Progress Report on Insight-HXMT: China's First X-ray Astronomy Satellite

Insight-HXMT is China's first X-ray astronomy satellite. It was launched on 15 June 2017 and is currently in service smoothly. Insight-HXMT has been used to scan the Galactic plane repeatedly, making pointing observations to neutron stars and black holes, and monitor the whole sky continuously in the MeV band. Insight-HXMT is also very flexible in making ToO observations, with the response time from about 3 hours to within a day. So far more than 50 refereed publications have been made with data from its observations; many more publications have used the data or results of Insight-HXMT one way or another. The scientific impacts of Insight-HXMT have been growing rapidly since launch. We expect Insight-HXMT to continue to operate for several more years.      

空间科学任务及其特点综述

人类进入太空以来已经发射了近1万个人造航天器,其中大约10%执行的是空间科学和探测任务.近年来中国经济快速发展,提供了更多的基础研究经费,经济转型也对创新驱动发展提出了更高需求,中国对空间科学的投入开始逐年增加.2015年以来先后成功发射了悟空号、实践十号、墨子号和慧眼号4颗科学卫星,天宫2号空间实验室也成功实施了一系列空间科学实验.重要科学发现和成果正在不断地产出.空间科学卫星任务（或称计划）与应用卫星从提出到评价都有很大不同,因此有必要对其所具有的特点进行分析,从而引导空间科学界从科学团队、技术团队到管理团队提高认识,确保未来的空间科学任务发挥最大效益,获得最大科学产出.      

微重力条件下红外材料的空间生长

根据近年红外材料在空间生长的研究概况,分析了涵盖熔体、气相、液相外延和分子束外延等生长方法及各个方法生长红外材料的基本原理,在地面生长遇到的问题,以及在空间微重力环境中进行红外材料生长的优势.同时基于中国利用熔体法在天宫二号上已经进行的ZnTe:Cu晶体的空间生长科学实验及地基实验结果,通过对空间和地面实验结果进行对比,提出了在超高真空环境下,利用分子束外延方式生长高性能、大尺寸红外材料的可能性,以及未来在空间微重力条件下进行红外材料生长的研究方向及具体应用.      

带有飞行控制系统飞机的伺服弹性试验研究

以一架具有飞行控制系统的飞机为对象,开展了伺服弹性(结构模态耦合)试验研究,旨在揭示该飞机的伺服弹性稳定性本质.同时,阐述了结构模态耦合试验的方法和原理,给出了典型状态的试验结果,并与计算分析结果进行了比较.说明该试验方法是可行的.      

基于机内测试的故障注入系统设计

随着机内测试(Built-in Test, BIT)的深入研究和广泛应用,对其验证和评价提出了迫切要求,也使这一领域成为新的研究热点.通过故障注入的方式检测BIT性能是一种有效的验证其测试性水平的方法.在综合国内外相关研究的基础上,详细分析了BIT验证和评价的重要性、迫切性及其实用价值,着重阐述了关于BIT验证和评价的故障注入系统设计方案,并给出了系统实现的总体结构框图、工作流程图、系统中各子模块的关系图以及实验数据等.在硬/软件设计实现的基础上,进行了初步的BIT验证实验,模拟一定数量的故障注入到被测电路中,用以验证BIT测试的有效性.结果表明该故障注入系统能够满足验证BIT设计指标的要求,达到了预期的初步设计目的.      

A new balloon base in Japan

Since 1971, numerous balloons have been launched from the Japanese balloon base, the Sanriku Balloon Center (SBC). Through these years, balloon technologies have been developed continuously and many scientific achievements have resulted. Recently, however, because of the limited area of the launching pad of the SBC, we have been faced with the difficulty of safely launching large balloons. To solve this issue, we decided to move the balloon base from the SBC to the Taiki Aerospace Research Field (TARF) in northern Japan. The TARF had an existing huge hanger and a paved launch pad capable of being utilised for balloon operations. To evolve the TARF into a new balloon base, new balloon facilities have been constructed at the TARF and equipment was transferred from the SBC to the TARF during July 2007 and March 2008. The SBC was closed in September 2007, and the new base became operational in May 2008. The new base at the TARF is designed to launch larger balloons with greater safety and to perform balloon operations more effectively than ever before. In the summer of 2008, we carried out the first series of the balloon campaign at the TARF, and succeeded in two engineering flights of stratospheric balloons. By the success of these flights, we have verified that the whole system of the new balloon base is well established.     

