中国首颗综合性太阳探测卫星

作为中国首颗综合性太阳探测卫星的先进天基太阳天文台(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)于北京时间2022年10月9日7时43分在酒泉卫星发射中心成功发射. 扼要介绍ASO-S卫星提出的背景、卫星的研制历程、科学目标、载荷构成、任务总体以及卫星研制的组织架构, 并对卫星的运行和科学产出略作展望.     

ASO-S中文专辑: 序言

先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)是我国第一个获得批准立项的太阳空间探测卫星任务.本专辑共包含了14篇文章,着重介绍了卫星平台和有效载荷在研制过程中的一些重要的方面和具体的细节.本中文专辑的14篇文章和ASO-S卫星英文专辑的13篇文章,构成了ASO-S卫星从科学到仪器乃至分析方法较为完整的系统性介绍.     

ASO-S卫星基于太阳导行镜的高精度高稳定度姿态控制系统

先进天基太阳天文台(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)卫星姿控分系统的主要任务是实现高精度、高稳定度对日指向控制. ASO-S卫星的科学载荷中,白光望远镜(White-light Solar Telescope, WST)前端配置了太阳导行镜(Guide Telescope, GT)稳像系统,利用正交分布光电二极管组成的边缘探测器测量导行镜光轴与太阳中心的偏差角.提出了一种将GT测量值引入姿态控制闭环的控制方法:利用星敏陀螺定姿算法获得卫星-太阳方向姿态偏差, GT测量值确定非卫星-太阳方向姿态偏差;以4斜装反作用轮组为执行机构,进行三轴零动量稳定姿态控制.通过数学仿真验证,基于GT测量值的姿态控制器在非卫星-太阳方向的绝对指向精度优于2′′、相对姿态稳定度优于1′′/60 s,满足ASO-S卫星高精度高稳定度的对日指向要求.     

ASO-S卫星工程LST爆发模式触发和终止方案

先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)是计划于2021年底或2022年上半年发射的中国首颗综合性太阳探测卫星,莱曼阿尔法太阳望远镜(LST)作为ASO-S的有效载荷之一,具体包括莱曼阿尔法全日面成像仪(SDI)、日冕仪(SCI)以及白光望远镜(WST) 3台科学仪器和2台导行镜(GT),其主要目标是在多个波段对太阳上的两类剧烈爆发现象(太阳耀斑和日冕物质抛射)进行连续不间断的高分辨率观测.为了实现这一观测目标, LST所有仪器的观测模式中均包含了一种针对爆发事件而设置的爆发模式.该模式下, SCI将以更高的频率进行图像采集, SDI和WST则以更高的频率对爆发所在区域进行图像采集.测试结果表明,观测图像经过中值滤波、像元合并处理后,可以通过监测图像各像元亮度的相对变化提取爆发事件的时间和位置信息.这些信息将为LST观测模式间的相互切换提供重要电子学输入.     

FMG载荷地面试观测导行跟踪系统的设计与实现

全日面矢量磁像仪(Full-disk vector MagnetoGraph, FMG)是先进天基太阳天文台(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)卫星的3台主载荷之一,为开展FMG全系统性能测试和定标试验,已搭建用于FMG外场测试的地面试观测平台.利用该平台模拟FMG在轨跟踪状态,研制了基于全日面太阳图像的望远镜导行系统.该系统通过大面阵CCD (Charge Coupled Device)采集太阳像、多重逻辑条件判定、微调恒动跟踪速度校正偏移等策略,实现了RMS (Root Mean Square)优于1′′/30 min的跟踪精度.通过分析FMG方案阶段试观测的太阳纵向磁图,开启导行30 min后磁图特征点在赤经方向的偏移比恒动条件下减少17.5′′,提升了磁图空间分辨率.测试过程中该系统达到设计指标且工作稳定,为FMG地面试观测提供了良好的技术支撑.     

空间太阳硬X射线成像仪量能器读出电子学设计

先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)是中国科学院空间科学先导专项2期规划的太阳观测卫星,其针对第25个太阳活动峰年,同时观测太阳磁场、日冕物质抛射和太阳耀斑爆发.硬X射线成像仪(HXI)作为该卫星3个科学载荷之一,实现了高时间分辨率和空间分辨率的太阳硬X射线成像观测,其量能器由99套溴化镧闪烁晶体-光电倍增管探测单元和读出电子学板构成,实现了30–200 keV的硬X射线光子能谱测量.针对HXI量能器的观测需求,设计了一套空间高事例率读出电子学系统,并通过实验室测试,证明了该系统单事例读出死时间小于2μs,同时验证了该系统电子学噪声小于120 fC,积分非线性小于2%,满足HXI仪器要求.     

