The Demonstrations of Flux Pinning for Space Docking of CubeSat Sized Spacecraft in Simulated Microgravity Conditions

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Zhang, Mingliang, Ye, Meiyu, Liu, Pengfei, Qi, Zhuang, Hong, Zhiliang, Wang, Meiqi, Chen, Guohua, Deng, Feiyue, Zhang, Lianpeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.09.2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Connection characteristics; Cooling; Cubesat; Damping; Damping ratio; Datum (elevation); docking frequency response; docking time response; Experiments; Fast Fourier transformations; flux pinned docking mechanism (FPDM); Flux pinning; Force; Frequency response; half-power method; High speed cameras; High-temperature superconductors; Magnetic fields; Microgravity; Space vehicles; Spacecraft docking; Spacecraft modules; Stiffness; Time response
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2018.2890706

The docking principle based on flux pinning is detailed and flux pinned docking mechanism (FPDM) is designed. In order to perform the space docking experiment on earth readily and cheaply, the simulated docking experimental platform (SDEP) with a FPDM is first designed and established. By performing the single docking experiment on the SDEP, the dynamic docking time response of FPDM is directly extracted by using the high-speed camera and the real-time tracking software TEMA. The analytical result of docking time response can assess whether the collision between two spacecraft modules of FPDM happens or not. Furthermore, the docking frequency response can be extracted based on Fast Fourier transformation. Based on the docking frequency response and the half-power method, the dynamic connection characteristics (connection stiffness, damping ratio, and damping coefficient) of FPDM can be calculated and analyzed, which estimates its performance. Based on the single docking experiment, the multiple docking experiments can be carried out to validate the reusable feasibility and to acquire connection characteristics of every time docking. The experimental demonstration system is designed and established in order to support future space docking for CubeSat sized spacecraft based on flux pinning and to accumulate some useful experimental datum.