Abstract: Techniques for minimizing diurnal temperature variation of a radiator of a spacecraft are disclosed. In one aspect, a spacecraft includes a body, a radiator panel, and a heat dissipating unit thermally coupled with the radiator panel. The spacecraft is configured to operate in an orbital plane, and has a yaw axis within the orbital plane and directed from a spacecraft coordinate system origin toward nadir, a pitch axis orthogonal to the orbital plane, and a roll axis orthogonal to the pitch axis and the yaw axis. The radiator panel includes a surface area external to a body of the spacecraft, a first portion of the surface area facing a first direction that is substantially parallel to the roll axis, and a second portion of the surface area facing a second direction that has a substantial component parallel to the yaw axis.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a digital beamforming section. The digital beamforming section is configured to encode each data beam of a first plurality of data beams of a first channel with a first plurality of respective time delays and phases to generate an encoded first plurality of data beams and encode each data beam of a second plurality of data beams of a second channel with a second plurality of respective time delays and phases to generate an encoded second plurality of data beams. The second plurality of data beams is different from the first plurality of data beams. The apparatus includes a channel combiner, electrically coupled to the digital beamforming section, and configured to generate a combined channel comprising an aggregation of at least a portion of the encoded first plurality of data beams and at least a portion of the encoded second plurality of data beams.

Abstract: A cooling system containing a two-phase refrigerant that comprises a condenser, an evaporator and a conveying device. The evaporator is integrated in a heat source or thermally coupled thereto. Gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator is expanded in an expander, converted into mechanical energy and used to drive a generator for generation of electricity. Furthermore, an aircraft comprising a cooling system, wherein an electrical drive is supplied with electricity from a fuel cell, cooled using the cooling system, and the generator of the cooling system.

Abstract: A system and method may measure or calculate motor acuity in a person playing a computer game by determining, for a number of different target types, speed of the player and one of precision, accuracy and variability of the player; and determining or calculating motor acuity based on the relationship between speed of the player and the precision, accuracy or variability (e.g. in movement or shots). The calculation may be using a statistical analysis; and may be by creating a best-fit line in a comparison of speed and variability; and transforming the best-fit line to a curve in a comparison of player speed and player precision.

Abstract: A method for re-entry prediction of an uncontrolled artificial space object includes: calculating an average semi-major axis and an argument of latitude by inputting two-line elements or osculating elements of an artificial space object at two different time points; calculating an average semi-major axis, argument of latitude, and atmospheric drag at a second time point; estimating an optimum drag scale factor while changing the drag scale factor; predicting the time and place of re-entry of an artificial space object into the atmosphere by applying the estimated drag scale factor. Here, orbit prediction is performed by using a Cowell's high-precision orbital propagator using numerical integration from the second time point to a re-entry time point.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating autonomous satellite level communications is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request from a user to transmit satellite information captured by a source satellite from the source satellite to a destination node via one or more intermediate satellites. The method further includes receiving one or more input parameters and determining a plurality of states corresponding to the source satellite and the one or more intermediate satellites. Further, the method includes generating a plurality of actions and an expected reward value for each of the plurality of actions. Furthermore, the method includes determining an optimal action among the plurality of actions and outputting the optimal action to the source satellite and the one or more intermediate satellites, one or more user devices or a combination thereof for transmission of the satellite information from the source satellite to the destination node.

Abstract: A field emission propulsion system for a spacecraft includes a control unit, a propulsion assembly, and a plurality of extractor electrode voltage sources. The propulsion assembly comprises a plurality of field emission propulsion units having an ion source with a plurality of ion emitters and extractor electrodes associated with the ion emitters and disposed in a field arrangement. The plurality of extractor electrode voltage sources, each associated with the extractor electrodes to control the same, are controlled by the control unit using an individual extractor electrode voltage.

Abstract: A method (50) of acquiring images of a terrestrial region Z using a spacecraft (10) in non-geostationary orbit around the Earth (30), the spacecraft includes an observation instrument associated with a ground footprint of length L along the direction of travel, the method includes: a step (51) of observing a portion P1 of the terrestrial region Z, including a step of controlling the attitude of the spacecraft (10) during which the ground footprint is kept stationary during the entirety of the step of observing portion P1, and a step of acquiring an image of portion P1, a step (52) of modifying the pitch attitude of the spacecraft (10) so as to place the ground footprint over a portion P2 of the terrestrial region Z, and a step (53) of observing portion P2 of the terrestrial region.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device which is paired with a host device to control content of the host device, wherein the electronic device includes a touch sensing module, a movement sensing module for acquiring first movement information of the electronic device based on an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer, and a control signal output unit for acquiring second movement information through operation of the first movement information, and determining, under a gesture mode, a motion corresponding to the movement of the electronic device based on the second movement information and outputting a motion signal indicating the determined motion to the host device, and determining, under a mouse mode, a mouse action based on at least one of touch information acquired from the touch sensing module and the second movement information and outputting a mouse signal indicating the mouse action.

Abstract: Technology is disclosed herein for reverse current protection for a photovoltaic module string. An apparatus has a switch connected between each respective PV module string and a power bus. A control circuit closes a set of the switches to connect a set of the PV module strings to the power bus to transfer power from the set of the photovoltaic PV module strings to the power bus. The control circuit determines whether a reverse current flows in the direction from the power bus to any of the PV module strings. The control circuit maintains the switch associated with a particular PV module string in an open state to prevent reverse current from flowing in the particular PV module string responsive to a determination that a reverse current flows in the particular PV module string when the particular PV module string is connected to the power bus.

