Method for preventing and controlling microorganisms in fairing of carrier rocket

Abstract

The invention provides a method for preventing and controlling microorganisms in a fairing of a carrier rocket, which comprises the following steps of: a single-piece storage stage before fairing closing: in a ten thousand-grade clean environment, respectively cleaning and degerming the inner and outer surfaces of the fairing and an adapter; then a semi-fairing isolating membrane and an adapter integral isolating membrane are used for carrying out full-sealing coating on the semi-fairing isolating membrane and the adapter integral isolating membrane, and a storage state is A device and cover assembly storage stage: after the semi-fairing isolating membrane and the adapter integral isolating membrane are dismounted, the combination of the detector, the adapter and the fairing is completed, and a device and cover assembly is formed; then a full-fairing isolating membrane and an adapter inner concave surface isolating membrane are used for carrying out full-sealing coating on the combined body, and a temporary storage state is switched to; in the rocket assembly stage, a full fairing isolating membrane is dismantled, an adapter inner concave face isolating membrane is reserved, a semi-rigid isolation sterilization system is installed outside a fairing, and an inflation and exhaust system is connected; efficient filtered clean air is continuously inflated into the fairing through the inflation and exhaust system, and the positive-pressure high-cleanliness environment in the fairing is maintained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention discloses a method for preventing and controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing, and belongs to the field of aerospace. Background Art

[0002] Starting from the time the carrier rocket arrives at the designated factory building at the launch site, it goes through the steps of docking with the probe, closing the fairing, and transferring the carrier rocket until it enters the launch state. The space for microbial control includes: a relatively closed space formed by the carrier rocket fairing and the adapter that wraps the probe; the purpose of its microbial control is to prevent the probe that has completed cleaning and disinfection and reached a "clean state" from being contaminated by Earth microorganisms again.

[0003] Planetary protection means that when conducting deep space exploration, cross-biological contamination between the Earth and extraterrestrial bodies should be avoided. It generally includes two requirements: (1) Forward protection: protecting the natural state of the explored celestial body to avoid contamination of the exploration results and even affecting subsequent life exploration activities; (2) Return protection: preventing the Earth from being contaminated by extraterrestrial materials and ensuring that the Earth's biosphere is not contaminated or harmed by extraterrestrial life or materials.

[0004] The planetary protection policy requirements for unmanned deep space exploration missions are shown in Table 1.

[0005] Table 1 Current classification of international planetary protection needs

[0006]

[0007] With the continuous expansion of human deep space exploration activities, the material exchange between the Earth and extraterrestrial bodies has become more frequent. In order to meet the urgent needs of my country's future extraterrestrial sampling and return missions, under the dual guidance of scientific research needs and the safety needs of the Earth's ecosystem, the necessity of carrying out planetary protection work has become increasingly apparent.

[0008] During a Class V restricted sample return mission, strict control of the total microbial load carried by the probe en route to the target object is essential to maintain the natural state of the target object and the pristine nature of the collected samples, thereby preventing false positives in analysis after sample return to Earth. Generally, the probe undergoes cleaning and disinfection prior to transportation to the launch site, ensuring that the total microbial load it carries meets policy requirements. The probe is then transported to the launch site in a satellite container equipped with biocontainment capabilities. Further testing is then carried out within the launch site's cleanroom facilities before docking, shrouding, transfer, and launch with the launch vehicle. While at the launch site, the probe undergoes at least one microbial test before fairing assembly to determine if the microbial load still meets requirements. If it exceeds these requirements, another cleaning and disinfection test is performed. After fairing assembly, the probe's microbial load cannot be tested. This necessitates strict control of the microbial content on the inner surface of the launch vehicle fairing, both before and after assembly, during transportation to the launch station, and during pre-launch preparations, to prevent secondary contamination of the cleaned and disinfected probe by the launch vehicle. There is no complete disinfection method in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention discloses a method for preventing and controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0010] A method for preventing and controlling microorganisms in a launch vehicle fairing comprises the following steps:

[0011] Single-unit storage stage before assembly: In a Class 10,000 clean environment, the inner and outer surfaces of the fairing and adapter are cleaned and sterilized, reducing the spore density of both to an order of magnitude lower than that of the detector surface. The fairing and adapter are then fully sealed with a half-fairing isolation membrane and an entire isolation membrane before being transferred to storage.

