Biosignature detection at an Arctic analog to Europa

The compelling evidence for an ocean beneath the ice shell of Europa makes it a high priority for astrobiological investigations. Future missions to the icy surface of this moon will query the plausibly sulfur-rich materials for potential indications of the presence of life carried to the surface by mobile ice or partial melt. However, the potential for generation and preservation of biosignatures under cold, sulfur-rich conditions has not previously been investigated, as there have not been suitable environments on Earth to study. Here, we describe the characterization of a range of biosignatures within potentially analogous sulfur deposits from the surface of an Arctic glacier at Borup Fiord Pass to evaluate whether evidence for microbial activities is produced and preserved within these deposits. Optical and electron microscopy revealed microorganisms and extracellular materials. Elemental sulfur (S?), the dominant mineralogy within field samples, is present as rhombic and needle-shaped mineral grains and spherical mineral aggregates, commonly observed in association with extracellular polymeric substances. Orthorhombic α-sulfur represents the stable form of S?, whereas the monoclinic (needle-shaped) γ-sulfur form rosickyite is metastable and has previously been associated with sulfide-oxidizing microbial communities. Scanning transmission electron microscopy showed mineral deposition on cellular and extracellular materials in the form of submicron-sized, needle-shaped crystals. X-ray diffraction measurements supply supporting evidence for the presence of a minor component of rosickyite. Infrared spectroscopy revealed parts-per-million level organics in the Borup sulfur deposits and organic functional groups diagnostic of biomolecules such as proteins and fatty acids. Organic components are below the detection limit for Raman spectra, which were dominated by sulfur peaks. These combined investigations indicate that sulfur mineral deposits may contain identifiable biosignatures that can be stabilized and preserved under low-temperature conditions. Borup Fiord Pass represents a useful testing ground for instruments and techniques relevant to future astrobiological exploration at Europa.     

Supraglacial sulfur springs and associated biological activity in the Canadian high arctic-signs of life beneath the ice

Unique springs, discharging from the surface of an arctic glacier, release H(2)S and deposit native sulfur, gypsum, and calcite. The presence of sulfur in three oxidation states indicates a complex series of redox reactions. Physical and chemical conditions of the spring water and surrounding environment, as well as mineralogical and isotopic signatures, suggest biologically mediated reactions. Cell counts and DNA analyses confirm bacteria are present in the spring system, and a limited number of sequenced isolates suggests that complex communities of bacteria live within the glacial system.     

"Hairy blobs:" microbial suspects preserved in modern and ancient extremely acid lake evaporites

"Hairy blobs" are unusual clumps of organic bodies and sulfate crystals that have been found in evaporite minerals grown in acid saline lakes. Here, we document modern hairy blobs in halite and gypsum from 5 modern acid saline lakes in southern Western Australia, and Permian hairy blobs trapped in halite from the mid-Permian Opeche Shale in the subsurface of North Dakota. These are among the first microbial remains described from acid saline lake environments. They give clues about the role of microorganisms in the acidity, geochemistry, and mineralogy of these extreme environments. This study also may add to the inventory of life in extreme environments and help predict possible martian life-forms and the method of preservation.     

The first "space" vegetables have been grown in the "SVET" greenhouse using controlled environmental conditions

The paper describes the "SVET" project--a new generation of space greenhouse with small dimensions. Through the use of a minicomputer, "SVET" is fully capable of automatically operating and controlling environmental systems for higher plant growth. A number of preliminary studies have shown the radish and cabbage to be potentially important crops for CELSS (Closed Environmental Life Support System). The "SVET" space greenhouse was mounted on the "CRYSTAL" technological module docked to the Mir orbital space station on 10 June 1990. Soviet cosmonauts Balandin and Solovyov started the first experiments with the greenhouse on 15 June 1990. Preliminary results of seed cultivation over an initial 54-day period in "SVET" are presented. Morphometrical characteristics of plants brought back to Earth are given. Alteration in plant characteristics, such as growth and developmental changes, or morphological contents were noted. A crop of radish plants was harvested under microgravity conditions. Characteristics of plant environmental control parameters and an estimation of functional properties of control and regulation systems of the "SVET" greenhouse in space flight as received via telemetry data is reported.     

