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Micromachines
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Space Robotics
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Space Robotics

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A：Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2022) | Viewed by 13144

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marco Ciarcia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Interests: robotics; mechatronics; nonlinear control; optimal control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The recent achievements and upcoming goals of space exploration confirm the critical need of continuous advancements of dedicated robotic systems. Both manned and unmanned missions are now heavily supported by the tremendous progresses on hardware components; ground testing techniques; and guidance, navigation, and control methodologies. Moreover, one of the main factors behind the exponential success of CubeSat lies in the extensive use of commercial off-the shelf components for their subsystems. As a result, small satellites can now be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of traditional satellites. In this scenario, we would like to invite reviews and original contributions for publication in this Special Issue “Space Robotics”. Example topics include sensors, actuators, power subsystem components, space manipulators, telepresence, ground testing, and simulation environment. In addition, we are also interested on contributions related to spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control.

Dr. Marco Ciarcia
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • CubeSat/NanoSat
  • Actuators
  • Sensors
  • CPU/GPU
  • 3D materials applied to space
  • Guidance navigation
  • Control methodologies
  • Testbed for on-ground experimentation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4907 KiB  
Article
START: A Satellite Three Axis Rotation Testbed
by Giovanni Lavezzi, Nathan J. Stang and Marco Ciarcià
Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13020165 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3129
Abstract
The main goal of this paper is to illustrate the development of a satellite attitude simulator testbed for on-ground experimentation of attitude, determination, and control methodologies. This setup aims to be a low-cost alternative to testbeds based on air-bearing couplings. Our system is [...] Read more.
The main goal of this paper is to illustrate the development of a satellite attitude simulator testbed for on-ground experimentation of attitude, determination, and control methodologies. This setup aims to be a low-cost alternative to testbeds based on air-bearing couplings. Our system is mainly composed of a suspended base, a single-board processor, a set of reaction wheels, and a battery. The suspension system entails a set of thin high-tensile strength wires converging on a single wire, which is in turn connected to the base. This configuration allows a three degrees-of-freedom rotation range and minimal resistive torque in all the rotations axis. The adjustability of the hanging point at the base, and a set of sliding masses, allow us to achieve a quite accurate superposition of rotation point and center of mass for a quasi-neutral equilibrium. The testbed is completed by a PC workstation, to generate and stream the desired angular rates of the wheels, and a motion capture system for attitude determination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Robotics)
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14 pages, 6215 KiB  
Article
Main Problems Using DEM Modeling to Evaluate the Loose Soil Collection by Conceptual Machine as a Background for Future Extraterrestrial Regolith Harvesting DEM Models
by Przemysław Młynarczyk and Damian Brewczyński
Micromachines 2021, 12(11), 1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12111404 - 15 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1996
Abstract
Nowadays, rapid product development is a key factor influencing a company’s success. In the Space 4.0. era, an integrated approach with the use of 3D printing and DEM modeling can be particularly effective in the development of technologies related to space mining. Unfortunately, [...] Read more.
Nowadays, rapid product development is a key factor influencing a company’s success. In the Space 4.0. era, an integrated approach with the use of 3D printing and DEM modeling can be particularly effective in the development of technologies related to space mining. Unfortunately, both 3D printing and DEM modeling are not without flaws. This article shows the possibilities and problems resulting from the use of DEM simulation and 3D printing simultaneously in the rapid development of a hypothetical mining machine. For the subsequent development of the regolith harvesting model, loose soil harvesting simulations were performed and the underlying problems were defined and discussed. The results show that it is possible to use both technologies simultaneously to be able to effectively and accurately model the behavior of this type of machine in various gravitational conditions in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Robotics)
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20 pages, 6183 KiB  
Article
Micro Satellite Orbital Boost by Electrodynamic Tethers
by Peter Yao and Timothy Sands
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080916 - 31 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3564
Abstract
In this manuscript, a method for maneuvering a spacecraft using electrically charged tethers is explored. The spacecraft’s velocity vector can be modified by interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. Through this method, a spacecraft can maintain an orbit indefinitely by reboosting without the constraint [...] Read more.
In this manuscript, a method for maneuvering a spacecraft using electrically charged tethers is explored. The spacecraft’s velocity vector can be modified by interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. Through this method, a spacecraft can maintain an orbit indefinitely by reboosting without the constraint of limited propellant. The spacecraft-tether system dynamics in low Earth orbit are simulated to evaluate the effects of Lorentz force and torques on translational motion. With 500-meter tethers charged with a 1-amp current, a 100-kg spacecraft can gain 250 m of altitude in one orbit. By evaluating the combined effects of Lorenz force and the coupled effects of Lorentz torque propagation through Euler’s moment equation and Newton’s translational motion equations, the simulated spacecraft-tether system can orbit indefinitely at altitudes as low as 275 km. Through a rare evaluation of the nonlinear coupling of the six differential equations of motion, the one finding is that an electrodynamic tether can be used to maintain a spacecraft’s orbit height indefinitely for very low Earth orbits. However, the reboost maneuver is inefficient for high inclination orbits and has high electrical power requirement. To overcome greater aerodynamic drag at lower altitudes, longer tethers with higher power draw are required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Robotics)
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Other

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22 pages, 16147 KiB  
Technical Note
Space Detumbling Robot Arm Deployment Path Planning Based on Bi-FMT* Algorithm
by Ning Chen, Yasheng Zhang and Wenhua Cheng
Micromachines 2021, 12(10), 1231; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12101231 - 10 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2413
Abstract
In order to avoid damage to service satellites and targets during space missions and improve safety and reliability, it is necessary to study how to eliminate or reduce the rotation of targets. This paper focused on a space detumbling robot and studied the [...] Read more.
In order to avoid damage to service satellites and targets during space missions and improve safety and reliability, it is necessary to study how to eliminate or reduce the rotation of targets. This paper focused on a space detumbling robot and studied the space detumbling robot dynamics and robot arm deployment path planning. Firstly, a certain space detumbling robot with a ‘platform + manipulator + end effector’ configuration is proposed. By considering the end effector as a translational joint, the entire space detumbling robot is equivalent to a link system containing six rotating joints and three translational joints, and the detailed derivation process of the kinematic and dynamic model is presented. Then, ADAMS and MATLAB were used to simulate the model, and the MATLAB results were compared with the ADAMS results to verify the correctness of the model. After that, the robot arm deployment problem was analyzed in detail from the aspects of problem description, constraint analysis and algorithm implementation. An algorithm of robot arm deployment path planning based on the Bi-FMT* algorithm is proposed, and the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by simulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Robotics)
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