星载铷原子钟物理部分热设计

星载铷原子钟物理部分作为星载铷原子钟的重要组成部分,其热设计在很大程度上决定了星载铷原子钟的性能与使用寿命。应用Flotherm软件对铷原子钟物理部分进行建模、仿真求解,对热设计进行优化,满足了星载铷原子钟物理部分设计要求。     

星载原子钟在轨剩余寿命预测方法研究

原子钟是导航卫星最关键载荷之一, 开展原子钟健康状态评估与寿命预测相关工作, 对于及时掌握原子钟性能和运行状况, 确保卫星导航系统提供高可用性连续性完好性的服务, 具有重要意义。结合星载原子钟在轨失效特性分析, 提出了一种综合考虑原子钟随机失效与耗损失效的剩余寿命预测方法。该方法融合利用原子钟寿命周期内产生的多源多维数据, 通过概率统计和机器学习的途径实现原子钟的剩余寿命预测。经案例验证, 所提方法合理有效, 具有一定的工程应用价值。      

原子钟调相白噪声降噪方法

原子钟的五种噪声反映了它在一定时间间隔内的性能。当取样间隔小于1h,原子钟主要表现为调相白噪声。在地方协调时UTC(NTSC)的实时监控中,不仅要求参考原子时(RTA,用于地方协调时控制的参考)具有很高的长期稳定度,而且要求其短期稳定度亦很高。影响RTA短期稳定度的主要是个台原子钟的调相白噪声。首先讨论了确定原子钟短期噪声的方法,进而利用小波分析方法研究了原子钟调相白噪声分离与降噪的方法。     

原子钟长期特性测量系统的设计与实现

通过在对各种时频测量硬件的搭建,建立一套多台被测原子钟同时与本地频率标准钟比对的测量系统。该系统以数据库服务做为最底层的数据支持,能够实时的监控测量数据,显示当前被测原子钟的频率准确度,并能够在获得了足够的数据之后,计算和显示被测原子钟的日稳和漂移数据和曲线,方便时频计量人员操作,提高了送检原子钟的计量检定效率。     

IIR滤波器在芯片原子钟中的应用

芯片原子钟是具有小体积,低功耗特点的原子钟。本文采用了IIR滤波器方案对芯片原子钟物理系统输出信号进行处理,该方案有利于减小芯片原子钟的体积、提高芯片原子钟短期频率稳定度。实验结果表明,与FIR滤波方案相比,IIR滤波器使用的FPGA资源减小了约58%;与现有模拟滤波方案相比,使用IIR滤波器方案的芯片原子钟频率稳定度提高了1.4×10~(-10)τ~(-1/2)(τ=1s-100s),电路面积减小了10%。     

基于CPT原理原子钟的频率控制系统

在J.Vanier工作的基础上,根据CPT(Coherent Population Trapping:相干布局数囚禁)原子钟的系统组成和工作原理,导出了基于CPT原理原子钟的频率控制系统模型,对于基于CPT原理原子钟的分析和设计工作具有实际的指导意义。     

导航卫星原子钟舱温度控制方法及其验证

原子钟是导航卫星的重要组成部分,可为卫星系统提供高准确及高稳定度的时间频率源.原子钟工作性能与环境温度变化密切相关,为保证其在轨连续、稳定运行,热控系统需为其提供良好的工作温度环境.本文以某导航卫星原子钟舱温度控制为研究内容,给出原子钟舱热控设计方案、控制算法,并进行仿真分析和试验验证.在轨遥测数据表明,卫星原子钟舱热控方案和控制算法设计合理,仿真分析及试验结果有效,各原子钟在轨工作温度满足要求,原子钟温度稳定度满足并优于设计指标近一个数量级.     

一种芯片原子钟专用锁相倍频器研究与设计实现

分析了倍频器对芯片原子钟稳定度指标的影响,并以此提出了对倍频器的设计要求。介绍了国内外几种典型的原子钟倍频器,提出了一种基于撞-D调制的芯片原子钟专用锁相倍频器方案,并采用分离器件对该方案进行了验证,实现了与传统铷钟物理系统的闭环锁定,铷原子频标稳定度指标达4.7E-12/s,能满足原子钟的研制需求。基于该方案开展了倍频器芯片的设计和流片,实现了3.4GHz的芯片原子钟专用芯片,与物理系统进行联调锁定后稳定度指标达5.5E-11/s,表明该芯片可满足芯片原子钟的设计要求。     

国际原子时进展中的原子钟

对近几年国际原子时 (TAI)进展中不同类型原子钟和不同时间实验室原子钟贡献的权重进行了比较 ,并介绍了原子钟权重受其频率漂移率影响的一些分析结果     

星载原子钟数据预处理的方法研究CSCD

星载原子钟的数据预处理是进行原子钟性能分析和钟差预报的前提,本文主要利用相位数据和频率数据的转换和异常数据的分析处理方法对原子钟数据进行了预处理,有效的保证了数据的可靠性。     

Material recycling in a regenerative life support system for space use: its issues and waste processing.