Domain evolution and functional diversification of sulfite reductases

Sulfite reductases are key enzymes of assimilatory and dissimilatory sulfur metabolism, which occur in diverse bacterial and archaeal lineages. They share a highly conserved domain "C-X5-C-n-C-X3-C" for binding siroheme and iron-sulfur clusters that facilitate electron transfer to the substrate. For each sulfite reductase cluster, the siroheme-binding domain is positioned slightly differently at the N-terminus of dsrA and dsrB, while in the assimilatory proteins the siroheme domain is located at the C-terminus. Our sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the siroheme-binding domain shows that sulfite reductase sequences diverged from a common ancestor into four separate clusters (aSir, alSir, dsr, and asrC) that are biochemically distinct; each serves a different assimilatory or dissimilatory role in sulfur metabolism. The phylogenetic distribution and functional grouping in sulfite reductase clusters (dsrA and dsrB vs. aSiR, asrC, and alSir) suggest that their functional diversification during evolution may have preceded the bacterial/archaeal divergence.     

Bacterial communities and the nitrogen cycle in the gypsum soils of cuatro ciénegas basin, coahuila: a Mars analogue

Abstract The OMEGA/Mars Express hyperspectral imager identified gypsum at several sites on Mars in 2005. These minerals constitute a direct record of past aqueous activity and are important with regard to the search of extraterrestrial life. Gale Crater was chosen as Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity's landing site because it is rich in gypsum, as are some desert soils of the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) (Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico). The gypsum of the CCB, which is overlain by minimal carbonate deposits, was the product of magmatic activity that occurred under the Tethys Sea. To examine this Mars analogue, we retrieved gypsum-rich soil samples from two contrasting sites with different humidity in the CCB. To characterize the site, we obtained nutrient data and analyzed the genes related to the N cycle (nifH, nirS, and nirK) and the bacterial community composition by using 16S rRNA clone libraries. As expected, the soil content for almost all measured forms of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were higher at the more humid site than at the drier site. What was unexpected is the presence of a rich and divergent community at both sites, with higher taxonomic diversity at the humid site and almost no taxonomic overlap. Our results suggest that the gypsum-rich soils of the CCB host a unique microbial ecosystem that includes novel microbial assemblies. Key Words: Cuatro Ciénegas Basin-Gale Crater-Gypsum soil microbial diversity-Molecular ecology-Nitrogen cycle. Astrobiology 12, 699-709.     

Analysis of Ballistic Structures of Multichannel Communication Satellite Systems on Precessing Elliptic Orbits

Two models of intersatellite communication channels in satellite systems on precessing elliptic orbits are considered. By assuming that these systems provide for a continuous survey of the Earth of the necessary multiplicity, algorithms of the analysis of ballistic system structures are constructed for these models in order to maintain multichannel global communication and organization of corresponding intersatellite channels. The algorithm operation is illustrated by numerical examples. This paper develops the results from [1–3], where a similar approach was advanced for the analysis of ballistic structures of satellite systems with simplified models of motion.     

电磁脉冲弹对雷达“前门”损伤研究

分析了电磁脉冲弹从"前门"损伤雷达的机理,给出了雷达"前门"电磁损伤判断公式,并提出了一些雷达系统"前门"电磁加固措施.可作为电磁脉冲弹威胁下雷达系统生存性研究和战场抢修研究的理论参考.     

