure efficiency, and reduce the requirements for the rocket's load capacity, the space telescope is disassembled into modules, specifically: pointing arm 1, adapter 2, central module 3, locking module 4, electrical box assembly 5, active optical assembly 6, secondary mirror module 7, sunshade 8 and 4 sub-mirror modules 9.

[0037] S2, such as Figure 2As shown, the modules are packed into bags of different sizes according to their sizes, wherein the pointing arm 1 and the adapter 2 need to be spliced ​​during the first out-of-cabin process, so the pointing arm 1 and the adapter 2 are packed in the same bag, and the bag has an effective internal size of 704mm×554mm×454mm. The pointing arm 1 has the function of pointing to the sky and the ground by rotating, and the pointing accuracy needs to meet certain index requirements; for example, it can point to a specific sky area and stars in a specific sky area, and can point to typical targets on the ground. The active optical component 6 needs to be directly connected to the bottom of the central module 3, and the central module 3 and the active optical component 6 are packed in the same bag, and the bag has an effective internal size of 704mm×554mm×454mm. In the embodiment of the present invention, the main mirror of the on-orbit assembled space telescope is a spliced ​​type, which includes a central mirror 10 and four sub-mirror modules 9. The central mirror 10 is annular, and the central opening is a light hole. The central mirror 10 is fixed to the upper end of the central module 3, and the four sub-mirror modules 9 are assembled around the central mirror 10. The four sub-mirror modules 9 are all fan-shaped, and chamfered at the outer edges. Each sub-mirror module 9 is also separately loaded into a cargo bag with an internal effective size of 704mm×554mm×454mm. The electrical box assembly 5 and the locking module 4 are packed into a cargo bag with an internal effective size of 344mm×554mm×454mm. The locking module 4 includes two forms of a passive end and an active end, and alignment and locking are achieved through the mutual cooperation of the two forms. The sunshade 8 includes four parts, each of which is composed of an extension arm and a shade cloth. There is no rigid connection between the four parts. After being unfolded, they gather together to form a prism-shaped space with upper and lower openings. The extension arm adopts a cable-rod extension arm structure. The shade cloth is connected to both ends of the extension arm and is unfolded by one-dimensional extension of the extension arm to achieve a shading effect. The sunshade 8 is loaded into a cargo bag with an effective internal size of 344mm×554mm×454mm.

[0038] like Figure 4As shown, the secondary mirror module 7 is mainly composed of a folding arm 71 and a secondary mirror 72. The secondary mirror 72 is connected to the top of the folding arm 71 through a dimension adjustment mechanism. The bottom of the folding arm 71 needs to pass through the gap between the sub-mirror modules 9 and be installed downward on the central module 3. Therefore, the length of the secondary mirror module 7 is relatively large. In order to save space and reduce the length requirement of the carrier space of the launch vehicle, the folding arm 71 adopts a two-stage foldable design, which can be rotated 180° at the connection. The folding part is provided with a rotating mechanism 73 for driving the folding arm 71 to rotate, and a locking mechanism 74 for locking the folding arm 71 to prevent it from rotating. The rotating mechanism 73 is driven by a motor set inside the metal frame of the folding arm 71, and drives the folding arm 71 to rotate through a gear set; the locking mechanism 74 is set on both sides of the folding position, which is mainly in the form of a screw and a nut. The screw is driven to rotate by the motor and locked with the locking nut. After folding, the secondary mirror module 7 is loaded into a cargo bag with an internal effective size of 344mm×284mm×844mm.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, after all modules are packed, the packages are placed in order in a fully enclosed cargo hold 11, and the storage compartments of the cargo hold 11 are labeled for easy identification.

[0040] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, S3, the cargo compartment 11 is carried to the space station by a carrier rocket. First, the astronauts perform preliminary pre-assembly in the space station cabin, and then the items are spliced ​​out of the cabin three times. The volume of the items out of the cabin each time meets the envelope size of the cabin. Compared with assembling parts one by one outside the cabin, the solution of the embodiment of the present invention has higher assembly efficiency and simpler operation process.

[0041] Open the cargo bag in the space station, take out the pointing arm 1 and adapter 2, check their working status, fix the pointing arm 1 at the designated position in the cabin, and install the adapter 2 on the pointing arm 1 with screws as the first extravehicular item. After the first pre-assembly is completed, prepare for extravehicular activities and fix the pointing arm 1 on the extravehicular platform. After extravehicular activities, use the space station's robotic arm to grab the small arm adapter on the adapter 2, install the pointing arm 1 on the large payload hanging point outside the space station cabin, control the active end of the docking mechanism at the bottom of the pointing arm 1 to dock with the passive end on the large payload hanging point, and complete the first extravehicular mission.