Abstract: A method of operating an uplink scheduler as part of a medium access control scheduler on a satellite includes selecting, from a plurality of user terminals, a first number of zero-bandwidth request user terminals from the plurality of user terminals, selecting, from the plurality of user terminals, a second number of non-zero-bandwidth request user terminals from the plurality of user terminals, binning the second number of non-zero-bandwidth request user terminals into a plurality of bins based on a respective bandwidth requirement for each non-zero-bandwidth request user terminal and based on a minimum user terminal grant and allocating, according to a grant allocation algorithm, a respective grant of radio resources in an uplink frame to each user terminal of the plurality of user terminals into a respective bin of the plurality of bins in an order associated with increasing bandwidth needs. A downlink scheduler is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are provided for the printing and maturation of living tissue in an Earth-referenced reduced gravity environment such as that found on a spacecraft or on other celestial bodies. The printing may be three-dimensional structures. The printed structures may be manufactured from low viscosity biomaterials.

Abstract: An apparatus and related methods to separate liquid from a liquid/gas mixture, particularly in a low gravity environment. The apparatus includes a chamber having a capillary channel around a perimeter of the chamber, a liquid/gas inlet to the chamber, a liquid outlet from the chamber, the liquid outlet being positioned at the perimeter of the chamber to remove liquid from the capillary channel, and a gas outlet from the chamber. The gas outlet is positioned in the chamber, away from the capillary channel, to remove gas from the chamber. The chamber is structured to be readily fabricated using traditional machining techniques or additive manufacturing techniques. The chamber may be fabricated from various materials, including, for example, polymers, metals, composites, and ceramics. The chamber may function as a heat exchanger so that the apparatus can remove condensable vapors from the gas in the mixture in addition to what is already liquid.

Abstract: In some embodiments, an antenna module includes an antenna element having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side comprising a radiating side of the antenna element and a support structure disposed at the second side of the antenna element and configured to define a cavity, the support structure including a portion configured to reduce signal leakage between the antenna element and the cavity.

Abstract: A cryogenic engine for a space apparatus is provided. The cryogenic engine includes an injector body, a thrust chamber, and a spark plug, where the injector body is provided therein with an accommodating space; the spark plug is provided on one side of the injector body, and an electrode provided on the spark plug extends into the accommodating space; the thrust chamber is provided on the other side of the injector body and is communicated with the accommodating space; the injector body is provided with a combustion improver flow channel and a combustible agent flow channel; and the combustion improver flow channel and combustible agent flow channel are connected with the accommodating space.

Abstract: A method for downlink link adaptation includes receiving, from a satellite and at a user terminal, a first data packet data unit according to a first downlink modulation and coding scheme (MCS), computing an error vector magnitude data associated with the first data packet data unit, generating, based on one or more of the error vector magnitude data, user terminal signal-to-noise-ratio feedback based on a constant times a previous user terminal signal-to-noise-ratio and a current user terminal signal-to-noise-ratio, and transmitting an uplink packet data unit having a downlink block error rate and the user terminal signal-to-noise-ratio feedback. A satellite runs a link adaptation algorithm based on the user terminal signal-to-noise-ratio feedback and block error rate to generate a second downlink MCS. The method includes receiving at the user terminal a second data packet data unit according to the second downlink MCS for the user terminal. An uplink link adaptation algorithm is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for securing spacecraft to a rocket and deploying the spacecraft into orbit includes a stack having a plurality of spacecraft arranged in layers, with each spacecraft being releasably mated with at least one spacecraft in an adjacent layer, and at least one hold down and deploy assembly configured to, in a first configuration, secure the layers of the stack together and secure the entire stack to the rocket, and, in a second configuration, release the entire stack from the rocket into orbit such that the layers passively separate.

Abstract: A waveguide power divider device comprises four two-port orthomode junctions arranged with their common waveguides extending in parallel, wherein the two ports of each orthomode junction extend in orthogonal directions, four E-plane T-junctions, each T-junction coupling two of the four orthomode junctions to each other via respective ones of their ports, a four-port turnstile junction, wherein waveguides of the four ports are bent to extend in parallel to an extension direction of a common waveguide of the turnstile junction, and four waveguide twists, each waveguide twist coupling a common waveguide of a respective one of the T-junctions to the waveguide of a respective one of the ports of the turnstile junction, with broad walls of the common waveguide of the T-junction and of the waveguide of the port of the turnstile junction being orthogonal to each other. An array antenna may include one or more such waveguide power divider devices.

Abstract: A computer assisted method for manufacturing a foldable paraboloid antenna includes election of a two-dimensional radial Origami pattern with triangular cells and election of a paraboloid surface. The Origami pattern is projected from the paraboloid surface focus onto the paraboloid surface to print the Origami pattern on the paraboloid surface, obtaining triangles with curved sides. A pattern with triangles with straight sides on the paraboloid surface is obtained by joining vertices of the projected curved-sided triangles. The method includes scaling and calculating centroids of the triangles, to reduce each triangle referenced on the corresponding centroid and to determine spacing, obtaining a mesh with segments and triangular cells delimited by the segments. The triangular cells have triangles of reflective rigid material. The mesh is flexible, so each segment width is at least the sum of the thicknesses of two adjacent rigid triangles, and periphery cells have a rounded outer edge.