Sulfur-oxidizing chemolithotrophic proteobacteria dominate the microbiota in high arctic thermal springs on Svalbard

The thermal springs Trollosen and Fisosen, located on the High Arctic archipelago Svalbard, discharge saline groundwaters rich in hydrogen sulfide and ammonium through a thick layer of permafrost. Large amounts of biomass that consist of filamentous microorganisms containing sulfur granules, as analyzed with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were found in the outflow. Prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene libraries and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses reported bacteria of the γ- and ?-proteobacterial classes as the dominant organisms in the filaments and the planktonic fractions, closely related to known chemolithoautotrophic sulfur oxidizers (Thiotrix and Sulfurovum). Archaea comprised ～1% of the microbial community, with the majority of sequences affiliated with the Thaumarchaeota. Archaeal and bacterial genes coding for a subunit of the enzyme ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) were detected, as well as 16S?rRNA genes of Nitrospira, all of which is indicative of potential complete nitrification in both springs. 16S rRNA sequences related to methanogens and methanotrophs were detected as well. This study provides evidence that the microbial communities in Trollosen and Fisosen are sustained by chemolithotrophy, mainly through the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, and that ammonium and methane might be minor, additional sources of energy and carbon.     

High-resolution simulations of the final assembly of Earth-like planets. 2. Water delivery and planetary habitability

The water content and habitability of terrestrial planets are determined during their final assembly, from perhaps 100 1,000-km "planetary embryos " and a swarm of billions of 1-10-km "planetesimals. " During this process, we assume that water-rich material is accreted by terrestrial planets via impacts of water-rich bodies that originate in the outer asteroid region. We present analysis of water delivery and planetary habitability in five high-resolution simulations containing about 10 times more particles than in previous simulations. These simulations formed 15 terrestrial planets from 0.4 to 2.6 Earth masses, including five planets in the habitable zone. Every planet from each simulation accreted at least the Earth's current water budget; most accreted several times that amount (assuming no impact depletion). Each planet accreted at least five water-rich embryos and planetesimals from the past 2.5 astronomical units; most accreted 10-20 water-rich bodies. We present a new model for water delivery to terrestrial planets in dynamically calm systems, with low-eccentricity or low-mass giant planets-such systems may be very common in the Galaxy. We suggest that water is accreted in comparable amounts from a few planetary embryos in a " hit or miss " way and from millions of planetesimals in a statistically robust process. Variations in water content are likely to be caused by fluctuations in the number of water-rich embryos accreted, as well as from systematic effects, such as planetary mass and location, and giant planet properties.     

基于反馈线性化的高速无人机自适应控制系统设计

高速无人机是典型的复杂非线性、参数不确定性系统,且各控制通道之间存在强耦合作用,这对飞行控制系统设计提出了严峻挑战。针对其非线性特性和耦合特性,采用精确反馈线性化理论将无人机动力学模型解耦为3个独立的子系统,即滚转、俯仰和偏航通道;应用模型参考自适应控制方法分别设计每个通道的姿态控制器。研究表明,上述线性化方法能够实现三通道解耦,所设计控制系统满足飞行控制性能要求,且对气动参数摄动和外部干扰具有较强的鲁棒性。     

一种星载计算机数据流软故障纠正算法

在太空环境中,由于宇宙射线的存在,计算机系统的存储单元经常发生各种瞬态故障。此类故障通常都使用硬件或从系统角度加以解决,但其成本高重量大。针对此种故障类型提出了一种软件实现的数据流故障纠正算法,该算法通过对程序中变量进行简单编码和解码操作后,可对发生在程序数据空间内的单“位”错误进行检测并进而纠正。故障注入的实验结果表明,对于程序数据段错误,该算法可把错误输出从原始程序的27％～49％降低到0．01％～0．02％,同时故障纠正率接近100％;对于程序堆栈段错误,该算法可把错误输出从原始程序的10％～70％降低到1％～3％,故障纠正率也在73％以上。与其它软件实现的软故障检测或纠正算法相比,实验结果表明该算法实现简单,运算量小,具有较高的错误探测与纠正能力。     

文献A Successful Strategy for Satellite Development and Testing点评

文章对美国在1998-2002年执行"快,好,省"采购改革方案期间航天器故障率上升146%的3个原因进行了分析与点评.这3个原因包括:对标准、规范严格遵循的意识下降;航天元器件复合度激增;系统工程管理失控.文章对抑制故障率上升的对策进行归纳,其中最重要的一条是:卫星研制工作必须严谨,一丝不苟地按照相关标准进行(环境)试验.     