[0042] S4. Open the cargo bag in the space station, take out the central module 3, check its working status, fix the central module 3 to the designated position in the cabin, then take out two pairs of locking modules 4 from the cargo bag, check their status, and the astronauts fix them to the corresponding positions of the central module 3 with screws. Then take out the electrical box assembly 5 and the active optical assembly 6 from the cargo bag, check their status, and the astronauts fix them to the corresponding positions of the central module 3 with screws. Take out the secondary mirror module 7 and the sunshade 8 from the cargo bag, check their status, and the astronauts fix them to the corresponding positions of the central module with screws. Finally, take out the two sub-mirror modules 9 on both sides of the secondary mirror module 7 from the cargo bag, check their status, and the astronauts fix them to the corresponding positions of the central module 3 with screws. At this point, the pre-assembly of the telescope body is completed and it serves as the second out-of-cabin item.

[0043] After the second pre-assembly is completed, preparations for leaving the cabin are made, and the central module 3 carrying the above-mentioned pre-assembled modules is fixed on the cabin platform. After leaving the cabin, the docking adapter on the central module 3 is grasped by the space station mechanical arm, and the telescope body is installed on the interface of the pointing arm 1 outside the cabin of the space station, and the active end of the docking mechanism at the bottom of the telescope body is controlled to dock with the passive end on the top of the pointing arm, completing the second cabin mission. In addition, since the folding arm 71 is in a folded state when the secondary mirror module 7 is assembled in the space station, the rotating mechanism 73 is controlled to unfold the folding arm 71 into place, and then the folding arm 71 is locked by the locking mechanism 74.

[0044] S5. Take out the remaining two sub-mirror modules 9, check their working status, and fix them on the out-of-cabin platform as the items for the third out-of-cabin trip. After leaving the cabin, use the space station robotic arm to grab the adapter on a sub-mirror module 9, install the sub-mirror module 9 on the central module 3 outside the space station cabin, and control the active end of the docking mechanism at the bottom of the sub-mirror module 9 to dock with the passive end on the central module 3. Repeat the previous actions to install another sub-mirror module 9. At this point, the out-of-cabin assembly work of the space machine camera is completed. Separate the pointing arm 1 and the adapter 2, and bring the adapter 2 back to the cabin for recycling. Control the sunshade 8 to unfold and pop up, then perform active optical debugging to complete the on-orbit assembly work.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0046] The above specific implementations of the present invention do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made based on the technical concept of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for assembling a space telescope on orbit, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Disassemble the space telescope into modules, including pointing arm, adapter, central module, locking module, electrical box assembly, active optical assembly, secondary mirror module, sunshade and 4 sub-mirror modules; S2. Load the modules into different bags according to their sizes and place the bags in the cargo hold; S3. Carry the cargo hold to the space station, install the adapter on the pointing arm in the space station, fix the pointing arm on the EVA platform, and install the pointing arm on the payload hanging point through the space station mechanical arm after the first EVA. S4. Install the locking module, the electrical box assembly, the active optical assembly, the secondary mirror module and the light shield in the designated position of the central module in sequence in the space station; arrange two sub-mirror modules on both sides of the secondary mirror module, and install the two sub-mirror modules on the central module, and fix the central module on the outbound platform; After the second EVA, the central module was connected to the pointing arm through the space station's robotic arm; S5. Fix the remaining two sub-mirror modules on the extravehicular platform. After the third extravehicular operation, install the remaining two sub-mirror modules on the central module through the space station robotic arm. Separate the pointing arm and the adapter, and bring the adapter back to the cabin for recovery. Control the sunshade to unfold for active optical debugging to complete the on-orbit assembly work.

2. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that: A central mirror is fixed at the upper end of the central module. The central mirror is in a circular ring shape. Four sub-mirror modules are assembled around the central mirror. The four sub-mirror modules are all fan-shaped.

3. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The secondary mirror module includes a folding arm and a secondary mirror, wherein the secondary mirror is connected to the top of the folding arm. The folding arm includes two sections, between which a rotating mechanism for driving the folding arm to rotate and a locking mechanism for locking the folding arm to prevent it from rotating are arranged.

4. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 3, characterized in that: The folding arm is in a folded state during assembly in the space station. After the second extravehicular activity to connect the central module with the pointing arm, the rotating mechanism is controlled to unfold the folding arm, and then the folding arm is locked through the locking mechanism.

5. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical box assembly, locking module and light shield are respectively packed into two cargo packages with effective internal dimensions of 344×554×454mm.

6. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: The secondary mirror module is packed into a cargo package with effective internal dimensions of 344×284×844mm.

7. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pointing arm and adapter, central module and active optical components are respectively loaded into two cargo bags with internal effective dimensions of 704×554×454mm, and each sub-mirror module is separately loaded into a cargo bag with internal effective dimensions of 704×554×454mm.

8. The method for assembling an on-orbit space telescope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sunshade comprises an extension arm and a sunshade cloth. The extension arm adopts a cable-rod extension structure which can realize one-dimensional movement, and drives the sunshade cloth to unfold for shading.

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