CMOS图像传感器在太阳磁场观测中的应用研究

磁场是太阳物理的第1观测量,当前太阳磁场观测研究正迈向大视场、高时空分辨率、高偏振测量精度以及空间观测的时代.中国首颗太阳观测卫星—先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)也配置了具有高时空分辨率、高磁场灵敏度的全日面矢量磁像仪(FMG)载荷,针对FMG载荷的需求,讨论了大面阵、高帧频互补金属氧化物半导体(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, CMOS)图像传感器应用于太阳磁场观测的可行性.首先,基于滤光器型太阳磁像仪观测的原理,比较分析了目前CMOS图像传感器(可用的或是可选的两种快门模式)的特点,指出全局快门类型更适合FMG;其次搭建了CMOS传感器实验室测试系统,测量了CMOS图像传感器的像素增益及其分布规律;最后在怀柔太阳观测基地的全日面太阳望远镜上开展了实测验证,获得预期成果.在这些研究基础上,形成了FMG载荷探测器选型方向.     

ASO-S卫星HXI量能器探测单元的标定

先进天基太阳天文台卫星(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)是中国科学院第2批空间科学先导专项之一,其主要目标是同时观测太阳磁场、耀斑和日冕物质抛射,并对3者之间的相互关系和内在联系进行研究.硬X射线成像仪(HXI)是ASOS卫星的3大载荷之一,它通过对太阳活动发射的硬X射线进行傅里叶调制成像,实现高空间分辨率和高时间分辨率的太阳能谱成像观测.量能器单机是HXI的关键单机之一,其主要任务是精准测量通过每对光栅后太阳硬X射线的能量和通量.主要介绍了量能器单机的工作原理及其关键指标要求、标定设备及标定方案,最后给出了标定结果,从而验证了量能器单机方案设计的合理性.     

基于支持向量机的太阳磁场活动区极性反转线位置的探测

太阳磁场的极性反转线(Polarity Inversion Line, PIL)是研究太阳活动、分析太阳磁场结构演变和预测太阳耀斑最重要的日面特征之一.磁场极性反转的位置是太阳耀斑和暗条可能出现的位置."先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)"是中国首颗空间太阳专用观测卫星,其搭载的"全日面矢量磁像仪(Full-Disk Vector Magnetograph, FMG)"主要任务是探测高空间、高时间分辨率的全日面矢量磁场.为了提高观测数据使用效率、快速监测太阳活动水平、提高太阳耀斑与日冕物质抛射的预报水平以及更好地服务于FMG数据处理与分析系统,采用了图像自动识别与处理技术,更加精确有效地检测极性反转线.从支持向量机(Support Vector Machine, SVM)的模型出发,将极性反转线位置的探测问题转化为一个模式识别中的二分类问题,提出了一种基于支持向量机的极性反转线检测算法,自动探测与识别太阳动力学天文台(Solar Dynamics Observatory, SDO)日震和磁成像仪(Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, HMI)磁图的极性反转线位置.与现有算法的对比结果表明,此算法可以精确直观地检测太阳活动区的极性反转线.     

平场数据采集间隔对莱曼阿尔法太阳望远镜平场精度的影响分析

莱曼阿尔法太阳望远镜(LST)是先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)卫星的载荷之一,它包括白光太阳望远镜(WST),全日面太阳成像仪(SDI)和日冕仪(SCI)等仪器. 1991年Kuhn, Lin和Loranz提出的方法(简称KLL方法)是WST和SDI在轨平场定标的方法之一.为了研究WST和SDI的平场定标精度对KLL方法的相邻位置时间间隔的敏感性,使用太阳动力学观测卫星(SDO)的日震和磁成像仪(HMI)及太阳大气成像仪(AIA)的全日面成像观测数据测试和分析在使用KLL方法时相邻位置时间间隔对所得平场精度的影响.结果显示在LST使用KLL方法进行平场定标时,相邻位置时间间隔越短越好.具体分析表明,WST平场精度对相邻位置采样时间间隔不敏感,而SDI时间间隔需要在240 s范围内.分析结果对卫星姿态调整到稳定所需的时间给出了一定限制.     

The Science Operations and Data Center (SODC) of the ASO-S mission

A ground data analysis center is very important to the success of a mission. We introduce the Science Operations and Data Center(SODC) for the ASO-S mission, which consists of a scientific operation subcenter, a data management subcenter, a data analysis subcenter and a user service subcenter. The mission planning process, instrument observation modes and the data volume are presented. We describe the data flow and processing procedures from spacecraft telemetry to high-level science data, and the long-term archival as well. The data policy and distributions are also briefly introduced.     

Calibration of the Soho/Lasco C3 White Light Coronagraph

We present a detailed review of the calibration of the LASCO C3 coronagraph on the SOHO satellite. Most of the calibration has been in place since early in the mission and has been utilized to varying degrees as required by specific analysis efforts. However, using observational data from the nearly decade-long database of LASCO images, we have re-evaluated and improved many aspects of the calibration. This includes the photometric calibration, vignetting function, geometric distortion, stray light, and exposure and observation times. Using this comprehensive set of corrections we have generated and made available a set of calibrated coronal images along with a set of periodic background images to ease the accessibility and use of the LASCO database. Deceased     

PROBA2: Mission and Spacecraft Overview

Within the European Space Agency’s (ESA) General Support and Technology Programme (GSTP), the Project for On-Board Autonomy (PROBA) missions provide a platform for in-orbit technology demonstration. Besides the technology demonstration goal, the satellites allow to provide services to, e.g., scientific communities. PROBA1 has been providing multi-spectral imaging data to the Earth observation community for a decade, and PROBA2 provides imaging and irradiance data from our Sun to the solar community. This article gives an overview of the PROBA2 mission history and provides an introduction to the flight segment, the ground segment, and the payload operated onboard. Important aspects of the satellite’s design, including onboard software autonomy and the functionality of the navigation and guidance, are discussed. PROBA2 successfully proved again within the GSTP concept that it is possible to provide a fast and cost-efficient satellite design and to combine advanced technology objectives from industry with focussed objectives from the science community.     