Mutagenic effects of heavy ions in bacteria.

The peculiarities and mechanisms of the mutagenic action of gamma-rays and heavy ions on bacterial cells have been investigated. Direct mutations in the lac-operon of E. coli in wild type cells and repair deficient strains have been detected. Furthermore, the induction of revertants in Salmonella tester strains was measured. It was found that the mutation rate was a linear-quadratic function of dose in the case of both gamma-rays and heavy ions with LET up to 200 keV/micrometer. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) increased with LET up to 20 keV/micrometer. Low mutation rates were observed in repair deficient mutants with a block of SOS-induction. The induction of SOS-repair by ionizing radiation has been investigated by means of the "SOS-chromotest" and lambda-prophage induction. It was shown that the intensity of the SOS-induction in E. coli increased with increasing LET up to 40-60 keV/micrometer.     

Preliminary study on migration pattern of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) based on satellite tracking

The spatial and temporal patterns of the endangered Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) have been studied using satellite-based ARGOS platform transmitter terminal (PTT) tracking data. The data was obtained from the satellite tracking of two female Tibetan antelopes that were collared with satellite transmitters and have been tracked from August 2007 to April 2009.     

涡扇发动机地面起动过程性能模拟

用积分方法建立了混合排气加力涡扇发动机起动过程模拟模型并用该模型进行了仿真计算,模型基于气动热力学方程、各部件特性以及经验关系式,根据给出的发动机起动过程初始条件、燃烧室供油规律等进行计算.为说明所建立的起动性能模型的模拟效果,将程序计算结果与试验结果进行了比较,结果表明该起动仿真模型能较准确地模拟混排加力涡扇发动机的地面起动过程.还分析了计算过程中对起动过程有比较大影响的因素,包括计算时间步长,起动机脱开转速,燃烧室总压恢复系数的经验系数,大气温度、压力以及海拔高度等.了解这些因素对起动过程及模拟结果的影响,便于通过修正的途径将该计算方法用于发动机地面起动性能的准确模拟.      

Energetic electron fluxes stimulated with pulsed injection of plasma in the ionosphere

Two active experiments have been carried out with a plasma gun on the MR-12 rocket launched from Volgograd. Plasma blobs were injected along (1 experiment) and transverse (2 experiment) the magnetic field lines. In both experiments, the increase of the energetic electron fluxes was registered: in the first experiment it was 2–3 times, and in the second one 10–40 times, larger than the background fluxes before injection. The changes of the spectrum of the energetic electron pulsations have been found also.     

Using GPS-SCINDA observations to study the correlation between scintillation,total electron content enhancement and depletions over the Kenyan region

This paper presents the first results of total electron content (TEC) depletions and enhancement associated with ionospheric irregularities in the low latitude region over Kenya. At the low latitude ionosphere the diurnal behavior of scintillation is driven by the formation of large scale equatorial depletions which are formed by post-sunset plasma instabilities via the Rayleigh–Taylor instability near the magnetic equator. Data from the GPS scintillation receiver (GPS-SCINDA) located at the University of Nairobi (36.8°E, 1.27°S) for March 2011 was used in this study. The TEC depletions have been detected from satellite passes along the line of sight of the signal and the detected depletions have good correspondence with the occurrence of scintillation patches. TEC enhancement has been observed and is not correlated with increases in S₄ index and consecutive enhancements and depletions in TEC have also been observed which results into scintillation patches related to TEC depletions. The TEC depletions have been interpreted as plasma irregularities and inhomogeneities in the F region caused by plasma instabilities, while TEC enhancement have been interpreted as the manifestation of plasma density enhancements mainly associated with the equatorial ionization anomaly crest over this region. Occurrence of scintillation does happen at and around the ionization anomaly crest over Kenyan region. The presence of high ambient electron densities and large electron density gradients associated with small scale irregularities in the ionization anomaly regions have been linked to the occurrence of scintillation.     

空间微重力条件下偏晶合金的研究

利用我国首次卫星搭载,进行了偏晶合金Zn—Pb、Al—Pb 的空间微重力下的重熔试验,研究了低于临界温度下Al—Pb 合金重熔过程中的物理规律;在临界温度之上重熔了Zn—Pb 合金,发现了Marangoni 对流对合金凝固过程的影响;在液态烧结条件下制备了均匀的粉末Zn—Pb 合金。在微重力下的研究表明:空间微重力条件对消除由于重力引起的宏观偏折和自然对流十分重要,但在重力消失后,非重力的其它因素的影响又显得格外重要。     

The low earth orbit environment observed using CREAM and CREDO.

