The TUBIN spacecraft launched in June 2021 is tasked with the detection of high-temperature events. To this end, it employs two microbolometer focal plane arrays and a complementary sensor sensitive in the visible range. Using simulated data, a fire detection algorithm was developed. Within the first 18 months of mission operations, several hundred scenes containing wildfires and other high-temperature events were captured. The detected high-temperature events can be categorized into volcanic features, vegetation fires and artificial events such as gas flares. Fire maps were manually created for all scenes meeting the criteria of nadir or close to nadir imaging and the availability of recent calibration data. These maps were validated using secondary space-borne instruments such as MODIS, VIIRS. The individual validation of the data was performed with satellite data with close temporal proximity to the time of image capture. The available fire products feature various ground sampling distances (GSD) mostly lower than the approximately 150 m GSD of the TUBIN sensor suite. The fire detection algorithm is based on the brightness temperature values of the pixels. Through a series of steps, cloud and background pixels are isolated from candidate fire pixels that are further evaluated based on their relative response. This paper evaluates the results from the TUBIN fire detection algorithm on the gathered data and determines the accuracy within the data set.
When setting up a lunar station, technologies for the use of locally available materials are crucial. Such technologies drastically reduce the need for transportation from Earth. We aim to provide proof of a key technology, namely Mobile Selective Laser Melting (M-SLM) for terrain modelling i.e. for building large structures such as launch/landing pads, but also building infrastructures like shelters protecting astronauts or equipment against radiation and micrometeorites on the Moon. The M-SLM technology has the advantage that only electrical energy and a moving system are required. For M-SLM, a mobile high power laser beam is directed on lunar regolith leading to its melting. Subsequently, the melt cools down and solid structures are generated. The MOONRISE instrument should serve in a short-term mission as a proof-of-principle experiment for the M-SLM technology on the lunar surface. In a first step, an Engineering Model (EM) of our MOONRISE instrument with a volume of 10 cm x 10 cm x 15 cm and a mass of about 2.7 kg has been built and thoroughly tested on ground. It could be accommodated on a rover or a robotic arm to move the laser spot in order to create 1D, 2D and even 3D regolith structures on the Moon. Recently, three new projects have been initiated in order to (1) develop the MOONRISE payload towards a Flight Model (FM) with accommodation on a commercial lunar lander, in order to (2) apply 2D laser beam deflection techniques for process scaling on a potential follow-on payload and in order to (3) investigate the detailed process of regolith laser melting under lunar gravity conditions in the Einstein-Elevator.
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies pave the way for a sustainable colony on the Moon. Above all, the construction of structures using only the available resources is an important factor in reducing costs and logistical effort. The MOONRISE project aims to melt lunar regolith using lasers on mobile platforms for the Additive Manufacturing of structures. This process is called Mobile Selective Laser Melting (M-SLM) and has the advantage that only electrical energy and a moving system are required. In order to validate the laser melting of lunar regolith simulants on ground, a vacuum chamber was designed to host powder material at pressures of around 10-2 mbar. Laser exposure and high speed monitoring were performed through a window. Prior to finalizing the payload design, the type of laser source, appropriate spot size, power, and duration of exposure were determined by means of experimentation. For reasons of cost-efficiency, the payload development approach is to profit as much as possible from components commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), i.e. commercially available components, which have no formal space qualification. These components, e.g. built for automotive application, often withstand harsh environments or even have space heritage without the costly and long-lasting process of formal space qualification. For MOONRISE, COTS parts – partly based on space heritage - have been screened in environmental tests and selected for the payload. A detailed preliminary design review of the MOONRISE payload was conducted in 2019. The payload mainly consists of a printed circuit board (PCB) for system communication, a fiber coupled diode laser, an electrical diode driver, a beam focusing optics, and an LED illumination. For baseline operation, a laser power of typically 70W will be applied for 6s to the lunar surface at a distance of about 25cm. The LED illumination is supporting visualization of the molten regolith by external cameras. The MOONRISE payload can be accommodated to a rover or a robotic arm to ensure mobility for the melting experiments. Following that, an Engineering Model (EM) has been assembled and tested for functionality. The dimension of the payload is 1.5U CubeSat and it has a mass of about 2.5kg with further reduction potential towards flight model (FM) development. In the following steps, environmental tests, such as vibration and thermal-vacuum cycling, will be carried out with the EM. As laser melting of regolith under vacuum conditions produced dense material, tests were continued under low gravity conditions in the large-scale research device Einstein-Elevator at the Hannover Institute of Technology (HITec) of the Leibniz University Hannover (Germany), which is a further development of a classical drop tower with which experiments are carried out under conditions of microgravity [3]. It allows experiments under zero gravity conditions for about four seconds. The flight can be repeated up to 300 times per day. The Einstein-Elevator also enables adjustment of the gravity level from 0 to 5g, a feature that was used to carry out melting experiments with the EM under lunar gravitation conditions.
High precision orbit determination is required for the detection and removal of space debris. Knowledge of the distribution of debris objects in orbit is necessary for orbit determination by active or passive sensors. The results can be used to investigate the orbits on which objects of a certain size at a certain frequency can be found. The knowledge of the orbital distribution of the objects as well as their properties in accordance with sensor performance models provide the basis for estimating the expected detection rates. Comprehensive modeling of the space debris environment is required for this. This paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge about the space debris environment. In particular non-cataloged small objects are evaluated. Furthermore, improvements concerning the update of the current space debris model are addressed. The model of the space debris environment is based on the simulation of historical events, such as fragmentations due to explosions and collisions that actually occurred in Earth orbits. The orbital distribution of debris is simulated by propagating the orbits considering all perturbing forces up to a reference epoch. The modeled object population is compared with measured data and validated. The model provides a statistical distribution of space objects, according to their size and number. This distribution is based on the correct consideration of orbital mechanics. This allows for a realistic description of the space debris environment. Subsequently, a realistic prediction can be provided concerning the question, how many pieces of debris can be expected on certain orbits. To validate the model, a software tool has been developed which allows the simulation of the observation behavior of ground-based or space-based sensors. Thus, it is possible to compare the results of published measurement data with simulated detections. This tool can also be used for the simulation of sensor measurement campaigns. It is therefore possible to provide an estimation of the detection rates of the non-cataloged population of space debris.
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