A parameter database for large scientific projects: application to the Gaia space astrometry mission

The parallel development of many aspects of a complex space science mission like Gaia, which includes numerous participants in ESA, industrial companies, and a large and active scientific collaboration throughout Europe, makes keeping track of the many design changes, instrument and operational parameters, and numerical values for the data analysis and simulations, a challenging but crucially important problem. A comprehensive, easily-accessible, up-to-date, and definitive compilation of a large range of numerical quantities is required, and the Gaia parameter database has been established to satisfy these needs. The database is a centralised repository containing, besides mathematical, physical, and astronomical constants, many satellite and subsystem design parameters. Version control provides both a ‘live’ version with the most recent parameters, as well as previous ‘reference’ versions of the full database contents. Query results are formatted by default in HTML, while an important feature is that data can also be retrieved as Java, ANSI-C, C++, Ruby, or XML structures for direct inclusion into software codes, such that all collaborating scientists can use the retrieved database parameters and values directly linked to computational routines.     

天文星表入库的自动化

天文数据主要包括星表、星图、光谱、文献资料等,其中星表是包含天体信息的数据表格,是天文学家最常用到的天文数据。目前天文数据分布存储在全球各个数据中心。中国最大的天文数据中心是北京天文数据中心,其数据库的重要部分是天文星表数据库。本文阐述了建设天文星表数据库的意义,着重探讨了星表自动入库工具的实现,并介绍了在天文星表数据库基础上的数据融合和数据挖掘。     

The Hinode (Solar-B) Mission: An Overview

The Hinode satellite (formerly Solar-B) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS/JAXA) was successfully launched in September 2006. As the successor to the Yohkoh mission, it aims to understand how magnetic energy gets transferred from the photosphere to the upper atmosphere and results in explosive energy releases. Hinode is an observatory style mission, with all the instruments being designed and built to work together to address the science aims. There are three instruments onboard: the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), and the X-Ray Telescope (XRT). This paper provides an overview of the mission, detailing the satellite, the scientific payload, and operations. It will conclude with discussions on how the international science community can participate in the analysis of the mission data. T. Kosugi deceased 26 November 2006.     

Science Requirements on Future Missions and Simulated Mission Scenarios

The science requirements on future gravity satellite missions, following from the previous contributions of this issue, are summarized and visualized in terms of spatial scales, temporal behaviour and accuracy. This summary serves the identification of four classes of future satellite mission of potential interest: high-altitude monitoring, satellite-to-satellite tracking, gradiometry, and formation flights. Within each class several variants are defined. The gravity recovery performance of each of these ideal missions is simulated. Despite some simplifying assumptions, these error simulations result in guidelines as to which type of mission fulfils which requirements best.     

On the importance of satellite lines to the helium-like Kα complex and the G ratio for calcium, iron and nickel

New, more detailed calculations of the emission spectra of the He-like Kα complex of calcium, iron and nickel have been carried out using data from both distorted-wave and R-matrix calculations. The value of the GD ratio (an extended definition of the G ratio that accounts for the effect of resolved and unresolved satellite lines) is significantly enhanced at temperatures below the temperature of He-like maximum abundance. Furthermore, it is shown that satellite lines are important contributors to the GD ratio such that   GD / G > 1  at temperatures well above the temperature of maximum abundance. These new calculations demonstrate, with an improved treatment of the KLn     satellite lines, that Kα satellite lines need to be included in models of He-like spectra even at relatively high temperatures. The excellent agreement between spectra and line ratios calculated from R-matrix and distorted-wave data also confirms the validity of models based on distorted-wave data for highly charged systems, provided the effect of resonances is taken into account as independent processes.     

小型光电人卫跟踪仪的摆动叉式ALT-ALT跟踪机架

人卫跟踪仪一般采用地平式跟踪机架 ,由于这种机架固有的天顶盲区 ,致使观测数据不连续而造成卫星精密定轨的困难。讨论了小型光电人卫跟踪仪的ALT ALT机架原理 ,分析证明采用这种机架形式没有天顶盲区、跟踪速度和加速度较小。同时提出了一种新颖的摆动叉式ALT ALT跟踪机架 ,具有全天覆盖无遮挡、体积紧凑小巧等优点 ,其力学性能也十分优良 ,适合小型光电人卫跟踪仪和流动观测仪器使用