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The diploma thesis is focused on the development of the concept of a mechanical device that would meet the necessary requirements to achieve a successful simulation of reduced gravity or microgravity on the tested body at its impact. The choice of a suitable mechanism is based on a literary research of all available variants and highlight of their specifics. Target values are created for the selected method of testing, upon reaching which the concept will be considered successful. In order to verify the functionality of the concept, a mechanism is assembled on a smaller scale. The individual components of the mechanism are tested and carefully selected. All essential physical processes taking place in the system are mathematically described and combined into a MATLAB script. A separate application is created to calculate the behavior of the system based on the specified input parameters.

With a big picture view of increasing the accessibility of space, standardization is applied within a service-oriented space program. The development of standardized spacecraft interfaces for numerous and varied payloads is examined through the lens of the creation of an Interface Control Document (ICD) within the Peregrine Lunar Lander project of Astrobotic Technologies, Inc. The procedure is simple, transparent, and adaptable; its applicability to other similar projects is assessed. / För en ökad tillgång till rymden finns det behov av standardisering för en förbättrad service. Utvecklingen av standardiserade rymdfarkostgränsytor för flera och olika nyttolaster har undersökts via ett dokumentet för gränssnittskontroll (ICD) inom projektet Peregrine Lunar Lander för Astrobotic Technologies, Inc. Proceduren är enkel, transparent och anpassningbar; dess användning för andra liknande projekt har värderats.

In the advent of Space 4.0 era with the commercialization and increased accessibility of space, a requirement analysis, trade-off options, development status and critical areas of a propulsion system for a Commercial Micro Moon Lander is carried out. An investigation of a suitable system for the current mission is examined in the frame of the ASTRI project of OHB System AG and Blue Horizon. Main trajectory strategies are being investigated and simulations are performed to extract the ∆V requirements. Top-level requirements are extracted which give the first input for the propulsion design. An evaluation of the propulsion requirements is implemented which outlines the factors that are more important and drive the propulsion design. The evaluation implements a dual comparison of the requirements where weighting factors are extracted, resulting the main drivers of the propulsion system design. A trade-off analysis is performed for various types of propulsion systems and a preliminary selection of a propulsion system suitable for the mission is described. A first-iteration architecture of the propulsion, ADCS and GNC subsystems are also presented as well as a component list. A first approach of the landing phase is described and an estimation of the required thrust is calculated. A unified Bipropellant propulsion system is proposed which fills out most of the mission requirements. However, the analysis shows that the total mass of the lander, including all the margins, exceeds a bit the mass limitations but no the volume limitations. The results shows that a decrease in payload capacity or the implementation of a different trajectory strategy can lower the mass below the limit. In addition, further iterations in the lander concept which will give a more detailed design, resulting to no extra margins, can drive the mass below the limit. Finally, a discussion on the results is done, addressing the limitations and the important factors that need to be considered for the mission. The viability of the mission due to its commercial aspect is being questioned and further investigation is suggested to be carried out on the ”micro” lander concept. / I tillkomsten av Space 4.0 era med kommersialisering och ökad tillgänglighet av rymden, en kravanalys, avvägningsalternativ, utvecklingsstatus och kritiska områden av ett framdrivningssystem för en kommersiell mikro månlandare bärs ut. En undersökning av ett lämpligt system för det aktuella uppdraget genomförs inom ramen för ASTRI-projektet för OHB System AG och Blue Horizon. Olika strategier för banor undersöks och simuleringar utförs för att extrahera ΔV-kraven. Topp-nivå krav definieras och ger den första inputen för designen av framdrivningssystemet. En utvärdering av framdrivningskraven implementeras och belyser de viktigaste faktorer som driver design av framdrivningssystemet. En avvägningsanalys utförs för olika typer av framdrivningssystem och ett preliminärt urval av ett framdrivningssystem som är lämpligt för uppdraget beskrivs. En arkitektur för framdrivningen, ADCS och GNC-delsystem presenteras såväl som en komponentlista. Ett första tillvägagångssätt av landningsfasen beskrivs och en uppskattning av den nödvändiga dragkraften beräknas. Ett enhetligt Bi-propellant framdrivningssystem föreslås som uppfyller ut de flesta uppdragskraven. Analysen visar dock att summan av månlandarens massa, inklusive alla marginaler, överstiger massbegränsningarna men inte de volymbegränsningarna uppsatta i projektet. Resultaten visar att en minskning av nyttolastkapaciteten eller genomförandet av en annan banstrategi kan minska den totala massan då den inom gränsvärdena. Dessutom, ytterligare iterationer i månlandarens koncept som kommer att ge en mer detaljerad design, vilket resulterar i inga extra marginaler, kan leda till att den uppskattade massan minskar ytterligare. Slutligen förs en diskussion om resultaten, med hänsyn till de begränsningarna och de viktigaste faktorerna som måste beaktas för uppdraget. Lönsamheten hos uppdraget på grund av sin kommersiella aspekt är ifrågasatt och vidare utredning föreslås utförs på ”mikro” månlandare konceptet.

