This project aims to investigate neural network systems as an effective tool for the in-space captured dust impact signal detection. Cosmic dust is the nanometre to micrometre fine-sized particles that exist in the interplanetary region. They originate from comets, asteroids, the planets and their moons and rings, or even the interstellar region. Some are visible to the human eye as, for instance, zodiacal light. However, most dust grains are sparsely spread in space and can be captured only by in-situ measurements. One method to capture such a small grain in space utilizes the whole spacecraft’s surface as a detector and uses the onboard electric field measurement to identify their impact signals. Those signals are highly non-linear and often identified manually. A neural network system is a possible solution to improve dust detection for a massive dataset.The European Space Agency’s (ESA) solar physics mission, Solar Orbiter, has electric field measurement (PWI) onboard and can detect the micrometeorite impact signals near the sun. We used two types of PWI datasets to investigate the use of neural network systems in interplanetary dust detection.We first used a pre-trained neural network to the High-Frequency (HF) Time Domain Sampler (TDS) data to adapt further to the new dataset. We were able to obtain good detection classifications as the previous work except for the data with high time resolution, which has not been used for the pre-training before. Therefore, we implemented extra preprocessing to enable classification of data with high time resolution.We trained and tested another neural network on another type of PWI dataset, that is, the Low-Frequency (LF) continuous data. This data type is different from the TDS data type in that it does not come in packets but as a continuous data stream covering an entire day and has a lower sampling frequency. Which required different preprocessing-procedures.Based on the two types of neural network analysis we use above; we have finally been able to investigate the characteristics of dust distribution in the interplanetary region. Using the statistical analysis obtained by the SolO/PWI between April of 2020 to Mars of 2023, among others, the following characteristics have been found: The neural network analysed dust impact rates show a similar trend as onboard processed dust impact rates. Dust impact amplitude was found to be correlated to distance from the sun, spacecraft velocity, and spacecraft radial velocity. The impact rate increases as the spacecraft travels sunward. Much of the dust appears to have speeds lower than the spacecraft. Overall, from this study, we concluded that the HF neural network is better in dust signal detection, but the LF network can be improved. Shortcomings and possible improvements are presented in the conclusions.

Spacecraft experience electric currents on conductive materials exposed to sunlight, which introduces noise in scientific data. These currents are mainly due to the photoelectric effect and should therefore be proportional to the inverse square heliocentric distance. However, measurements on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft suggests that these currents deviate from this proportionality, especially at perihelia. This paper aims to improve the understanding of how and why these induced currents vary by creating a model to describe the phenomenon. The investigation was based on thermal bending, thermionic emission, the photoelectric effect, outgassing, and a temperature dependence of the work function. Through numerical approximation, the thermal bending of the approximately 6m modeled antennas was estimated to be almost three meters at perihelion and the estimated outgassing fit the secular change in the data well. The direct impact of thermionic emissions was determined to be negligible. The final model was created utilizing a secular fit of the outgassing, the variation in the cross-section due to thermal bending, a yield proxy was created to model the impact of the work function temperature dependence, and the MgII index as a proxy for the solar EUV intensity. The final model was approximately accurate within 10%. Several future improvements are discussed, such as the inclusion of secondary emission or the empirical determination of the model deviation.

