Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




SPACE TRAVEL
Dead stars could be the future of spacecraft navigation
by Staff Writers
Leicester UK (SPX) Oct 10, 2012


illustration only

Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Leicester have been commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) to investigate the feasibility of using dead stars to navigate spacecraft in deep space.

The findings of the research will advise ESA strategy and if feasible this technique may in future revolutionise the way spacecraft navigate in the outer Solar System and beyond.

Spacecraft navigation currently relies on radio transmissions between a distant craft and a network of ground-stations on Earth. This means that the craft has to wait for an instruction from Earth to guide it through space and with the large distances involved this could take hours, days or even longer. This time delay affects a spacecraft's ability to react rapidly according to its location.

Furthermore, the ground infrastructure is increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain due to the size of the radio antennas.

Scientists at NPL and the University of Leicester are exploring the use of X-rays from dead stars, called pulsars, to allow spacecraft to navigate autonomously.

Pulsars are highly compact and rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit intense electromagnetic radiation observed as pulses, similar to the rotating beam of light seen from a light house. In some cases these pulses can be highly regular, making them suitable sources for navigation using a technique similar to GPS.

"Using on-board X-ray detectors, spacecraft could measure the times of pulses received from pulsars to determine the position and motion of the craft. The University of Leicester will use their experience in X-ray astronomy to come-up with potential designs of the device and NPL will develop timing and navigation algorithms to determine the potential accuracy of this technique.

Funding received from ESA will allow us to investigate the feasibility of using these dead stars and the potential navigation performance that could be derived," says Setnam Shemar, leading the project on behalf of NPL's Time and Frequency Team.

The traditional form of ground-based space navigation can only support a limited number of spacecraft as only one set of measurements can be processed at any one time. If feasible, this new technique could allow a greater number of complex space missions to take place simultaneously in deep space as craft become capable of navigating themselves.

Results from the investigation will advise ESA on technical strategy and if successful, pulsar navigation could in the long-term reduce costs and limitations associated with ground-based technology. Such a method, using pulsars as nature's own GPS in space, might one day enable humanity to navigate far beyond the outer reaches of our Solar System.

The contract is being carried out under the General Studies Programme and funded by the European Space Agency.

Find out more about NPL's Time and Frequency research.

.


Related Links
NPL's Time and Frequency research
National Physical Laboratory
University of Leicester
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SPACE TRAVEL
Dead stars could be cosmic 'GPS'
London (UPI) Oct 9, 2012
Dead stars could be the future of spacecraft navigation, replacing earth-based systems with a cosmic "global positioning system," British researchers say. The European Space Agency has commissioned scientists at Britain's National Physical Laboratory and the University of Leicester to investigate the feasibility of using dead stars known as pulsars to navigate spacecraft in deep space. ... read more


SPACE TRAVEL
SpaceX capsule links up with space station: NASA

Assembled and poised for launch: Soyuz is ready with its two Galileo navigation satellites

SpaceX On Course For Crew Resupply Cargo Delivery To Space Station

SpaceX craft on way to ISS in first supply run

SPACE TRAVEL
First Scoopful A Success

Checking a Bright Object on the Ground

China to collect samples from Mars by 2030: Xinhua

Mars rover finds 'bright object'

SPACE TRAVEL
China has no timetable for manned moon landing

Senior scientist discusses China's lunar orbiter challenges

NASA sees 'gateway' for space missions

Protection for Moon, Mars astronauts eyed

SPACE TRAVEL
Sharpest-ever Ground-based Images of Pluto and Charon: Proves a Powerful Tool for Exoplanet Discoveries

The Kuiper Belt at 20: Paradigm Changes in Our Knowledge of the Solar System

e2v To Supply Large CMOS Imaging Sensors For Imaging Kuiper Belt Objects

Fly New Horizons through the Kuiper Belt

SPACE TRAVEL
Candels Team Discovers Dusty Galaxies At Ancient Epoch With Hubble Space Telescope

Large water reservoirs at the dawn of stellar birth

Comet crystals found in a nearby planetary system

The Magnetic Wakes of Pulsar Planets

SPACE TRAVEL
ATK Awarded $50 Million Contract for NASA's Advanced Concept Booster Development for SLS

Rotors seen as method of spacecraft return

ATK and NASA Showcase Cost-Saving Upgrades for Space Launch System Solid Rocket Boosters

Australian hypersonic test a success

SPACE TRAVEL
ChangE-2 Mission To Lagrange L2 Point

Meeting of heads of ESA and China Manned Space Agency

China Spacesat gets 18-million-USD gov't support

Tiangong Orbit Change Signals Likely Date for Shenzhou 10

SPACE TRAVEL
Asteroid fragments could hint at the origin of the solar system

A New Dawn For NASA's Asteroid Explorer

Troughs Suggest Stunted Planetary Development Of Vesta

Mysterious Case of Asteroid Oljato's Magnetic Disturbance




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement