@inproceedings{Dachwald2007, author = {Dachwald, Bernd}, title = {Low-Thrust Mission Analysis and Global Trajectory Optimization Using Evolutionary Neurocontrol: New Results}, series = {European Workshop on Space Mission Analysis ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany 10 { 12 Dec 2007}, booktitle = {European Workshop on Space Mission Analysis ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany 10 { 12 Dec 2007}, year = {2007}, abstract = {Interplanetary trajectories for low-thrust spacecraft are often characterized by multiple revolutions around the sun. Unfortunately, the convergence of traditional trajectory optimizers that are based on numerical optimal control methods depends strongly on an adequate initial guess for the control function (if a direct method is used) or for the starting values of the adjoint vector (if an indirect method is used). Especially when many revolutions around the sun are re- quired, trajectory optimization becomes a very difficult and time-consuming task that involves a lot of experience and expert knowledge in astrodynamics and optimal control theory, because an adequate initial guess is extremely hard to find. Evolutionary neurocontrol (ENC) was proposed as a smart method for low-thrust trajectory optimization that fuses artificial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms to so-called evolutionary neurocontrollers (ENCs) [1]. Inspired by natural archetypes, ENC attacks the trajectoryoptimization problem from the perspective of artificial intelligence and machine learning, a perspective that is quite different from that of optimal control theory. Within the context of ENC, a trajectory is regarded as the result of a spacecraft steering strategy that maps permanently the actual spacecraft state and the actual target state onto the actual spacecraft control vector. This way, the problem of searching the optimal spacecraft trajectory is equivalent to the problem of searching (or "learning") the optimal spacecraft steering strategy. An artificial neural network is used to implement such a spacecraft steering strategy. It can be regarded as a parameterized function (the network function) that is defined by the internal network parameters. Therefore, each distinct set of network parameters defines a different network function and thus a different steering strategy. The problem of searching the optimal steering strategy is now equivalent to the problem of searching the optimal set of network parameters. Evolutionary algorithms that work on a population of (artificial) chromosomes are used to find the optimal network parameters, because the parameters can be easily mapped onto a chromosome. The trajectory optimization problem is solved when the optimal chromosome is found. A comparison of solar sail trajectories that have been published by others [2, 3, 4, 5] with ENC-trajectories has shown that ENCs can be successfully applied for near-globally optimal spacecraft control [1, 6] and that they are able to find trajectories that are closer to the (unknown) global optimum, because they explore the trajectory search space more exhaustively than a human expert can do. The obtained trajectories are fairly accurate with respect to the terminal constraint. If a more accurate trajectory is required, the ENC-solution can be used as an initial guess for a local trajectory optimization method. Using ENC, low-thrust trajectories can be optimized without an initial guess and without expert attendance. Here, new results for nuclear electric spacecraft and for solar sail spacecraft are presented and it will be shown that ENCs find very good trajectories even for very difficult problems. Trajectory optimization results are presented for 1. NASA's Solar Polar Imager Mission, a mission to attain a highly inclined close solar orbit with a solar sail [7] 2. a mission to de ect asteroid Apophis with a solar sail from a retrograde orbit with a very-high velocity impact [8, 9] 3. JPL's \2nd Global Trajectory Optimization Competition", a grand tour to visit four asteroids from different classes with a NEP spacecraft}, language = {en} } @article{Dachwald2004, author = {Dachwald, Bernd}, title = {Low-Thrust Trajectory Optimization and Interplanetary Mission Analysis Using Evolutionary Neurocontrol}, series = {Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2004 : Dresden, 20. bis 23. September 2004, Motto: Luft- und Raumfahrt - Br{\"u}cke f{\"u}r eine wissensbasierte Gesellschaft / Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V. (DGLR). [Red.: Peter Brandt (verantwortlich)]. - Bd. 2. - (Jahrbuch ... der Deutschen Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Luft- und Raumfahrt)}, journal = {Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2004 : Dresden, 20. bis 23. September 2004, Motto: Luft- und Raumfahrt - Br{\"u}cke f{\"u}r eine wissensbasierte Gesellschaft / Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V. (DGLR). [Red.: Peter Brandt (verantwortlich)]. - Bd. 2. - (Jahrbuch ... der Deutschen Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Luft- und Raumfahrt)}, address = {Bonn}, pages = {917 -- 926}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @article{DachwaldSeboldtLoebetal.2008, author = {Dachwald, Bernd and Seboldt, W. and Loeb, H. W and Schartner, K.-H.}, title = {Main Belt Asteroid Sample Return Mission Using Solar Electric Propulsion}, series = {Acta Astronautica. 63 (2008), H. 1-4}, journal = {Acta Astronautica. 63 (2008), H. 1-4}, isbn = {0094-5765}, pages = {91 -- 101}, year = {2008}, language = {en} } @article{CampenKowalskiLyonsetal.2019, author = {Campen, R. and Kowalski, Julia and Lyons, W.B. and Tulaczyk, S. and Dachwald, Bernd and Pettit, E. and Welch, K. A. and Mikucki, J.A.}, title = {Microbial diversity of an Antarctic subglacial community and high-resolution replicate sampling inform hydrological connectivity in a polar desert}, series = {Environmental Microbiology}, journal = {Environmental Microbiology}, number = {accepted article}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1462-2920}, doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.14607}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @article{Dachwald2004, author = {Dachwald, Bernd}, title = {Minimum Transfer Times for Nonperfectly Reflecting Solar Sailcraft}, series = {Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. 41 (2004), H. 4}, journal = {Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. 