Preface
vii
and built to test the X-ray detectors and quantitatively analyze the performance of
pulsar navigation system; finally, the XPNAV-1 satellite and its observation results
are addressed in detail, and further the next-generation navigation satellite system is
conceived from system architecture.
This book is both a professional reference about pulsar navigation and a high-grade
popular science reading material, with the basic characteristics of “five lectures”: the
first is to lecture the concepts, talking about the concepts of pulsars, spaceflights
and navigations; the second is to lecture the histories, talking about the histories
of the radio astronomy, X-ray discovery, X-ray astronomy, space flight, navigation
system and pulsar navigation; the third is to lecture the approaches, talking about
the technical approaches to guide the navigations for movable objects, from ancient
south-pointing chariot to modern navigation system; the fourth is to lecture the theory,
talking about the basic theories and methods of space-time reference, pulsar timing
system and large-scale navigation; the fifth is to lecture the experiments, talking
about the ground tests, numerical experiments and spaceflight tests.
The pulsar navigation is a typical interdisciplinary research field, which is complex
in technology, difficult to implement, innovative strongly, with the remarkable characteristics of multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and compound development. The
purpose of writing this book is to try to build a platform for interdisciplinary research
and communication, and cultivate compound talents with innovative potential, so as
to better popularize and promote the technical research and system development of
pulsar navigation. This book is suitable for scientific and technical personnel engaged
in the research on the pulsar navigation system, and it can also be used as a general
teaching material or reference book for undergraduate and graduate students who
are interested in the pulsar navigation technology and have the relevant professional
background knowledge, such as guidance and navigation and control, spacecraft
design, theoretical physics, astrophysics, physical electronics, nuclear technology
and application, geodesy and surveying engineering, communication and information
system, as well as measuring and testing technologies and instruments.
In implementing the pulsar navigation project and writing the manuscript of this
book, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Qun Liu who was then Deputy
Chief of the R&D department at China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and
Mr. Hu Li who was Chief of the R&D department, for their help and support. I
would like to thank the members of the mission design and data processing team of
the XPNAV-1 satellite, for their support, understanding and assistance in my work,
and they are Dr. Xinyuan Zhang, Dr. Liangwei Huang, Dr. Xiaomin Bei, Dr. Yaojun
Wu, Dr. Qingqing Lin, Dr. Jing Meng, Dr. Hengbin Zhang, Senior Engineer Shaolong
Chen, Senior Engineer Qiang Chen, Engineer Qian Zhang and Engineer Lingzhong
Fu, all of who were then the staffs at the Pulsar Navigation Research Center of
Qian-Xuesen Laboratory of the CAST. I wish to thank the members of the engineering team for their technical support in the development and space flight test of the
XPNAV-1 satellite, and they are Dr. Lijun Xue at Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong
Development Ltd., Dr. Loulou Deng at Beijing Institute of Control Engineering and
Dr. Huijun Hu at Shandong Institute of Space Electronic Technology. Finally, I wish
to acknowledge Ms. Li You, an Editor at the National Defense Industry Press, who
vii
and built to test the X-ray detectors and quantitatively analyze the performance of
pulsar navigation system; finally, the XPNAV-1 satellite and its observation results
are addressed in detail, and further the next-generation navigation satellite system is
conceived from system architecture.
This book is both a professional reference about pulsar navigation and a high-grade
popular science reading material, with the basic characteristics of “five lectures”: the
first is to lecture the concepts, talking about the concepts of pulsars, spaceflights
and navigations; the second is to lecture the histories, talking about the histories
of the radio astronomy, X-ray discovery, X-ray astronomy, space flight, navigation
system and pulsar navigation; the third is to lecture the approaches, talking about
the technical approaches to guide the navigations for movable objects, from ancient
south-pointing chariot to modern navigation system; the fourth is to lecture the theory,
talking about the basic theories and methods of space-time reference, pulsar timing
system and large-scale navigation; the fifth is to lecture the experiments, talking
about the ground tests, numerical experiments and spaceflight tests.
The pulsar navigation is a typical interdisciplinary research field, which is complex
in technology, difficult to implement, innovative strongly, with the remarkable characteristics of multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and compound development. The
purpose of writing this book is to try to build a platform for interdisciplinary research
and communication, and cultivate compound talents with innovative potential, so as
to better popularize and promote the technical research and system development of
pulsar navigation. This book is suitable for scientific and technical personnel engaged
in the research on the pulsar navigation system, and it can also be used as a general
teaching material or reference book for undergraduate and graduate students who
are interested in the pulsar navigation technology and have the relevant professional
background knowledge, such as guidance and navigation and control, spacecraft
design, theoretical physics, astrophysics, physical electronics, nuclear technology
and application, geodesy and surveying engineering, communication and information
system, as well as measuring and testing technologies and instruments.
In implementing the pulsar navigation project and writing the manuscript of this
book, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Qun Liu who was then Deputy
Chief of the R&D department at China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and
Mr. Hu Li who was Chief of the R&D department, for their help and support. I
would like to thank the members of the mission design and data processing team of
the XPNAV-1 satellite, for their support, understanding and assistance in my work,
and they are Dr. Xinyuan Zhang, Dr. Liangwei Huang, Dr. Xiaomin Bei, Dr. Yaojun
Wu, Dr. Qingqing Lin, Dr. Jing Meng, Dr. Hengbin Zhang, Senior Engineer Shaolong
Chen, Senior Engineer Qiang Chen, Engineer Qian Zhang and Engineer Lingzhong
Fu, all of who were then the staffs at the Pulsar Navigation Research Center of
Qian-Xuesen Laboratory of the CAST. I wish to thank the members of the engineering team for their technical support in the development and space flight test of the
XPNAV-1 satellite, and they are Dr. Lijun Xue at Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong
Development Ltd., Dr. Loulou Deng at Beijing Institute of Control Engineering and
Dr. Huijun Hu at Shandong Institute of Space Electronic Technology. Finally, I wish
to acknowledge Ms. Li You, an Editor at the National Defense Industry Press, who