Gypsum-permineralized microfossils and their relevance to the search for life on Mars

Abstract Orbital and in situ analyses establish that aerially extensive deposits of evaporitic sulfates, including gypsum, are present on the surface of Mars. Although comparable gypsiferous sediments on Earth have been largely ignored by paleontologists, we here report the finding of diverse fossil microscopic organisms permineralized in bottom-nucleated gypsums of seven deposits: two from the Permian (～260?Ma) of New Mexico, USA; one from the Miocene (～6?Ma) of Italy; and four from Recent lacustrine and saltern deposits of Australia, Mexico, and Peru. In addition to presenting the first report of the widespread occurrence of microscopic fossils in bottom-nucleated primary gypsum, we show the striking morphological similarity of the majority of the benthic filamentous fossils of these units to the microorganisms of a modern sulfuretum biocoenose. Based on such similarity, in morphology as well as habitat, these findings suggest that anaerobic sulfur-metabolizing microbial assemblages have changed relatively little over hundreds of millions of years. Their discovery as fossilized components of the seven gypsiferous units reported suggests that primary bottom-nucleated gypsum represents a promising target in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Key Words: Confocal laser scanning microscopy-Gypsum fossils-Mars sample return missions-Raman spectroscopy-Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument-Sulfuretum. Astrobiology 12, 619-633.     

Abiotic synthesis of organic compounds from carbon disulfide under hydrothermal conditions

Abiotic formation of organic compounds under hydrothermal conditions is of interest to bio, geo-, and cosmochemists. Oceanic sulfur-rich hydrothermal systems have been proposed as settings for the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds. Carbon disulfide is a common component of magmatic and hot spring gases, and is present in marine and terrestrial hydrothermal systems. Thus, its reactivity should be considered as another carbon source in addition to carbon dioxide in reductive aqueous thermosynthesis. We have examined the formation of organic compounds in aqueous solutions of carbon disulfide and oxalic acid at 175 degrees C for 5 and 72 h. The synthesis products from carbon disulfide in acidic aqueous solutions yielded a series of organic sulfur compounds. The major compounds after 5 h of reaction included dimethyl polysulfides (54.5%), methyl perthioacetate (27.6%), dimethyl trithiocarbonate (6.8%), trithianes (2.7%), hexathiepane (1.4%), trithiolanes (0.8%), and trithiacycloheptanes (0.3%). The main compounds after 72 h of reaction consisted of trithiacycloheptanes (39.4%), pentathiepane (11.6%), tetrathiocyclooctanes (11.5%), trithiolanes (10.6%), tetrathianes (4.4%), trithianes (1.2%), dimethyl trisulfide (1.1%), and numerous minor compounds. It is concluded that the abiotic formation of aliphatic straight-chain and cyclic polysulfides is possible under hydrothermal conditions and warrants further studies.     