[0012] Storage stage of the detector-cover assembly: After removing the half-fairing isolation membrane and the adapter's overall isolation membrane, the detector, adapter, and fairing are combined to form a detector-cover assembly; the full-fairing isolation membrane and the adapter's inner concave isolation membrane are then used to fully seal the assembly and transfer it to a temporary storage state;

[0013] Instrument-rocket assembly stage: remove the entire fairing isolation membrane, retain the concave isolation membrane inside the adapter, install a semi-rigid isolation sterilization system on the outside of the fairing, and connect it to the inflation and exhaust system; sterilize through the semi-rigid isolation sterilization system, and continuously fill the fairing with clean air through the inflation and exhaust system.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: based on the current routine work of the detector and the carrier rocket at the launch site, the present invention takes "minimum impact on the existing state of the carrier rocket and lowest cost" as the principle, and adopts matching microbial prevention and control measures according to the status of the product in the three stages, including but not limited to "operators wearing necessary protective clothing", "building a high-cleanliness environment maintenance device", "using sterile water and isopropyl alcohol to clean and sterilize the product", "using a variety of customized isolation membranes to cover the target product", "establishing a positive pressure environment flowing through the HEPA filter in the internal space of the fairing", "arranging ultraviolet sterilization lamps around the fairing and the detector" and other measures to control the microbial content in the relatively closed space formed by the carrier rocket fairing and the adapter, and ultimately avoid secondary contamination of the detector that has reached the "clean state". BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is the overall flow chart of the microbial prevention and control method in the launch vehicle fairing;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main measures in the first phase;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main measures for the second phase;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the main measures for the third phase;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional diagram of the main measures in the third phase;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the main measures for the third phase;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the isolation and sterilization system;

[0022] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the design of the inflation port and disinfection port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0024] The present invention discloses a method for the prevention and control of microorganisms in the fairing of a carrier rocket. The method first identifies the objects and methods of "biological contamination" brought to the detector on the carrier rocket, mainly including: 1) indirect transmission through the air on the inner surface of the fairing, and 2) transmission through direct contact with the detector and indirect transmission through the air on the surface of the adapter facing the fairing; secondly, the actions that these prevention and control objects must perform at the launch site stage and the environmental conditions in which they are located are sorted out, and corresponding microbial prevention and control measures are established. At the same time, these prevention and control measures cannot bring destructive effects to the existing carrier rockets and the detectors themselves, so as not to affect the success or failure of the launch mission.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, according to the links experienced by the prevention and control objects, the process of microbial prevention and control measures in the fairing during the launch site can be divided into three stages: ① single-piece storage stage before fairing assembly, ② storage stage of the fairing assembly, and ③ fairing-rocket assembly stage. The corresponding prevention and control measures mainly include:

[0026] (1) During the single-piece storage phase before assembly, the inner and outer surfaces of the launch vehicle fairing and adapter are cleaned and sterilized in a high-clean environment, and then separately wrapped and stored, waiting for the detector to complete testing;

[0027] (2) During the storage phase of the vehicle-cover assembly, the connection between the detector and the adapter and the closing of the fairing are completed in a highly clean environment. The upper and lower parts of the vehicle-cover assembly are then tightly wrapped and transferred to a temporary storage state, waiting for the completion of final assembly and testing of the rest of the launch vehicle.

[0028] (3) During the vehicle-rocket assembly stage, the vehicle-cover assembly is integrated with the core stage of the carrier rocket. Considering that the entire rocket is transferred from the vertical assembly plant to the launch station, the carrier rocket is exposed to the natural environment of the launch site during the entire process. Therefore, before the vehicle-cover assembly leaves the clean controlled environment, the isolation layer that was originally tightly wrapped around the outside of the fairing is replaced with a "semi-rigid" isolation cover. At the same time, multiple ultraviolet sterilization lamps are inserted from the top of the fairing to the surrounding areas of the detector. The gas circuit system originally used for heat preservation and moisture retention in the carrier rocket fairing is upgraded and modified, and a HEPA high-efficiency filter and an air pressure feedback regulation system are added to always maintain a positive pressure state inside the fairing compared to the outside world, so as to prevent the internal space of the fairing from being contaminated by the external "uncontrolled environment". This state is maintained until the launch of the carrier rocket. Finally, the relevant microbial control equipment is removed in a certain order to avoid affecting the launch of the carrier rocket.

[0029] The first two phases adopted relatively similar and simple measures, mainly including: building a Class 10,000 clean environment based on the work of the conventional launch site, and completing the cleaning, disinfection, and packaging storage of the corresponding products within it. The third phase adopted relatively complex measures, mainly including: 1) physical isolation of the outer space of the fairing; 2) filling the fairing with clean air after high-efficiency filtration to always maintain a positive pressure condition inside the fairing relative to the outside world, forming a gas isolation environment; 3) deploying ultraviolet sterilization equipment in the gap between the fairing and the detector to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in the internal environment of the fairing.