First, sources of wastes produced in future human activities in space will be discussed. The quantity and quality of each source will be evaluated. Secondly, water quality requirements for human safety will be shown. Then, techniques to be used for processing and/or recycling the wastes to attain the requirements will be listed. Specific characteristics and limitations of each will be explained. Last, examples of system configurations of the techniques will be shown. The material balances will also be calculated. The issues to be solved will be made clear.     

Arthropod model systems for studying complex biological processes in the space environment.

Three arthropod systems are discussed in relation to their complementary and potential use in Space Biology. In a next biosatellite flight, Drosophila melanogaster pre-adapted during several months to different g levels will be flown in an automatic device that separates parental from first and second generations. In the same flight, flies will be exposed to microgravity conditions in an automatic unit in which fly motility can be recorded. In the International Microgravity Laboratory-2, several groups of Drosophila embryos will be grown in Space and the motility of a male fly population will be video-recorded. In the Biopan, an ESA exobiology facility that can be flown attached to the exterior of a Russian biosatellite, Artemia dormant gastrulae will be exposed to the space environment in the exterior of the satellite under a normal atmosphere or in the void. Gastrulae will be separated in hit and non-hit populations. The developmental and aging response of these animals will be studied upon recovery. With these experiments we will be able to establish whether exposure to the space environment influences arthropod development and aging, and elaborate on some of the cellular mechanisms involved which should be tested in future experiments.     

Applications and usage of the real-time Neutron Monitor Database

A high-time resolution Neutron Monitor Database (NMDB) has started to be realized in the frame of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission. This database will include cosmic ray data from at least 18 neutron monitors distributed around the world and operated in real-time. The implementation of the NMDB will provide the opportunity for several research applications most of which will be realized in real-time mode. An important one will be the establishment of an Alert signal when dangerous solar cosmic ray particles are heading to the Earth, resulting into ground level enhancements effects registered by neutron monitors. Furthermore, on the basis of these events analysis, the mapping of all ground level enhancement features in near real-time mode will provide an overall picture of these phenomena and will be used as an input for the calculation of the ionization of the atmosphere. The latter will be useful together with other contributions to radiation dose calculations within the atmosphere at several altitudes and will reveal the absorbed doses during flights. Moreover, special algorithms for anisotropy and pitch angle distribution of solar cosmic rays, which have been developed over the years, will also be set online offering the advantage to give information about the conditions of the interplanetary space. All of the applications will serve the needs of the modern world which relies at space environment and will use the extensive network of neutron monitors as a multi-directional spectrographic detector. On top of which, the decreases of the cosmic ray intensity – known as Forbush decreases – will also be analyzed and a number of important parameters such as galactic cosmic ray anisotropy will be made available to the users of NMDB. A part of the NMDB project is also dedicated to the creation of a public outreach website with the scope to inform about cosmic rays and their possible effects on humans, technological systems and space-terrestrial environment. Therefore, NMDB will also stand as an informative gate on space research through neutron monitor’s data usage.     

Introducing the law games: Predicting legal liability and fault in satellite operations

Over recent times there has been a rise in the number of objects placed into Earth orbit. With various countries licensing a number of large constellations, the orbital population is set to increase dramatically. A significant number of technical advances have facilitated this and, in the UK and elsewhere, this has been matched by the updating of legislation and an increased policy focus on the need for increased space surveillance and tracking. The rise of large constellations coupled with an increasing number of experimental techniques such as active debris removal or on-orbit servicing procedures means that establishing fault will be crucial if litigation is to be successful. In doing this, any legal proceedings will look at both norms of behaviour, deviation from which will point towards fault and the types and standard of evidence that will be required.This paper will outline these problems in detail. It will be proposed that what is required to map out the contours of liability are both codification of the norms for satellite operations and clarity on protocols for evidence gathering in cases where fault may be contested in orbital operations. This discussion will identify that a way in which this could be achieved is by the use of “space law games”. These are simulations, similar to military war games, in which fictional scenarios could highlight some of the key legal issues that might need to be dealt with. The paper will outline some of the ways in which the law games might work and pose questions as to what data and other considerations will be needed to make such simulations meaningful.     

The ROSAT mission

A primary scientific objective of the ROSAT mission is to perform the first all-sky survey with an imaging X-ray telescope leading to an improvement in sensitivity by several orders of magnitude compared with previous surveys. A large number of new sources (? 10⁵) will be discovered and located with an accuracy of 1 arcmin or better. These will comprise almost all astronomical objects from nearby normal stars to distant quasistellar objects. After completion of the survey which will take half a year the instrument will be used for detailed observations of selected sources with respect to spatial structure, spectra and time variability. In this mode which will be open for guest observers ROSAT will provide substantial improvement over the imaging instruments of the Einstein observatory.The main ROSAT telescope consists of a fourfold nested mirror system with 83 cm aperture having three focal plane instruments. Two of them will be imaging proportional counters (0.1 – 2 keV) providing a field of view of 2°, an angular resolution of ≈ 30″ in the pointing mode and a spectral resolution ^ΔE/E ≈ 45% FWHM at 1 keV. The third focal instrument will be a high resolution imager (≈ 3″). The main ROSAT telescope will be complemented by a parallel looking Wide Field camera which extend the spectral coverage into the XUV band.     

