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This book describes the most complex machine ever sent to another planet: Curiosity. It is a one-ton robot with two brains, seventeen cameras, six wheels, nuclear power, and a laser beam on its head. No one human understands how all of its systems and instruments work. This essential reference to the Curiosity mission explains the engineering behind every system on the rover, from its rocket-powered jetpack to its radioisotope thermoelectric generator to its fiendishly complex sample handling system. Its lavishly illustrated text explains how all the instruments work -- its cameras, spectrometers, sample-cooking oven, and weather station -- and describes the instruments' abilities and limitations. It tells you how the systems have functioned on Mars, and how scientists and engineers have worked around problems developed on a faraway planet: holey wheels and broken focus lasers. And it explains the grueling mission operations schedule that keeps the rover working day in and day out.

NASA’S Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft recently arrived at the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, a primitive body that represents the objects that may have brought prebiotic molecules and volatiles such as water to Earth1. Bennu is a low-albedo B-type asteroid2 that has been linked to organic-rich hydrated carbonaceous chondrites3. Such meteorites are altered by ejection from their parent body and contaminated by atmospheric entry and terrestrial microbes. Therefore, the primary mission objective is to return a sample of Bennu to Earth that is pristine—that is, not affected by these processes4. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft carries a sophisticated suite of instruments to characterize Bennu’s global properties, support the selection of a sampling site and document that site at a sub-centimetre scale5,6,7,8,9,10,11. Here we consider early OSIRIS-REx observations of Bennu to understand how the asteroid’s properties compare to pre-encounter expectations and to assess the prospects for sample return. The bulk composition of Bennu appears to be hydrated and volatile-rich, as expected. However, in contrast to pre-encounter modelling of Bennu’s thermal inertia12 and radar polarization ratios13—which indicated a generally smooth surface covered by centimetre-scale particles—resolved imaging reveals an unexpected surficial diversity. The albedo, texture, particle size and roughness are beyond the spacecraft design specifications. On the basis of our pre-encounter knowledge, we developed a sampling strategy to target 50-metre-diameter patches of loose regolith with grain sizes smaller than two centimetres4. We observe only a small number of apparently hazard-free regions, of the order of 5 to 20 metres in extent, the sampling of which poses a substantial challenge to mission success.

Fault diagnosis and recovery system is designed to monitor on-orbit state of spacecraft and handle exception, which provides spacecraft security and missions succeed. This report studies the design of spacecraft fault diagnosis and recovery system from technology and architecture two respects. Technical system and modules design from top level for spacecraft fault diagnosis and recovery is proposed. And the architecture of comprehensive fault diagnosis system is also proposed, which supports spacecraft to diagnose and recover on-orbit faults.

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is the first focused exploration of an ocean world, with the main goal of assessing the habitability of Jupiter’s moon Europa. After entering Jupiter orbit in 2030, the Flight System (spacecraft plus instrument payload) will collect science data while flying past Europa a planned 49 times at typical closest approach distances of 25–100 km. The mission will investigate Europa’s interior, composition, and geology, and will search for and characterize any current activity including possible plumes. The mission’s science objectives will be accomplished with a payload component of the Flight System that includes both remote sensing instruments covering the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and thermal infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as an ice-penetrating radar, and in situ instruments, that will be used to study the magnetic field, dust, gas, and plasma surrounding Europa. The spacecraft component of the Flight System is designed to permit all science instruments to operate and gather science data simultaneously. This paper will outline the driving requirements for the overall spacecraft as well as describe the resulting spacecraft design and its key characteristics, including an overview of flight system-level integration and testing.

Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is a standard modeling language commonly used in the field of systems engineering. As one of the key elements in SysML, The “use case” not only serves as an important means for refining requirements but also drives the incremental design process of the entire model. Taking the design modeling of remote-sensing satellite systems as an example, this paper introduces an incremental iterative method based on use cases in the system model construction of spacecraft, which continuously evaluates architecture-related aspects such as requirement coverage, satisfaction degree, as well as the result of investment during production, manufacturing, and operational phases. At the same time, it realizes the digital collaborative system-level design of spacecraft.

