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On-orbit servicing, active debris removal or assembling large structures on orbit are only some of the tasks that could be accomplished by space robots. In all these cases, a contact between a space robot and the satellite being serviced, deorbited, or assembled will occur. This contact results in a contact force exerted on the space robot, and therefore momenta of the space robot system are no longer conserved. Most of the papers that are concerned with motion planning problems of a space robot manipulator either consider that no external forces or moments are acting on the space robot system or use additional controllers when the space robot is subjected to external forces and moments. Such a controller minimizes end-effector position and orientation errors caused by the changes in system momenta due to external forces and moments acting on this system. The novelty of this work is that it proposes a new method for planning the motion of dual-arm space robot manipulators when linear and angular momenta of the space robot system are not conserved due to external forces and moments acting on the space robot base or/and manipulators' end-effectors. In the proposed method the changes in system momenta are considered, but no additional controllers are needed. In this paper, we derive the motion planning equations for dual-arm space robot manipulators, where external forces and moments are acting on both satellite and manipulator end-effectors. The proposed method has been verified by numerical simulations, and the results are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented a new method to guide and control a space robot for capturing an uncooperative target. The dynamic model of a target is unknown and estimated with the help of vision system. This methodology has three different steps. First, the feature points of a space target were extracted using the vision system, then the pose of the target (position and orientation) relative to the space robot was determined based on Homography method. Second, because of an unknown model of the target, the location of the center of mass is calculated using kinematic equations and Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. This would help tracking moving target. Third, a new Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter (AUKF) was introduced to estimate the dynamic state vector (position, orientation, linear and angular velocities) of an arbitrary space target. The error in AUKF estimation was prevented from divergence by using Fuzzy Logic Adaptive System (FLAS). Finally, a new trajectory method for planning the end-effector velocities of the space robot arm was implemented based on the measurement information from the vision system and estimation a target state using AUKF. The results from simulation experiments were presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of small samples in very short and intense hard X-ray pulses is studied by molecular dynamics type calculations. The main emphasis is put on the effect of various tamper layers about the sample. This is discussed from the point of view of structural imaging of single particles, including not only the distortion of the structure but also the background conditions. A detailed picture is given about the Coulomb explosion, with explanation of the tampering mechanism. It is shown that a thin water layer is efficient in slowing down the distortion of the atomic structure, but it gives a significant contribution to the background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the behavior of small cluster of atoms in a short (10-50 fs) very intense hard X-ray (10 keV) pulse. We use numerical modeling based on the non-relativistic classical equation of motion. Quantum processes are taken into account by the respective cross-sections. We show that there is a Coulomb explosion, which has a different dynamics than one finds in classical laser driven cluster explosions. We discuss the consequences of our results to single molecule imaging by the free electron laser pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using electron spectroscopy, we have investigated nanoplasma formation from noble gas clusters exposed to high-intensity hard-x-ray pulses at ~5 keV. Our experiment was carried out at the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free electron LAser (SACLA) facility in Japan. Dedicated theoretical simulations were performed with the molecular dynamics tool XMDYN. We found that in this unprecedented wavelength regime nanoplasma formation is a highly indirect process. In the argon clusters investigated, nanoplasma is mainly formed through secondary electron cascading initiated by slow Auger electrons. Energy is distributed within the sample entirely through Auger processes and secondary electron cascading following photoabsorption, as in the hard x-ray regime there is no direct energy transfer from the field to the plasma. This plasma formation mechanism is specific to the hard-x-ray regime and may, thus, also be important for XFEL-based molecular imaging studies. In xenon clusters, photo- and Auger electrons contribute more significantly to the nanoplasma formation. Good agreement between experiment and simulations validates our modelling approach. This has wide-ranging implications for our ability to quantitatively predict the behavior of complex molecular systems irradiated by high-intensity hard x-rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]