Cytoskeleton and gravity at work in the establishment of dorso-ventral polarity in the egg of Xenopus laevis

The establishment of polarities during early embryogenesis is essential for normal development. Amphibian eggs are appropriate models for studies on embryonic pattern formation. The animal-vegetal axis of the axially symmetrical amphibian egg originates during oogenesis and foreshadows the main body axis of the embryo. The dorso-ventral polarity is epigenetically established before first cleavage. Recent experiments strongly suggest that in the monospermic eggs of the anuran Xenopus laevis both the cytoskeleton and gravity act in the determination of the dorso-ventral polarity. In order to test the role of gravity in this process, eggs will be fertilized under microgravity conditions during the SL-D1 flight in 1985. In a fully automatic experiment container eggs will be kept under well-defined conditions and artificially fertilized as soon as microgravity is reached; eggs and embryos at different stages will then be fixed for later examination. Back on earth the material will be analysed and we will know whether fertilization under microgravity conditions is possible. If so, the relation of the dorso-ventral axis to the former sperm entry point will be determined on the whole embryos; in addition eggs and embryos will be analysed cytologically.     

A new window on the cosmos: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint US/German Project to develop and operate a gyrostabilized 2.5-m telescope in a Boeing 747-SP. This observatory will allow astronomical observations from 0.3 μm to sub-millimeter wavelengths at stratospheric altitudes as high as 45,000 ft where the atmosphere is not only cloud-free, but largely transparent at infrared wavelengths. The dynamics and chemistry of interstellar matter, and the details of embedded star formation will be key science goals. In addition, SOFIA’s unique portability will enable large-telescope observations at sites required to observe transient phenomena and location specific events. SOFIA will offer the convenient accessibility of a ground-based telescope for servicing, maintenance, and regular technology upgrades, yet will also have many of the performance advantages of a space-based telescope. Initially, SOFIA will fly with nine first-generation focal plane instruments that include broad-band imagers, moderate resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features from dust and large molecules, and high resolution spectrometers capable of studying the chemistry and detailed kinematics of molecular and atomic gas. First science flights will begin in 2010, leading to a full operations schedule of about 120 8–10 h flights per year by 2014. The next call for instrument development that can respond to scientifically exciting new technologies will be issued in 2010. We describe the SOFIA facility and outline the opportunities for observations by the general scientific community with cutting edge focal plane technology. We summarize the operational characteristics of the first-generation instruments and give specific examples of the types of fundamental scientific studies these instruments are expected to make.     

Planetary Protection Policy (U.S.A.).

Through existing treaty obligations of the United States, NASA is committed to exploring space while avoiding biological contamination of the planets, and to the protection of the Earth against harm from materials returned from space. Because of the similarities between Mars and Earth, plans for the exploration of Mars evoke discussions of these Planetary Protection issues. US Planetary Protection Policy will be focused on the preservation of these goals in an arena that will change with the growth of scientific knowledge about the martian environment. Early opportunities to gain the appropriate data will be used to guide later policy implementation. Because human presence on Mars will result in the end of Earth's separation from the martian environment, it is expected that precursor robotic missions will address critical planetary protection concerns before humans arrive.     

VLBI for better gravimetry in SELENE

The Japanese lunar explorer SELENE (SElenological and Engineering Explorer), to be launched in 2007, will for the first time utilize VLBI observations in lunar gravimetry investigations. This will particularly improve the accuracy to which the low degree gravitational harmonics and the gravity field near the limb can be measured, and when combined with Doppler measurements will enable three-dimensional information to be extracted. Differential VLBI Radio sources called VRAD experiment involves two on-board sub-satellites, Rstar and Vstar. These will be observed using differential VLBI to measure the trajectories of the satellites with the Japanese network named VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry) and an international VLBI network.     

Accurate determination of the successive moments of the sun: a new window open on the sun''s interior

Despite its great importance for solar physics, mainly in the fields of solar fundamental astrometry, helioseismology, planetary motions and relativistic effects, the successive zonal harmonics of the Sun still remain elusive and subject to some controversy. Direct observations from the ground suffer from atmospheric effects and are not of enough accuracy. Up to now, space flights (SOHO) or balloon missions give consistent data but lead to spurious results due to the noise. As far as indirect observations are concerned, the more precise determination of the successive moments (mainly J₂, J₄ and even J₆), will be provided unambiguously by the study of the orbit of a spacecraft flying close to the Sun or around Mercury. This has been scheduled, but not yet achieved. In this paper we will first emphasize why it is important to know the successive zonal harmonics of the Sun with a high accuracy. We will show how their precise knowledge permits to obtain informations on the Sun's interior, mainly the shear's regions (tacholine or leptocline). Then we will give an up-to-date review of both theories (including the heliosismology approach) and data. We will explain some of the difficulties, mainly due to the differential rotation and we will give an insight of what the PICARD's mission will bring in that field. Then we will propose a novel concept for a Sun's mission, which would lead to the most accurate determination of the successive solar moments (that could be part of another project), and thus opening a new window on the Sun's interior.