Malea Planum is a volcanic plain on the southern rim of Hellas Planitia, the largest impact basin on Mars. Four large circular structures on Malea Planum have traditionally been identified as paterae, or low relief, central vent volcanoes (Plescia and Saunders, 1979). A geologic map was constructed and new crater counts made to explore the ages and origins of the paterae. Amphitrites and Peneus Paterae have radial patterns of wrinkle ridges on their flanks and distinct summit calderas (95 km and 130 km across) with arcuate bounding scarps. In contrast, Malea and Pityusa Paterae are broad depressions with diameters greater than 400 km. In some ways Pityusa and Malea Paterae resemble old, filled impact craters (Plescia, 2003) but they also have characteristics of volcanic subsidence features (Roche et al., 2000). A very strong positive gravity anomaly is centered over Amphitrites and smaller positive anomalies are associated with Peneus and Malea Paterae. A slight annular positive anomaly is associated with Pityusa. The geology of the Malea Planum Region has been influenced by impact cratering, volcanic, tectonic, fluvial, and most recently, eolian processes. The Noachian was dominated by impact cratering, the formation of Hellas Basin, and the eruption of flood lavas. Malea Planum formed during the mid- to late-Noachian, likely the result of sills liquefying the volatile-rich crust. Malea and Pityusa Paterae formed during the late Noachian. The Hesperian was marked by the formation of Peneus and Amphitrites and complex valley networks. During the mid-Hesperian, southern Malea Planum may have been covered by a very thick polar mantle deposit that melted and sublimated during the late Hesperian. Smaller episodes of polar mantle deposition continued through the Amazonian to the present. The Amazonian is also characterized by eolian activity creating dune fields, etched surfaces, and dust devil tracks. Based on the topographic and geophysical evidence, Amphitrites and Peneus are typical highland paterae. We conclude that a mid-crustal sill complex similar to that thought to exist beneath the eastern Snake River Plain in Idaho may be the best explanation for the formation of Malea and Pityusa Paterae. A lack of associated flow features on the surface suggests that the loads are the result of an accumulation of dense intrusions. A surficial load (e.g., lava flows) is insufficient to cause the amount of subsidence observed. A mid-crustal mafic or ultra-mafic sill or a dense network of sills and dikes may have contributed to the subsidence.

The dynamics of a complex system can be understood by analyzing the phase space structure of that system. We apply geometric and statistical techniques to two Hamiltonian systems to find and exploit structure in the phase space that helps us get qualitative and quantitative results about the phase space transport. While the structure can be revealed by the study of invariant manifolds of fixed points and periodic orbits in the first system, there do not exist any fixed points (and hence invariant manifolds) in the second system. The use of statistical (or measure theoretic) and topological methods reveals the phase space structure even in the absence of fixed points or stable and unstable invariant manifolds. The first problem we study is the four-body problem in the context of a spacecraft in the presence of a planet and two of its moons, where we exploit the phase space structure of the problem to devise an intelligent control strategy to achieve mission objectives. We use a family of analytically derived controlled Keplerian Maps in the Patched-Three-Body framework to design fuel efficient trajectories with realistic flight times. These maps approximate the dynamics of the Planar Circular Restricted Three Body Problem (PCR3BP) and we patch solutions in two different PCR3BPs to form the desired trajectories in the four body system. The second problem we study concerns phase space mixing in a two-dimensional time dependent Stokes flow system. Topological analysis of the braiding of periodic points has been recently used to find lower bounds on the complexity of the flow via the Thurston-Nielsen classification theorem (TNCT). We extend this framework by demonstrating that in a perturbed system with no apparent periodic points, the almost-invariant sets computed using a transfer operator approach are the natural objects on which to pin the TNCT. / Ph. D.