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This thesis describes the design, implementation and analysis for a preliminary study for DLR's MASCOT lander's next mission to Small Solar System Bodies (SSSB). MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) is a nano-lander that flew aboard Hayabusa2 (JAXA) to an asteroid, Ryugu. It is a passive nano-spacecraft that can only be deployed ballistically from a hovering spacecraft. Current research focusses on optimizing similar close-approach missions for deploying landers or small cubesats into periodic orbits but does not provide solutions with semi-autonomous small landers deployed from farther distances. This study aims to overcome this short-coming by proposing novel yet simple Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) and Propulsion systems for MASCOT. Due to its independent functioning and customisable anatomy, MASCOT can be adapted for several mission scenarios. In this thesis, a particular case-study is modelled for the HERA (ESA) mission. The first phase of the study involves the design of a landing trajectory to the moon of the Didymos binary asteroid system. For a preliminary analysis, the system - Didymain (primary body), Didymoon (secondary body) and MASCOT (third body) - are modelled as a Planar Circular Restricted Three Body Problem (PCR3BP). The numerical integration methodology used for the trajectory is the variable-step Dormand–Prince (Runge Kutta) ODE-4,5 (Ordinary Differential Equation) solver. The model is built in MATLAB-Simulink (2019a) and refined iteratively by conducting a Monte Carlo analysis using the Sensitivity Analysis Tool. Two models - a thruster-controlled system and an alternative hybrid propulsion system of solar sails and thrusters - are simulated and proven to be feasible. The results show that the stable manifold near Lagrange 2 points proposed by Tardivel et. al. for ballistic landings can still be exploited for distant deployments if a single impulse retro-burn is done at an altitude of 65 m to 210 m above ground with error margins of 50 m in position, 5 cm/s in velocity and 0.1 rad in attitude. The next phase is the conceptual design of a MASCOT-variant with GNC abilities. Based on the constraints and requirements of the flown spacecraft, novel GNC and Propulsion systems are chosen. To identify the overriding factors in using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) for MASCOT, a market survey is conducted and the manufacturers of short-listed products are consulted. The final phase of the study is to analyse the proposed equipment in terms of parameter scope and capability-oriented trade-offs. Two traceability matrices, one for devised solutions and system and another for solutions versus capabilities, are constructed. The final proposed system is coherent with the given mass, volume and power constraints. A distant deployment of MASCOT-like landers for in-situ observation is suggested as an advantageous and risk-reducing addition to large spacecraft missions to unknown micro-gravity target bodies. Lastly, the implications of this study and the unique advantages of an enhanced MASCOT lander are explored for currently planned SSSB missions ranging from multiple rendezvous, fly-by or sample-return missions. Concluding, this study lays the foundation for future work on advanced GNC concepts for unconventional spacecraft topology for the highly integrated small landers. / <p>This thesis is submitted as per the requirements for the Spacemaster (Round 13) dual master's degree under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Programme. </p> / MASCOT team, DLR

Inducement prizes-where cash rewards are given to motivate the attainment of targets--have been long used to encourage scientific research, develop technological innovations, or stimulate individuals, groups, and communities to accomplish diverse goals. Lately, prizes have increasingly attracted the attention of policy-makers, among others, due to their potential to induce path-breaking innovations and accomplish related goals. Academic research, however, has barely investigated these prizes in spite of their long history, recent popularity, and notable potential. This research investigates prizes and the means by which they induce innovation. It uses an empirical, multiple case-study methodology, a new model of innovation applied to prizes, and multiple data sources to investigate three cases of recent aerospace technology prizes: a main case study, the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) for robotic Moon exploration; and two pilot cases, the Ansari X Prize (AXP) for the first private reusable manned spacecraft and the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NGLLC) for flights of reusable rocket-powered vehicles. The investigation unveils the dynamics of prizes and contributes a better understanding of their potential and disadvantages in a context in which more traditional mechanisms are used to induce innovation. This research shows that prizes are a more complex mechanism and their investigation requires analyzing entrant- and context-level factors generally not considered by the literature. Prizes complement and not replace patents and other incentive mechanisms. The incentives offered by prizes attract entrants with diverse characteristics, including unconventional entrants--individuals and organizations generally not involved with the prize technologies. Entrants are generally attracted by the non-monetary benefits of participation and the potential market value of the technologies involved in competitions. Many more volunteers, collaborators, and partners also participate indirectly and support official entries as they also perceive opportunities to accomplish their personal and organizational goals. The monetary reward is important to position the competition in the media and disseminate the idea of the prize. Prizes can induce increasing R&D activities and re-direct industry projects to target diverse technological goals, yet the evolution of prize competitions and quality of the technological outputs is generally difficult to anticipate. The overall organization of prize R&D activities and their outputs depend on entrant-level factors and can only be indirectly influenced by setting specific competition rules. The most remarkable characteristic of prize R&D activities is their interaction with fundraising efforts which, in some circumstances, may constrain the activities of entrants. Prizes can also induce innovation over and above what would have occurred anyway, yet their overall effect depends significantly on the characteristics of the prize entrants and the evolution of the context of the competition. The ability of prizes to induce innovation is larger when there are larger prize incentives, more significant technology gaps implicit in the prize challenge, and open-ended challenge definitions. To successfully induce technological breakthroughs, prizes may require complementary incentives (e.g. commitments to purchase technology) or support (e.g. seed funding.) Prizes are particularly appropriate to, for example, explore new, experimental methods and technologies that imply high-risk R&D; induce technological development to break critical technological barriers; accelerate technological development to achieve higher performance standards; and, accelerate diffusion, adoption, and/or commercialization of technologies. They involve, however, higher programmatic risks than other more traditional mechanisms and their routine use, and/or challenge definitions that overlap, can weaken the incentive power of the mechanism. Successful implementation of competitions requires many parameters to be properly set.

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