[0030] The main measures for the single piece storage stage before closing the cover are as follows: Figure 2 As shown, first, a Class 10,000 clean environment maintenance device 21 is built in the original Class 100,000 clean workshop. Secondly, sterile water and isopropyl alcohol are used to clean and sterilize the inner and outer surfaces of the fairing 11 and the adapter 12, so that the spore density K1 on the inner and outer surfaces of the fairing 11 and the adapter 12 is one order of magnitude lower than the spore density K2 on the detector surface. Finally, the pre-customized half-fairing isolation membrane 22 and the adapter overall isolation membrane 23 are used to fully seal and cover the fairing 11 and the adapter 12 participating in this launch mission, and then put them into storage state, waiting for the detector 13 to complete the necessary testing work.

[0031] During the cleaning, sterilization, and wrapping of the fairing 11 and the adapter 12 , the operator always wears a clean room suit (including clothing, gloves, hood, mask, etc.) to minimize the exposed skin area.

[0032] The main measures for the storage stage of the device cover assembly are as follows: Figure 3 As shown, after the detector 13 completes launch site testing, it is transferred to the aforementioned Class 10,000 clean environment maintenance device 21. First, the half-fairing isolation membrane 22 covering the exterior of the fairing 11 and the adapter full isolation membrane 23 covering the exterior of the adapter 12 are removed. Then, the detector 13, adapter 12, and fairing 11 are assembled to form the device-cover assembly. The full-fairing isolation membrane 24 and the adapter concave isolation membrane 25 are respectively applied to the top and bottom of the device-cover assembly, forming a comprehensive seal and isolation for the entire device-cover assembly.

[0033] The full fairing isolation membrane 24 is designed to be close to the outer surface of the fairing, and the bottom edge is fixed by elastic material binding, bundling or Velcro, completely covering the exhaust port, seam A (the connection gap between the two fairings 11) and seam B (the connection gap between the two fairings 11 and the adapter 12) on the fairing; the adapter inner concave isolation membrane 25 is designed to be close to the side of the adapter 12 facing the rocket core stage. Considering that there will be cabin cables, pipelines and other facilities in the upper and lower spaces of the adapter, the adapter inner concave isolation membrane 25 needs to be opened accordingly and closed by bundling, in the form of Figure 3 The entire capsule assembly is placed in storage, waiting for the rest of the launch vehicle to complete its work.

[0034] The main measures in the weapon-rocket combination stage are as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, after the work of other parts of the carrier rocket is completed, the device cover assembly in the covered state is transferred out of the 10,000-level clean environment maintenance device 21 and docked with the rocket core stage in the carrier rocket assembly hall. Before the carrier rocket leaves the assembly hall, the following measures are carried out in sequence:

[0035] (1) Remove the full fairing isolation membrane 24 on the outside of the fairing 11, and retain the original adapter inner concave isolation membrane 25;

[0036] (2) Open the sterilization port reserved on the fairing and install the semi-rigid isolation and sterilization system 27 from the top of the fairing 11 downward. The external field isolation membrane 274 in the isolation and sterilization system 27 completely covers the entire fairing from the outside, and its lower edge can reach the range of the rocket's final stage 14 in a naturally hanging state. The sealing and restraint of the lower edge is not performed for the time being;

[0037] (3) Open the interface on the external field isolation membrane 274 for avoiding the intake pipe 261 and the exhaust pipe 262, install the charging and exhaust system 26 with a high efficiency filter HEPA, and start the charging and exhaust system;

[0038] (4) The lower edge of the external field isolation membrane 274 is sealed with the rocket final stage 14, the air intake pipe 261, and the exhaust pipe 262 in sequence by means of elastic material binding or bundling.

[0039] The schematic diagram of the main measures in the weapon-rocket combination stage is as follows Figure 6 As shown, the detector 13 is in a relatively closed space formed by the rocket fairing 11 and the adapter 12. First, ultraviolet sterilization lamps 273 are arranged around the detector 13 to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the inner surface of the fairing 11 and the outer surface of the detector 13. Secondly, an isolation barrier, the external field isolation membrane 274, is added to the peripheral space of the fairing 11 to prevent uncontrolled "contaminated gas" from the outside from penetrating into the interior of the fairing 11 through the gap. Finally, the air pressure in the internal space of the fairing 11 is always maintained in a positive pressure state relative to the outside through the automatic feedback adjustment of the inflation and exhaust system 26.