Cette thèse porte sur le développement d'une loi de guidage autonome par platitude pour les véhicules de rentrée atmosphérique. La problématique associée au développement d'une loi de guidage autonome porte sur l'organisation globale, l'intégration et la gestion de l'information pertinente jusqu'à la maîtrise du système spatial durant la phase de rentrée. La loi de guidage autonome proposée dans ce mémoire s'appuie sur le concept de platitude, afin d'effectuer un traitement des informations à bord, dans le but double d'attribuer un niveau de responsabilité et d'autonomie au véhicule, déchargeant ainsi le segment sol de tâches opérationnelles "bas niveau", pour lui permettre de mieux assumer son rôle de coordination globale. La première partie de ce mémoire traite de la caractérisation formelle de sorties plates pour les systèmes non linéaires régis par des équations différentielles ordinaires, ainsi que pour les systèmes linéaires à retards. Des algorithmes constructifs sont proposés afin de calculer des sorties plates candidates sous un environnement de calcul formel standard. Dans la seconde partie, une méthodologie complète et générique de replanification de trajectoires de rentrée atmosphérique est proposée, afin de doter la loi de guidage d'un certain niveau de tolérance à des pannes actionneur simple/multiples pouvant survenir lors des phases critiques d'une mission de rentrée atmosphérique. En outre, une méthodologie d'annexation superellipsoidale est proposée afin de convexifier le problème de commande optimale décrit dans l'espace des sorties plates. La loi de guidage proposée est ensuite appliquée étape par étape à une mission de rentrée atmosphérique pour la navette spatiale américaine STS-1. / This thesis deals with the design of an autonomous guidance law based on flatness approach for atmospheric reentry vehicles. The problematic involved by the design of an autonomous guidance law relates to the global organization, the integration and the management of relevant data up to the mastering of the spacecraft during the re-entry mission. The autonomous guidance law proposed in this dissertation is based on flatness concept, in order to perform onboard processing so as to locally assign autonomy and responsibility to the vehicle, thus exempting the ground segment from "low level" operational tasks, so that it can ensure more efficiently its mission of global coordination. The first part of the manuscript deals with the formal characterization of flat outputs for nonlinear systems governed by ordinary differential equations, as well as for linear time-delay systems. Constructive algorithms are proposed in order to compute candidate flat outputs within a standard formal computing environment. In the second part of the manuscript, a global and generic reentry trajectory replanning methodology is proposed in order to provide a fault-tolerance capability to the guidance law, when facing single/multiple control surface failures that could occur during the critical phases of an atmospheric reentry mission. In addition, a superellipsoidal annexion method is proposed so as to convexify the optimal control problem described in the flat outputs space. The proposed guidance law is then applied step by step to an atmospheric reentry mission for the US Space Shuttle orbiter STS-1.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la mission spatiale Rosetta et porte sur les propriétés spectrophotométriques de la comète 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko à l’aide de l’instrument OSIRIS. Cet instrument est composé de deux caméras pour les observations du noyau et de la coma de la comète. Elles permettent d’acquérir des images avec des filtres qui opèrent dans la gamme du proche UV au proche IR. Dans un premier temps, j'ai analysé les courbes spectrophotométriques des taches claires qui sont apparues sur le noyau de la comète. Une étude comparative de celles-ci grâce aux données du spectro-imageur VIRTIS a ainsi permis de constater que les taches claires sont liées à la glace de H2O. Dans un second temps, j’ai entrepris une étude spectrophotométrique de la région Khonsu, qui a mis en évidence les variations saisonnières de la pente spectrale de différents terrains. Par la suite, j’ai élargi mon analyse des taches à tout le noyau de la comète. J’ai détecté plus de 50 taches claires dues à la présence de glace de H2O et j’ai produit une carte pour repérer leurs emplacements sur le noyau, afin d’étudier plus en détail leur répartition et leur évolution au cours de temps. Ceci m’a permis d’identifier quatre types de taches regroupés en fonction de leur morphologie et de constater qu'elles sont dues à différentes sources d'activité cométaire. / This thesis is based on the spectrophotometric properties of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, using the OSIRIS instrument of Rosetta space mission. Composed of two scientific cameras to observe the nucleus and the coma of the comet, OSIRIS images are acquired with multiple filters, that span the near-UV to near-IR wavelength range. They were used to study the spectrophotometric curves of the exposed bright features that appeared on the surface of the cometary nucleus, leading to a comparative study, that was carried out in collaboration with the VIRTIS spectro-imager aboard Rosetta, that demonstrated, that these exposures are related to H2O ice, using its absorption band located at 2 microns. The thesis further details a spectrophotometric study of the Khonsu region in the southern latitudes of the comet, where the seasonal variation of the spectral slope of different types of terrains is explored. Finally, the results of an extended survey of exposed bright features are presented. More than 50 individual features are presented under four morphologies along with an albedo calculation, suggesting that different activity sources are responsible for their appearance on the nucleus.