The Cosmic Radiation Environment and Dosimetry experiment (CREDO) has been operational on board the Advanced Photovoltaics & Electronics Experiment Spacecraft since August 1994. Extensive measurements of cosmic ray linear energy transfer spectra (using data to January 1996) and total dose (using data to November 1994) have been made, and compared with predictions of standard models. Detailed consideration of spacecraft shielding effects have been made. Predictions are shown to overestimate the measured linear energy transfer spectra. The CREAM experiment was flown on STS-63 in the SpaceHab module. Results show penetration of high energy electrons into the SpaceHab module.     

Rocket studies of atmospheric scattering and the aerosol size distribution in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over Thumba

Measurements have been made of the atmospheric scattering in the ultraviolet (λ = 0.31 μm) during the 16 February 1980 solar eclipse rocket campaign. The amplitude of the scattered fluxes as well as the angular distribution could be measured from ground up to an altitude of about 24 km. The Rayleigh scattering component was estimated using standard atmospheric models and the observations have been used to study the scattering due to aerosols at tropospheric and lower stratospheric altitudes.     

A preliminary comparison of two perennially ice-covered lakes in Antarctica: analogs of past Martian lacustrine environments.

Perennially ice-covered lakes in the Antarctic have been suggested as analogs to lakes which may have existed on the surface of Mars 3.5 billion years ago. During the 1991-1992 austral summer, a joint Russian/American research effort was directed at studies of ice-covered lakes in the Bunger Hills Oasis, Antarctica (66 degrees S, 100 degrees E). The primary objective of the expedition was to investigate this ice-free area for features analogous to ancient martian environments that may have been capable of supporting life and to compare the ice-covered lakes of the Bunger Hills with those in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land (77 degrees S, 166 degrees E) as part of the continuing studies of Antarctic-Mars analogs.     

Time-dependent dynamical behavior of surface tension on rotating fluids under microgravity environment

Time dependent evolutions of the profile of free surface (bubble shapes) for a cylindrical container partially filled with a Newtonian fluid of constant density, rotating about its axis of symmetry, have been studied. Numerical computations of the dynamics of bubble shapes have been carried out with the following situations: (1) linear functions of spin-up and spin-down in low and microgravity environments, (2) step functions of spin-up and spin-down in a low gravity environment, and (3) sinusoidal function oscillation of gravity environment in high and low rotating cylinder speeds. The initial condition of bubble profiles was adopted from the steady-state formulations in which the computer algorithms have been developed by Hung and Leslie/1/, and Hung et al./2/     

一种测量接触电阻的新方法

总结接触电阻的测试方法,讨论了产生测量不确定度的因素,对四线法测量原理和消除热电势的方法进行了论述。提出了接触电阻的间接测量法,给出了间接测量法的计算公式,该方法可以用于测试电气回路中的接触电阻,并可以应用在环路电阻标准器的计量校准中。     

各向同性等离子体中长柱状天线阻抗的测量和计算

本文对可与自由空间波长相比拟的长柱状天线在等离子体中的阻抗进行了实验测量,并与理论计算进行了对比。理论采用EMF方法。考虑到相对介电常数θ′是复数,从而公式中的正弦和余弦积分不是表列函数,需展开成级数直接代入复变量进行计算。对比结果表明,在等离子体频率附近天线阻抗的理论曲线与实验符合较好。这说明我们的计算方法和实验设备对某些空间等离子体探测或技术应用涉及的天线计算和模拟问题可能会有实际的意义。      

Synthesis,chemistry and photochemistry of cyanobutadiyne (HCCCCCN)

Cyanobutadiyne has been synthesized starting from the mono or bistributylstannyl derivative of 1,3-butadiyne and p-toluenesulfonyl cyanide. The UV spectrum of HC₅N and the ¹³C NMR spectrum of the deuterocyanobutadiyne DC₅N have been recorded for the first time. Cyanobutadiyne has been detected in the photolysis of mixtures of gases observed on Titan. Its formation starting from cyanoacetylene and acetylene also occurs in the presence of huge amounts of dinitrogen, the major constituent of the Titan’s atmosphere. The application of these findings to the atmosphere of Titan is discussed. The chemistry and photochemistry of cyanobutadiyne have been investigated. A photoadduct has been observed in the photolysis of cyanoacetylene and ethanethiol and, a univocal synthesis of this compound was performed by a nucleophilic addition reaction.