Engineering topics
Kerridge, S. J.
Publications and source records attributed to Kerridge, S. J..
Deep Space 4/Champollion: A Comet Lander and Sample Return Technology Demonstration Mission
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Champollion/Deep Space 4: A Comet Lander and Sample Return Technology Demonstration Mission
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Prospects for the Voyager extra-planetary and interstellar mission
An advance study has been conducted to examine the trajectory characteristics of Voyager 1 and 2 as they depart from the solar system and traverse interstellar space. A survey of the extraplanetary phase, commencing with completion of the final planetary encounters and ceasing with loss of spacecraft communication, considers the trajectory aspects attendant to a heliospheric investigation and possible sensing of a trans-Neptunian massive body. An analysis of departure telecommunications capability attempts to bound the inevitable time of communication loss. A study of the interstellar phase examines closest approaches of the spacecraft to the sun's stellar neighbours. A covariance analysis is provided to illustrate the statistical effect of stellar state uncertainties on these approaches. In addition to the Voyager spacecraft, data for Pioneers 10 and 11 are provided where appropriate.
To Uranus and beyond
Known characteristics of the planet Uranus are reviewed, together with a status report on the Voyager spacecraft. Uranus was discovered in 1781, and has been found to have a north pole that is pointed directly at the sun. Data is still needed on the Uranus atmosphere, its possible magnetic field, and its rotation frequency. Five moons have been sighted, accompanied by nine rings. The Voyager 2 spacecraft will encounter Uranus in December 1986 at a 14.7 km/sec velocity, imposing limitations on the observation sequence. The spacecraft carries 11 scientific packages, including a camera, and will pass within 50,000 km of the moon Miranda and 107,000 km of Uranus. Radio signals will be broadcast through the rings, which will be imaged by a UV spectrometer. Voyager 2 will then continue on to a Neptune encounter in 1989 before moving toward interstellar space.
Interagency Array Study Report
The interagency array study that was convened in early 1982 to determine which of the world's large radio reception facilities might be feasibly and beneficially enlisted to help support the Voyager encounters at Uranus (1986) and Neptune (1989), and also to examine the future for such similar events and options as might appear is discussed. A similar but more specific study of the Parkes Radio Telescope at Uranus Encounter was just then being completed with a strong positive recommendation, and formed the foundation of the broader study. The approach, driving considerations, and outcome of the interagency array study are discussed. The recommendations of the study team concentrated upon the Voyager Encounters are: specifically to develop Parkes for the Uranus Encounter, while pursuing related Advanced Systems development work with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, and to seek support for the Neptune Encounter from Parkes, the Very Large Array near Socorro, Mexico, and the Japanese institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences 64 meter station.
The Voyager mission to Uranus and beyond
On 24 January 1986 the Voyager 2 probe will approach within 82,000 km of the cloud tops of the planet Uranus, obtaining our first closeup pictures of this giant outer planet as well as amassing large quantities of data from the ten other onboard experiments. Closeups of the five presently known Uranian satellites will be transmitted back over a distance of 20 AU with a one-way light-time of two and three-quarter hours. The narrow, elliptical, inclined rings of Uranus will be probed both by the imaging subsystem and by the photopolarimeter detecting the light of stars shining through this diffuse necklace.
Aerobraking mission design - Mission domain and mass performance
The work reported comprises part of an Aerobraking Study that sought to establish a 'feasible mission design, navigation design, and MOS design and to show the desirability of aerobraking for the Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar (VOIR) mission by assessing mission performance, cost, and risk'. The developed software assesses accurately the mass performance of aerobraking and chemical missions that place a spacecraft in orbit about another planet. All injection date/arrival data combinations that provide a trajectory with adequate mass performance are available for further study. The considered analysis has been applied to the Type I trajectories from earth to Venus in 1988. The analysis can easily be applied to missions to Mars and to Titan. The intersection of the determined mass performance domain with the stable orbit domain provides an adequate mission domain for VOIR 1988.
Global mapping strategies for a synthetic aperture radar system in orbit about Venus
An analysis of the global mapping of Venus using a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is presented. The geometry of the side-looking radar, the narrow swath width, and the slow rotation of Venus combine to constrain the methods required to produce such a map within the primary mapping mission of 121.5 days. Parametric studies indicate that multiple strategies can satisfy the requirements of the mission with reasonable assumptions for the total recording capacity, the downlink data rate, and the operating time of the SAR on each revolution.
Optical, infrared and radio studies of compact H II regions. I - The complex in S 106
The paper reports on combined optical, infrared, and radio observations of the compact complex S 106. The source could be resolved into ten components, three of which are compact components of size approximately 0.2 pc and were detected at 12.6 microns and 2.7 GHz. Two of the components are point-like sources detected at 8000 A. One of the components detected at 8000 A is spatially coincident with a strong 3.5 micron source and is suggested as a possible exciting star for the complex.