We present the results of the Astrophysics Strategic Mission Concept Study for the New Worlds Observer (NWO). We show that the
use of starshades is the most effective and affordable path to mapping and understanding our neighboring planetary systems, to opening
the search for life outside our solar system, while serving the needs of the greater astronomy community. A starshade-based mission
can be implemented immediately with a near term program of technology demonstration.
The concept of flying an occulting shade in formation with an orbiting space telescope to enable astronomical
imaging of faint targets while blocking out background noise primarily from starlight near distant Earth-like
planets has been studied in various forms over the past decade. Recent analysis has shown that this approach
may offer comparable performance to that provided by a space-based coronagraph with reduced engineering and
technological challenges as well as overall mission and development costs. This paper will present a design of
the formation flying architecture (FFA) for such a collection system that has potential to meet the scientific
requirements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Terrestrial Planet Finder mission.
The elements of the FFA include the relative navigation, intersatellite communication, formation control,
and the spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) systems. The relative navigation system consists
of the sensors and algorithms to provide necessary range, bearing or line-of-sight, and relative attitude between
the telescope and occulter. Various sensor and filtering (estimation) approaches will be introduced. A formation
control and GN&C approach will be defined that provides the proper alignment and range between the spacecraft,
occulter, and target to meet scientific objectives. The state of technology will be defined and related to
several formation flying and rendezvous spacecraft demonstration missions that have flown.
The Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS) is a space-based imaging and spectral ("double Fourier") interferometer with kilometer maximum baseline lengths for imaging. This NASA "vision mission" will provide spatial resolution in the far-IR and submillimeter spectral range comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope, enabling astrophysicists to extend the legacy of current and planned far-IR observatories. The astrophysical information uniquely available with SPECS and its pathfinder mission SPIRIT will be briefly described, but that is more the focus of a companion paper in the Proceedings of the Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Space Telescopes conference. Here we present an updated design concept for SPECS and for the pathfinder interferometer SPIRIT (Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope) and focus on the engineering and technology requirements for far-IR double Fourier interferometry. We compare the SPECS optical system requirements with those of existing ground-based and other planned space-based interferometers, such as SIM and TPF-I/Darwin.
Ultimately, after the Single Aperture Far-IR (SAFIR) telescope, astrophysicists will need a far-IR observatory that provides angular resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope. At such resolution galaxies at high redshift, protostars, and nascent planetary systems will be resolved, and theoretical models for galaxy, star, and planet formation and evolution can be subjected to important observational tests. This paper updates information provided in a 2000 SPIE paper on the scientific motivation and design concepts for interferometric missions SPIRIT (the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope) and SPECS (the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure). SPECS is a kilometer baseline far-IR/submillimeter imaging and spectral interferometer that depends on formation flying, and SPIRIT is a highly-capable pathfinder interferometer on a boom with a maximum baseline in the 30 - 50 m range. We describe recent community planning activities, remind readers of the scientific rationale for space-based far-infrared imaging interferometry, present updated design concepts for the SPIRIT and SPECS missions, and describe the main issues currently under study. The engineering and technology requirements for SPIRIT and SPECS, additional design details, recent technology developments, and technology roadmaps are given in a companion paper in the Proceedings of the conference on New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry.
We describe a 1-meter space telescope plus free-flying occulter craft mission that would provide direct imaging and spectroscopic observations of Jovian and Uranus-sized planets about nearby stars not detectable by Doppler techniques. The Doppler technique is most sensitive for the detection of massive, close-in extrasolar planets while the use of a free-flying occulter would make it possible to image and study stellar systems with planets comparable to our own Solar System. Such a mission with a larger telescope has the potential to detect earth-like planets. Previous studies of free-flying occulters reported advantages in having the occulting spot outside the telescope compared to a classical coronagraph onboard a space telescope. Using an external occulter means light scatter within the telescope is reduced due to fewer internal obstructions and less light entering the telescope and the polishing tolerances of the primary mirror and the supporting optics can be less stringent, thereby providing higher contrast and fainter detection limits.
In this concept, the occulting spot is positioned over the star by translating the occulter craft, at distances of 1,000 to 15,000 kms from the telescope, on the sky instead of by moving the telescope. Any source within the telescope field-of-view can be occulted without moving the telescope. In this paper, we present our current concept for a 1-m space telescope matched to a free-flying occulter, the Umbral Missions Blocking Radiating Astronomical Sources (UMBRAS) space mission. An UMBRAS space mission consists of a Solar Powered Ion Driven Eclipsing Rover (SPIDER) occulter craft and a matched (apodized) telescope. The occulter spacecraft would be semi-autonomous, with its own propulsion systems, internal power
(solar cells), communications, and navigation capability. Spacecraft rendezvous and formation flying would be achieved with the aid of telescope imaging, RF or laser ranging, celestial navigation inputs, and formation control algorithms.
The MAXIM Pathfinder (MP) and Stellar Imager (SI) missions are under study to do 100 microarcsecond resolution imaging for a number of different targets using interferometers divided over formation flying spacecrafts. One of the most challenging technical hurdles for these missions is to have an independent directional reference in the sky to use for target acquisition and tracking. This directional reference will guide the placement of separate free flying elements of the interferometers to have ~<30 microarcseconds of alignment with the target. This paper will discuss some of the specific challenges as well as some possible options to explore for achieving this alignment.
As part of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) endeavor to push the envelope and go where we have never been before, the Space Science Enterprise has laid out a vision which includes several missions that revolutionize the collection of scientific data from space. Many of the missions designed to meet the objectives of these programs depend heavily on the ability to perform space-based interferometry, which has recently become a rapidly growing field of investigation for both the scientific and engineering communities. While scientists are faced with the challenges of designing high fidelity optical systems capable of making detailed observations, engineers wrestle with the problem of providing space-based platforms that can permit this data gathering to occur. Observational data gathering is desired at a variety of spectral wavelengths and resolutions, calling for interferometers with a range of baseline requirements. Approaches to configuration design are as varied as the missions themselves from large monolithic spacecraft to multiple free-flying small spacecraft and everything in between. As will be discussed, no one approach provides a ?panacea? of solutions rather each has its place in terms of the mission requirements. The purpose here is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches, to discuss the driving factors in design selection and determine the relative range of applicability of each design approach.
This paper presents the analytical methodology and initial numerical simulation results for autonomous neural control of the Ultra-Lightweight Imaging Technology Experiment (UltraLITE) Phase I test article. The UltraLITE Phase I test article is a precision deployable structure currently under development at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Its purpose is to examine control and hardware integration issues related to large deployable sparse optical array spacecraft systems. In this paper, a multi-stage control architecture is examined which incorporates artificial neural networks for model inversion tracking control. The emphasis in the control design approach is to exploit the known nonlinear dynamics of the system in the synthesis of a model inversion tracking controller and to augment the nonlinear controller with an adaptive neuro-controller to accommodate for changing dynamics, failures, and model uncertainties.
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