[0040] The charging and exhaust system 26 mainly includes an air charging line 261, an exhaust line 262, a fan 263, an air inlet HEPA filter 264, an exhaust HEPA filter 265, a pressure difference monitoring device 266, and a control system 267. The connection relationship can be referred to Figure 6. The inflation pipe 261 is connected to the "inflation port" on the fairing 11, and the exhaust pipe 262 is connected to the "exhaust ports" evenly distributed around the fairing 11 through multiple branches. The outside air is sucked in by the fan 263, and is efficiently filtered through the HEPA filter 264 at the air inlet end to remove suspended particulate matter carrying "biological factors". The purified clean air is filled into the fairing 11. The original air inside the fairing 11 (the original clean air will become substandard due to the growth of microorganisms) is discharged through the exhaust pipe 262 and the exhaust end HEPA filter 265. The exhaust end HEPA filter 265 is mainly used to prevent uncontrolled gas from flowing back from the exhaust pipe 262 to the inside of the fairing 11. The pressure difference monitoring device 266 is used to monitor the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the fairing 11, and feed the pressure difference data back to the control system 267. If the pressure difference data is lower than the set value P (the air pressure inside the fairing 11 minus the air pressure outside the fairing 11 is a positive value), the speed of the fan 263 is increased, thereby increasing the air intake and raising the air pressure inside the fairing 11; conversely, the speed of the fan 263 is reduced, thereby reducing the air intake and reducing the air pressure inside the fairing 11, thereby always maintaining a positive pressure environment inside the fairing 11 relative to the outside world, and together with the external field isolation membrane 274, forming a double insurance measure of gas isolation and physical isolation. At the same time, the gas circuit flows through the HEPA high-efficiency filter both in and out, which can filter out biological factors inside the fairing 11.

[0041] like Figure 7 As shown, the isolation and sterilization system 27 primarily consists of a main frame 271, guide rods 272, UV sterilization lamps 273, and an external field isolation membrane 274. The guide rods 272 are fixedly connected to the outer ring on the underside of the main frame 271. The UV sterilization lamps 273 are in turn fixedly connected to the guide rods 272. The external field isolation membrane 274 covers the periphery of the isolation and sterilization system 27. The number of guide rods 272 and the number of UV sterilization lamps 273 are the same. The number and distribution of the UV sterilization lamps 273 are related to the shape of the detector 13 and are not necessarily evenly distributed along the circumference.

[0042] The main frame 271 adopts a conical design form, and has a certain rigidity as a whole to prevent the ultraviolet sterilization lamp 273 from shaking under various conditions (including the transfer and movement of the carrier rocket, the influence of wind in an open air environment, etc.), colliding with the fairing 11 and the detector 13, and causing damage to the fairing 11 and the detector 13. The top ring of the main frame 271 is used for the lifting and transfer of the entire isolation and sterilization system 27, the bottom middle ring is used for fixing with the fairing 11, and the bottom outer ring is used for connection with the guide rod 272; the guide rod 272 adopts an inverted cone-shaped hollow design with a larger top and a smaller bottom. The inverted cone is convenient for inserting and removing the inside of the fairing 11, and the middle ring is used for connecting with the guide rod 272. The empty part is used to pass the cables required for the ultraviolet sterilization lamp 273. The guide rod 272 also has a certain rigidity to reduce the displacement caused by the shaking of the ultraviolet sterilization lamp 273. The ultraviolet sterilization lamp 273 is distributed in multiple units and surrounds the detector 13. The external field isolation membrane 274 adopts the design form of an upper cone, a lower cylinder, and a tail beam. The conical part matches the main frame 271, and only the ring on the top of the main frame 271 for lifting and transfer is exposed. The cylindrical part matches the fairing 11, and the length part can cover the height of the entire fairing 11. Its thickness is greater than the thickness of the isolation membrane used in the first and second stages.

[0043] like Figure 8 As shown, the air inlet and UV lamp insertion port on the fairing 11 both feature an automatically closing hatch, with a torsion spring interposed between the hatch and the fairing 11. When the UV sterilization lamp 273 is completely removed from the fairing 11 or the air inlet line 261 is disconnected from the fairing 11, the hatch can be quickly closed, minimizing exposure to the outside world. Even after automatically closing, the hatch must be locked to prevent it from opening during flight.