利用谱熵解决零前缀正交频分复用系统的符号盲同步算法

针对低信噪比多径条件下的ZP OFDM系统符号盲同步问题,提出了基于谱熵的ZP OFDM系统的符号盲同步算法。该算法不需要数据辅助,对接收到的ZP OFDM信号进行双滑动窗的谱熵比运算,通过寻找其峰值点来实现符号同步。给出了算法的具体步骤和性能分析。算法是对接收信号的功率谱进行求熵运算,可以有效克服能量检测法易受信道噪声影响的缺点,并且不需要针对信道调整窗口宽度。仿真结果表明,在低信噪比多径信道条件下,算法仍然具有较好的同步性能。     

Substrate limitation for methanogenesis in hypersaline environments

Motivated by the increasingly abundant evidence for hypersaline environments on Mars and reports of methane in its atmosphere, we examined methanogenesis in hypersaline ponds in Baja California Sur, Mexico, and in northern California, USA. Methane-rich bubbles trapped within or below gypsum/halite crusts have δ13C values near -40‰. Methane with these relatively high isotopic values would typically be considered thermogenic; however, incubations of crust samples resulted in the biological production of methane with similar isotopic composition. A series of measurements aimed at understanding the isotopic composition of methane in hypersaline systems was therefore undertaken. Methane production rates, as well as the concentrations and isotopic composition of the particulate organic carbon (POC), were measured. Methane production was highest from microbial communities living within gypsum crusts, whereas POC content at gypsum/halite sites was low, generally less than 1% of the total mass. The isotopic composition of the POC ranged from -26‰ to -10‰. To determine the substrates used by the methanogens, 13C-labeled methylamines, methanol, acetate, and bicarbonate were added to individual incubation vials, and the methane produced was monitored for 13C content. The main substrates used by the methanogens were the noncompetitive substrates, the methylamines, and methanol. When unlabeled trimethylamine (TMA) was added to incubating gypsum/halite crusts in increasing concentrations, the isotopic composition of the methane produced became progressively lower; the lowest methane δ13C values occurred when the most TMA was added (1000 μM final concentration). This decrease in the isotopic composition of the methane produced with increasing TMA concentrations, along with the high in situ methane δ13C values, suggests that the methanogens within the crusts are operating at low substrate concentrations. It appears that substrate limitation is decreasing isotopic fractionation during methanogenesis, which results in these abnormally high biogenic methane δ13C values.     

电推进航天器的特殊环境及其影响

文章介绍了应用离子和霍耳电推进系统在航天器周围产生的等离子体和电磁场等特殊环境,讨论了这些特殊环境对航天器各分系统或部件产生的溅射腐蚀、沉积污染、充放电、等离子体干扰、碰撞动力学扰动等影响效应,探讨了研究电推进与航天器相互作用效应的地面试验技术、空间飞行试验技术和模型分析技术,介绍了离子电推进系统与航天器相容性分析评价的技术要点。     

基于LSTM-ResNet模型的时变结构损伤检测

面向火箭结构健康监测，提出了一种基于深度学习的损伤检测方法，直接将多个通道的振动数据作为输入，并基于由长短时记忆网络LSTM（Long Short-Term Memory Networks）和残差卷积神经网络ResNet（Residual Convolutional Neural Networks）组合而成的LSTM-ResNet网络进行损伤识别。其优点在于，首先利用LSTM提取信号的时间依赖特征，减轻了由某些通道信号缺失带来的影响，再利用ResNet在不损耗特征的情况下进一步提取空间特征，提高了训练效率和损伤辨识准确性。通过充液圆筒振动放水实验模拟火箭飞行状态下的燃料消耗，并基于自主构建的数据集和公用数据集对LSTM-ResNet、LSTM、ResNet以及ResNet-LSTM网络进行了训练，训练结果表明，LSTM-ResNet组合网络无论在传感器是否存在故障的情况下都具有更好的性能，损伤检测精度更高。     

硅橡胶"O"形密封圈Mooney-Rivlin模型常数的确定

依据非线性力学理论,用工程实用的测试方法,对硅橡胶材料单轴拉伸力学行为进行了测试,通过对测试结果的拟合处理,得到了四参数的Mooney-R ivlin模型常数,模型曲线与实测应力应变曲线吻合较好。采用该模型常数对硅橡胶“O”形密封圈工作状态的变形和应力进行了有限元分析,加深了对其密封性能的了解,对密封结构的设计分析具有一定的指导意义。