2010 Grant Balance - University of Surrey.

空间探索和商业化的迅速发展使半自动(或自主)空间机器人在卫星服务、车外活动支助、建造大型空间基础设施(例如空间站、轨道太阳能发电厂、空间望远镜)以及积极清除地球轨道上日益增多的空间碎片方面日益重要。要以具有成本效益的方式完成这些任务，需要完全的系统自治。然而，目前，这种系统的建造成本很高，而且在被认为可以安全发射之前存在许多困难。已经进行了这种技术的在轨演示，但这些技术的范围有限，而且设计的容错能力最低。显然，要制造真正自主、适应性强、灵活和安全的机器人系统，以便定期执行这类任务，还需要付出巨大的努力。为此，地面研究至关重要。人们发现，二维(平面)气浮台提供了一种实用、通用和低成本的方法来模拟航天飞行的几乎无摩擦的动力学--尽管仅限于二维表面。这样的设施，如果配备了仪器，将允许在受控条件下的地面实验室环境中对机器人交会和对接系统进行长时间的测试。这样就可以对控制算法进行测试和验证，对动力学进行分析和交会，并在进入全三维环境(如微重力飞行)之前练习建造技术。该系统将用于开发、测试和评估交会和对接控制算法，这些算法利用光学机器视觉系统和卫星间通信进行相对定位和导航，并使用电磁对接系统提供近距离(~30 cm)接近操纵和对准以及最终对接/锁定。算法和电磁对接系统将使用3U立方体卫星类型的平台与类似的被动目标飞行器对接进行实际测试和演示。为了提供合适的背景，将使用Surrey/Caltech“AAReST”联合自主装配、可重构空间望远镜任务的要求来设定作战场景。

The rapid development of space exploration and commercialisation places an increasing importance on semi-automated (or autonomous) space robotics for satellite servicing, extra-vehicular-activity (EVA) support, the construction of large space infrastructure (e.g. space stations, orbital solar power plants, space telescopes) and, not least, the active removal of the increasing amount of space debris present in Earth orbit. To achieve these tasks in a cost-effective manner, full system autonomy is a requirement. However, at present, such systems are expensive to build and present numerous difficulties before they can be considered safe for launch. In orbit demonstrations of such technology have been carried out, but these have been limited in scope, and were designed with minimum fault tolerance. It is clear that significant effort will be needed to produce truly autonomous, adaptable, flexible and safe robotic systems to carry out such tasks routinely. To this end, ground based research is vital. It has been found a 2-D (flat) air bearing table provides a practical, versatile and low-cost method of simulating the virtually friction free dynamics of spaceflight - albeit limited to a 2-D surface. Such a facility, when instrumented, will allow extensive periods of testing of robotic rendezvous and docking systems in a ground laboratory environment under controlled conditions. This allows for control algorithms to be tested and verified, dynamics to be analysed and rendezvous and construction techniques to be practiced before moving on to a full 3-D context such as a microgravity flight. The system will be used to develop, test and evaluate rendezvous and docking control algorithms which make use of optical machine vision systems and inter-satellite communications for relative localisation and navigation, and which use an electro-magnetic docking system to provide the close-in (~30cm) approach manoeuvring and alignment and final docking/latching. The algorithms and electro-magnetic docking system will be practically tested and demonstrated using a 3U CubeSat type platform docking with a similar, passive, target vehicle.To provide a suitable context, the requirements of the joint Surrey/CalTech "AAReST" Autonomous Assembly, Reconfigurable Space Telescope mission will be used to set the operational scenario.