[0044] After the launch vehicle has been transferred to the launch station and the test work has been completed, except for the concave isolation membrane 25 inside the adapter, the rest of the parts are dismantled according to the following principles:

[0045] (1) First dismantle the filling and exhaust system 26, and then dismantle the isolation and sterilization system 27;

[0046] (2) During the dismantling of the isolation and sterilization system 27, the external field isolation membrane 274 is kept in a naturally drooping state, so that the hatches of the "inflation port" and the "ultraviolet lamp insertion port" are always within the coverage of the external isolation membrane 274 during the closing process.

[0047] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling microorganisms in a launch vehicle fairing, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Single-unit storage stage before assembly: In a Class 10,000 clean environment, the inner and outer surfaces of the fairing and adapter are cleaned and sterilized, reducing the spore density of both to an order of magnitude lower than that of the detector surface. The fairing and adapter are then fully sealed with a half-fairing isolation membrane and an entire isolation membrane before being transferred to storage. Storage stage of the detector-cover assembly: After removing the half-fairing isolation membrane and the adapter's overall isolation membrane, the detector, adapter, and fairing are combined to form a detector-cover assembly; the full-fairing isolation membrane and the adapter's inner concave isolation membrane are then used to fully seal the assembly and transfer it to a temporary storage state; Instrument-rocket assembly stage: remove the entire fairing isolation membrane, retain the concave isolation membrane inside the adapter, install a semi-rigid isolation sterilization system on the outside of the fairing, and connect it to the inflation and exhaust system; sterilize through the semi-rigid isolation sterilization system, and continuously fill the fairing with clean air through the inflation and exhaust system.

2. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The full fairing isolation membrane is tightly attached to the outer surface of the fairing, and the bottom edge is fixed by elastic material binding, tying or Velcro, completely covering the exhaust port on the fairing, the connection gap between the two fairings, and the connection gap between the two fairings and the adapter.

3. The method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concave isolation membrane inside the adapter is close to the side of the adapter facing the rocket core stage. The concave isolation membrane inside the adapter is provided with openings to adapt to the cables and pipes passing through the cabin, and is sealed by bundling.

4. The method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the rocket-rocket assembly stage, the detector is in a relatively closed space formed by the rocket fairing and the adapter. First, ultraviolet sterilization lamps are arranged around the detector to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the inner surface of the fairing and the outer surface of the detector. Secondly, an external field isolation membrane is set in the outer space of the fairing to prevent external contaminated gases from penetrating into the interior of the fairing through the gaps. Finally, the air pressure in the internal space of the fairing is always maintained in a positive pressure state relative to the outside world through the inflation and exhaust system.

5. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inflation and exhaust system includes an inflation pipeline, an exhaust pipeline, a fan, an inlet HEPA filter, an exhaust HEPA filter, a pressure difference monitoring device, and a control system. The inflation pipeline is connected to the inflation port on the fairing, and the exhaust pipeline is connected one-to-one with the exhaust ports evenly distributed around the fairing. The outside air is sucked in through the fan, filtered through the inlet HEPA filter, and the purified clean air is filled into the fairing. The original air inside the fairing is discharged through the exhaust pipe and the exhaust HEPA filter. The pressure difference monitoring device is used to monitor the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the fairing, and feed back the pressure difference data to the control system.

6. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The isolation and sterilization system consists of a main frame, guide rods, ultraviolet sterilization lamps and external field isolation membranes. The guide rods are fixedly connected to the outer ring on the lower side of the main frame. The ultraviolet sterilization lamps and the guide rods are fixedly connected in turn. The external field isolation membrane covers the periphery of the isolation and sterilization system.

7. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the guide rods is the same as the number of the ultraviolet sterilization lamps. The number and distribution of the ultraviolet sterilization lamps are related to the shape of the detector and can be evenly distributed or unevenly distributed along the circumference.

8. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The main frame adopts a conical shape. The top ring of the main frame is used for the lifting and transfer of the isolation sterilization system, the bottom middle ring is used to fix it to the fairing, and the bottom outer ring is used to connect to the guide rod; the guide rod adopts an inverted cone hollow design with a larger top and a smaller bottom, and the hollow part is used to pass the cables required for the ultraviolet sterilization lamp.

9. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 6, characterized in that: Multiple ultraviolet sterilization lamps are distributed around the detector.

10. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The external field isolation membrane includes an upper cone, a lower cylinder, and a tail beam. The upper cone part matches the main frame, the cylindrical part matches the fairing, and the length part can cover the height of the entire fairing. Its thickness is greater than the thickness of the isolation membrane used in the first and second stages.

11. A method for controlling microorganisms in a carrier rocket fairing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inflation port and ultraviolet lamp insertion port on the fairing are designed with automatic hatch closing, and a torsion spring is designed between the hatch and the fairing.

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