L'atmosphère de Mars contient en permanence des poussières micrométriques en suspension dont la quantité varie dans le temps et dans l'espace. Ces aérosols sont l'un des éléments clés du cycle climatologique de la planète, car ils modifient l'équilibre radiatif de l'atmosphère. La poussière atmosphérique diffuse le rayonnement solaire visible et proche infrarouge qui illumine la planète Mars. En janvier 2004, l'imageur spectral OMEGA a commencé à observer Mars dans ces domaines de longueur d'onde. L'analyse des observations réalisées par OMEGA a rapidement abouti à l'identification de nouveaux minéraux à la surface de Mars. Ces découvertes ont profondément modifié nos conceptions sur l'histoire passée de la planète. Ce travail de thèse est basé sur le développement d'un modèle de transfert radiatif de type Monte-Carlo. Ce modèle permet de séparer dans les données OMEGA la contribution des aérosols de celle de la surface. Il est utilisé pour étudier les propriétés optiques et physiques des aérosols et obtenir une meilleure compréhension des caractéristiques de la surface. Les premières applications concernent les régions polaires de Mars, pour lesquelles la contribution des aérosols est très importante compte tenu des parcours optiques élevés. Les données OMEGA sont utilisées pour caractériser les interactions saisonnières entre la poussière atmosphérique et la glace en surface, qui restaient encore mal comprises. Une méthode de cartographie de la profondeur optique de poussière est présentée au dessus des régions polaires sud recouvertes de glace de CO2. L'utilisation du modèle est ensuite étendue aux régions plus proches de l'équateur. Nous démontrons que la poussière soulevée lors de tempêtes dans ces régions ne se redépose pas de manière uniforme sur toute la planète, et nous présentons les premières applications concernant l'étude quantitative de la minéralogie de surface à partir des données OMEGA puis CRISM/MRO. Cette expérience, complémentaire d'OMEGA par ses observations à très haute résolution, a obtenu ses premières données depuis l'orbite martienne en novembre 2006.

La mission BepiColombo est une des pierres angulaires du programme scientifique de l'ESA. Elle permettra l'étude de la planète Mercure grâce à deux sondes mises en orbite autour de la planète. Une des deux sondes, Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) développée par l'ESA, sera dédiée à l'étude de la surface et de l'intérieur de la planète. La mission est prévue pour un lancement en 2016 et une arrivée sur Mercure en janvier 2024. L’IAS est responsable de l’étalonnage de l'ensemble d'imageurs SIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometer and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo-Integrated Observatory SYStem) composé d’une caméra haute résolution (HRIC), d’une caméra stéréoscopique (STC) et d’un imageur hyperspectral visible et proche-infrarouge (VIHI). Ces instruments devraient profondément modifier nos connaissances de la composition et de la géomorphologie de la surface de Mercure. Ma thèse a consisté à participer à la définition et à la mise en place des caractéristiques et des fonctionnalités du dispositif expérimental d'étalonnage qui se compose principalement d’une cuve à vide contenant les instruments, d’un banc optique rassemblant les sources d'étalonnage et les éléments optiques qui reconstituent les conditions d'observation de Mercure, des interfaces mécaniques permettant le positionnement de l'expérience à l'intérieur de la cuve, des interfaces thermiques visant à explorer les températures de fonctionnement des différentes parties des expériences, des interfaces informatiques assurant la communication avec l'expérience et le pilotage du dispositif d'étalonnage en fonction des tests à réaliser. J’ai modélisés et validé expérimentalement certaines performances du dispositif. Enfin, j’ai défini en étroite collaboration avec les équipes italiennes co-responsables des trois instruments les différentes séquences d’étalonnage qui seront utilisées lors de l’étalonnage. / BepiColombo is one of the cornerstones of the scientific program of ESA. It will study the planet Mercury with two spacecrafts in orbit around the planet. One of the two spacecrafts, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), will be dedicated to the study of the surface and interior of the planet. The mission is scheduled for launch in 2016 and arrival at Mercury in January 2024. IAS is responsible for the calibration of the imaging system SIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometers and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory-SYStem) which consists of a high-resolution camera (HRIC), a stereoscopic camera (STC) and a visible and near-infrared hyperspectral imager (VIHI). These instruments should deeply change our understanding of the composition and geomorphology of Mercury surface. My research subject allowed me to participate in all the activities concerning the definition, implementation and validation of the calibration facilities at the IAS. These facilities are divided into different sub-systems: a thermal vacuum chamber containing the instrument during all the calibration campaign that shall simulate the environmental conditions (temperature and pressure), an optical bench with optical components and radiometrically calibrated sources reproducing the observational conditions as it will be seen by the instrument once placed in Mercury’s orbit, mechanical interfaces allowing the positioning and guidance of the instrument when placed inside the vacuum chamber with the required precision and accuracy, thermal interfaces facilitating the thermal excursion of the detectors, software interfaces so as to automatize and control the entire system. I developed a radiometric model of the calibration system and instrument to refine the calibration sources. In parallel, I performed several measurements of some subsystems so as to validate the optical assembly and to improve its control. Finally as a result of a close collaboration with the three Italian scientific teams of the instrument, I elaborate the fully package of the calibration sequences and the detailed instrument configuration that will be used during the calibration campaign.