This study aims to explore the damage behavior of tantalum target plates under high-velocity projectile impact, addressing the threats of damage in the aerospace field due to debris and other factors. With the advent of low-cost space launches and large satellite projects, spacecraft such as space stations are facing increasingly severe collision risks. The research utilizes numerical simulation techniques, based on ANSYS/AUTODYN software and the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, to simulate the impact process of projectiles of different velocities (1 ∼ 10 km/s) and materials (aluminum and steel) on tantalum target plates. The results are intended to provide theoretical support for the design of spacecraft protection structures and contribute data support for establishing a millimeter-level space debris impact database.

To probe the possibility of water sources on Mars and research the surface environment of Mars, a Martian spacecraft was designed in detail in this study. Camera PIXL was selected as the payload. The service platform includes an orbit control system, communication system, thermal control system, main computer, energy system, and structure system, which was designed to support the operation of the spacecraft to complete required space missions. The consequence of this research furnishes some guidance for the design of the Martian spacecraft, which discovers water sources on Mars.

The 2025 International Conference on Aerospace Engineering and Materials Technology (AEMT 2025) convened in Tianjin, China, from February 28 to March 2, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the convergence of aerospace engineering and materials technology. This event brought together a diverse assembly of about 200 participants, including researchers, industry professionals, and academicians, reflecting the global commitment to advancing these critical fields.The conference received an impressive array of paper submissions, showcasing a wide range of innovative research and technological advancements. Following a rigorous peer-review process, the excellent papers were selected for presentation, ensuring that the conference featured high-quality contributions that push the boundaries of current knowledge.The proceedings of AEMT 2025 are thoughtfully organized, with the themes encompassing cuttingedge topics such as unmanned aerial systems, spacecraft design, advanced propulsion systems, composite materials, nanomaterials, and additive manufacturing technologies.List of Committee member are available in this PDF.

In this paper, the relevance of the use of mathematical modeling with the electromagnetic compatibility requirements in solving problems of space engineering is shown. Approbation of the software prototype developed in TUSUR is performed by designing the power supply network elements of a spacecraft. The mathematical and software features of the prototype are described.

The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) was established by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) in 1998 to support programs in geodesy, geophysics, fundamental constants and lunar research, and to provide the International Earth Rotation Service with data products that are essential to the maintenance and improvement in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), the basis for metric measurements of changes in the Earth and Earth–Moon system. Other scientific products derived from laser ranging include precise geocentric positions and motions of ground stations, satellite orbits, components of Earth’s gravity field and their temporal variations, Earth Orientation Parameters, precise lunar ephemerides and information about the internal structure of the Moon. Laser ranging systems are already measuring the one-way distance to remote optical receivers in space and are performing very accurate time transfer between remote sites in the Earth and in Space. The ILRS works closely with the IAG’s Global Geodetic Observing System. The ILRS develops (1) the standards and specifications necessary for product consistency, and (2) the priorities and tracking strategies required to maximize network efficiency. The service collects, merges, analyzes, archives and distributes satellite and lunar laser ranging data to satisfy a variety of scientific, engineering, and operational needs and encourages the application of new technologies to enhance the quality, quantity, and cost effectiveness of its data products. The ILRS works with (1) new satellite missions in the design and building of retroreflector targets to maximize data quality and quantity, and (2) science programs to optimize scientific data yield. Since its inception, the ILRS has grown to include forty laser ranging stations distributed around the world. The ILRS stations track more than ninety satellites from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the geosynchronous orbit altitude as well as retroreflector arrays on the surface of the Moon. Applications have been expanded to include time transfer, asynchronous ranging for targets at extended ranges, free space quantum telecommunications, and the tracking of space debris. Laser ranging technology is moving to lower energy, higher repetition rates (kHz), single-photon-sensitive detectors, shorter pulse widths, shorter normal point intervals for faster data acquisition, and increased pass interleaving, automated to autonomous operation with remote access, and embedded software for real-time updates and decision making. An example of pass interleaving is presented for the Yarragadee station (see Fig. 4); tracking of LEO satellites is often accommodated during break in LEO and GNSS passes. New satellites arrays provide more compact targets and work continues on the development of lighter less expensive arrays for satellites and the moon. The service now provides operational ITRF products including daily/weekly station positions and daily resolution Earth orientation products; the flow of weekly combination of satellite orbit files for LAGEOS/Etalon-1 and -2 has recently been established. New products are under testing through a pilot project on systematic error monitoring currently underway. The article will give an overview of activities underway within the service, paths forward presently envisioned, and current issues and challenges.