41 (2004), H. 4}, isbn = {0022-4650}, pages = {693 -- 695}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @article{DachwaldWurm2011, author = {Dachwald, Bernd and Wurm, Patrick}, title = {Mission analysis and performance comparison for an Advanced Solar Photon Thruster}, series = {Advances in Space Research}, volume = {48}, journal = {Advances in Space Research}, number = {11}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0273-1177}, pages = {1858 -- 1868}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{DachwaldWurm2009, author = {Dachwald, Bernd and Wurm, P.}, title = {Mission analysis for an advanced solar photon thruster}, series = {60th International Astronautical Congress 2009, IAC 2009}, volume = {Vol. 8}, booktitle = {60th International Astronautical Congress 2009, IAC 2009}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, isbn = {978-161567908-9}, pages = {6838 -- 6851}, year = {2009}, abstract = {The so-called "compound solar sail", also known as "Solar Photon Thruster" (SPT), is a solar sail design concept, for which the two basic functions of the solar sail, namely light collection and thrust direction, are uncoupled. In this paper, we introduce a novel SPT concept, termed the Advanced Solar Photon Thruster (ASPT). This model does not suffer from the simplified assumptions that have been made for the analysis of compound solar sails in previous studies. We present the equations that describe the force, which acts on the ASPT. After a detailed design analysis, the performance of the ASPT with respect to the conventional flat solar sail (FSS) is investigated for three interplanetary mission scenarios: An Earth-Venus rendezvous, where the solar sail has to spiral towards the Sun, an Earth-Mars rendezvous, where the solar sail has to spiral away from the Sun, and an Earth-NEA rendezvous (to near-Earth asteroid 1996FG3), where a large orbital eccentricity change is required. The investigated solar sails have realistic near-term characteristic accelerations between 0.1 and 0.2mm/s2. Our results show that a SPT is not superior to the flat solar sail unless very idealistic assumptions are made.}, language = {en} } @article{MaiwaldDachwald2010, author = {Maiwald, Volker and Dachwald, Bernd}, title = {Mission Design for a Multiple-Rendezvous Mission to Jupiter's Trojans}, pages = {3}, year = {2010}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BorggraefeDachwald2010, author = {Borggr{\"a}fe, Andreas and Dachwald, Bernd}, title = {Mission performance evaluation for solar sails using a refined SRP force model with variable optical coefficients}, series = {2nd International Symposium on Solar Sailing}, booktitle = {2nd International Symposium on Solar Sailing}, pages = {1 -- 6}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Solar sails provide ignificant advantages over other low-thrust propulsion systems because they produce thrust by the momentum exchange from solar radiation pressure (SRP) and thus do not consume any propellant.The force exerted on a very thin sail foil basically depends on the light incidence angle. Several analytical SRP force models that describe the SRP force acting on the sail have been established since the 1970s. All the widely used models use constant optical force coefficients of the reflecting sail material. In 2006,MENGALI et al. proposed a refined SRP force model that takes into account the dependancy of the force coefficients on the light incident angle,the sail's distance from the sun (and thus the sail emperature) and the surface roughness of the sail material [1]. In this paper, the refined SRP force model is compared to the previous ones in order to identify the potential impact of the new model on the predicted capabilities of solar sails in performing low-cost interplanetary space missions. All force models have been implemented within InTrance, a global low-thrust trajectory optimization software utilizing evolutionary neurocontrol [2]. Two interplanetary rendezvous missions, to Mercury and the near-Earth asteroid 1996FG3, are investigated. Two solar sail performances in terms of characteristic acceleration are examined for both scenarios, 0.2 mm/s2 and 0.5 mm/s2, termed "low" and "medium" sail performance. In case of the refined SRP model, three different values of surface roughness are chosen, h = 0 nm, 10 nm and 25 nm. The results show that the refined SRP force model yields shorter transfer times than the standard model.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{CarzanaDachwaldNoomen2017, author = {Carzana, Livio and Dachwald, Bernd and Noomen, Ron}, title = {Model and trajectory optimization for an ideal laser-enhanced solar sail}, series = {68th International Astronautical Congress}, booktitle = {68th International Astronautical Congress}, year = {2017}, abstract = {A laser-enhanced solar sail is a solar sail that is not solely propelled by solar radiation but additionally by a laser beam that illuminates the sail. This way, the propulsive acceleration of the sail results from the combined action of the solar and the laser radiation pressure onto the sail. The potential source of the laser beam is a laser satellite that coverts solar power (in the inner solar system) or nuclear power (in the outer solar system) into laser power. Such a laser satellite (or many of them) can orbit anywhere in the solar system and its optimal orbit (or their optimal orbits) for a given mission is a subject for future research. This contribution provides the model for an ideal laser-enhanced solar sail and investigates how a laser can enhance the thrusting capability of such a sail. The term "ideal" means that the solar sail is assumed to be perfectly reflecting and that the laser beam is assumed to have a constant areal power density over the whole sail area. Since a laser beam has a limited divergence, it can provide radiation pressure at much larger solar distances and increase the radiation pressure force into the desired direction. Therefore, laser-enhanced solar sails may make missions feasible, that would otherwise have prohibitively long flight times, e.g. rendezvous missions in the outer solar system. This contribution will also analyze exemplary mission scenarios and present optimial trajectories without laying too much emphasis on the design and operations of the laser satellites. If the mission studies conclude that laser-enhanced solar sails would have advantages with respect to "traditional" solar sails, a detailed study of the laser satellites and the whole system architecture would be the second next step}, language = {en} }